EMORY'S POV
Finals were over, and the results would be announced any minute now. Drake and I sat in our homeroom, gripping each other's hands as we waited.
"May the best person win, Red," he said with a smirk.
"You know what? It doesn’t even matter," I replied.
There was no doubt we’d both passed and were graduating. The only question was who would be named valedictorian.
Our homeroom advisor entered, and without a word, she began pinning up the final grades at the front of the room. Students rushed to see their marks, crowding around the board as we waited for the chaos to die down. Drake squeezed my hand, his thumb brushing over my knuckles in that familiar, calming gesture. When the crowd thinned, we made our way forward.
My eyes scanned the list, my heart thudding loudly in my ch
