Delilah's POV

Who is she? She's pretty. The girl standing in front of me had silky long black hair and white skin with a slight tan. She was slightly shorter than me, if I had to guess, I would say she is 5'4. Her eyes were nicely shaped with long eyelashes and grey-coloured eyes. She's got really nice eyes.

"I've got a picture of a ladder. You're Delilah, right?" she said.

"You know who I am?" I asked, surprised.

"Why wouldn't I? A lot of people know you are".

They do? Why am I famous? This is news to me.

"Come, let's go to the main office", she said, making her way out of the group.

I still don't know who she is. "Y-yeah".

I followed her and walked through the courtyard beside her.

"I'm Sabrina, by the way".

Sabrina? I've seen that name somewhere. Where have I seen it?... No way.

"Are you in the top ten?"

"Yeah. I'm 8th", she replied with a smile.

"That's where I've seen your name. When you said your name was Sabrina, I thought it sounded familiar".

"I've somehow made my way up there", she humbly replied.

Somehow? Yeah right. She's smart, and she knows it. She's a girl boss, from how she looks, acts, and speaks. I'm kinda jealous. I wanna be like that. Before I learn more about her, I need to ask.

"How did you know who I was?"

"As I said before, a lot of people know who you are".

"How? I don't talk to anyone".

"Exactly. You only talk to Malakai and his friends, and Malakai is the most famous person in our year group".

This is what I get for being his friend. Blessing and a curse.

"How do people see me?" I worriedly asked.

"Hmm? A lot of girls know you as an ice queen".

"Ice queen?!"

"Yeah, beautiful but cold and heartless".

I'll take being called beautiful, but. "I'm not cold or heartless!"

Sabrina giggled a little, "I heard a lot of boys wanted your number, but they're too scared to ask. One boy in my class said he accidentally bumped into you, and the look you gave him made him nervous, so he ran away without saying anything".

A boy bumping into me? Oh yeah, that did happen. Let me recall, I tried to say something to him, but he walked away. I didn't give him a loo- oh wait, she meant my normal face...

"However, the only times you do smile is when you're with Malakai and his friends. I've got to say your smile is beautiful", Sabrina said.

"My smile is beautiful?!" When has she seen me smile? How long has she been watching me?

"Why do you sound so surprised?"

"I recently found out I can't… smile", I embarrassingly replied.

"Hehehe. Don't be silly. Everyone that has seen you smile has said the same thing".

Everyone's seen me smile? It's not just her? How many people are watching me?

When I'm with those guys, I'm not paying attention to anything else other than the moment. I'm genuinely happy during those times, not to say I'm unhappy other times, but I'm especially happy in those moments. Maybe I don't need to learn how to smile.

"Is that it? Everyone knows me as the ice queen?" I asked, hoping it was.

"There are rumours, too".

"Rumours?"

"Yeah. One of them is that you and Malakai are dating, and other rumours are that you're friends with benefits".

Sigh. What fantastic rumours.

"Sooo which one is it? Dating or FWBs, or both?"

"Neither! And that doesn't even make sense! How can you be both?"

"Hehe, I'm only teasing you. I know you two have nothing going on", she giggled.

"What do you mean?" I asked quickly, raising an eyebrow.

"To me, it's obvious. You two don't have that dating energy. When I see you together, you look like good friends".

I know people talk about woman's intuition but damn girl, you nailed it.

"Unless you two do stuff in private", she said, giving me a side-eye.

Okay, she wasn't 100% certain. "We don't".

"Hehe. You said that so fast".

I have to make it clear. "We're close, but we don't have that type of relationship".

"Why don't you?"

"Because, we don't like each other like that. Plus, I'm not interested in dating anyone right now?"

"You're not?"

"Nope, I just want to focus on the academy".

"Is he your type?"

"My type? I haven't really thought about it".

"What is your type?"

Damn girl, chill. It feels like I'm being interrogated. These questions are nonstop. Was I like this when I asked Malakai what his type was? I feel kinda bad now.

"My type... Umm. Someone who is good-looking. Funny, and umm, someone who can protect me".

I said the most generic things. The truth is, I don't think I have a type. I'm not like Malakai because he said he's never had a crush, but I've had crushes on different types of boys with different qualities.

"I reckon he fits into all those categories".

"Huh? You think he could protect me?"

"Yeah, I think so. Remember in the second challenge when that guy kept swinging at Malakai, and he dodged every punch. He can't be confident for no reason".

She's got a good memory. I forgot that happened. "You think Malakai is good-looking?" I asked.

"The more you look at him, yeah".

Maybe she's grown to like his scar. Not a lot of people like it. I've gotten used to it, but I wouldn't call it attractive.

"What's Malakai's type?" she asked, fidgeting with her fingers.

Why is she asking that? "Malakai doesn't have a type. He said his type was someone who could make his heart skip".

"Such a Malakai thing to say".

Such a Malakai thing to say? Why is she talking like she's known him for a long time? Is she interested in him? There's no way, right?

"Uhm, just a question. Do you like Malakai?"

"Yes. Yes, I do".

Ooookaayy. I did not expect her to be so direct. Wow. I knew there were some girls out there that would have a crush on him, but this girl next to me just admitted it. This is interesting. I thought she would like a different type of guy. Not Malakai

"Like do you like, like him?"

"Yes, I like him. I have a crush on him", she confidently replied, looking straight at me.

Yep, she's a girl boss. She's the one who's going to ask Malakai out, and Malakai has to accept no matter what he feels.

"What do you like about him?"

"I find him incredible", she said, smiling at the sky.

Incredible? That's a new way I've heard someone describe their crush. Has anyone in history called their crush incredible?

"At first, his face was a little weird because of his scar, but the more I looked at it, the cuter it got. And he's got the best smile", she happily said. "And how he acts is different, I like it".

Hearing her talk about my close friend like this is kinda weird. Does she like that he's first?

"He's nothing special. He says that all the time. He says he's just a normal guy getting lucky".

"But Delilah, you're his friend. You're close to him. Surely you see how amazing he is", she said, looking at me.

"I mean, yeah. At the start, I did, but since I've been close to him, I've seen how he is just a normal guy".

"He may be normal in how he acts, but what he does is incredible. Think about it, he's kept the top spot for three months, and no one has come close. Could you do that? I couldn't, and no one else has done it except for him. He's not even in class 1-A".

She really likes Malakai, I can hear it in her tone.

"You've got a point, but this is only the start of the year. He's not going to stay number one".

"He won't".

Ouch, at least she isn't delusional.

"But he will still compete for number one. What he's doing now isn't a total fluke".

Now she's said it, what Malakai is doing is incredible. Maybe it's because I sit next to him every day I find it normal. Him constantly acting like an idiot made it look like to me he was being lucky. But maybe he's meant it this whole time. He doesn't look like he means it. Look at the last challenge. He made a song for fun, and he escaped because he made the mannequin happy. He didn't plan that. I don't know. It's two different perspectives. Hers from the outside and mine from the inside. Life's weird. Maybe she's right.

"If it isn't a fluke, what place do you think he will get at the end of this year?" I asked.

"At the end of this year..." she paused for a moment to think. "I'm not sure because anything could happen. We could have a team challenge, and his team fails him. That would bring his ranking down. But I think he'll be in the top three".

Top three?! She has a lot of faith in Malakai. I don't think Malakai has that much faith in himself. How much does she like Malakai? Okay, now I have to know.

"Is Malakai your type?"

"No, he's the opposite actually".

"What!?"

"Yep. I imagined myself with someone responsible. Someone who is mature and serious. Someone tall and strong to protect me. Someone classy, you know. Malakai doesn't tick any of those boxes".

"He could if he wanted to. Except for the tall box, that's impossible for him", I joked.

"Hehehe", she giggled, covering her mouth.

"There are times when he is serious and mature, but those are rare moments. He likes to joke all the time instead".

"I haven't seen that serious side of him. His apology on the first day was somewhat serious. I feel like he wanted to burst out laughing halfway through".

She even remembers his apology. Damn girl. Should I be scared for Malakai's safety?

"Despite him being the opposite of my type, I'm weirdly interested in him".

"Is it because he's first?" I asked, trying to catch her out.

"Hehe, not because he's first, but how he got there by being how he is".

"So if he wasn't first, you wouldn't even give him a second look".

She smirked, "That's what I meant earlier by he's incredible. If he wasn't first or in the top ten, he would be like most boys. Childish and irresponsible. But he's first. Even though he's childish and irresponsible, he's beating everyone. That's amazing to me".

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She's making sense. Malakai's been an idiot, but he's first. Malakai said it's a fluke, but it can't be 100% a fluke. Can a fluke last this long?

"Think about the other boys in the top ten. They're not like Malakai. All the boys in the top ten are from 1-A. No one in class 1-A is immature and irresponsible like he is. Even if he is getting lucky, I'm already interested".

"You really like him, huh".

"Strangely, I do".

"You know I could put in a good word for you and tell him how you feel about him".

"No. I want him to notice me by himself".

Okay. You go, girl, but it isn't going to be easy to get his attention like that.

"So you're not going to ask him out?"

"That won't work. If I asked him out, I would get rejected. I need him to see and notice me first".

At least she knows that.

"How are you going to get him to notice you?"

"Hehe, over time, I'm sure he will. Everything is about timing".

"Just to let you know, Malakai isn't the type to fall in love at first sight".

She smiled. "I know he isn't. I wouldn't want him to fall in love at first sight. I want him to fall in love with me, not my looks".

Malakai, watch out. I think I found the girl that will make your heart skip.

Bri’s POV

Is there a pattern to this? That girl from 1-D got paired up with that girl from 1-C. Would there be a higher chance that my partner will be in 1-D or 1-E? Ugghh, my social battery is running out. I can't do this anymore. Ugh, but 1000 points. I can't miss out. I made it back into the top ten a few days ago. I can't give up now. This challenge is the easiest we've had. I can't complain... but it's so draining.

"Bri".

"Hmm?" I turned my head to the call of my name.

"What was your image again?"

"A tennis ball".

"I think one of those boys has it".

Which boys? I looked to where she pointed. Oh, those guys that came with the girl.

"Thank you, I'll go check".

Please, one of you have a tennis ball. I looked at the two boys more clearly. Wait, I know him. I've seen him before. He's that guy from the second challenge. He shoulder barged Ryan. If he's my partner, that conversation would be interesting. I wonder if he remembers me.

"Do any of you have a tennis ball?" I asked, approaching them and showing my phone.

"Yeah. I have a tennis ball".

It's him. Of course, it was going to be him.

"Great, let's go".

We started walking to the main office. I'll walk without saying anything for a bit. I want to see if he remembers me.

"What's your name?"

"Bri. What about you!"

"Benjamin".

Silence.

He doesn't remember me. Should I ask him? Why not? I want to talk about what happened in the second challenge.

"Do you remember me?"

His face froze. Yep, that face shows he doesn't.

"Uum, I'm sorry. I don't. Have we met somewhere before?"

"Not properly, but your team in the second challenge faced off with mine at the top of the net".

"Top of the net? You were on Ryan's team?" he asked, looking at me trying to remember. "Oh yeah! You were the only girl on the team".

"Yeah. I really, really appreciate you fighting my teammates and making my team come second", I sarcastically said, smiling.

"Hehe, my bad. I was just playing the game", he replied, giggling a bit.

"Okay, but seriously, why did you do that? What was the point of playing rock, paper, scissors to decide who got into the room first when you were going to barge Ryan anyway".

"Are you still mad I did that?"

Oh.. I didn't mean to be passive-aggressive like that.

"A little. I could've got 1000 points, but I got 800 because of you".

He shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know what to tell you. I feel like anyone in my position would've done the same".

"What about good sportsmanship?"

He scoffed. "You can't say that when you had Ryan on your team. Oop-". he covered his mouth like he wasn't supposed to say that.

Cute.

"Don't worry, I know how Ryan is. I was on his team after all".

"Phew".

He looks so relieved. "Why are you so worried about saying that?"

"Why wouldn't I be? You're a girl, and saying something bad about Ryan in front of a girl would make me look like a jealous hater".

"Can't argue with that. If I didn't know how Ryan actually was, I probably would've called you a jealous hater".

"See".

We both went quiet for a few seconds and walked in silence.

"Have you told anyone about him?" he asked.

"Nope. I could, but if I did, one, no one would believe, and two, if a rumour were to spread, Ryan would know it was me that started it. I've chosen not to get involved with him".

"Yeah. My advice would be to stay far away from him".

"You say that, but you shoulder-barged him. That's not staying far away from him. You didn't give me a proper answer to my question. Why did you barge him?".

"Aight, aight. I'll tell you", he smiled. "Even if I didn't shoulder barge him, I was involved with him anyway. As to why I did it, I got multiple reasons".

"What are they?"

"One is because I wanted to win, two is because I did it for a friend, and the last reason is because I wanted to".

"You wanted to? Did it feel good?"

"To barge him? Fucking amazing. He was light as hell. But I think that was because he didn't expect it, so I'll let him off".

"I remember seeing you do that, and I was so shocked. Then the big guy came and held him and Leroy back. I didn't want to get involved, so I stayed in the corner and watched".

"I don't blame you. What happened in that room was crazy".

He's chill. I thought he would be annoying. I can't be mad at him anymore because he explained why he did it. Okay, I can be a little annoyed that he stole 200 points from me.

"Has Ryan done anything to you since then?" I asked.

"Nope. You?"

"No. I haven't even made eye contact with him".

"Are you worried he might do something to you?"

How did he know I was thinking about that? "A little".

"You don't have to worry. I doubt he'll do anything to a girl. If he does do something, you could tell me. Me and friends would sort it out".

"I'm not scared of him, but if he does try anything, I'll let you know. Ooh, we could have a partnership against Ryan?"

"Partnership?" he said, looking at my smiling face. "Aight, sure. If I hear he's trying to do something against you or your friends, I'll tell you".

"Same, I'll tell you too. That would be fun".

Suddenly, my social battery is all charged up.

David's POV

"Does anyone have a picture of a dog?"

I'm the only one left without a partner. I might be stuck with Malakai trying to find someone in the last hour.

"A dog? I know someone that has that picture", a girl said.

"You do?"

"Yeah, she was in 1-B. What was her name again?"

"Are you talking about Eris?" Another girl said, overhearing the conversation.

"E-Eris?"

"Do you know her?"

"No, not really". Shit, I said that out loud. This is going to be awkward. "Do you know where she is?"

"I can take you to her".

"Thank you. I'm sorry I can't help you back".

"It's okay. Hopefully, the people that are with Eris have the same picture as me".

"Thanks. I'm David. What's your name?"

"I'm Kayla from 1-D".

Kayla took to me where Eris was.

"Hey, Eris, I found someone with a picture of a dog", Kayla called out.

Eris turned to the call of her name, and her eyes widened at the sight of me.

"D-David".

"Do you know him?" Kayla asked

"No, not really".

Kayla looked at us both, suspecting something. "Are you sure? You both responded in the same way".

"We might have met once", I told her. "Should we go?" I asked Eris, so we could get out of here.

"Yeah", Eris awkwardly responded.

The two of us walked away to the main office.

I don't know how to start this conversation. Maybe it's better if I don't talk. I doubt she wants to talk to me.

"So".

For fuck sake.

"You're not gonna ask about Alaina?"

For fuck sake. "Why would I?"

"Because she's your ex".

"And?"

"And you know I'm her best friend".

"Do you still talk to her?"

"All the time".

"Good for you".

"So, you're not gonna ask?"

Why is she so persistent? Eris has always been awkward like this. It's like she doesn't know she's being awkward. "Why? Do you want me ask?"

"She's asked about you".

"What? Why?"

"I don't know. She wants to know how you're doing", she shrugged.

I don't understand. "Why, though? We only dated for about 8 months. We both agreed to stop dating and then a month later, she's dating someone else".

"You don't miss her?"

"Nah. It's been a year. Why? Does she miss me?"

"I don't think so. But, she still asked me what you were up to".

"What did you tell her?"

"You looked fine. I told her I haven't spoken to you yet".

"Oh, okay". When are we going to move on from this topic? Can't she tell by my voice I don't wanna talk about it?

"She's still with that guy".

Guess she still wants to talk about it.

"Even though she's with that guy, she looked happier when she was with you".

"No chance. She could be happy right now with that guy, and you wouldn't know".

"I suppose. It was just my opinion, I thought you two were good together".

"You did? We were okay, there could've been more chemistry".

"You two had plenty of chemistry, you two were perfect together. That's why I was angry when you broke up, and I was angry that you didn't try fighting for it to work".

"You know none of us cheated or anything. We both just thought it would be better if we went different ways. She was the one who proposed it, and I agreed with her".

"You should've thought about it. You agreed like it was an easy decision".

I shook my head and looked away. There's no point arguing. I can't tell how she's feeling, her tone of voice always sounds tired. I don't know why it still bugs her. Why was she angry me and her best friend broke up. I don't understand. Girls, man. How do people understand them?