Playing Dirty

It is the day of the contest and we are on our way to the International Association of Inventors' headquarters while mom utters some words of encouragement to me– something she's been doing for the past fifteen minutes. It's quite a long drive, and I pray it comes to an end soon so I don't have to hear the same statements over and over.

"Avan, are you there?" Mom asks when she notices that I am aloof. I hum a response and she continues. I sigh. Austin and Travis snigger.

We finally arrive at the headquarters and I heave a sigh of relief as I am the first to alight the car. The HQ is a large splendid building with intricate architecture and a large underground parking lot. It looks a lot like those spy agency buildings in movies– without the spies, of course.

Two men and a woman dressed in black uniform approach us and after welcoming us, help me take my invention out of dad's car. They ask for my name and school and fix a tag on the invention then guide us to the elevator. I don't hav