Chapter Five: Straight A’s Straight Forward!

“Okay, settle in everyone. Now that every student has finished the quiz I handed out earlier, I expect no one to get under a C-minus. Understand?” The teacher’s sharp voice echoed through the room. Suddenly, a burst of chuckling broke the silence and caught everyone’s attention.

The air in the room smelled like nostalgic chalk dust and old paper. Josh turned his head to find the source of the noise.

His face looked different today. His black glasses were gone and replaced by contacts that gave him a sharp and unfiltered view of the world. No more blurry edges. No more hiding.

He spotted the boy immediately. He had his headphones on, and another chuckle escaped his throat as he looked at his phone.

The teacher sighed and slapped a yellow wooden ruler against her desk. It made a loud crack that served its purpose perfectly.

“Hey!” Josh shouted. His voice was a demanding blade that cut through the noise.

The boy’s attention snapped upward. The pure expression of laughter was instantly replaced by a frown and fearful eyes. He looked like he had just seen a ghost. He quickly pulled the headphones off and tucked them into his bag beneath his chair.

“My bad. I wasn’t listening,” the boy said casually. He acted like he hadn't just given the beloved teacher a massive headache.

“Thank you, Josh. You may sit back down properly,” the teacher said with a grateful smile.

Josh sat back down and felt an igniting aura surrounding him. He was back in control.

“Now we continue,” the teacher announced. She grabbed a piece of chalk that had been lying untouched on the chalkboard tray. “Exchange papers with the person across the aisle.”

“Great job, Mr. President,” a voice whispered. It caught everyone’s ears. In the other row, the boys started snickering like they shared a secret with someone they trusted.

“Idiot,” Josh hissed. He rolled his eyes and leaned forward. His desk felt like it was carrying the weight of his whole body.

Josh swapped his paper with the student next to him. When he looked down at the name on the sheet he received, his breath nearly hitched in his throat.

Tristan Boyle.

He never wanted to see that name again. Now, fate was warping his mind with unwanted physical sensations. He felt his heart rate drop and then spike. He was panicking over nothing. His hand tightened around the paper. To his surprise, the page was perfectly neat. It didn't look like the work of a student who lacked manners.

Josh felt that toxic heat rising in his cheeks again. Why was he feeling this way about a name on a piece of paper?

Time seemed to move in a blur as Josh used his red pen to mark the answers according to the teacher's key. He expected Tristan to fail, but the results were devastating.

Ninety-six percent.

Josh felt a stupidly hot sensation in his throat. What if his own score was lower than this bastard?

“Now students, pass the graded papers back to the front,” the teacher ordered.

As the papers moved to the front, the teacher quickly sifted through them. The students started whispering about who would have the highest score. Their eyes darted to Josh. He was having a moment. His perfect straight hair was almost disheveled because he kept running his hands through it.

Then the students looked at Tristan. He was slamming his hand on the desk of the guy next to him and laughing like a horse. It was an uncontrollable burst of noise.

“Man, that’s funny!” the guy next to Tristan said.

Josh rolled his eyes. His hands were ice cold beneath his white sleeves. He forced a serious expression and tried to steady himself. He told himself he wasn't jealous.

“Stop. Stop. You are perfect,” Josh muttered under his breath. He was trying to reprogram his brain.

“Okay, settle down. I will now announce the results.”

The teacher was cut off by a deep and smooth voice from the back of the room. It made Josh’s eyes snap open.

“I predict it’s Josh.”

Nathan Donsol sat in his seat with a posture that was surprisingly elegant. His uniform was perfectly pressed and fit his frame in a way that looked effortlessly sexy. He had a dark and textured wolf-cut hairstyle that framed his sharp Korean features perfectly. His monolid eyes were intense, and his jawline looked like it was carved from marble.

Josh nearly choked on the air as he looked at him. Nathan met Josh’s eyes and gave him a slow and deliberate wink.

“Come on. No need to assume,” Tristan added. He straightened his back and sat up properly to make sure he looked composed.

“Exactly. There is no need for assumptions,” the teacher added while giving Tristan a pointed look.

“Now zip your mouths. The student who answered wisely and got the highest score is none other than…” She paused. She looked mesmerized by the results in her hand. “Josh and Tristan.”

The students erupted into confused screams. Their faces were puzzled.

“Settle down!” the teacher shouted. She placed the papers on her desk.

Josh felt his body hardening. It couldn't be a tie. A tie was a failure. His father would kill him. He could almost feel his head bleeding out a pure crimson red from the punishment waiting at home.

“Both of you, stand up,” she ordered.

Josh stood up stiffly. Tristan stood up next, looking entirely unbothered.

The teacher turned to the chalkboard and wrote both their names in large, bold letters under the Top Scholars heading.

“Since you two tied for the top spot, you will be co-captains for the upcoming math decathlon. I expect you to study together,” she announced with a firm smile.

The bell rang, and Josh headed out of the room with a hollow expression. Study together? He could hear the students whispering rumors behind his back. The sound made his stomach feel like it was evaporating into lava.

He stood in front of his locker and stared at his returned test paper.

Ninety-six percent.

“What a disgrace!” the word replayed in his mind.

Suddenly, a heavy hand reached out and landed firmly on his shoulder.