Arcadian

The competition

I sit in chemistry, sleepily writing down notes as my eyelids get heavier and heavier by the minute.

I woke up at four this morning and sluggishly carried my weak body back to the hiking trail to search for my necklace but I couldn't find it before I had to return back to the dorm in time to get ready for my first day.

I'm trying to stay positive and friendly when people relentlessly question me all day about my sleeping situation but it's hard to stay happy when I'm so disappoint with myself. 

"Is it true you get to sleep in the same room as the Cruz brothers?" The girl next to me whispers. "Who?" I reply, not remembering anyones last names.

"The twins, Lucian and Emilio," She clarified. "You are so lucky, you're literally living out every girls dream," She giggles. Wow I didn't even know they were related, they must not be identical.

Not wanting to come across as rude, I muster up my biggest fake smile and engage in half an hours worth of gossiping.

Our teacher kept sending us dirty looks but we ignored him, talking right up until the bell rang. "Let me see what class you have next," She says excitedly, reaching out for my timetable.

"Wow advanced top set maths, that's only for the smartest people in the year," She says, sounding impressed. I've always been good at maths but I hate it, I more enjoy literature and the arts than boring stuff like maths and science.

I grab my pastel pink bag and sling it over my shoulder, heading towards the door.

"Miss Flores can I have a word with you," The teacher calls out. I turn around and wait for the rest of the class to file out.

"So, I heard you're staying in Oakwood Hall," He says, clicking his pen repetitively. "Yes sir," I reply, reaching out to fiddle with my necklace forgetting that it's not there.

"You best be on your best behaviour over there, them boys will cause nothing but trouble fighting over a girl like you," He smirks.

A girl like me?

I stand there confused, not sure of what to say but we're thankfully interrupted by another teacher walking into the classroom.

"No more talking in class," He changes the subject randomly. "Off you go miss Flores," He dismisses me.

I make my way through the halls, blending in with everyone else. Thankfully I'm receiving a lot less attention than I did yesterday, I guess being in the same uniform makes it harder to spot me out.

I approach the maths classroom and look in the little window imbedded into the door. The class size is tiny, there's only about nine people and they're mostly boys but at least I recognise Lucian and Tyler. 

I walk in nervously causing the teacher to stop talking. "Wrong class?" She questions. 

I look down at my time table and the door which has the room number engraved into it.  I shake my head, indicating that I'm in the right room.

"Then sit down, it's not the greatest first impression to be late on your first day," She tuts. I want to apologise and explain to her that I was with another teacher but I hold my breath, deciding that talking in front of all of these people would be more embarrassing than just getting scolded.

Lucian stares me down with nothing but a cold look in his eyes so I decide not to anger him further and quickly advert my gaze. I make eye contact with Tyler, who smiles at me and pats the seat next to him. 

I quickly shuffle to the seat and pull out my pencil case.

The class starts off pretty slowly, they marked some tests that I wasn't here for so I just looked out the window. Finally we get to the semi interest bit were our teacher writes complex equations on the board and has everyone answer one.

If you get your question wrong you're eliminated and the last one standing gets a little treat.

We go back and forth answering questions. I thought they were supposed to be complex but this is all stuff I learned years ago. After a while it's only me and Lucian left as the teacher starts ramping up the difficulty of the questions.

"Ah Harper's giving Lucian a run for his money," The teacher laughs behind her desk. It may be a little sad that I'm getting excited over maths but when I saw that Lucian was struggling with his question I was practically bouncing in my seat.

"Ohhh I don't think Lucian can do it," The teacher teases. "Harper has a chance to steal in five seconds," She announces, banging on the desk for a drum roll.

Lucian's face contorts into one of utter concentration but when the teacher screams times up I shout out my answer "x3+y3+z3=k" I announce, causing the teacher to clap and chuck a kitkat at me.

I grab it just as the bell rings and hand it to Tyler who immediately tears it open. "Well done for today guys," The teacher praises. "It looks like we have a new top student," She winks at me, causing me to smile.

I back up my stuff and look over at Lucian, our eyes locking. He rolls his eyes at me and storms out, not bothering to wait for Tyler.

"Don't worry, nobodies beaten him before he's just a sore loser," Tyler laughs.

A weird sense of pride serges through me as I think about how I'm the first person to beat the Lucian Cruz.