37 Exams Are Over
The next few hours were a blur of exams for Noah. One after the other, they came at him with barely a pause between them. For most students, the 15-minute break between each test was just enough time to catch their breath, drink some water, or mentally prepare for the next challenge. But for Noah, each break felt like an eternity. He finished every exam so early that he had about an hour to kill while everyone else was still hunched over their desks, furiously scribbling answers.
Each time Noah raised his hand to indicate he was done, Mark's gaze would dart toward him, filled with skepticism and disdain. As Noah turned in his test and walked out, Mark's snide comments followed him.
"Another one you couldn't figure out, huh?" Mark would say, smirking. "Better start rehearsing. You'll be calling me 'dad' soon enough."
Noah didn't even bother responding. There was no point. He had no intention of wasting his energy on Mark, not when he knew the truth. The results would be out in a few days, and then the whole school would see who was really worthy of their respect. Noah found it almost amusing that Mark thought he had the upper hand, but he kept his thoughts to himself.
During one of these longer breaks, Noah found a quiet corner outside the school building, sitting on a bench under a tree as a light breeze rustled the leaves.
Aiden soon joined him, his presence a comforting contrast to Mark's toxic energy. He sat down beside Noah, holding a dumpling in one hand, his cheeks already puffed out as he chewed. Aiden's mom had sent him to school with a small container of homemade dumplings, and Aiden was devouring them like his life depended on it.
"You look like a chipmunk, man," Noah said, chuckling softly.
Aiden, still chewing, made a muffled sound that was meant to be a reply, but it came out garbled through the food in his mouth. Noah couldn't help but laugh at the sight of his friend, carefree and content amidst the stress of exams.
Finally swallowing, Aiden wiped his mouth and leaned back on the bench. "Mark's really going for it today, huh?" he said, rolling his eyes. "I swear, that guy's got a mouth bigger than my appetite. And trust me, that's saying something."
Noah smirked. "Yeah, well, he's got nothing else going for him, so I guess he compensates with his trash talk."
Aiden nodded, holding up another dumpling as if offering it to Noah. "Dumpling for your thoughts?"
Noah shook his head, smiling. "Nah, I'm good. But thanks."
Aiden shrugged and took a big bite out of the dumpling. "Honestly, I don't know how you keep so calm, dude. If Mark was hounding me like that, I'd probably snap. But you... you're like a stone wall. He just bounces off."
13:35
"Trust me, it's not easy," Noah admitted, his gaze drifting off to the horizon. "It's tempting to just—" He paused, remembering how close he had come to picking that first option in the system. The temptation to shut Mark up with force had been real, but he couldn't afford to go down that road. "—to do something I'd regret later."
Aiden raised an eyebrow, sensing there was more Noah wasn't saying, but he didn't push it. "Well, for what it's worth, I think it's hilarious that Mark thinks you're giving up. The guy's so thick, he probably thinks you're turning in blank papers."
Noah chuckled, shaking his head. "Let him think that. It'll make it more satisfying."
Aiden's eyes lit up with mischief, and Noah could already sense some sort of ridiculous comment coming. "You know," Aiden started, chewing on a dumpling-like he was about to spill some ancient wisdom, "when Mark loses this bet, I bet his face is gonna look like when someone finds out their Wi-Fi got cut off right in the middle of a Call of Duty game."
Noah snorted, unable to hold back his laughter. "Yeah, or like when you're done with your business in the toilet, and realise that there is no toilet paper left. That's some real pain in the ass."
Aiden's eyes widened as if this was some profound tragedy. "Exactly! The real kind of pain, man."
Noah, getting into the groove, nodded seriously. "And then you gotta waddle out, pants halfway down, trying to shuffle to the next stall without being seen. That's when you start reevaluating life choices."
Aiden almost choked on his dumpling. "Man, that's when you realize you should've listened to your mom when she told you to always check first! It's like surviving a horror movie, except it's your own bad decisions haunting you."
Noah smirked. "That's Mark. The guy probably trips on flat surfaces and then blames the floor for being 'uneven.'"
Aiden wiped tears from his eyes, trying to catch his breath.
By now, Noah's sides were hurting from laughing so hard. "And let's not even talk about his 'squad.' They're like those hype men at rap battles, but they don't even know what's going on half the time. They just clap whenever Mark makes any sound."
Aiden imitated one of them. "Mark sneezes, and they're like, 'Oh snap! Have you heard that sneeze? That's power, bro!'"
Noah nearly fell off the bench laughing. "I swear, they'd hype him up for breathing too loudly. 'Dude, did you see that inhale? Man's built different!'"
Aiden was laughing so hard he had to hold his sides. "Next time Mark loses, they'll be like, 'Yo, losing takes real skill, man. You OWNED that L.'"
The two of them, now wheezing with laughter, could barely keep it together. Aiden's ridiculous jokes about Mark made it impossible to take any of the guy's bravado seriously.
The final exam of the day was science. Unlike the other exams, Noah didn't rush through it. He knew he couldn't leave the school until it was officially time to go, so he took his time, pacing himself as he answered each question methodically. There was no reason to finish early this time.
After what felt like ages, the examiner called out, "Time's over! Everyone finish up what you're writing and close your papers. Anyone who doesn't follow instructions will have their exam marked zero. Wait for the other examiners to collect your answer sheets, and make sure your names and details are written on the front."
Students began to fidget nervously, closing their exam booklets as instructed. Row by row, they were dismissed from the hall. Since Noah was seated toward the front, his row was one of the first to leave. He decided to wait outside the hall for Aiden, leaning against a nearby wall, zoning out.
Just as he was lost in thought, a cheerful girl with a ponytail came skipping toward him, her face lit with excitement and gratitude. Without warning, she threw her arms around him in a tight hug, catching Noah completely off guard. A few students nearby stared, wide-eyed, as if they had just witnessed something out of a rom-com.
Realizing what she'd just done, the girl immediately stepped back, her face flushing with embarrassment. "Oh my God, I'm so sorry!" she stammered, looking mortified.
Noah, still surprised but amused, shook his head with a warm smile. "It's okay, really."
Her face lit up again, this time at his reassuring smile. "I just… I wanted to thank you! I did so well on the science exam, and it's all thanks to you. That study session you had with us in the library with Aiden—almost everything you taught us came up! And the way you showed us how to break down the questions made it so much easier for me."
Noah's smile deepened as he responded. "I'm glad it helped. You put in the work, so you deserve the credit."
She beamed, her eyes lingering on his face a bit longer than necessary. They chatted for a bit, mostly about how the exam went and how relieved she felt afterwards.
As she glanced toward a group of her female friends exiting the hall, she said goodbye and ran off to join them. But not before sneaking one last glance at Noah, her cheeks tinged pink.
By that time, Aiden had finished as well and was walking toward Noah, having witnessed the entire scene. He shot Noah a wide grin. "Damn, bro, I never knew teaching science could get you girls! I think I need to start studying the periodic table ASAP."
Noah laughed, shaking his head. "Yeah, right. Maybe if you spent as much time studying as you do eating dumplings, you'd be halfway there by now."
Aiden, unbothered, popped the last bit of his snack into his mouth. "Hey, man, I aced that exam, so whatever works, right?" He elbowed Noah playfully. "Thanks for dragging me to the library, though. I owe you one."
Noah grinned and wrapped his arm around Aiden's shoulder. "You owe me more than one. Maybe next time you'll bring extra dumplings."
Aiden rolled his eyes but laughed. "Fine, deal. But only if you promise to keep your 'Newton' powers in check."