CHAPTER 4- THE HIGHEST RANKING STUDENTS

"I'm just joking. And what do you think of me? Thinking of you?" Oly rolled his eyes on Leila and look at me.

"By the way, did you read your notes?" 

"Yes, I already did. But damn it! It's so hard for me to understand the lessons that our professor has discussed." 

"College days are never easy."

"I wish I could be in high school again. No pressure in studying, just go with the flow with our life in high school days."

"You want to be high school again so you can flirt with so many girls again." Leila said. I laughed for what she had said. I can wait for one of them to make a confession someday. 

"Why are you jealous?"

"As if I'm jealous!" Leila hissed and rolled her eyes before she went back to her respective seat. 

"I really don't understand girls nowadays..." Oly shook his head and looked at me. We stopped talking when our professor just entered the room. 

"Good morning students. Are you ready for the first day of examination day." Miss Luna said, putting above the table all of the test papers for today. 

"I hope everyone will get a nice grade since you're in Engineering 1-A. And I forget to tell you that Byron Francisco will be your new classmate starting next week." Byron Francis the Valedictorian? Why?

"He's going to shift his course, since he finally found out what he really wants."

Really? He enrolled in his course right now but then, he's shifting his course? 

We started to take the examination. I took a deep breath before looking and reading all of the questions. I'm so lucky that I already reviewed all of the questions here that have been written in my notes. 

After the examination for this morning, I saw Wave and his friends waiting for me outside. They're talking about something.

"Are you eating your lunch with Wave and his friends?" Leila asked while putting her things inside her bag.

"Yes, you want to come with us?"

"Sure. By the way, I like one of his friends." She giggled and looked at Wave's friend that she's talking about. It's Green Louis with the black piercing. He's talking to my handsome boyfriend and seems like they are very happy.

"What is his name?" Leila asked again.

"Green." 

"Stop joking around, Elyrhia!" 

"Stop calling me by my first name!" I hissed.

"What is his name?"

"I already told you, Leila. He's Green Louis." I saw her cheeks turn red. Red just like my name.

"I need to go ladies, see you!" Oly waved his hand to the both of us before leaving the room.

"I actually like his name..." Leila said, staring at Green. "...and also the feature of his face. I like him very much!" Leila giggled.

"Come on, stop it. I'm hungry."

Wave took a glance at me and he finally saw me coming on their way.

"Hi, Ely. How's your exams?" Amari asked.

"Stop calling her pretty!" Wave said and grabbed my waist closer to his body.

"Shut up dude. I like her first before you like her." Amari said and looked at me.

"Stop it, let's go. I'm hungry."

Weeks later after the examination day, we're all waiting for the result of the highest ranking. Byron started to become our new classmate as if he's really excellent in academics the same way before. He's too competitive when it is all about academics. He's sitting next to me at the front. I already told Wave about it, but he's really jealous. He knows about what happened before when he became my boyfriend. But I actually chose him over Byron. I don't think that Byron still likes me up until now. 

"What do you think, who will be at the highest ranking? At the top?" One of our classmates asked. 

"Do you really want to know what I'm thinking right now?" One of my classmates asked her back. It's been almost a month but I still don't know about their names. I actually know some of them but not really.

"Yes, tell me please."

"Do you think it is really fair? Can't you think that it's too unfair? The treatment of this entire University for every student who enrolled in here? What makes you think that everyone can pass that examination just for the free accommodation and access here? Can't you also see that every student that is in the highest ranking are those who have their money to afford all of the free access here? Then how about the poor one? Just like us? They make us feel so hopeless." Yes, that's what I'm thinking too before that Wave could not understand.

"It is the deepest secret of this University. Everyone thinks that this school is so good and pretty nice, but it will never be."

"Can you just stop talking about it?" They suddenly stopped talking about the secret of this University when our professor just entered the room. She's smiling to eveyone of us in here and seems like the highest ranking is ready, so we can see that if I'am in nor what.

"Damn, I'm being nervous here." I heard Byron said, tapoing his chest to reduce the nervousness that he's feeling right away.

"Stop it, you're already in. I guess." I said without looking at him.

"You can't say those things that are unsure, you might regret it later." I know what he wanted to say but I stopped arguing with him. We will never be that close again like how we used to before.

"Hello Engineering 1-A. The highest ranking is done, and already at the screen in the lobby. See it for yourself. Congratulations in advance to those who are in." She said and left the room again that fast. I stood up and took a deep breath. I'am being nervous here too. The same feeling like how Byron is feeling right now.

"I'm nervous, I hope I'm in!" Leila said waiting for me to come with her and with Oly besides her. 

"As you wish." Oly said.

"Stop arguing, will you? I'm being serious here. But I guess, Red is already in the highest ranking." Leila said but I shook my head.

"Don't tell me that." We walked together in the lobby and there's so many students in here looking at the big screen like television with the names of the students who are in the highest ranking. I couldn't see it, cause there's so many students blocking my way to see for myself.

"How many students are in there?" I heard one of the girls in front of me asking her friend.

"Fifteen students. Fourteen boys and only one girl." Her friend answered her question.

Really? Who is it? Is that Kate? 

"Who's that girl?"

"I didn't see her name. See it for yourself and tell me." Damn, I'm losing my hope right now. I'm thinking that it could be Kate Ventura. She's a Valedictorian same as Byron.

I'm looking around, finding Wave if he's here or what. I know he's in here, looking at the result also. We're all almost shocked when all of the tv screens in the entire lobby just opened. Everyone can see the word 'THE HIGHEST RANKING STUDENT, CLASS OF 2020'.

Then it begins to show some pictures and the history of the final ranking we're it started. And finally the top students will be showing and ready to announce. While waiting, I smell Wave's perfume and it is really him coming in my way with his friends.

"You ready?" He asked and I nodded at him.

"The top 1 of highest students..." Then I saw my picture in there, smiling nonetheless. It is me? Is it me the top 1? Really? I just really can't believe it!

"Top 1 with the average of 99.24, best in all subjects in the first semester, Elyrhia Red Thomas from Engineering 1-A." Everyone look at me and give me applause. Even Wave is clapping his own hands. I still can't believe that I Am the top1 in here.

"The top 2 of the highest ranking with an average of 97.43 best in Chemistry and Physics 1...." I heard some rumors here.

"What? 97 is the average? There's a big gap in between the top 1 and top 2." The girl in front of me hissed like she's more disappointed than me.

"Y-yes, Red is really a genius. I heard that she's just a Salutatorian? But why is she at the top 1 now all over here?" They stopped talking about me when Byron's picture showed up on the screen. 

"Byron Francisco, from Engineering 1-AC and he's at Engineering 1-A now." They are all clapping for Byron. I looked around to see him, but I couldn't see him since there's so many students here. 

"The top 3 in the highest ranking..." I look at Wave looking so cool without any nervousness in his face. Is he not aware that his name didn't call yet?

"The top 3 in the highest ranking got the best student of the first semester and we will offer the sports award since he's the best MVP player all over the Universities... The top 3 in the highest ranking with an average of 97.21, Aziwave Moreno." Damn, I hugged him. Best student of this semester? Really? I looked at the big screen and saw his very charismatic picture there. The girls here started to look at him and they are screaming like they saw a celebrity besides me. 

But it doesn't matter at all. The thing is, why is Byron's grade and Wave's grade is almost too close? Just a little bit of a gap with the points.

"The top 4 in the highest ranking..." Who's the top 4? Maybe one of Wave's friends? Or maybe Kate Ventura? A picture of a handsome man with gray hair has shown.

"The top 4 in the highest ranking came from the Business Administration Department, best in all subjects and got an average of 96.44 is Rigel Vicente." Who's that Rigel?

"Was that the first honorable mention when we were in highschool?" The girl asked.

"Exactly." Her friend answered. 

"The top 5 in the highest ranking..." I almost forgot that there's only one girl in the highest ranking. It should be me, the only one. How about Kate Ventura?

"The top 5 in the highest ranking came from the Architecture Department, we will also offer the sports award for him. The top 3 in the highest ranking is Amari Keith." Amari screamed. 

"Fuck it off bro, I got it!" He said while tapping his chest. 

"Damn, maybe we're not able to pass that shit." Ivan Bryan hissed and looked at the screen where Amari's picture was shown.

"That's the biggest five in the highest ranking. Here's the other 10 male students who passed the examination and got in the highest ranking." We look at the screen. 

"I'm at the top 4? I can't believe it." The man beside me said, maybe he just arrived by now and looking at the screen.

Is that Rigel Vicente?