Shirley's words made Beck grin as he walked back to his friends.

"Beck, how tough was it?" Olivia couldn't wait, leaning right in, her eyes wide with curiosity.

"It was a little challenging, but I handled it," Beck said, sinking into his seat with a confident smile. "Unless someone actually gets a perfect score, first place is basically mine."

A perfect score. Even Olivia, who never touched physics, knew what that meant. The odds were basically zero. Shirley had only managed fifth place last round, and everyone could tell she'd really struggled with the written part.

Olivia could barely hide her excitement, already picturing Shirley's disappointed face. It made her day.

Meanwhile, Andrew, Parrish, and Stella took turns trying to cheer Shirley up.

"Just making it to the finals is huge. You can always try again next time," Andrew said.

Shirley just laughed, looking way more relaxed now that the contest was over. "Yeah, thanks."

"You did awesome," Stella added, throwing her a quick wink.

Charlotte hadn't said a word the whole time. Once the others fell quiet, she finally spoke up, her voice slow and steady. "How many people does the physics club take?"

Shirley blinked and held up three fingers. "Three spots, but only whoever gets first place gets to work on the actual projects. The other two have to start with the boring stuff."

Charlotte nodded, almost bored. She closed her eyes. "As long as you get in, that's good enough."

Andrew and the others stared at her, totally confused. Was Charlotte really that confident?

Ten minutes ticked by. The results were finally ready.

Mr. Lane, the head of the exam committee, wasn't allowed to grade anyone, but he was the one who'd announce the results. He walked up to the stage, standing perfectly straight, looking sharper than ever. Someone handed him the fresh results, and the whole room went quiet. The students who'd already lost looked like they could barely stand the tension.

Mr. Lane opened the list, his eyebrows shooting up. It was obvious the results had caught him off guard.

"I'll start by announcing the bottom five..."

As names were read, those students shuffled off the stage, heads down. When Shirley stayed put, Beck

glanged her way frowning. His

hands were balled up, palms slick with sweat.

"Now, for third and fifth place..." Mr. Lane looked over the crowd, a little smile on his face. Third place would get you into the club. Fifth place meant you were out. The difference was everything. It was brutal.

"In fifth place..."

Everyone held their breath.

"It has to be Shirley. No way it isn't."

"Making the finals and getting fifth is already impressive!"

"Told you, there's no way she could actually win..." "Betty."

Betty? Not Shirley?

Mr. Lane moved right along and called out the third place winner. not Shiley. The whole crowd

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"If Shirley's not third or fifth, she's either fourth or, no way, one of the top two."

"Top two? That's crazy!"

"She's just a freshman!"

"Now, for fourth place..." Mr. Lane announced. Everyone waited. Still not Shirley.

That left only two names. First and second place.