As the new semester began, the pressure to study grew. There was a test on the very first day of class. By the time they finished their test, classes were over.
It was around three in the afternoon when they finished their test, so everyone went home. Most students from Ventrocloud High School were locals, and students rarely lived on school grounds. Even the students from out of town would instead choose to rent a room outside the school grounds.
As Madelyn was packing her bags and getting ready to leave, Albert came over to call her to the office. When she arrived at the office, she asked, "You called for me, Mr. Newton?" "Wait a minute, "Albert said as he rummaged through the drawers, searching for god knows what. After a while, he took out a set of assessment papers, "Madelyn, are you interested in joining the Math Olympiad team? There'll be a competition next month. If you are interested, | can make an exception and have you enter the examination hall as a reserve contestant.” "There's only one slot like this for each school participating in this competition. Your academic results are great and you're quite talented, so as your teacher, | don't want to see your talents go unnoticed. Else, | wouldn't be able to sleep at night," Albert continued.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtMadelyn said, "If | get a good score, will | be eligible to acquire the qualifications for direct admission to Ventropolis University?" "Of course!" When Albert heard her agree to this, he was excited. He pushed his swivel chair forward and said, "Let me tell you! As long as you perform as usual, not only will you have your tuition and fees omitted, you might even get a full year of scholarship. In fact, you could even get the chance to be an international exchange student for a year. You could also continue your studies abroad if you wanted to..." Albert said.
"It's fine if it feels tiring or hard for now... By the time you enter university, itll be much easier. You'll only have four classes daily, and you can do whatever you want then!" Albert advised.
In the end, Madelyn agreed to it. "What do | need to do?" Madelyn asked.
"You just need to attend the special math class, which is a mix of students from other schools. The training period will be until two days before the Math Olympiad competition. Since many people compete for this slot, you just need to get first place among them. With your abilities, getting first should be no problem," Albert told Madelyn.
"The special math class will be held in our school, but it may be exhausting and difficult. You'll be going home later than usual, so having a family member fetch you would be best,” Albert informed Madelyn.
"Mhm," Madelyn answered.
When Madelyn had returned from Albert's office, she saw Forrest by the classroom door. He has his arms crossed before his chest while his body leaned on the door frame lazily. His bag still hung on his shoulder. The students from other classes walked by him while fangirling.
‘Lust makes fools of us all," Madelyn thought.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmForrest saw Madelyn walk over and spoke, slightly annoyed, "Why're you walking so slow? Don't you want to get out of here?" Madelyn smiled at him and said, "Let's go." Forrest rose and walked by her side, "What's got you so happy?" "It's a secret!" Madelyn said.
Forrest chuckled, "What secret? If it's shady business, just say so." Madelyn was in a good mood, but she still did not tell him. Madelyn said, "Oh? | noticed that after not seeing you for a month, not only did you get fatter, but you've also grown some balls!" Forrest was speechless. He continued to ask, "Aren't you going to tell me what happened?” Madelyn quickened her pace but still did not answer.
Forrest mocked her, "Hey, you walk quite fast with your short legs." Madelyn argued, "I don't have short legs!" It was the truth; she was quite tall for a girl, at around 5 feet 6 inches. With shoes on, she might even be 5 feet 7 inches.
"How could | have short legs? Well, of course they would be short when compared to Forrest's height at 6 feet 1 inch," Madelyn thought.
After walking out of the school gates, Madelyn and Forrest went for a stroll at the roadside stalls since Madelyn was in a good mood. They sat in front of the stalls and ate some barbecue skewers and nachos. Forrest grabbed a cold Coke and took a sip before saying, "On the night we went for a stroll in the streets, my mom said she met you at the hospital. What were you doing at the hospital?" After a while, Madelyn came to her senses and exclaimed, "That was your mom?" "Who else could it be, your own mom? Come to think of it, that's not impossible!" Forrest joked.
"Your mom's so beautiful and soft-spoken. Too bad you only inherited your mom's looks. Everything else about you is just a mess," Madelyn rebuked.