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It was autumn at Metropolis High, and the chemistry teacher Ryan Choi calmly handed out the results of the freshman class's final assessment. That day, it was more than just a simple test, it was a passport to the best experience a young scientist could have: a tour of the S.T.A.R. Labs.
The class's noise was impossible to contain, excited young people waiting for the announcement of the top two on the slide on the board.
"Querl Dox, 100" Grandson of the principal, the most promising student of the year.
"Kara Kent, 100" Captain of the school's girls' basketball team.
Suddenly, the entire room fell into a morbid silence. The two winners stared at each other, their eyes blazing with hatred.
Kara and Querl were the smartest students that school had ever welcomed in 10 years, but everyone knew that leaving them alone in the same room was the perfect recipe for disaster.
The first time they became aware of each other's existence was during the first semester. By some cosmic misfortune or mystical alignment of their minds, they both submitted papers on the same topic. Without any way to prove who copied whom, the professor gave both of their papers a zero, starting the biggest intellectual rivalry in that class.
— You're so lucky, Querl… — Lyle's laughter echoed in the room.
— You hate me and want me dead.
— Oh, don't be so pessimistic. — he replied, still laughing but lightly patting his friend's shoulder, trying to calm him down. — You, my friend, will be alone with the most interesting and beautiful girl in the school at the greatest lab in the country.
— STOP TALKING NONSENSE! THE LAST THING I WANT IS TO SHARE A TOUR OF S.T.A.R. Labs WITH THAT BRUTE! — Querl shouted, getting up from the chair impulsively.
Before Lyle could respond, a paper ball flew from the other end of the room and forcefully struck Querl on the head.
— WHO'S A BRUTE, YOU SHORTY? — Kara yelled, clenching her fist in his direction.
— WHO ELSE WOULD IT BE, YOU THESIS THIEF? — A vein throbbed on Querl's forehead.
Both of them made a move to leave their rows and approach each other, but their thoughts were interrupted by a loud slapping sound on the board.
— No fighting in class, and I think you'd better calm down before we move on to the other students. Metropolis High can't be shamed at S.T.A.R. Labs for such low behavior.
The two gave up fighting and returned to their seats, no animosity they held against each other was stronger than the dream they carried.
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
A week later, Kara arrived at school thirty minutes late because she had turned off her cell phone alarm before going to sleep. The gates were closed, but the counselors were still waiting for her inside the school.
— I can't believe this…That damn bus. — complained a familiar voice beside her.
— Come on.
Kara knelt in front of him and placed her hands for support.
— Sorry… But what are you doing? — Querl asked, confused.
— Hurry up, take advantage of the fact that I'm in a good mood today. — she replied, rolling her eyes.
That was the first kindness she had offered him in six months of classes. Querl was sure that as soon as he accepted the offer, she had some trick up her sleeve. But since he had nothing to lose, he agreed to climb onto Kara's hands and was lifted until his hands reached the top of the wall.
— Thank you so much — He thanked her, still shocked by his rival's sincerity.
— It doesn't matter…
Inside, Querl waited until he saw Kara jump off the wall alone and land perfectly beside him, his mouth involuntarily opening, impressed by her physical conditioning.
— Why did you do that? — He asked, still confused.
— I gain nothing by sabotaging you on this trip. — She replied, turning her back to him.
Without her seeing, Querl smiled, satisfied with his rival's answer. For the first time since that little war had begun, he had been able to see how honorable she was, and for a brief moment, he doubted whether she had really copied his work at the beginning of the year.
— Hurry up, shorty, do you want to miss the trip? — She shouted as she ran.
Querl's eyes widened as he realized he was still standing in front of the wall and he ran after her, trying to keep up.
Luckily, Professor Choi was still waiting for them in the courtyard, the car that would take them to S.T.A.R. Labs was in the school parking lot.
Inside the car, the constant movement caused Kara to succumb to the sleepiness accumulated from the week's sleepless nights. The municipal basketball tournament was approaching, the coach was demanding more training hours than usual, and this, added to the accumulated activities, made her expend more energy than usual.
Querl looked to the side when he heard a noise, her head had hit the car window. Careful not to wake her, he gently moved her head to his shoulder. The proximity allowed him to see better what he hadn't noticed in the rush at the school entrance: Kara's eyes were marked with deep dark circles, her forehead formed small creases from sleep, but she was still smiling.
As soon as the car was parked at S.T.A.R. Labs, Querl moved her head away from his shoulder and gently shook her to wake her.
— Just five minutes.. — She murmured wearily.
— We're here, Kara.
Muttering something incomprehensible to Querl's ears, Kara opened her eyes and unbuckled her seatbelt before getting out of the car.
— Here we are… — Said the teacher guiding them. — Please try to contain your animosity, at least for today.
— Please, we're not amateurs, Professor Choi. — Kara replied, rolling her eyes.
Before the professor could respond, a tall woman with long black hair approached the trio.
— This is Dr. Kimiyo Hoshi, she will be your guide at S.T.A.R. Labs.
Kara and Querl's eyes gleamed with excitement. Dr. Hoshi was one of the most promising names in modern astrophysics, they both frequently watched interviews and read articles published by her. No school rivalry was worth sabotaging that opportunity.
They followed the doctor around the perimeter of the laboratory, listening attentively to each sector and some recent discoveries at S.T.A.R. Labs. Occasionally their eyes met and a small spark of anger was exchanged, but it was ignored by both due to the agreement made with Professor Choi.
But when Dr. Kimiyo briefly said goodbye to the pair after being called to an emergency meeting, Kara turned to Querl, and the anger she had subtly directed at her during the lecture emerged in full force.
— I didn't expect a petty thief to go this far…
— THIEF?! — He shouted in surprise — I suggest you take a closer look at yourself, Miss Kent, you copied even the commas from MY work.
— Get a grip, shorty, there's nothing of yours that I need to steal to get to the top. — Kara said firmly, taking a step forward.
— Well… That's not what I saw in that unoriginal work you submitted.
Querl took a step back in fear. She might be his equal in intellectual levels, he admitted that only to himself, but there was no way he, a couch potato, could rival the strength of a high-performance athlete.
He entered a dark room with confused steps, but was followed, and the last thing he heard was the door closing before his body was pinned against the wall.
— REPEAT!
Querl opened his mouth, but no sound dared to be uttered. The little light that entered through the window of the cramped room illuminated Kara's face. He could clearly see her blue eyes staring at him with anger deep within them. Her long blonde curls emanated a sweet floral perfume that greatly pleased his sense of smell.
Querl's face flushed. At that same instant, he mentally reprimanded himself. He shouldn't be reacting like this; he should be yelling back at her at the top of his lungs, defending the originality of his own work. But it wasn't hatred that made his blood pump faster at that moment, especially when all his eyes wanted to follow was the movement of those red lips before him.
— I TOLD YOU TO REPEAT THAT, DOX!
— You're so beautiful… — The confession escaped his lips without permission.
— WHAT?? — she shouted, confused.
— I-I… — He stammered, embarrassed, and decided to change the subject — Nothing. Look, I know what it looks like, but I never copied anything from you. I chose to write about the Andromeda Galaxy in that class because I had seen a documentary by Dr. Hoshi on the subject. I thought it would be cool to delve deeper into the subject, that's all.
— I can't believe it… — She replied more calmly but surprised — YOU ALSO WATCH DR. HOSHI'S INTERVIEWS?
— Are you kidding??? She's the most promising scientist of her generation, I always watch her when I have free time.
Kara's eyes shone with excitement at her rival's confession; she was also his favorite scientific figure, but he had never met anyone who knew her in his inner circle.
— I also saw that interview, I stayed up until dawn waiting for it to air. — The grip on his body loosened.
— DOX! KENT! WHERE ARE YOU! VISITING HOURS ARE OVER!
Professor Choi's worried cry echoed outside, despair etched on Querl's face. What was he going to do now? Locked in a small room with a girl in the country's largest laboratory…
— I'll go first, don't worry… And I'm sorry for these last few months, I take my academic career very seriously. My mother criticized me for weeks because of this work, and I let myself be carried away by it, — Kara whispered, touching his shoulder.
A sigh of relief escaped his lips; at least for today his academy career was safe.
Before turning her back and going to meet the professor, Kara looked at him with a sly smile and whispered:
— And, Dox… You’re pretty too.
And she leaves the room and an embarrassed Querl alone thinking how he can face her again.
Everyone in Metropolis High knows that was a mistake leaving Querl and Kara alone in the same room, these two had a lot in common: they're the best students in the school, they admired the same public figures... But when an unfortunate mistake happened in the first semester, they became sworn rivals who promised to destroy the academy career of the other.