Life Of A Bitch

37

It's two in the afternoon, and we're heading towards the conference hall for the tests. I don't know how Brandon managed to convince Mr. Bennett to give the permission of organising an unauthorised scholarship examination.

Brandon told him that it would be a test to determine who is the best at Python programming so that the Body could use that person's talents for future purposes. And that the money would be totally his headache.

Aaron says that all Bennett wanted to know was if he would have to shell out any money from his pocket -he meant the school budget; don't know why he refers to it as 'my pocket', something to ponder about- Brandon repeatedly assured him that Mr. Bennett should not worry about anything; that everything is sorted.

There are about seventeen students in the room: ten girls and seven boys, all excited and nervous for the test. There were some juniors too, sitting apart from the students of our grade, huddled in a group and discussing problems.

"Did you hear that the prize money is three thousand dollars?!" A girl gasped.

"Yeah but I would've been happier if they paid for my college, rather than giving some few thousand dollars," a boy said, dispassionately.

"Okay guys," Aaron announces on the mic. "Everybody please take your seats."

They do as they're told, still chattering. I'm at one end of the hall, holding some papers in my hands, while Brenna is on the other end, giving a pep-talk to one student-her friend, I guess.

"Quiet, everyone!" Aaron shouts. Brenna glares at him for interrupting her but shuts up.

"Brenna, Jennifer, give everyone the papers now." As soon as he announces, I start walking down the hall, swiftly handing the papers to the people.

"As you can see, there are six questions, and you're gonna get fifteen minutes to answer them," he informs as Brenna and I finish the job, showing a thumbs up to Aaron. At exactly 2.15, he announces. "Okay people, your time starts now."

There's the familiar sound of rustling of papers and scratching of pens, some muttering and a few whispering the calculations to themselves.

I feel the adrenaline rushing within myself too and force myself into not encouraging them up by shouting.

As minutes pass, I find many students continuously striking off answers and scratching their forehead. Aaron told us that he got his uncle, who's a student at MIT to prepare the questions. The questions are hard, his uncle said, but not hard enough for a good amateur hacker. Which is exactly what we need.

Finally, Aaron climbs down the stage and announces, "Time's up, geeks! All pens should be above your heads as the collectors collect your papers."

I take the papers from them and try to smile a comforting grin as I pass by them. When we finish collecting the papers, we rush into a small room called the 'comfort' room by our teachers just behind the stage as Aaron tells them to wait for ten to fifteen minutes to know who bagged the prize.

We divide the seventeen papers between me, Brenna and Aaron and bring out the answers on our phones sent from Aaron's uncle and forwarded to us by him.

"A guy wrote 'Fuck the person who created these questions'," Brenna says, chuckling. "Man, were they so hard?"

"You check out the questions," I say, marking '1' on the first test.

"I'll do it when no one is around me."

"So that when you get all answers wrong, there'll be no one around you to taunt you?" Aaron asked.

"Shut up, Aaron."

"Ugh, you two quarrel more than me and my sister, and that's a lot to say." I huff, marking a '2' on the third paper. Taking the fourth paper, I look around the room and frown. "Where's Brandon?"