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Lavinia was jumping in the school corridor, indifferent to the looks of those around her. Her hair was flying with every leap, and her smile was almost splitting her face from sheer joy. She was laughing and waving her hands while shouting loudly:
"This time my mother won't kick me out! And I won't have to hide at Micheal's house like usual! I got the fiftieth rank! The fiftieth! For the first time in my life!"
Some students laughed at her exaggerated enthusiasm, while she was living her moment as if it were a once-in-a-lifetime historic victory. Suddenly, she felt a hand gently patting her head. She stopped jumping and turned around in surprise.
A familiar voice said with a smile:
"Well done, you did great."
Lavinia lifted her head to look up, and found Micheal standing in front of her, his arms crossed and his features calm as usual, but there was a clear sparkle of pride in his eyes.
She smiled and said, placing her hands on her hips:
"Oh! And you? What did you achieve this time?"
Micheal did not answer immediately. He simply raised his hand and calmly gestured with two fingers.
Lavinia stared at him for a second, then shouted:
"Second place?! As usual?!"
Micheal nodded and said in a tone that mixed satisfaction with slight disappointment:
"Yes… although I was sure I would take first place, but Chloe surpassed me again."
Lavinia's eyes widened in genuine shock. She stepped closer to him and said:
"What?! Chloe? In first place? That's impossible! She's really smart!"
Micheal chuckled lightly and said:
"Yes, she always comes first. Even in middle school, she graduated with a perfect score."
Lavinia lifted her gaze toward the large notice board and began scanning the names with tense eyes. There, right at the top, Chloe's name stood out clearly, and beside it the average: 99%.
Directly beneath her was Micheal's name with an average of 98%, then in third place was Carla.
Lavinia murmured in admiration:
"Carla too… as usual, excellent."
She continued looking downward, moving between the names, until she suddenly stopped. She gasped softly and said:
"Wow… Rocky is among the top students too! Twelfth place, with a score of 88%!"
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Micheal stepped closer to the board and looked where she was pointing, then said with furrowed brows:
"I wonder what rank that obsessed guy got."
Lavinia looked at him in confusion and said hesitantly:
"W… who? Do you mean Fred?"
Micheal replied without hesitation:
"Yes. During exam week, while everyone was studying, he was the only one I saw fooling around with girls."
Lavinia laughed and said confidently:
"Seriously? I'm sure he's in last place. That old man is good at nothing but arrogance, nothing more."
At that moment, they heard the voices of two girls standing nearby, speaking with clear sadness.
The first said with a sigh:
"I can't believe I got 56… I think my father will kill me."
The other replied bitterly:
"Mine is even worse. By the way… did you see Fred's rank?"
"No."
"He's in third place."
A brief silence followed, then the girl added in surprise:
"I didn't expect him to get a score of 99, especially since both George and Alex got a perfect 100."
Lavinia suddenly shouted loudly, drawing everyone's attention:
"What?!"
She rushed toward the two girls, grabbed one of them by the shoulder, and said in shock:
"No, no! That's impossible! That old man got 99?! And third place?! And George got a perfect score too?! This… this is a dream, right?!"
The two girls looked at her with clear confusion, while Lavinia laughed and placed a hand on her head, unable to believe it.
Micheal stepped forward, shaking his head, and said in a tone mixing sarcasm and admiration:
"I didn't expect a guy obsessed with looks to also be obsessed with studying."
At that moment, Rocky appeared as he walked toward the notice board, his expression slightly tense at first.
He stopped in front of the board, searched for his name with his eyes, then suddenly a wide smile spread across his face.
He laughed and said with relief:
"Hah! Not bad at all."
He turned toward them and said enthusiastically:
"Finally… vacation is here! What are your plans for the break, guys?"
Lavinia thought for a moment, then said with a gentle smile:
"I haven't decided yet… maybe I'll visit my aunt who lives in a rural village."
Micheal said confidently as he crossed his arms:
"As for me, I'll be going to a training camp to practice basketball."
Rocky sighed a little, then said with a lazy smile:
"Me too… maybe I'll visit one of the hot springs."
Lavinia looked at them and felt something warm in her chest. Despite all the anxiety, and despite the album and the ending she feared, this moment was simple… and full of life.
She laughed and said:
"Looks like the vacation will be… exciting."
Deep inside, she knew that this small happiness might be the beginning of something greater… or the prelude to an approaching storm.
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