Page 50 of Spearcrest Knight

“Just tryna be nice, Sutton. You should try it x”

I hesitate, then text back.

“Good luck with the exam x”

I turn my phone off straight away. I’ve worked too hard to let Evan’s frivolity distract me from my revision. The Lit exam is my last exam of the term, so as long as I give it everything I have, then I’ll hopefully feel a little better over the holidays. Maybe I’ll even wake up without my chest being crushed under some enormous rock of urgency.

When the teachers finally open the doors and we get let into the hall, I make a beeline for my desk and sit down. I arrange my water bottle, pens and student ID in front of me, then I sit back. The answer booklet, with its pink pages, sits heavily on my desk, drawing my gaze. My stomach is churning, nausea whirling through me. I’m thankful I decided to only have a banana for my breakfast today.

Finally, the invigilators hand out the question papers and the times are written down on the chalkboard at the front of the room.

“You may start.”

The sound of everyone turning their papers open is like the rushing of wind through the assembly hall. After that, everything in the room might as well have disappeared as far as I’m concerned. There’s only my exam questions, my answer booklet and my pen.

By the time the invigilators call for us to put our pens down, three hours have passed, my hand is aching and my eyes are burning. We get asked to pass our papers to the invigilators; I do so without looking. The relief I was hoping to feel hasn’t sunk in yet. My chest is still crushed under an impossible weight.

Outside the hall, everyone is bumping into each other as they collect their bags and coats. I stand in the doorway, waiting for them to be done before I get my things.

I’m staring at the slowly dispersing crowd of students without quite seeing them when there’s a tap on my shoulder.

“Did you flunk the exam?”

I turn my head in surprise. Evan is standing next to me. For once, his uniform is in order: his shirt is buttoned up and his tie is done and straight. For some reason, the crisp azure and white of the Spearcrest uniform always makes him look a little older and a lot taller.

He’s standing right next to me, hands in his pockets, hair brushed back. The heat from his body somehow reaches through my clothes, brushing against my skin. His blue gaze is direct, a light smile on his lips. I take a step back, putting distance between us.

“No, of course I didn’t flunk the exam. Did you?”

“No, I don’t reckon I did. Why do you look so grumpy, then?”

“I’m not grumpy.”

He draws a little closer, tilting his head. “You’re not happy either.”

I’m thrown by that. For a moment, I don’t know what to say. In the end, I settle for part of the truth. “I’m just tired.”

Evan gazes at me, unspoken emotions lurking in the blue of his eyes. His fingers reach out to touch my cheek with startling tenderness, sending a wave of goosebumps through me.

“Sutton…”

Before he can say anything else, a hand falls on his shoulder. Evan's fingers recoil from my cheek like it’s burned him.

“How did it go, Ev?”

Zachary Blackwood appears at Evan’s side and stops. “Oh, Sophie. Uh, hi. I hope your exam went well?”

Zachary is the total opposite of Evan. Where Evan is fair, Zachary is dark. Where Evan is broad and big with muscles, Zachary is lean and angular. Evan has a sort of easy-going, arrogant carelessness, Zachary is rigidly courteous and ruthlessly self-disciplined.

Where Evan seems to barely realise Spearcrest is an educational establishment, Zachary is the emblem of academic excellence. In the lower school, he was always in the top five of every class for achievements. This year, he’s even been selected as a Spearcrest Apostle—Mr Ambrose’s elite group of academically-gifted students.

Out of all the Young Kings, he’s the one I despise the least.

“It went fine, thank you,” I answer. “I’ll see you both around.”

I turn to go grab my backpack from the now almost empty foyer. Evan calls out from behind me. “Don’t you want to know how my exam went?”

Shouldering my backpack, I suppress the urge to sigh and roll my eyes. I pause, turn, and ask, “How did it go?”

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