The high of competitions and secret engagements didn't last long. Within days, the air at Goldridge Academy Sweden grew heavier, taut with the weight of looming deadlines. The administration gathered all branches in the great hall, where banners of navy and gold draped from the ceilings, announcing the next test of strength—not physical, but intellectual.
SATs and other external exams were weeks away, and the academy had decided to turn the excursion into a crucible. Study groups formed. Tutors were flown in. The branches weren't just competing for bragging rights anymore; their collective scores would shape reputations, funding, and even future partnerships.
For the first time, students felt the true meaning of pressure.
Zion's Focus
Zion sat in the corner of the study hall, his notes spread neatly across the desk. He didn't need to prove himself academically—his natural intelligence and disciplined habits made him stand out without effort—but he wasn't about to let anyone think his victories ended on the court.
Mabelle sat beside him, flipping through a thick prep book, though her eyes often drifted toward him instead of the pages.
"You're too relaxed," she said, half teasing. "Everyone's panicking and you're sitting here like you've already aced it."
Zion gave her that half-smile—the one that unsettled rivals and made her heart race. "Because I have."
She nudged him with her elbow, but deep down, she believed it. Zion was the type to dominate in silence, leaving others scrambling to catch up.
Mikey and Celeste
Across the room, Mikey wasn't faring as calmly. He ran his hands through his hair, groaning over a math section that seemed to twist his brain into knots. Celeste leaned over his shoulder, her delicate handwriting already filling the margin with shortcuts and tricks.
"You're overthinking it," she said, her voice steady and reassuring. "Look—break it down like this. See? It's simpler than you're making it."
Mikey exhaled slowly, letting her explanation sink in. For once, he didn't feel like he was chasing Zion's shadow. With Celeste at his side, he could find his own rhythm.
Still, he couldn't help but notice the way Elias, the Swedish prodigy, kept glancing their way. Jealousy wasn't unique to Kevin, after all—competition for affection seemed baked into the academy's DNA.
The US Branch Pressure
Meanwhile, the US branch students were under strict orders from their instructors. Unlike the UK group, they weren't content with casual study sessions. They drilled themselves like soldiers, timed practice tests, and group recitations echoing late into the night. Their leader, a sharp-eyed girl named Amara, made it clear:
"We don't lose in academics. We can't. Not when the world sees us as the standard."
Her intensity cast ripples across the branches, creating friction with those who preferred a looser approach. The Swedish students rolled their eyes; the UK students laughed it off. But beneath it, everyone knew Amara wasn't bluffing.
Secrets Under Study
Even as textbooks piled up, the secrets of cross-branch entanglements persisted. Whispers of midnight meetings in empty classrooms, of study partners becoming something more.
Mabelle noticed it most. She whispered to Zion one evening as they walked back to the dorms, "Half these kids are spending more time on each other than on their notes. It's going to show in the scores."
Zion smirked. "Good. That's how you separate the weak from the strong. Focus requires sacrifice."
She gave him a playful glare. "And what about us?"
He stopped walking, pulling her closer until his lips brushed her ear. "We can multitask."
Her laughter rang through the hallway, soft but sharp enough to turn a few heads.
Faculty Warnings
Two days later, the headmaster of the Swedish branch called an assembly. His voice was stern, echoing through the hall:
"Goldridge Academy's reputation is not built on fleeting romances or secret games. It is built on excellence. If you cannot deliver on the exams, then you have no place here."
The words sent a chill through the crowd. Some students shifted nervously; others clenched their fists in determination. Zion, however, only leaned back in his chair, that same unreadable half-smile playing on his lips.
The Countdown
With just three weeks until the exams, schedules grew brutal.
Study sessions ran from dawn to midnight.
Mock tests were sprung without warning.
Even meals turned into review sessions, flashcards traded over breakfast and essay outlines debated over dinner.
Zion thrived under the tension, every correct answer feeding his quiet confidence. Mikey found strength in Celeste, their study sessions doubling as moments of intimacy. Mabelle grew sharper, feeding off Zion's energy while maintaining her own ambition.
But beneath it all, one truth simmered: the SATs were no longer just tests—they were battlefields.
And in battle, Zion always found a way to come out on top.