The next day, Friday, David arrived at school early. Why so early? He couldn't stop thinking about the class president's fiery red lips, and the thought made him all jittery with excitement.
As soon as he entered the classroom, he noticed that most of the students were already there, and instantly, over fifty pairs of eyes turned to look at him, making him feel a bit uneasy. He made his way to his seat and saw the class president studying. She glanced at him with a disdainful look, as if to say, "You're going to lose for sure. Get ready to call me 'ma'am' three times."
Just then, a student from the neighboring class appeared at the door, calling out, "Who's the English class rep? Come get the test papers from yesterday." Candice, the English class rep, went out to collect the papers.
A few minutes later, Candice returned with the English papers, and the class buzzed with excitement. Many students rushed over to see their scores and find out where they went wrong. They were also curious about how Tina and David had performed.
However, David and Tina remained seated, confident about their scores. Suddenly, someone exclaimed, "Wow, Liam scored 107! Amazing!" Another voice followed, "Candice got 105." Then, someone shouted, "The class president scored 112." Tina's tense expression relaxed, and she gave David a smug look, thinking, "You'll be lucky to pass."
But before Tina could dwell on it, a shriek pierced the air: "David scored 120, a perfect score in English!" What? How was that possible? Tina quickly left her seat and snatched David's paper to see for herself. It was indeed a perfect score, even on the difficult questions she couldn't answer.
"No way, this can't be. He must have cheated," Tina thought. Pointing at David, she demanded, "Tell me, did you cheat? There's no way you got a perfect score!" David calmly replied, "Class president, you're accusing me of cheating? I sat in the first seat of the third row, right in front of the teacher's desk. The invigilator was sitting right there. How could I possibly cheat?"
"Are you saying you can't handle losing?" David teased. "I can't handle losing? Just wait. There are other subjects yet to be graded," Tina retorted, grabbing her paper from Candice and returning to her seat.
The classmates, now back at their seats with their papers, were in disbelief. David's usual grades were average, so how did he score perfectly today? Was it the bet that motivated him? If David knew what they were thinking, he'd probably laugh, thanks to his incredible system, nothing was impossible for him.
After the morning study session, during the break, the Chinese test papers were handed out. Tina scored 110, while David scored 115 out of a possible 120, widening the gap by 13 points.
The first class of the day was math, and the test results were handed out. Tina scored 118, while David got 115. The gap between them narrowed by 3 points, now standing at 10 points.
In the second class, history results were distributed. David scored a perfect 100, while Tina got 95. The gap widened again by 15 points.
During the last class of the morning, the politics test results were given out. David scored 98, and Tina got 95. The gap instantly widened to 28 points. Tina glared at David with such intensity that, if looks could kill, David would have been dead hundreds of times over. Meanwhile, David felt like singing, "Being unbeatable is so lonely," as he looked at Tina's furious expression, wanting to laugh out loud.
At noon, the physics test results were handed out. Tina scored a perfect 100, but David got 112. The gap increased to 40 points. The first class in the afternoon was spent reviewing the physics test.
In the second class of the afternoon, the chemistry test results were distributed. Tina scored 95, while David got 90, reducing the gap by 5 points, now standing at 35. Tina was eagerly waiting for the final integrated science test. It was her last hope; if she lost this one too, she'd have to kiss that jerk David.
The last class of the afternoon was when Teacher Walker, the homeroom teacher, handed out the integrated science test results because the biology teacher was unavailable.
Tina scored 90, initially feeling confident, but when she saw David's score, she couldn't believe her eyes—he scored 95. The gap not only didn't close but widened by 5 more points, now at 40. It was over; what could she do? Tina looked at David's smug face, feeling like crying without tears.
Teacher Walker then spoke, "Students, the results of this exam are out, and they're quite surprising. Do you want to know?"
"Yes," the entire class responded eagerly. Teacher Walker continued, "I'll read the scores of the top ten students in the class and their rankings in the grade." Everyone was eager to know, especially who won between Tina and David. The excitement was palpable. Teacher Walker began, "Tenth place, Ethan, with a total score of 530, class rank tenth, grade rank forty-fifth. Zoe, total score 528, class rank ninth, grade rank forty-second. Nathan, total score 535, class rank eighth, grade rank thirty-second..."
Candice scored 635, ranking fifth in the class and twentieth in the grade. Victor scored 645, placing fourth in the class and fifteenth in the grade. Liam scored 660, ranking third in the class and twelfth in the grade. Tina scored 697, coming in second in the class and eighth in the grade. The room buzzed with chatter. The beautiful class president, ranking second in the class and eighth in the grade, truly lived up to her reputation as the leader of Class 3.
It seemed David was bound to lose. There was no way he could be the top of the class, right? This time, he just did a bit better. Those three "auntie" calls were definitely coming. But then Teacher Walker paused, "The top student in the class is someone you wouldn't expect. I'm not keeping it from you any longer. It's David, with a total score of 730, ranking first in the class and third in the grade."
The class fell silent, so quiet you could hear a pin drop. They all gasped. Did they hear that right? David, first in the class and third in the grade? Was this really the David they knew?
Teacher Walker continued, "It's unbelievable, isn't it? I thought so too. I even suspected David of cheating. But when I asked him, he said he completed each exam in just over twenty minutes. So, I believed him. I think this is partly thanks to our class president, Tina, and also due to David's hard work. Let's give them a round of applause." Clap, clap, clap. Everyone was anticipating some drama soon, but the expressions on Tina and David's faces were quite different. Tina looked like she was about to cry, while David beamed with joy. Teacher Walker then said, "Alright, everyone, continue with your independent study. I have a meeting to attend. When the school bell rings, you can leave. Okay?" The students responded, and Teacher Walker left.
Once Teacher Walker was out of sight, the students started rummaging through their bags, pulling out phones and cameras, waiting for David to make a move.
Tina, seeing Teacher Walker leave, knew her first kiss was at stake. She slumped over her desk, pouting, thinking, "I refuse to kiss you. What can you do about it? If you dare, try to steal a kiss!"