It finally happened. I knew this day would inevitably come, but I wasn’t prepared for the outcome that I have been receiving. Kim Minjeong. Who knew she had it in her? I found out the news even before I got to school. Kim Minjeong scored higher than me on our latest math test. I don’t care about that. I don’t care that she did better than me, I truly don’t I swear. I hate how I'm being treated already by everyone around me. It started when my father, SM Academy’s headmaster, called me telling me the “bad” news. He made such a huge fuss over it almost like the world was ending. 

 

“Kim Minjeong in your class scored a 96 on the latest math exam. You scored a 91.” I can tell he is angry by the way I can hear his teeth gritting even through the phone. I have only ever scored lower than someone once in my life besides now. It was eighth grade and Mark Lee scored two points higher than me on our science exam. I was grounded for a month and forced to go science tutorings for a year. 

 

“I’m sorry father, I don’t know what happened. I thought I knew all the material going in. I’ll try harder on the next test I promise.” I closed my eyes waiting for the inescapable tantrum my father was going to throw over this. We have never been close, not even when I was younger and my mother was still around. She died when I was 8 in a plane crash coming back from a business in America. My father was mean before then, but after that he became a whole other person. 

 

“This is unexceptable Jimin. You shouldn’t be letting neanderthals like Kim MInjeong do better than you on exams. She isn’t even in the top 3. How could you let this happen?”  

 

“I’m sorry. Minjeong is smart though. She always does fairly well on tests even though she doesn’t try.” I thought that would make it better and help my father understand that I can’t always be number one. I hate being number one. 

 

“Yu Jimin! Don’t back talk to me! I will be finding you a math tutor if you don’t surpass her on your next test.” 

 

“Yes sir. I’m sorry.” He hung up the phone after that. I look into the mirror in my dorm bathroom and let out a big huff. I open the medicine cabinet and pull out my antidepressants. I haven’t taken them in a while, but maybe it's time to start again. I got diagnosed with anxiety and depression when I was 12 after a particular manic episode. I felt my phone buzzing on the counter, but I couldn't bring myself to answer it. It continues to do that for the next five minutes as I stare at my reflection in the mirror. I know people tell me I’m prettiest in school all the time, but sometimes I just can’t bring myself to see what they see. If anyone is the prettiest it is Kim Minjeong. She is the cutest person I’ve ever laid my eyes on. 

 

“YU JIMIN! YOU BETTER GET YOUR OUT HERE RIGHT NOW!” 

 

“Give me five minutes G!” I yell back at the girl banging on my door nonstop. I rush washing my face and brushing my teeth and applying a little makeup to make me look less like a walking corpse. 

 

“Let me in right now!” Giselle has always been a bit demanding and impatient, so it’s not surprising that she can’t even wait five minutes for me to get ready. I open the door still in my pajamas and she looks at me like she is dumbfounded. “Why the hell are you still in your pajamas? Breakfast starts in like 3 minutes and they are having blueberry muffins. I swear to God Jimin, if you being a slow poke costs me a blueberry muffin I’ll kill you myself, you don't have to worry about your father doing it first.” 

 

“It is gonna take me two minutes to put on my uniform, will you just chill please. It has been an awful morning and I’ve only been awake for like ten minutes.” I grunt as I pull her aggressively into my room and slam the door shut so I can get ready for school. 

 

“Everyone on campus already knows. I really don’t understand how it got out so fast. I mean we haven’t even gone to class yet to even see our grades.” she lets out a small laugh and pats my head. Giselle is really caring even if she doesn’t explicitly say caring words, it's usually through her actions. 

 

“Why is this such a big deal? Big whoop she got like 5 points higher than me it’s not like she got a perfect score and I got a B or something!” Like really, who cares if Minjeong scored higher than me on one test in like the 10 years we’ve been in the same school. They really can’t expect me to always get number one can they? I grunt while putting on my school uniform and checking it in my mirror to make sure I look presentable.

 

“It’s not a big deal Rina. Be proud of yourself, your score is great!” She jumps off my bed giving a quick hug and starts dragging me out of my room. “As much as I would love to sit and chat about how much of an your dad is and extreme unrealistic standards this school puts on you I would also like to get some food in me before i have to listen to Mrs. Jung lecture me an hour straight about dead men beefing over a plot of land” 

 

“Stop acting like the world is gonna end if you don’t eat a blueberry muffin in the next thirty seconds.”

 

“It might end Rina! You never know a giant rock could come and destroy this school and kill all of us right now and I wouldn’t have gotten to enjoy a scrumptious blueberry muffin in my last seconds.” I give her a small laugh as she continues to drag me to the cafeteria. Maybe it would be best if a giant rock did come and kill all of us, or at least me. As we are going through the corridors, I can see people staring at me and whispering things. I’m not stupid I know what they are talking about. ‘How can the headmaster's genius daughter score lower than delinquent Kim MInjeong’. It’s stupid this is all so stupid. We finally make it into the cafeteria and as soon as we do most of the chatter subsides as people turn their heads to us. Suddenly it feels like I can’t breathe. Like the walls are closing in on me and I forgot how to breathe. I feel Giselle grab my hand and turn to give me a reassuring smile. I feel like I can breathe a little better knowing that she’s here with me. I can tell she wants to ask me if I’m okay.

 

“I’m okay Giselle, really. I’m just gonna go sit at a table. You can go get your silly muffins.” She gives me a small smile and I can tell she doesn’t believe me. 

 

“Are sure you don’t want anything to eat? I can get you something.”

 

“No it's fine really. I just want to go sit.” She nods and begins walking away towards the line of food. When she is finally out of sight I make my way to our usual table. People keep looking and whispering to their friends as I pass by. This will all pass by tomorrow. No one will even remember tomorrow. When I sit at our usual table I pull out my phone and see people on twitter talking about it’s about time someone beat me. 

 

‘Finally someone beats that ing spoiled ’

‘Thank God for Minjeong! Yu jimin deserves to be knocked down a peg or two’

‘Clearly she’s not the smartest anymore. We got a new top student!’

‘Jimin is pretty, but her always being the best makes her annoying. Finally she gets what she deserves’

 

“What are you reading?” I dropped my phone in shock. This can’t be happening right now. What does she even want. Kim Minjeong, the girl at the root of all my problems is sitting right in front of me. 

 

“None of your business. What do you want?” I inwardly sigh. I didn’t mean to come off that rude. I see her shift uncomfortably in her seat. To be honest I’ve had the biggest crush on her since the moment I saw her when we were seven. She strolled into our school on the first day of second grade with a bob and a soccer backpack. She was really outgoing and made friends easily with people. She once tried to talk to me, but I didn’t respond. I was really shy when I was younger, especially since I had a crush on her. 

 

“I scored higher than you.” My eyes widened in shock at the younger girl. Did she really come all the way over here to tell me something I clearly already know?

 

“Yes I do in fact know Kim Minjeong.” I look down at my phone pretending to be occupied with something so she would leave me alone. 

 

“Are you mad at me?” 

 

“No. Why would I be?”

 

“Because you look mad.”

 

“Well i’m not”

 

“I think you are”

 

“I can assure you I’m not”

 

“You're lying” 

 

“Why would you say that?” 

 

“Because your eyebrow is twitching and you are gripping that phone like your life depends on it.”

 

“Well maybe that’s because you are being really annoying right now and asking me stupid questions.” Minjeong laughs genuinely and my anger subsides for a second. I let out a small smile before my stone look came back. 

 

“Well I hate to dethrone you Miss Yu, but it turns out that I'm apparently the smartest person alive.” I couldn’t help but let out a snort at her ridiculous comment. Is she joking right now? 

 

“I hate to break it to you, but this was just one test and I am still the top student at this school.” 

 

“Not for long.” I furrow my eyebrows. She can’t be implying what I think she is. “I plan on doing really well in school now to take it permanently.” 

 

“Good luck with that.” She really let this go to her head. She really thinks she can beat me out for the top spot? All of the years I poured into studying and extra credit and clubs and she thinks she can just take it like that? 

 

“Do you not think I can do it?” I can sense her smirking even though I’m still looking at my phone pretending to be busy with something. Where the hell is Giselle? 

 

“You can do whatever you want to. I don’t care.” I hear a huff and I can tell she is finally starting to stand up. 

 

“I’ll prove it to you. I’ll show you I can be a top student.” She stormed off in the direction of her usual table with the rest of SM Acameny’s soccer team. I finally let go of the breath I’ve been holding for I don’t even know how long. What exactly is she trying to prove? She has never really tried to speak to me before. She only has out of politeness, so why now? Giselle comes into my line of vision as she sits where Minjeong just was.

 

“Was that Minjeong just over here?”

 

“Yea”

“Why? She never speaks to you.” Giselle stuffs her face with her blueberry muffin as she continues to mumble how it is so odd for her to just speak to me just out of the blue.

 

“I don’t know.” I don’t know why I lied to her. I’m still trying to figure it out myself why now Kim Minjeong decided to speak to me. Is it just because she wanted to rub it in my face that she did better. I mean I don’t truly know her so that could be the reason, but something else is telling me that’s not the case.