Chapter Six: Ego Wars!

"Okay Class, since we've been doing algebraic expressions from quite a while now, I am taking a surprise test today!"

The Maths teacher, Mrs, Hale's announcement met with a lot of shocking gasps & groans from the students but that probably didn't encourage her to change her mind.

"Oh no! I should've stayed back at home today rather than failing in this test." Laura sighed, face palming.

I heard the other students mutter in the same lines as her. I, for one, was very optimistic about the test. It wasn't that I was forewarned by the heavenly gods in my dream about this surprise test which made me practice the algebra chapter or anything, but still I was pretty confident to get through with the test.

For the record, everyone in the class thinks that Laura is a nerd just because she wears those big rectangular spectacles with black frames but let me tell you she isn't a book worm.

That being said, I looked across the classroom where the supposed nerd, Drake was seated next to my brother. Drake was impatiently flipping his pen in his fingers as though very eager to give the test.

I turned my attention to the blackboard where Mrs. Hale began writing the questions to be solved by us.  Once she was done, she faced the class & spoke,

"These are the twelve questions. You've 25 minutes in hand. No copying. As and when you're done with solving, you will come to my desk & get it corrected by me then & there. Begin!"

I scanned through the questions. The first six of them were easy so I quickly solved them in my sheet. When I came to the seventh problem, well...ah! Not wanting to sound a cry baby or anything, but the rest of the questions looked very difficult.  I tried to figure them out but nothing extra-ordinary knocked the doors of my brain. I looked at Laura through the corner of my eye. Her face was scrunched in concentration & she was staring at her sheet as if it will magically bless her with correct answers.

I turned my attention back to my sheet, my eyes digging into the unanswered questions in front of me. After a while of thinking like the world's safety is in my hands, I did manage to crack four more questions. That's another thing that I wasn't sure whether I got them correct or not. I casually glanced around the classroom & saw a guy who sat behind Mark scratching his head in confusion as if hoping that a world renowned Mathematician would rush to his aid. I saw him trying to peek into my brother's sheet but the teacher caught him doing that,

"Jake Wood!" Mrs Hale called sharply, "If one more time I see you looking everywhere else other than your paper, you will be walking straight out of class."

Jake mumbled apologies & dug his face into his sheet. Sigh!

I too looked back into my own sheet.

Two more questions! Think Andy Think!

Only 10 minutes left for time to be up.

I glanced around the classroom again when I couldn't find a way to solve the remaining problems. That seemed to be the case with everyone else——except Drake. He was only person in the only class who was writing on the paper!

HOW CAN he solve such difficult questions???HOW???And if he is able to solve, then even I definitely HAVE TO!!!

I turned back to my sheet, the two tough questions mocking  at me.

Think Brain Think, I urged the system inside my skull so much so that I could almost hear my brain cells groaning in pain.

Accept it Andy! You are not as great as Drake, I heard the voice in my head say that.

Excuse me???You're my brain so you should take the trouble to praise me, not him, I snapped back mentally.

He is so hot & good looking, so I might as well support him instead of you Andy.

Shut up!! I repeat that you're my brain so you're supposed to work for me!!Now find me the two answers.

Whatever!

Yeah, that's that. The time was almost up & I could solve 10 sums out of 12. I saw Drake rising from his seat & walking up to the teacher's desk. I too got up, not wanting to be left behind. He gave me a sly smile when he saw me. I rolled my eyes. I gave my sheet first to Mrs. Hale for correction & shockingly Drake didn't object.

"10 correct answers. Good job!" Mrs. Hale told me after checking my paper. I grinned.

Then Drake gave his paper to the teacher. Ha! There is no way he can get the last two questions right because let's face it! Those sums were really tricky!

I was about to walk back to my seat when——

"All 12 answers are correct Drake. Great job!" I heard the teacher say that from behind.  I came to an abrupt halt & turned back.

He got everything correct???

Drake smirked seeing my stunned expressions & then he walked past me to his seat.

I returned back to my seat in a grumpy mood. How can he get everything correct?

The rest of the students went to the teacher's desk one after the other. No one got either 10 or full marks. Mark got nine correct answers (he claimed he did three silly mistakes! yeah sure!) while Laura managed to get a seven. So that left Drake & me as the top scorers but he got more than me!!! 

****

"How is it possible????" I said out loud in frustration as I rapidly paced to & fro in the locker room. Thankfully no one was in there, except Laura ofcourse.

"Calm down Andy!" she tried to assure me.

"How can I calm down? Drake cannot get more marks than me. I love Mathematics & he just cannot get more marks than me." I said stubbornly, "I m sure he was cheating! Yes, that could be the only way he got all the sums correct."

Yeah Yeah, I know 99% of the student population all over the world cringe at every word or sentence related to Math but I love the subject. You can call me weird if you want to but that's the reality. I may not be that great in academics but I have always topped in Maths in my every class, be it at schools in LA or California. And now, this blonde-haired guy, whom I can't stand even for a split-second scores over me! That's really not done!

"Drake didn't cheat." Laura's quiet voice broke my trail of thoughts. She continued, "Believe me or not but Drake is extra-ordinarily brilliant with numbers, geometry & statistics. He always scores full marks in every Math test or exams. In short, everyone knew from the beginning itself that only he would be able to solve everything correctly."

I just didn't know how to react to this. I wanted to argue but right at that moment, Drake walked in there. Seeing me sulking, he flashed his trademark smirk. I looked away from him in annoyance.

"Seems like someone is having a hard time accepting the fact that they are not at all smart and genius that they think themselves to be." He taunted me indirectly.

I glared at him fiercely & had just opened my mouth to fire back at him but right then I felt a tug in my arm.

"Ermm...lets go to the canteen Andy....I'm hungry." Laura said, dragging me outside the locker room with her.

"Laura what—"

"Don't say anything. Just come." she muttered, interrupting me.

*****

"Why did you have to pull me out of there?" I whined to Laura, once we were seated in the canteen, "Drake insulted me & I didn't have a chance to give it back to him!!"

"Andy, have you forgotten how many problems he created for you when both of you had detention? Why do you want to invite more troubles onto yourself by messing with him all over again?"

I sunk into my seat & sighed. Laura is right. I should aim for a Drake-free life to breathe peacefully. Coming to think of detention, that explains why he was so interested in Maths journals & books in the library that day!

Next time onwards, I won't let him win over me at anything!!!

~*~*~*~

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