A Once-in-a-Lifetime Opportunity

When people think of their worst nightmares, they tend to see terrifying monsters with sharp fangs, ugly trolls with hairy eyeballs, and other intimidating creatures. But in the minds of the sixth-graders of Nirvana Middle School, nothing is worse than the same nightmare that haunts their mind every day and night: A pop quiz.

It wasn’t like they weren’t smart. In fact, each one of them was sponsored by an elementary school in the U.S.A. They were sent to Nirvana Middle School because they were the top students of the elementary school they went to. But the fact that the questions were so difficult that students had a high chance of a mental breakdown was just insane. The questions were also in messed up order  and from various subjects. The worst was the final math exam that took place at the end of the semester. Some lucky students learned algebra during the semester, and the exam was relatively simpler for them. All they had to do was to use the correct formula to solve the equation. But those who studied geometry had to endure endless lectures from Mr. Bowe, a knowledgeable professor who never looked at the time, so students were always late for their other lessons. At the end of the year, they took  the geometry final, which consisted of page-long proofs and complex angle calculations that was so nerve-wracking that many students ripped their papers in frustration.

Today, however, the students were resting uneasily in their homeroom. It was the day before the geometry final, and Mr. Bowe had said nothing about it yet. They had been studying about so many complex models during the semester that one day was simply not enough to prepare for the exam. After Mr. Bowe finished teaching the final chapter, students hurriedly took out their textbooks and started to review from Chapter 1 to Chapter 101. Only two students remained calm, and instead, whipped out their phones. The Teaser brothers, Matthew and Michael, who had gained a reputation as the most obnoxious tricksters the school had ever had (and only had), were busy playing Geometry Dash. Also, most students earned detentions for failing in tests and had to do extra practice. On the other hand, the brothers gained detentions for being troublemakers and not paying attention during class. They even achieved a record of gaining 10 detentions in a day, which was only possible if they got one from every teacher.

“Michael, why on earth are you playing Geometry Dash when there is literally a geometry exam tomorrow? ‘’ asked Laurel, who always minded other people’s business.

“Jeez, mind your own business, Laurel. You’re only studying because you’re scared to fail the geometry test tomorrow.  Why, now that I think of it, you’re never good at geometry,” Michael retorted with a sneer.

Everyone laughed at Laurel, whose face was red from embarrassment.

“Just you wait till tomorrow, punk. I’m gonna wipe that little smile off your face when I crush you in the exam,”she growled.

Michael shrugged and went back into playing his game. Suddenly, the door opened and Mr. Bowe stepped in with a huge grin on his face. Michael and Matthew quickly stuffed their phones into their bags and hoped that Laurel wouldn’t tell on them, which she always did.

“Mr. Bowe, Michael and Matthew were playing Geometry Dash while you were gone,” Laurel reported with a triumphant look on her face.

“Oh, that’s great, I mean, horrible. Anyways, this is a very special year. I know that most of you are probably confused, but let me explain. This year is the 100th anniversary of Nirvana Middle School. To celebrate this, we will be hosting a special geometry themed tournament tomorrow that will also count as your geometry final exam. The winner of the tournament shall receive a fabulous reward.”

“Mr. Bowe, is the tournament going to be on the material we learned during the semester?” asked Laurel.

“Well, I can’t tell you what it is about,  but I suggest you think outside the box for this one,”Mr. Bowe replied.

That night, Michael and Mattew played for hours on their Geometry Dash accounts. They decided it was probably no use studying since only the winner would get the prize. It was unlikely that they would actually win the tournament, so they might as well take it easy.

“If only it was a Geometry Dash tournament, then we would totally dominate the entire school,” Matthew sighed.

“Yeah, but wait! Maybe that was what Mr. Bowe was talking about, to expect the unexpected. This is thinking outside the box, and it is related to geometry. This has to be the topic of the tournament tomorrow!” Michael said excitedly.

The next day at school, everyone was talking nervously about the tournament. Michael cornered Laurel and told her that he was going to bet anything on winning the tournament. If Laurel lost, she’d never tattletale on him again. Laurel’s bet was even crueler. If Michael lost, he would delete Geometry Dash in front of everyone.

The school bell rang and everyone dashed into the auditorium to see what the tournament was about. Sure enough, there were large Geometry Dash posters hanging on the walls. The students gasped in disbelief. Michael laughed when he saw the shock on Laurel’s face. Mr. Bowe walked in with a special guest. It was  Robert Topala, the founder of Geometry Dash! Michael and Matthew’s hands worked like machines and were unstoppable. To no one’s surprise, they simultaneously achieved a perfect score. Robert Topala himself went up to congratulate the two gamers for being the most talented players he had ever seen. Even better, the prize was a lifetime Geometry Dash Membership! Laurel stared at him loathingly, but Michael detected a hint of impressment. This was surely a memorable way to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Nirvana Middle School!