The Nightmare of the Scholar

2 - RYAN

My fate was doomed.

Sarah Biswas was assigned as the co-leader in my group for the group assignment.

I mean, she was the best at everything until last year. I always got intimidated by her which is why whenever I did something better than her, I would start to gloat and show off.

But since the last summer, something had changed. She wasn't the old Sarah. Her grades were average, she had dropped out of all the other extra-curricular clubs. She had stopped going out of her house.

How do I know?

Well, my cousin Alan and Sarah's best friend Courtney are friends, so I heard.

The teacher had dismissed the class and all of us were leaving. Sarah's face looked paler than usual.

I approached her.

"Hey!"

"What?" she yelled annoyingly.

"I would like to present an olive branch." I didn't want our rivalry to get in between our assignment.

"I don't wanna talk to you."

"You have to for the assignment. So it's better if set aside our differences and don't mess anything up."

"He's right, Si", her best friend Courtney said. She used to call her 'Si'.

Sarah remained silent for a really long time. It was unbearable.

At last, she sighed and agreed.

"Okay. Lets not fight or argue for the sake of the assignment", she said while stretching out her hand towards me for a handshake.

I grabbed her hand and shook it, and then left the classroom.

Phew!

What an exhausting day.

I reached home and got greeted by my grandmother (mother's mother) and Alan's sister (AKA my cousin) Stacie.

Alan was staying late at the school for basketball practice. I didn't join this year so that I could focus on my academics and work ethic.

Stacie ran towards me and hugged me.

She was a 12-year old with chestnut skin, dark curly hair and a wide smile that could melt anyone's heart.

"Hey Stac!" I greeted her while hugging her.

She broke the hug and started grinning.

Then suddenly, she looked behind me. Maybe she was looking for Alan.

"Is my stupid brother at school again?" she asked while sulking.

"Yes, he is. He had basketball practice."

"He always plays basketball. Never has time for me."

"Aww, are you being lonely?"

"Kind of."

"I will play with you once I finish my homework. Is that alright?"

"Okay."

She smiled and ran away.

My grandmother smiled at me. I approached her.

"Long time no see." I said, trying to make a joke.

She chuckled.

"I just wanted to visit my daughters and grandchildren. How was your day at school?"

"Not bad. But I got assigned in a group project with my nemesis."

"Oh, that Sarah girl you always keep talking about?"

What did she mean? I never spoke about Sarah.

"When have I ever spoken about her?"

"All the time, son. All the time."

"That's not true."

"Whatever you say."

She laughed and left the room.

I swear I never talked about her.

Okay, maybe I did sometimes.

All the time.

I went in my room, dropped my bag pack on my bed, and went straight to the shower. Showering made me relax.

And hell I needed to relax.

Why did Ms Martin do this?

Why did she make us co-leaders?

Could be because we were the brightest students.

Maybe.

The cold water brought me back to reality.

I turned off the shower and got out with a towel wrapped around my waist. Then I wore my pajamas which was followed by my night time skincare routine. I loved taking care of my skin and hair. It made me feel good.

After all this, I finally sat at my desk to start doing all my homework.

There wasn't a lot cause it was the first day, but I wanted to study as much I could so that I was always ahead of the class.

Some called it superiority complex, I called it work ethic and dedication.

I sat there studying for about five hours non-stop without taking any break which hampered me a lot. I was so tired, I didn't even have dinner and crashed on my bed to a beautiful good night sleep.

Sweet Dreams, Ryan.

"You lied to me!"

Where am I? What's going on?

"You liar! You cheat!"

Stacie's high pitched screams woke me up.

Was she screaming at me?

I opened my eyes and sat up. I rubbed my eyes to clear my vision.

"What, what is going on?" I asked.

"You said you would play with me and then bailed on me!" she yelled.

Oh.

Yes.

I forgot.

I got so caught up with being ahead of everyone, I forgot my promise to Stacie.

I forgot my sister.

"I'm really really sorry. It slipped out of my mind." I explained.

"I hate both my brothers!" and she stormed out of the room.

She hated me.

I hated that she hated me.

It's complicated.

And it isn't just about Stacie.