Romance With My Nemesis

CHAPTER 6: THE FIRST QUARTER

"It's the end of the first quarter today, and our grades for this quarter will be released later. As I checked my previous exam papers, I noticed that almost all of my exam results are perfect. I just need to wait for the official results," I whispered to myself while lost in thought, checking my exam papers.

Suddenly, our adviser, Ms. Mikasa, entered the classroom. Our classmates, who had been dispersed and engaged in various activities such as talking with each other, napping, or doing their own things, quickly returned to their respective seats upon seeing Ms. Mikasa's arrival.

"Alright, class. I have all your report cards here," she announced, waving the folded cards as she surveyed the entire class. "They are arranged in chronological order, and I'll begin by calling those with the lowest grades, okay?"

"Yes, Miss," the rest of the class responded, unanimously agreeing with Ms. Mikasa's instructions.

Ms. Mikasa called out, "Mickey Jameson, please come and collect your report card." As soon as Mickey's name was called, a wave of relief seemed to wash over the class, and the noise level rose as everyone realized they weren't the ones with the lowest grades.

Next, Ms. Mikasa called out, "Julia Sutherland..." "Yes!" Julia responded with a nonchalant tone, casually rolling her fingers through her hair while chewing gum. She got up from her seat and promptly retrieved her report card from Ms. Mikasa. Julia's desk was located in front of Cassander's, and upon seeing him, she smiled, but Cassander didn't acknowledge her presence.

 As soon as Julia saw her report card, she hissed in frustration, slammed it onto the table, muttered "Fuck" under her breath, and glared towards the front of the classroom, crumpling her report card.

Ms. Mikasa then proceeded to call out the names of other students, including Zack Smith, Leo Blaze, and Chloe Martinez, who responded with a simple "Yes, Miss."

"Arthur Park," Ms. Mikasa announced, calling out the third-to-last student, indicating that he was one of the top three students in the class. "Yes, Miss!" Arthur responded as he stood up, adjusting his eyeglasses, and walked somewhat awkwardly towards Ms. Mikasa. He swiftly collected his report card and returned to his seat.

"Whoever's name I call now will be the top student in the class, alright?" Ms. Mikasa announced with a smile, addressing all of us. There were only two of us left who hadn't been called: Cassander and me. I wasn't usually nervous when I was competing against Arthur, but this time was different. I couldn't just sit there idly; I felt threatened by his presence. "Okay, breathe in, breathe out. Stay calm, Athena," I silently reassured myself as I inhaled and exhaled, trying to calm my nerves as I began to sweat nervously.

"Would you please come forward, Ms. Athena Brenna Lee?" Ms. Mikasa requested. As soon as I heard her say my name, I regained my composure and took a deep breath. I stood up from my seat and walked modestly and composedly toward Ms. Mikasa.

"Congratulations, Top 1!" Ms. Mikasa congratulated me with a smile as I took my report card from her. I reciprocated with a grateful smile, thanking her with my eyes. She then called Cassander to the front. He rose from his seat gracefully as I made my way back to my chair. Our eyes locked for a moment, and I shot him a glare. I could feel his elbow brushing against mine as we walked side by side. I returned to my seat while he reached Ms. Mikasa to retrieve his report card.

"Congratulations, Mr. Top 2! Keep up the good work, Cassander!" Ms. Mikasa acknowledged him. "Thanks, Miss!" Cassander replied without turning to face her. Instead, he simply walked back to his seat, locking eyes with me and smirking.

"What a jerk," I muttered to myself, while glaring at him.

The bell rang, signaling that it was time for lunch. As I reached into my bag to retrieve my lunchbox, I noticed that Cassander had left his seat to get food from the cafeteria. He had left his report card on his table, and a sudden gust of air caused it to flutter to the floor. Placing my lunchbox on my table, I spotted his report card on the ground. Glancing around, I saw that everyone was preoccupied; some were out during lunchtime, and others were busy with their own activities.

I immediately picked up his report card and took a peek at his grades. I was utterly shocked by what I saw and realized that he had joined our school halfway through the quarter. How had he managed to achieve such remarkable grades in such a short time? I compared his grades to mine and was taken aback to discover that he had made only 1-2 mistakes in every subject's exams, with the rest being perfect scores. His overall average was an impressive 97%, just slightly below my 98%. I hadn't realized how deeply I was engrossed in examining his grades when suddenly, I noticed black pants and shoes below the report card I was holding.

I lowered the report card from my face and carefully placed it back on the table. To my surprise, Cassander was gazing intently at me with a stoic expression and clenched jaw.

"I... I accidentally picked up your report card," I stammered, returning it to him. He took his report card from my grasp and returned to his seat. Without a word, he muttered, "I don't care," as he opened his triangle gimbap and began eating.