Written by: Sayuri Shrestha - 28017, Grade VII
Posted on: 24 March, 2023
As usual, I walked into the classroom and nothing seemed new; there was gossip and small fights. Two of my friends, Norah and Kaya, came to me with smiles as I sat down. "Did you hear about the new transfer student?" Kaya asked me. "Yes," I responded honestly, not really caring. While we were talking, our teacher entered and introduced us to a new girl named Aurora. I sensed something was wrong with her as soon as she walked in. She went and sat at the back with my worst enemy and the class topper, Rowan. He always came first, just by a few score differences with me, but I knew where he fell back. I was always ahead of him there. The class started, and soon it was lunchtime. While we were getting lunch, I bumped into Aurora. She looked at me and grinned; I wasn't intimidated by it, but somehow that look seemed familiar.
Four months later, life was usual. I was a humiliation to my father, and somehow Rowan was getting good at maths. Today, as we were getting our first semester's results back, I was excited to see Rowan's face of defeat. But when the results were distributed, Rowan scored a perfect score for all subjects. Not only that, Aurora came in second and I placed third. Aurora gave me a shivering look as I turned back to see their faces. This was my first time placing third in my life. Rowan's parents and mine were very close friends and business partners, so I've known Rowan since I was a baby. We have studied together since playgroup, and no matter how hard I tried, he was always the best. He was good at everything, and my father found more things to compare us with. I have been compared to him my whole life, and it has become routine for me now. Placing third was a nod to my father. I was afraid to go home that day, but worst of all, Aurora's face made me want to tear her face apart. I kind of had a feeling she had something to do with it, but what could an orphan do? Yes, about a month ago, I found out she was poor, didn't have parents, and lived in a small place with her younger sister. I was surprised by how well she managed everything and provided a good life for her sister.
When I reached home, my maid informed me that my mother and father would be late due to a work meeting. I was glad because normally their meetings took up the whole night, and by the time they got home, they would fall asleep, and the next morning, before I was awake, they were off to work again. I went to my room, freshened up, and ate dinner. I decided to study while waiting for time to pass, but then I suddenly got a call from an unknown number. I picked it up, and surprisingly, it was Aurora. "Hey, I just called to congratulate you for coming third overall; I heard it's your first time," she said to me. My blood suddenly boiled with rage, and I was about to hang up when she said, "Good luck with your parents." I didn't understand what she was saying, but then I heard my parents' voices. I hung up and went downstairs. I went down with the results in my hand while they were sitting on the couch, and one of the maids was serving them water. No matter what, Father would ask for it first. They looked at me and smiled, but I couldn't smile back. "How was it?" my father asked. "Fine," I replied. He raised his eyebrows while taking the papers. "Ok, what's your rank?" I said 'Third,' and both my parents looked at me with raised brows. My mother's eyes held worries and care, while my father's held a wave of slight anger and dissatisfaction. 'Who was it?' he asked. 'A new girl named Aurora,' I replied, omitting all titles. 'Who was it that belonged to Rowan? When I was younger it was Rowan that father was sometimes annoyed and would yell at me or worse, hit me.' I didn't mind because it wasn't something new to me, and I grew accustomed to it over time.
My father demanded, 'Tell me about her.' I gulped and recounted all I knew. He stood up, came close to me, and slapped me. I crashed into a nearby vase, shattering it. My mother's eyes reflected pain, but she knew there was nothing she could do. 'How dare you when I've provided everything for you. You lose to a low-class girl like that!' he yelled, then stormed off.
I quietly stood up and went to my room, sliding into bed and falling asleep. The next day, on my way to class, I saw Aurora and Rowan near the back school gate. I hid slightly to see what was going on and then witnessed Rowan handing cash to Aurora. I stood there in disbelief."
