December 14th. Thursday, 11:03 AM.
Mr Saint walked into the classroom and stood at his desk. The room was quiet. Every student's eyes were on him as he scanned the room and smiled.
"One semester gone. Just like that", he said, snapping his fingers. "Before we start this short lesson, I just want to say a few things".
Mr Saint quickly looked at every student from left to right.
"In all my years of teaching, I've never had a more interesting and possibly more talented group of students. Ever since I've worked at this academy, the only first-year classes I've had were 1-A, so I've had the opportunity to see my fair share of brilliant students. But, after just spending one semester with you, I can tell all of you are on a different level".
A wave of pride passed through the room. All the students felt a little happy hearing that. Being heard they were better than previous years stroked their ego. Mr Saint only complimented and praised them a few times, and only at specific times.
"But", he continued. "For the first time since I've been at this academy. One of my first-year students isn't at the top of the leaderboard by the end of the first semester".
It couldn't be all praises. The 1-A students had a feeling this would be mentioned. The compliments were always followed by criticism.
"I find that incredibly hard to understand how that has happened. You're the best first-year students I've ever had, yet a student from 1-C has bested you all".
Hearing that was quite embarrassing. Even the students who didn't care about points got stung by the wording. Picturing Malakai's smug smiling face was enough to motivate some and make them sit straighter.
"I'm not discrediting the boy because I have seen him, and he is.... different. But respectfully, he is in class 1-C. How he has maintained that number-one position is a mystery to me. Yes, there have been new challenges, and a few things have changed this year, but I still expect one of my students to be number one. Especially one of you guys".
Despite Mr Saint talking to the whole class, everyone knew who the speech was mainly directed at.
The guy closest to Malakai on the leaderboard.
The guy if everyone had to bet on to win the whole thing.
Alexander.
"I won't say too much as your academics and future at this academy will be further explained next semester. However, I'll say that next year, the class you put in is dependent on how many points you earn this year. Not on your exam results. Not on a final test. On your ranking. So none of your spots in 1-A are guaranteed".
Hearing this new information didn't affect most of the students. Class hierarchy wasn't as strong as it was at the start of the semester. But some students still cared. That pride always stays with certain people, and pride is hard to kill.
"Finally", Mr Saint said. "I don't know too much about the challenges next semester, but I do know that most of them will be completely new. So your upperclassmen won't be of much help. Next semester will be more intense than this one, but I know one of you will be able to top the leaderboard then. Whether or not that boy from 1-C got there by luck or his own skill, he won't be able to hold that position. History shows that nearly all first-year students who finish at the top of the leaderboard at the end of the first semester rarely stay in the top ten by the end of the year. There'll be a challenge where he'll fall. It might be the sixth, seventh, or eighth. It doesn't matter. There'll be one. That's when you all overtake him and leave him in the dust", Mr Saint clapped his hands once. "Alright, that's all I wanted to say. You can talk amongst yourself while I set up the PowerPoint", he said, walking around his desk and sitting down.
The room stayed quiet. No one talked. Even though Mr Saint gave them permission to talk, no one wanted to. The tension was too thick. If anyone did talk, it was whispers.
"I didn't think Mr Saint cared that much", Frank whispered, leaning over to Alexander.
"Of course, he cares", Alexander replied in the same tone. "It's embarrassing".
Alexander stared straight ahead.
"How he got to the top of the leader was pure luck, but Mr Saint is right. By the end of this year... I'll be at the top of the leaderboard".
"I can't believe that one semester is over already", Ash said, leaning back in his seat.
"I know, man. I hope next semester has better challenges. I want to do more", Gabriel replied. "Felt like I did nothing".
"Does it matter if you do more? You're not gonna win, bruh", Ash replied.
"The challenges next semester might be worth more points. I can catch up", Gabriel confidently said. "If I'm in control of my own points. I'm winning that 100k".
"You know Dillon is right there", Jason told them.
Ash and Gabriel looked towards Dillon in synchrony. Dillon was already side-eyeing them.
"No offence Dillon, but you fucked up in the last challenge. You can't say shit", Gabriel said.
"Yeah, bruh. You fumbled 100k for all of us", Ash added.
"Not me, bruh", Gabriel said, looking at Ash. "I'm tryharding next semester".
"You're a dumbass, bro. That guy in 1-A is gonna win. And if it's not him, it's someone else from 1-A", Ash replied, waving his hand.
"Bro, give me a one-on-one challenge with him, and I'm whooping his ass", Gabriel said, grinning.
"You two are fucking idiots", Jason said under his breath, smiling, knowing the two of them had no chance.
Dillon kept quiet and didn't join in. He slumped in his chair and looked down. He couldn't be bothered with them.
"Tch. Fuck everyone. Next semester, I'm winning everything. I don't give fuck".
In 1-B's classroom, the mood has been low all week.
The results from the last challenge hit them hard, and it was stinging them till the last day of the semester. Compared to other classes, 1-B was the most like a team. They had a togetherness that the other classes didn't have. So when they came fourth, it didn't only affect the students who cared about points but also the students who didn't care. They all wanted to see their class win.
"Don't worry guys. It's one challenge", Ms Harper said with her usual cheerfulness. "Now you know what all the other classes can do. You are definitely the strongest class. All of you have chemistry. Next semester, you'll show them what you're really made of".
Their teacher was always cheerful and bubbly, but hearing this wasn't having the strongest effect on the students. The optimism didn't land. This speech would have hit much harder if there hadn't been a month-long break. A lot of the 1-B student's ranks dropped, so there wasn't a standout student in the class. The thing these students needed was a break, not a pep talk. In that sense, the winter break couldn't have come at a better time.
Ryan was in his own head. How this semester panned out was nothing like he thought it would when he first enrolled here. He talked a big game to a couple of people from different classes in the second week, and he's been humbled.
"Did I underestimate everyone.. or overestimate myself?" Ryan thought. "I want winter break to be over before it even starts".
One class that grew this semester was 1-E.
As the semester progressed, everyone in the class became closer and closer. The last challenge gave everyone in the class hope, as it boosted their points and morale. They all got a huge number of points, which increased their ranks. Two students were close to the top ten. One was Nada, who was being treated like a queen by the class. After her performance in the last challenge, she became the class favourite. From being shadowed and given a few weird looks because of her pink hair at the start of the year to being treated like the popular kid. It was a 180. Nada was more than happy about this, but she wasn't carried away. Her only focus was to get better. She knew she still needed to improve.
The other student close to the top ten was Adam. Adam was still one of the background characters of the class, so no one knew about his rank. Even Adam's roommate. Whenever his roommate asked, Adam would tell a little lie and say a worse rank than he was. Surprisingly, no one knew about Adam's father, so he was still a nobody in the class. However, Adam knew next semester will be different. It will be hectic.
Thud!
"Is everything alright?" Ms Green asked, looking up.
"Yeah, it was nothing serious", Malakai replied, brushing it off.
Malakai was coming back into the classroom after stepping outside to answer a phone call.
Malakai walked back to his seat, which was at the back of the class. On his way back, he was approaching one table, which had a guy who was glaring at him with eyes that oozed hatred. The guy at the table also casually hung his leg out of the side to try and trip Malakai. Malakai saw it from miles away. The sensible thing to do was to step over the dangling leg, but Malakai's an idiot. He stood on the guy's leg.
"Argh! What the fuck are you doing?!".
Malakai smirked slightly before turning around, "What?".
"You stood on my leg!" the guy snapped.
Malakai looked down and saw his leg still dangling on the side. He didn't stamp on it, but he did put a bit of weight in his step.
"I didn't see your leg, I can't lie. I didn't feel like I stood on a leg", Malakai replied with a full smirk. "If I did stand on it, don't stick it out next time. And don't try to trip me".
The entrie class went quiet. The commotion caused the whole class to look at the two in the middle of the classroom. The sudden rise in tension could be felt. The silence of the class meant that everyone was watching.
"Oh boy", Delilah quietly said, watching with her head resting on her palm from the back of the class.
William and Benjamin, who were in front of her, were smiling. They knew they were getting front-row seats to a movie.
"That idiot", David mumbled, turned around in his seat with a grin.
Lucas, next to him, had a bigger grin. Ray, on the other side of the class, also had a smile on his face. All of Malakai's already knew the script for this show.
"What's he done now?" Tanisha whined.
Tanisha and Maria were in the same row as the guy, so they had a perfect side view of this. Maria was watching Malakai walk back to his seat, and she noticed him looking down, so she could tell that he had stood on the guy's leg on purpose.
Her conversation with Alejandro about Malakai still lingered in her mind, and that conversation made her think about how she viewed Malakai. She knew Malakai was cheeky and jokey, and that rubbed some people the wrong way, so he didn't have the most likability. He also didn't back down when face-to-face with someone, whoever was in front of him, which was a secret turn-on for Maria. However, she still didn't understand where the 'dangerous' was in Malakai. It made her wonder if she saw Malakai fighting, would it make her understand or was Alejandro bitter that his friend got beat up?
"Fucking bastard!".
The boy shot up to his feet and stood face-to-face with Malakai.
"Sebastian, calm down", Ms Green said, not even raising her voice. She didn't say it with any real urgency or panic because she knew nothing was going to happen, but she still had to say something.
Sebastian was the boy standing before Malakai. A boy with pale skin, fluffy brown hair and dark blue eyes. A regular American boy aesthetic.
Malakai stood unfazed, grinning at him aggravatingly. Sebastian was 5'10, so he was taller than Malakai. Shock.
"Apologise", Sebastian coldly said, staring at Malakai.
Malakai's smile didn't waver. He couldn't stop smiling. Malakai didn't want to apologise, but the situation he was in wasn't a situation he could troll in. The space was too tight, and he could feel the eyes around him.
"Aryt, my bad", Malakai unapologetically said, shrugging his shoulders.
He turned to leave, but Sebastian grabbed his shoulder and swung him back around to face him.
"Watch who you're talking to!" Sebastian angrily told him.
After hearing that phrase, all of Malakai's teeth came out on show. He looked around at other faces to see if they found it funny because whenever someone said that, it was cringe. But everyone else was shocked at how quickly things escalated.
"Who the fuck are you, man?" Malakai genuinely asked, grinning ear to ear.
Just seeing Malakai's face pissed Sebastian off, "Why are you acting like this? You act like you're the shit".
"I don't".
"Yes, you fucking do. Just because you're first, you think you're him".
Malakai's grin got worse, "I am him", he joked.
"No, you're not. You're a nobody", Sebastian shot back, getting triggered by Malakai's responses. "You know no one in this class likes you".
People's eyelids raised after hearing they were getting dragged into this.
"How'd you know?".
"After what you did last challenge, it's clear no one likes you. You ruined it for everyone", Sebastian said, aggressively pointing his finger close to him.
"That's not true. I know at least ten people that like me in this class", Malakai pettily replied, trolling.
"I'm not one of them", Benjamin called out.
"I don't like you", Lucas called out.
"I hate you, dude", William called out.
"Aye fuck you lot", Malakai said, laughing as he looked at each of them.
Sebastian saw Malakai wasn't taking him seriously, so you know what he did? He grabbed Malakai by the collar. Yep, Malakai has been grabbed by the collar once again.
"Fucking listen!" Sebastian shouted. "Just because you're from the UK, it doesn't make you special. You're a midget with an ugly ass messed up face, and everyone hates you! The guys don't like you because you're a bitch, and the girls don't like you because you're a fucking weirdo. You're that much of a bitch you shot a girl in the last challenge", he vented, having a tight grip on Malakai's collar. "So don't act like you're better than you actually are because you got first place by luck. Not because you're smart or skilled. Luck! Pure Luck!".
Everyone was taken aback by the anger in Sebastian's voice. But, the things he said were things other people have wanted to say.
"Aren't you going to stop them?" David asked Ms Green. He sat on the front row, so he was near her desk.
"They're not kids", Ms Green said calmly. "They can sort it out themselves. If they can't, then…" she trailed off and let David figure out the end of the sentence.
A few of the students glanced at Malakai's friends to see what they were doing, but all of them were smirking. It didn't look like they were going to step in and help.
"You ain't lying. What you're saying is facts", Malakai replied, unfazed by Sebastian. "But if I am the most hated... I don't give a shit. If all of you hate me, I don't care. But imma say this now, though", he looked around him and could instantly tell the faces that disliked him. "If you hate me, keep that same energy the entire time. Don't switch up and try side with me when I win".
"No one's going to side with you. I don't think you realise how many people don't like you", Sebastian said, cutting him off.
"Bro, I told you. I don't give a shit. If I'm the most hated guy at this academy, I don't care about nobody", Malakai said. "Let go of me, man. Your breath stinks".
Sebastain's eyebrows somehow furrowed further. "Or what? What are you going to do?" he said with his blood boiling. "You're acting all tough because your friends are here. You think you're safe?".
"No, they don't need to help me".
"Sureeee. You're lucky you've got your boys protecting you. If it wasn't for them, your face would've had much more scars by now".
Malakai scoffed. "Who's doing that? You? You ain't doing shit to me", he said, crazily smiling.
Sebastian gritted his teeth, tightened his grip and tried lifting Malakai up.
"I'll break your nose right now. You're 5 foot. One punch from me will send you to the hospital".
"Go on then. Punch me. See what happens", Malakai said with a tint of seriousness in his tone. "We'll see who ends up unconscious".
Maria didn't have a front view of Malakai's face, but from the side view, she could see a change in his eye. She didn't know what was going to happen next. However, if a fight were to happen, she had full confidence that Malakai would win. Not because she was head over heels for him but because of what she was seeing in front of her. For some reason, she felt like Malakai could make Sebastian unconscious. Whatever it was, she felt like she understood a little what Alejandro was talking about.
Sebastian was tempted. His right hand was throbbing to be let loose. But it would be stupid if he punched Malakai right now. The trouble he would get in outweighed the benefits. He let go of his grip and shoved Malakai backwards.
Malakai stayed on his feet.
"Fucking pussy", Malakai smiled, walking backwards with his eyes locked on Sebastian.
Ms Green let out a quiet sigh of relief. She was glad nothing happened. She looked at the clock. It was 11:49.
"There's no point in keeping you here till twelve", Ms Green said, rising from her desk. "I said this earlier, but well done this semester. I hope you all enjoy your winter break, and make sure you all stay safe. All of you can go... Except Malakai, you stay behind", she said, looking at Malakai.
Malakai accepted it. He didn't protest against it as it was expected. He was surprised Sebastian wasn't getting told off, too. Nevertheless, he walked back to his seat and got his bag while the rest of the students packed up and started to leave their seats.
"Unlucky mate", Benjamin said in a British accent, getting up.
"Do you think she's angry at you?" William asked.
"Nah, I doubt it", Malakai replied. "She's probably going to tell me not to take the piss and just to shut my mouth in those types of situations".
"I'm surprised he didn't punch you", Delilah said.
"He was never gonna punch me. If we were outside, he would've", Malakai replied.
"You didn't have to stand on his leg", Delilah told him.
"I know. But after seeing how he was looking at me, I wanted to", Malakai replied.
"Okay, let's go. I'm hungry", William said, hurriedly walking away.
"We're going to eat at that restaurant you said, right?" Benjamin asked, following William but looking back at Malakai.
"Yeah, just wait for me outside. I won't be long", Malakai said, trailing a few steps behind.
The four of them reached the front of the classroom, and Malakai stopped next to Ms Green's desk. The classroom had almost been cleared out, and David and Lucas had already walked out.
"Good luck", Delilah said, walking past Malakai. "I'll see you later", she waved.
"Aryt, safe (bye)", Malakai replied, giving her a nod.
Malakai looked around the near-empty class and saw Ray walking out with Maria and Tanisha. Seeing Ray talking more with Maria made him smile. Over the last couple of days, they were talking more and more.
After another two minutes, the classroom was empty, and it was just Ms Green and Malakai left.
"Malakai, can you close the door, please?" Ms Green said as she logged out of her computer.
"Aryt", Malakai went over and closed the door.
"Do you have any idea why I told you to stay behind?" Ms Green asked, leaning back and stretching her arms as Malakai walked back.
"You're gonna tell me off, innit", Malakai replied, sitting on a desk opposite Ms Green's desk.
"I wasn't going to, but now that you've said it. Yes. You need to stop aggravating and starting drama with other students", Ms Green said.
"Miss, I have haters. They start it every time. He was tryna trip me".
"You stepped on him. You should've walked over his leg".
"But miss, he was trying something. I can't just let it happen".
"Yes, you can. All you had to do was ignore him", Ms Green said. "I don't want my students arguing and fighting with each other. You're supposed to be working together".
"Did you think I was gonna get beat up?" Malakai asked with a smirk.
"Well... I don't know", Ms Green didn't know how to answer. "Do you know how to fight?".
"A little".
"Either way, I don't want fighting in my classroom", she said, weaving out of the topic.
"Awwww. Miss, you were worried I was gonna get punched up", Malakai said, wagging his finger at her, trying to tease her. "Don't worry, miss. I can defend myself".
"I wasn't worried for you then, but I am worried for you".
"Huh?" Malakai looked at her, with his smirk fading.
"What Sebastian said wasn't wrong. A lot of people don't like you. Almost all your classmates hate you. I can see whenever you talk the looks you get from everyone, and I can tell they don't like you. There's tension every time".
"Okay? I know that, though. Why are you worried?"
"Bullying. I'm worried you're going to get bullied and isolated from the class".
Malakai smirked again. "Heh. Bullying? Miss, you're really playing up to those American TV show stereotypes where they make bullying the craziest thing. They make it seem like torture", he said, not taking it seriously.
"Malakai, I'm not kidding. I don't want to see everyone at this academy against you like you're the villain and treat you like… shit", she couldn't find any other appropriate word to use at the end.
"We're all adults here. No bullying will happen, that's high school shit".
"Bullying can happen at any age".
"Miss, trust me. No one can bully me", Malakai said with certainty.
Ms Green sighed. She knew she wasn't going to get through to him. Being a teacher, she'd seen enough students bullying and being bullied, so she knew anyone could be a victim. But it looked like Malakai was confident it wasn't going to happen to him.
"I suppose you have your friends".
"But what you saying, miss? How did I do this semester?" Malakai asked, keeping the conversation going.
"The results speak for themselves, don't they? You did amazing", Ms Green replied. "One of the best students I've ever had".
"One of?" Malakai questioned, raising his eyebrow, expecting him to be the best.
"I've had a couple of amazing students over the years. I'm sure you know Micheal in second year. I taught him last year".
"Wasn't he in 1-B last year?" Malakai said, remembering Mr White telling him.
"I taught 1-B last year".
"Why are you teaching 1-C now?"
"I got moved down".
"What? You got moved down? I thought you were gonna say it was random".
"Nope. The teachers do an assessment to see which classes they teach", Ms Green said, leaning back.
"Even the teachers do test", Malakai blinked. "This academy is weird, man".
"Yep, this academy sure is something", Ms Green replied. "There is soo much you don't know about this academy".
"So what? Does it matter which class you teach?" Malakai asked.
"A little. I probably shouldn't be telling you this, but they assess which teachers have the best students or students that did really well at the end of the year", Ms Green said. "Based on all of our student's results, we get reviewed, and a report gets built for us. If our reports are good, we get a few bonuses".
"I'm making you money then, yeah?" Malakai grinned.
"Hmph, not yet", Ms Green smiled back.
"So, what classes do you teach now?"
"1-C, 2-C and 3-B", Ms Green said, listing with her fingers. "You get fewer homerooms in the second and third year, but they're more important".
"Do you care that you moved down?".
Ms Green thought about it for a moment,
"Not really. I'm just teaching a class of students. I'm not teaching you anything complicated either, so it's fine. The bonuses are whatever".
"Well, if it means anything, I'm glad you're my homeroom teacher, miss", Malakai said.
Ms Green smiled warmly. "Thank you. I'm glad I got your class, too. I definitely got the most fun class. I wish all of you were closer, but I do kinda like the little groups you have going on", Ms Green replied. "Maybe if you didn't mess up in the last challenge, everyone would've been united".
Malakai rubbed his face and smiled under his hand.
"I still regret that I can't lie".
"Yeah, right. You regret not hitting him".
Malakai laughed through his nose, "You know me so well, miss", he replied, not hiding it.
"Why did you chase him?" she curiously asked.
"I don't like him", Malakai simply replied, shrugging.
Ms Green could tell from that response and Malakai's body language that there was something between the two. She didn't need to ask why. It wasn't her business.
"Don't take this the wrong way, but there's a part of me that is happy that you messed up in the last challenge".
Malakai looked at her, confused.
Ms Green saw the look on his face, "You were winning every challenge. I was starting to think you were secretly a 1-A student".
"C'mon, miss, I'm too stupid to be a 1-A student", Malakai replied, tapping his head.
"Your academics aren't that bad, but it does need improvement, however, in terms of everything else, such as problem-solving, physical activities, critical thinking, creativity, and social skills. You're competing and beating a lot of 1-A students", Ms Green said.
"So a 1-A student wouldn't have done what I did?" Malakai asked.
"I'm sure there are a few 1-A students that would've wanted to shoot someone for the sake of shooting someone", she said. "But in terms of prioritising the challenge, many students wouldn't have done what you did. A lot of students would've prioritised points".
"So you're happy I'm childish?".
Ms Green smiled, "I'm not happy to see you fail, but I am relieved to see that you can mess up. What you've done so far is incredible. From an outside view, you are overachieving. But seeing you lose your cool and let your emotions take over... it reminded me that you're one of my students. There was a part of that expected you to keep winning, and I do want you to keep winning, but I know that it was unrealistic".
That hit Malakai deep because deep inside him, he did expect to keep winning. Despite him constantly saying he would eventually lose, there was a part of him that believed he could win every time.
"Damn, you're actually right. That result did bring me back down to earth, I'm not gonna lie", Malakai replied.
"Hey, but it's fine. It's better to make a mistake now rather than later. Next semester, you'll know better", Ms Green said.
"Yeah".
There was a little silence for the two of them to stay in the moment.
"I won't keep you here longer. I'll let you go now", Ms Green finally said. "Hey, and remember, stop getting on people's bad side", she said, pointing a finger at her.
"Aryt miss. Just for you", Malakai said, smiling, hopping off the desk.
Ms Green rolled her eyes, "Next semester, I want the same from you. I want to see your name still at the top of that leaderboard".
"C'mon miss, you already know my ting", Malakai said, letting out his London slang and holding out his fist.
"Have a good winter break. Stay safe", Ms Green replied, fist-bumping him.
"You too miss", Malakai said before walking away.
"Don't get into any trouble during winter break either", Ms Green joked as he walked away.
Malakai opened the door, "Miss, I'm a law-abiding citizen. You don't have to worry about me", he said, smiling at her before leaving.
Thud!
Ms Green smiled, shaking her head.
"That kid".
6:24 PM
"Today was a good day", William said, lying on the beanbag, exhausted.
"We did so much shit", Lucas added with a grin.
"I thought the day was over when we finished bowling", David said, holding a cup of hot chocolate.
"It's only right. Benjamin's going back home tomorrow", Ray said.
"Yeah, I'm glad we spent the whole day together", Benjamin replied, smiling.
The six boys were chilling in Malakai's and William's dorm. They spent six hours on campus doing various things, one after the other, and now they were back just relaxing and talking.
"Aye, you lot", Malakai said suddenly.
All his friends looked at him. He was sitting in a lone chair away from the couch and the beanbags, so he had a view of all of them.
"There's something I need to tell you lot".