The Generals left the dormitory at 6 am, while Cade was still sleeping with his mouth open. Theo pinched Stan as his eyes followed the three boys from the window.
"Where's Cade? Isn't he supposed to be with them?" Theo asked.
"I bet he got drunk last night. He's so irresponsible," Stan replied while ironing his uniform.
"You said you took Amelia for a walk. Was that necessary? Isn't it rude to leave her boyfriend's birthday party?"
"I did that to save Cade. Liam would've forced Cade to have sex with her if she had stayed there. There's something off about him. About them."
"You should thank me for giving you that information. Technically, we saved his virginity."
"Yeah. I never thought I could use your nosiness as an informant."
Stan wore his uniform. "I'll wake him up before it's too late." Stan went next door and shook Cade's body. "Hey. Are you dead?"
"Stop annoying me!"
"Oh, wow. Should I just let you skip class? For your information, today is the first day of the prelim exam!"
Cade's eyes widened. "The prelim exam?" He sat up and stared into space. "Jesus Christ... I haven't studied."
"Good for you."
"I'm serious, Stan!" Cade messed up his hair. "This is the end of me. My head hurts."
"That's what you get from drinking too much."
"Now that you say so, having sex with Amelia is better than getting drunk!"
"Either way, you still wouldn't be able to study, moron."
Cade held his head in pain. "What should I do, Stan? I can't get a low grade."
"Use my notes. Make sure to memorize all of them in an hour. Two subjects will not be easy."
"Can't I just take a special exam?"
"If they find out you're taking it because you have a hangover after being drunk, they won't allow you to. You have a lot of witnesses, Cade. It's not a good idea."
Cade was fighting the urge to sleep when Liam was distributing the test papers. It was a bit weird to see Liam energetic and sober up when he drank beer with Cade. He was lucky enough to have a high alcohol tolerance.
It was difficult for Cade to focus because his vision was spinning. He rubbed his eyes a couple of times to stay awake. A line drew on his lips when he read the questions.
"Stan is a genius," he murmured.
During lunch break, Cade stayed in the library to study. He skip lunch and instead, took a bar of dark chocolate with him. He ate it in secret because eating was not allowed in the library.
Cade felt something wet on his philtrum. When he touched it, it was blood flowing from his nose. Cade looked up while covering his nose with a handkerchief and continued studying for the next two subjects.
Day 2 of the Prelim Exam
Cade was the first one to finish the exam 20 minutes ahead of time because it was his favorite subject—math. Everything became so easy for him because he pulled an all-nighter to prepare for the exam. He took the chance to take a nap during the remaining time.
"Pass the papers," the teacher said when the time was up. Cade woke up and was about to pass his paper when he noticed it was gone. He searched under the desk and on the floor, but he couldn't find it.
"Excuse me, sir. I couldn't find my test paper. Did you perhaps collect it?" Cade asked.
"I didn't, Mr. Flemming."
"But it was on my table, sir. How can it disappear like that while I was sleeping?"
"I don't know. Are you sure you're not making up things to avoid the exam?"
"Of course not, sir. I studied hard for this."
The teacher looked at the students. "Who hid Curt's test paper? Don't let me catch you or else I'll see you with the M.O.D."
"Can I take the special exam, sir?"
"This case is complicated, Mr. Flemming. We don't have evidence that someone stole your paper. But you can take this exam after the last subject this afternoon."
Cade bowed his head. "Okay, sir. Thank you."
Day 3 of the Prelim Exam
Cade spent his lunch together with the Generals. The three boys were scanning their notes while eating their food. They had talked little during the exam days. Cade returned to the classroom to get his notes. He groped for it inside his bag but found nothing.
"What now? My notes are missing? This is absurd. I'm sure I brought it with me."
Cade came back to the table with a gloomy vibe and everyone felt it.
"What's wrong?" Luke asked.
"My notes are missing," Cade replied in a bitter tone.
"You can check out mine."
Cade accepted Luke's offer and skimmed his notes. Luke's notes differed greatly from Cade's. But Cade was confident that it would work out his way since Luke was one of the Generals. They all aim for the highest grade. Besides, Luke knew the teacher well and he could predict the test questionnaires.
Day 4 of the Prelim Exam
It was the last day of the exam, and Cade was so delighted about it. His torment would end soon. Luke announced that there would be a basketball tournament between two groups of grade 10 students. They would conduct a try-out for those who want to join the tournament, excluding the basketball players. The winner would have additional points added to their prelim exam scores.
Cade drank a bottle of water after answering half of the questions. In ten seconds, his vision got blurry, and he lost consciousness. When he woke up, he was the only one left in the classroom.
Cade asked his teacher about his test paper. He only answered half of it and it cannot be undone. His sudden long nap was still a mystery to him. Cade almost forgot to take his special exam after his phase of overthinking how things turned out.
***
The students flooded the gym as they cheered for their chosen basketball team. They were wearing red and blue headbands and holding some balloons of the same color while marching to their seats. It was the Ice Cold Hawks (blue team) versus the Steel Wolves (red team). The players came out as the host called their names. They lined up and faced their opponents. Luke was across from Stan and Cade was facing Theo. They were wearing poker faces, but deep inside, Cade wasn't expecting his friends in court. Much worse, as the opposing team.
Cade and Luke were playing for the Steel Wolves and Cade had a goal in mind to win no matter what. This was to save his prelim scores.
The referee blew the whistle and threw the ball between Luke and Stan. Luke was way taller than Stan, and he could jump higher. Thus, the ball landed in his hands.
The first half of the game was smooth, with the Steel Wolves leading the scoreboard. However, in the second half, the ball favored the Ice Cold Hawks with Stan's 3-point shots and Theo on the guard.
"Defense!"
"Defense!"
Willow sprang out of nowhere, made direct contact with Theo's head, and adjusted his equilibrium mid-air, causing the Hawk's defender to fall hard to the floor.
Theo ached while holding his left elbow.
"Are you okay?" Stan asked while helping him stand up. After getting a Flagrant Foul Penalty 2, they removed Willow from the game. Theo had to sit and watch his teammates play.
Luke, who slapped Stan's wrist, fouled him really hard, who had already gone up for a layup and was entirely defenseless. Stan's eyes twitched while staring at his left wrist. Theo rushed to punch Luke in the face. There was a commotion on the court with a mixture of adrenaline rush and tension between the two teams.
"Stop, Theo," Stan said while blocking Theo's body.
"Now you play reckless and dirty fouls on us? Do you want some pain in the back?" Theo hissed.
Luke wiped the cut on his lips. "It's part of the game. It wasn't intentional."
"Wasn't intentional?" Theo attempted to strike him once more when Cade stood at their center.
"Cut this crap, will you? Basketball players know things like this happen on the court. You shouldn't have joined if you can't accept that."
Theo looked at him in disbelief. "Really, huh? Well, if you're okay to see your friends with a broken wrist and a fractured elbow, I am not," Theo said straight to his face.
Cade avoided his gaze. Luke received one game suspension while they delivered Theo and Stan to the hospital to check their injuries. In the end, the Steel Wolves won the game.
The doctor confirmed that Stan's wrist wasn't looking good and he wouldn't be able to play archery for 2 months. Meanwhile, Theo wouldn't be able to move his elbow for one and a half months.