Page 2 of Love is a Game

This was it, the moment she’d been working toward; it had to be. There was no reason for the principal to be calling her away from class except to congratulate her. She rushed to the office, her cheeks pink with excitement as she arrived at the reception desk.

“I’m here to see Ms. Haverman,” she said, bouncing on her heels.

“She’ll be just a moment. You can have a seat over there with Mr. Price.”

“What?”

The color drained from her face as she turned to see Andrew Price sitting next to the closed office door. He wore the familiar smug smile that had plagued her for years, sitting with his arms crossed over his usual button-up shirt. No other teenager dressed the way he did, like he was heading to a job interview or something. It was over the top. She hated those stupid button-ups, just like she hated his stupid smile and the way he styled his dark hair with too much product. She hated every last thing about him. What was he doing here?

“Hey, Shady,” he said cooly. “You think we tied?”

“Not possible,” she said, although she wasn’t sure if that were true.

At the end of the fall semester, Andrew had somehow edged into the number one position in their grade, relegating her to second place by a mere fraction of a decimal. They had held the top two spots since freshman year, and she was furious when she learned that he’d come out ahead of her. That should have meant the end of her valedictorian dreams, but two years earlier, the administration had decided to include students’ senior project score in the decision. Sadie had poured her heart into her project, spending hours shadowing local business owners and creating a business plan for a hypothetical restaurant. It had to be enough. It just had to.

Andrew smirked. “Maybe she thought, as my assistant, you should be here too.”

She shook her head, feeling the heat rise up her neck. “I am not your assistant. I am the vice president, you pigheaded—”

She was cut off by the sudden opening of the office door beside her. Ms. Haverman smiled at both of them and waved them inside.

“Hello, hello. Thank you for coming to see me,” Ms. Haverman said brightly. “I’m sure you know what this is about.”

Sadie glanced at Andrew. She had been sure, but now doubt crept in.

“Graduation is right around the corner, and we’re trying to get our speakers lined up, including our valedictorian. It’s no surprise that it’s come down to you two.”

Sadie gripped the armrest of her chair. She’d worked so hard for this, she couldn’t lose to Andrew now. Not when she was so close.

Ms. Haverman glanced at a piece of paper on her desk. “It was a very close call. Both of you did an amazing job on your senior projects. Sadie . . .” Ms. Haverman beamed. Sadie held her breath. “Congratulations, you are our valedictorian this year.”

Sadie sat back, letting out the air she’d been holding and feeling light enough to float out of the room. She’d done it. Top of her class. Number one. She wanted to cry, but she wasn’t about to do that in front of Andrew. Instead, she simply reveled in the warmth that filled her chest.

“Andrew, you are our salutatorian. What a huge accomplishment, both of you. On behalf of the administration, I just want to say that it has been a pleasure watching you two learn and grow over the last four years, and working beside you as you fulfilled your elected responsibilities. We’re all very proud of you and know that you are both destined for great things.”

“Thank you,” they both murmured.

She handed them each a piece of paper. “I have here some guidelines for your speeches. I’m not worried about either of you saying something inappropriate, of course, but you will need to have them turned in by Thursday for approval. If you have any questions, please let me know. Congratulations, again. I know you’ve worked hard for this.”

Andrew was slow to stand as Ms. Haverman led them to the door. He followed Sadie out of the office and into the now empty hallway where she turned on him and flung her arms into the air.

“Second place, Price! Take that!”

“You must be very proud,” he deadpanned.

Her lips dropped into an exaggerated frown. “Do you want some ice for that second-degree burn?”

He crossed his arms and leaned against the wall. “Wow, how long did you spend working on that?”

“Not as long as you’re gonna spend crying about it,” she sniffed as she flipped her ponytail over her shoulder.

“You are truly an inspiration. Maybe if I had spent more time flipping my hair and batting my big eyes at teachers, I could be where you are.”

“Don’t you dare,” she snapped. “I earned this.”

“Whatever, Shady,” he said, shaking his head dismissively.

He was clearly trying to look unbothered, but she could see the way his jaw tensed. Andrew Price did not like to lose.

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