The Elevator Matcher

Chapter 2: Pre-assessment

I quickly wrapped my finger tightly around my paper as I looked around nervously. Scanning the crowd and look for people who would possibly trade theirs with me. I soften my hand and discreetly looked at the number inside my paper. I can't be partner with that guy, he way too popular! They will judge me or worse, laugh at me!
I looked up and scanned through the crowds again. This time, I saw my 8th grade friend, Belinda. I quickly get to her side and greeted her. Then I immediately went to ask what she got.
"Joy! I was about to walk to you! I wanted to talk to you before, but the teacher has to do her speech first and suddenly we are doing this activity." Belinda said excitedly.
  "I was also trying to search for you, when everyone was busy getting the paper from the box!" I replied in an equal excitement to see her.
We giggled.
  "What number did you got?" I ask.
  "I got 3" we both looked down at Belinda's paper. "I wonder who also got 3." She looked up and gazed through the other students.
  "What did you got?" Belinda turned toward my paper that I was tightly wrapped around of.
  "Umm..." I looked down at the crumbled paper in my hand nervously. "Can you switch with me?"
  She raise one of her eyebrow. "Why? What did you got?"
  I hesitantly unfolded the crumbled paper. Showing her secretly the moment inside it.
  Belinda's eyes widened and covered her hand over her mouth. She then glanced at Vicktor, who's casually talking to his friends.
  "Don't look! Don't make it too obvious! I'll be so embarrassed!" I quickly blocked her way.
  "Y-your partner is him?!" She gasped and cried in whisper as she portray a disbelieved look.
  "But I don't want to!" I dropped my shoulders, "Ugh! My luck had just gone downhill ever since I first got to this class!" I grumbled.
  "What are you talking about! Everyone wants to be with him, can't you see most of the girls want to be partnered with him!" She cried. "You are the most luckiest person in this class because he's indeed quite handsome." She smirked. Giving another quick glance at Vicktor.
  "Well, me personally, I don't want to be partnered with a super popular guy. They always brings trouble, and I hate people whispering about me behind my back." I replied in despair.
  Belinda and patted on my shoulder and smiled. "Don't worry, he looks quite friendly. You will be fine."
  "TRADE WITH ME!" I begged, "I was your number, and you can have mine." I said desperately.
  I stretched my arms to grab her paper when she suddenly pulled back her hand. "No no no!" She said softly, as if she was a mother who stops her kid from wanting something they shouldn't have.
   "Aw, com'n!" I signed.
"You should be lucky that you got what the rest of the girl desires to get! And plus, we can't change after we get our paper. Mrs. Watt's already announced that before she give out the boxes." She said in a whisper.
"But it'll be so embarrassing to be in the center of the attention!" I replied, "I don't want that to happen to me!"
"It seems like everyone had gotten their numbers," Mrs. Watts cried across the room happily, "It's time to find your partner!"
Belinda winked at me and petted me  a good luck before walking off to find her partner.
  I glanced at Vicktor.
It's not like I'm gonna get away with it. I signed and begin to move toward Vicktor. However, somehow my leg just wouldn't move.
  Why? It's nothing! It's just for this one activity, stop worrying!
I took another quick glimpse at vicktor and saw him still talking to his friend.
  Now is not the time.. He had his friends with him. I can't risk being laughed at by them!
I sits on the seat and watches others as they talk to their partners. I then stared at my paper, into that cursed number, 5. I still can't believe I'm that lucky to possibly picked this paper out of all other one.
  How does no one else before me pick this paper? I shouldn't have changed my mind in choosing the previous one! Ugh!
"It looked like we are partners." I gasped as I quickly turned around and saw vicktor staring at the number I was holding. He then looked at me smiling. I suddenly felt my stomach filled with butterflies.
  Am I..... NO WAY!!
"Oh uhhh..." My face flushed instantly.
"I'm Vicktor. What's your name?" He asked politely.
"Oh. Uhh.. I'm Joyelle. But my friend would call me Joy." I lowered my head, trying to hide my awkwardness.
   "Nice to meet you, Joy." Vicktor beamed.

   "I guess you all have your partners! Well then! Let's begin our pre-assessment!" Mrs. Watts cheered.
  I looked up and saw all the students looking at me, especially the female students. The fear I tried to avoid has come to me eventually. Ugh! So embarrassing!
Worst of all, some girls were murmuring while looking at us with jealous eyes! Just as I had said earlier! Nothing comes easier for me, I guess.
   "I'll call you guys up because each of you will be taking it individually so no one cheats! I'm not like your other teachers, i take this test very seriously. Even if it's just a pre-assessment." Mrs. Watts said loudly, "I'll have Mrs. Farrell in charge of telling you to come down partner by partner to take the test.
  She further explained what to expect in the upcoming task as we walk to the testing room.
   "You will have to take the elevator down to floor 6 and meet me in room 609. Alright then! See you in the room!" Mrs. Watts smirked and give us a salute gesture before setting off."
"Wait, we are going by order?" Belinda looked at me in shock. I responded with the same shocking face.

  After a while, Mrs. Watts's voice can be heard from Mrs. Farrell's two way radio, saying "I'm all set, they can start going down now."
   "Team number 1, you can start going down now, good luck!."
  The first two went off. "I'm so nervous!!" The girl in team 1 cries out to her friends. 

   Half an hour has passed, and it's only the 3rd group. Which means, it's Belinda and her partner's turn! I turn to Belinda and praised her a good luck. We hugged and they nervously left the room.
  Hope they don't get an ugly score! This test sure takes quite a long time to finish.
   "Why didn't the people who already finished testing coming back up? Are they staying there? I thought the teacher said no cheating.. The people who already took it could easily whisper them the answer!" I heard one of the girls in front of me said to the others.
   "Maybe they have a separate room to relax in." The other girl replied.

"Team number 5, it's your turn. Good luck on your test!" Mrs. Ferrell called out.
   "Yeah! Good luck bro!" One of his friends give him a light slap on his back and we went out to the hallway.
Other classes' student were nowhere to be seen in the hallway, but I can hear them from inside the classrooms.
  I took a deep breath, and wipe away my sweats so I can be calm when taking the test.
  I shouldn't be worrying about the pre-assessment, not when it doesn't even count as part of our grade. But it's really is just so nerve-racking.
We silently went inside the elevator. More of a awkward silence. If he was nervous about the test too, he didn't show it.
  We stepped in and he pressed the button 6 before we start going down. There's a camera on the left side of the elevator. I remember Mrs. watts told us about the camera and it will take a photo of us when the camera snaps. It has a countdown, and it's now less than 5 seconds. I quickly made a v shape between my index and middle finger as I widen my smile, showing my teeth and waiting for the countdown to finish. Vicktor was leaning on the opposite side of the wall across the camera, both elbows on the handrails and was looking at his phone. When The camera countdown to 2, I saw Vicktor notices my movements and his eyes shift up to the camera where I looked at, but his expression and body posture stayed completely the same. Not even an inch. Did he forgot about the camera task?
The camera snapped.
The elevator continues to go down floor by floor. As the number gets closer down to 6, my heart bumped a beat. I am really nervous. Extremely nervous. When the elevator turned toward 7, it slowed a bit. My heart was pounding really fast now.
Suddenly, the elevator dropped. It dropped in a super rapid pace. The number on the elevator screen were also dropping down really fast.
  Everything happened so fast. So fast that I can hardly process anything at that moment.