Alice

“You’re unbelievable, She! Still number one!” I exclaimed, almost throwing my arms around her out of pure excitement. We had just finished getting our class cards, and just as expected, her grades were sky-high again.

I mean—always a flat 1.

I didn’t know whether to feel jealous or even prouder of her. Honestly, it was a good thing I stuck close to her. If I hadn’t, I’d probably be procrastinating way more often than actually opening a book.

We weren’t in the same academic standing, but I wasn’t exactly falling behind either. Decent. Passing. Holding my own. Still, Shirley was on a whole different level. And as her best...