"What else should I pack?" Sophia's voice reached my ears but I couldn't comprehend what she was asking. I was lost in my thoughts, the clouds of guilt wrapped around my mind.

"How.. How could you love him? I mean how can you fall in love with someone who doesn't talk to you, who doesn't know how to express himself, who doesn't even know what love means."

Noah's words kept ringing in my ears. No matter how much I wanted to deny his words but I couldn't. Because a part of me, a very little part, knew that he was right. That Adam would never love me back. For him, I'll always be the annoying, clingy girl who ruined everything for him.

"Soph, she is going for a quiz competition. Why are you packing a black lace lingerie?" Emily's voice came from somewhere beside me but I didn't turn my head.

"Well, who knows? She might get lucky with some hot nerd." Sophia replied. Her voice was followed by the noise of opening of different drawers. I kept my eyes fixated on the book in front of me but for the last half an hour, I hadn't read even a single word.

"You don't know him like I do." I had replied but did I really know him? How can I be so sure about that? After everything we have been through. Did I know anything about him?

"What about condoms? I have a pack with me. Should I pack it too?" her voice rose once again. "Ali?"

Still consumed with my thoughts, I nodded my head up and down to whatever she was asking.

"I.. I should go. It's getting late." That's what he said before leaving. No hint of playfulness in his voice as he marched out of my room.

I knew he wasn't late. For him, there was never too late. Which meant only one thing, I lost my friend that night. One of the very few friends I had made in this city.

"Your bag is packed." I felt the bed dip beside me as Sophia spoke close to my ears.

Pulling myself out of my chain of thoughts, I turned to her and muttered, "Thanks."

"What are friends for, idiot?" she lay down on my bed and said. "You just focus on bringing the Braniac trophy home."

I wondered if it was even possible. I wasn't prepared for the competition. I hadn't studied at all and I didn't trust my memory enough to rely on my prior knowledge of each subject.

"I haven't revised periodic table yet." I panicked, looking for my chemistry textbook. "I don't even remember how many chromosomes are there in a Monkey. I'm gonna mess up, bad." I couldn't believe I had forgotten something as simple as that.

"48." Emily said something from my left side.

"What?" I asked, confused.

"Chromosomes in a cell of a monkey." she shrugged and I let out an aggravated sigh.

"Why did they have to choose me? I'm dumb." I said, lying on my stomach in between them.

"No. You are not. You are brilliant." Sophia interjected, giving me a comforting look.

"Do you really believe that?" I said in an unbelieving tone.

"Yeah, we do." Emily replied.

"Thanks guys." I said and closed my eyes. My mind started to relax and I let out a deep yawn. Few minutes have passed when I found myself succumbing to sleep once again.

...

"What do you mean she is not coming?" I questioned Mrs. Dale with widened eyes as I finished listening to her.

"I think it's quite self explanatory, Miss. King." she gave me an annoyed look while tapping her pen anxiously on the wooden table.

"How can she just back out at the last minute? She is supposed to be my partner." I tried to my best to keep my tone in control but I was clearly failing.

"I don't know much but apparently she has a family emergency." Mrs. Dale sighed.

"Oh." I whispered, slumping down on the seat in front of her. "So what am I supposed to do now?"

After spending five minutes on her phone, she finally blessed me with her undivided attention. "Give me few minutes Alicia. I'll manage something."

Saying this, she asked me to go sit in the other corner of the Teachers lounge and wait while she talked to someone on phone, arguing about God-knows-what for a good fifteen minutes.

I waited, and waited, while impatiently tapping on the marbled floor. Soon, the room started to fill with teachers who were about to have a monthly meeting with Mr. Brown.

About half an hour had passed when a familiar face walked inside the Lounge and stopped in front of her desk.

It was Adam, dressed in a white T-shirt that hugged his torso perfectly, outlining his drool-worthy abs. Adam and Mrs. Dale argued about something. A huge smile coated on her face as she talked to him unlike the glare that she was sending towards me while Adam looked like he was helpless in front of her.

"Alicia!" she called me after I watched Adam let out a stifled grunt. With small steps, I made my way towards them and stopped when I reached Adam's side.

"Alicia, Mr. McArdle is going to be Candy's substitute." she said and I bit the insides of my mouth to stop myself from cursing the F word in front of her.

"But.. But..."

"But what?" she raised her eyebrow and asked.

"Um.. Candy was supposed to drive me to the hotel." I finally found an excuse.

"Don't worry, Adam knows the address. He will give you a ride." she cleared and I almost choked on the air. "Besides, two of your teachers will reach there tomorrow to support you, in case you clear the first round."

It's just a matter of few hours Alicia. Then you'll see him only during the competition.

My eyes shifted towards Adam and I found him staring at me, waiting for my answer.

"Sounds good." I smiled, despite the turmoil that was going on inside me.

"Great." she said and excused herself.

...

"Careful." I said as I found him taking a dangerous turn on the road. "I can't afford a new car for now."

"Well, you should have thought about it before you decided that my bike is not good enough for you." he said sarcastically, earning a mental punch from me.

I rolled my eyes and angled my neck so I was facing the window now. He drove past the roads, reaching a calmer area which I had never seen before. The silence in the car was unnerving, causing a ball of nerves to form in the pit of my stomach. His scent was there, reaching my nose and teasing me to inhale deeper.

But I couldn't do that.

So I kept looking outside, with the hope that once we reach the hotel, we won't have to deal with each other except the official contest part.

It took us an hour to reach the hotel. Stepping outside, I followed Adam as he made his way inside, to the lobby of the hotel. By the crowd of teenagers cramming their notebooks and textbooks, I came to a conclusion that we have reached the right place.

One by one, the students reached the receptionist and got their keys. When it was my turn, I reached her desk, feeling Adam's warmth behind me.

"Are you two from Redwood High?" she asked and we both nodded.

"Here. Room no. 42. Third floor. I hope you enjoy the stay." she said and Adam and I exchanged a confused glance.

"Actually there has been a change in the participants. I'm substituting this girl, Candy Rivers so I would need a separate room or any room that I can share with a guy." Adam said, standing beside me and we desperately waited for her answer.

"I'm sorry but it's not upto me. The reservations have been made before and it's not possible to change it now." she said and turned her attention back to the computer screen in front of her.

"There must be a way." I said, making an innocent face in front of her.

"I apologize but there isn't any other way." she smiled, her fingers still typing furiously on the keyboard.

"But-" Adam started again but stopped when the students behind us started to get impatient and bicker.

He looked at me, asking for my opinion silently. I shrugged, indicating that there was nothing we could do so instead of creating a scene, we should be patient and think about some other arrangement.

With my heart pounding inside my chest, I dragged myself to the elevator and stepped inside, followed by Adam. Soon more students swarmed inside and filled the space completely.

The boy standing in front of me sent me a creepy smile and retreated until his back was almost grinding with my front. I was standing on the corner so I didn't have any choice but to bear his stupid stunt.

But Adam must have noticed it. Because the next moment, he turned around and stood in front of me, creating a barrier between that boy and me and rested his arm against the wall to shield me from the other side. Lifting my head, I looked into his eyes and found him staring at the wall behind me, his jaw clenched tightly.

The same warm feeling returned to my chest and I breathed heavily due to his proximity. His scent was so delicious, so masculine that I had to bite my lips to stop myself from groaning.

When the elevator stopped on the third floor, we exited it and walked forwards, looking for our room. My legs froze when we found the room. A strange feeling in the pit of my stomach was telling me that this room was going to be the death for me. And the fact that I was stuck inside it with Mr. Arrogant didn't help at all.

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