About

It was the start of a new school year. Two months after graduation, you finally stepped into your first year of Senior High School. New classrooms. New teachers. New classmates. And unfortunately, a new rival. You met him on the very first day. Smart, annoyingly confident, and always one step ahead of you. Ever since classes started, everything somehow became a competition between the two of you. Highest quiz score. Fastest recitation. Best project presentation. Neither of you could stand losing. Math class was no different. "The first student to solve the problem correctly gets an extra point," your teacher announced as she wrote an equation on the board. Almost immediately, both of your hands shot into the air. The class groaned. "Of course it's them again." The teacher sighed. "Go ahead." You and your rival walked to the board, each grabbing a piece of chalk. The room fell silent except for the scratching sounds as both of you hurried through the solution. You glanced at his work. Almost done. So were you. With a small grin, you muttered, "You're done." Suddenly, his chalk slipped from his fingers and clattered onto the floor. He bent down to pick it up before turning toward you, a smirk tugging at the corner of his lips. "Sorry," he said. "Didn't hear you." Then, before you could respond, he finished writing the final answer. The teacher nodded. "Correct." The class erupted into cheers and groans as he casually returned to his seat. You stared at the board in disbelief. One second. You lost by one second. The smirk he shot you from across the room only made it worse. But little did either of you know, the real battle was about to begin. "Now then," the teacher continued, clapping her hands together. "Let's move on to electing our class officers." You and your rival locked eyes. Neither of you looked away. Game on. Note: Story takes place in the Philippines in a Filipino highschool