Chapter 12
Besides Nathan, the second top scorer only scored 131 points. Justin’s eyes nearly popped out
in disbelief.
Nathan usually did well in math, but he wasn’t so good as to score full marks. What made Justin feel even worse was that he had suffered a crushing defeat. He usually scored over 120 points, but this time, he barely hit a hundred.
Oscar was also shocked. He didn’t expect Nathan to score full marks either.
One subject alone had left him trailing by nearly 30 points. He was pretty sure he wouldn’t be able to surpass Nathan this time.
“I’m sure you all can see that Nathan has been studying very hard recently, and his efforts have paid off. In this semester’s exams, he achieved the only perfect score in the school for math!”
After finishing with the math papers, Layla praised Nathan specifically, leading the class in applause.
No one in the two advanced classes had managed to get a perfect score. Yet, here was a full scorer from this honor class. Layla was definitely feeling proud as their homeroom teacher.
The applause was thunderous.
Many students turned to look at Nathan, their eyes filled with envy and admiration.
If Nathan had scored around 130 points, maybe some would’ve been jealous. But with the only perfect score in the school, he left no room for jealousy at all.
Cheryl was also looking at Nathan with a mix of emotions. Her math scores were decent, usually around 120 points. This time, she only managed just over 110 points.
She had thought Nathan’s so–called diligent studying was all for show just to impress her. But it turned out he was genuinely working hard. If not, how could he have scored full marks in
math?
Meanwhile, ever since Nathan had stopped talking to her, her mindset had been affected significantly. It caused her to lose nearly ten points in math.
“Does that mean that I really don’t matter to him?” As that thought crossed her mind, an uncomfortable feeling settled in her chest.
After the math papers, it was time for the science results. Layla continued acting as an indifferent scorer announcer. “When your name is read, come up to collect your paper.
“Claire, 276; Nathan, 274; Cheryl, 251; Oscar, 248… Justin, 187…”
The students began to murmur among themselves.
Chuck 12
But they weren’t discussing Claire Tyler, who could get into elite universities even with her eyes closed. Instead, they were discussing Nathan, who used to rank just outside the top ten in
class.
Nathan’s score in science wasn’t as good as his perfect math score, but it was still impressive. He was only two points lower than Claire and nearly 20 points higher than his usual score.
Claire had been holding first place in Class Six since the start of school.
She adjusted her glasses slightly. She had scored 23 points more than Nathan in Hanvian, 191 points less in math, and two points more in science.
Aside from Euranic, she had only outscored Nathan by six points?
Euranic wasn’t Claire’s strong suit either, with her scores barely over a hundred each time. This was a common issue among the top students in honor class. They often had one subject where they struggled.
Even though she could get into an elite university, she could barely reach the standard for the top five of them, let alone Northsdale University.
“Hmm… If Nathan scores six points more than me in Euranic, doesn’t that mean that he’s the top student in our class this time?” The thought left her unsettled.
In the past three years of high
college entrance exams school, she had always been first in class. Now, just before the
college entrance exams, she was facing a major setback. Her mindset was somewhat shaken.
“Surely not… Nathan’s Euranic score should be similar to mine, or maybe even lower,” Claire reassured herself, although her instincts were telling her otherwise.
If even Claire, the top student in their class, felt the pressure from Nathan, then Oscar and Justin were in even worse shape. Oscar had already given up and was mentally preparing himself to treat Nathan to lunch.
Nathan had already outscored him by 40 points in the first three subjects, so there was no chance for Oscar to turn things around with Euranic.
“Well, at least Nathan’s total score is only about 20 points higher than mine, so we’re still in the same range?” Oscar thought.
Oscar was stuck between two feelings. He didn’t want to see his buddy struggling, but he wasn’t ready to watch him succeed so soon.
As for Justin, he was completely in despair. Without even knowing the scores for Euranic yet, Nathan had already outperformed him by a staggering 101 points!
The gap was huge. Nathan’s improvement was one thing, but more importantly, Justin had bombed his exam. Except for Hanvian, where he performed at his usual level, his math and science scores had slipped.
Chapter 12
The real cause behind it all was that ever since Nathan started ignoring Cheryl, her mood had been deeply affected. She had been venting her frustrations on Justin.
The stress ate away at him, and it didn’t take long for his grades to reflect that.
High school students‘ mental resilience wasn’t exactly rock solid. Any little emotional bump could impact their exam performance.
“Finally, it’s time for Euranic.”
Layla continued to announce the scores from high to low. As she read each name, corresponding student would step up to collect their papers.