Winner

So fast, we have entered the "battle" of reviewing for the 10th grade final exam. This afternoon, I stayed in the last class to turn off the electrical equipment and lock the door because it was my turn to be on duty. I went to the garage a little later than my friends to get the "two-wheeled vehicle" - the prize that I was very proud of in the 10th grade entrance exam. The title of valedictorian was both an honor and a pressure for a girl studying in a village school like me...

It was afternoon so the parking lot was not too crowded, after a while everyone had gone home. I was leading my bike out when “clack”, my bike lightly bumped into the car blocking the road, making me slightly startled. Only then did I realize that the car had blocked my car, creating a narrow path that was only wide enough for people to pass through, not for a bike to pass through. I was confused and didn’t know what to do. While I was struggling to figure out how to handle it, a guy with thick, naturally curly hair came over, lifted the back of the bike, and cleared the way for my car to pass. I hurriedly said:

- Thank you!

The boy turned around, a face that was both strange and familiar appeared before my eyes:

- Oh, don't you recognize anyone?

I froze for a few seconds. I searched my memory and a familiar name popped into my mind:

- Phong...Phong...Is that Phong?

Hearing my name, the guy smiled mischievously, waved goodbye, and quickly drove off. I was left standing there, bewildered, in the middle of the empty parking lot.

On the way back, remembering what happened earlier, I gently turned the steering wheel. The electric motorbike wheels gradually slowed down, giving way to the wheels of time to speed up, going back to more than a year ago, when I was in 9th grade. That was the time when I was busy reviewing for the final exam in a tired state. I also felt lonely because I didn't have any close friends. I longed to have a confidant by my side to confide in but couldn't. The reason was because every time I took a mock exam, my results were much higher than my classmates, so their parents used me as a model for comparison. I felt like I was "boycotted" by my classmates, becoming isolated because I was "out of tune" with my classmates.

In the meantime, I met Phong. We met through a study group on social networks without knowing each other. I took the initiative to send Phong a friend request first because his math test scores were always at the maximum, which I admired. Just 15 minutes after sending the friend request, Phong immediately texted to get to know each other, which surprised me quite a bit. Since then, we often texted each other to ask about homework and chatted, telling each other about our hobbies, music, and confiding in each other about the pressures and sadness that we had been and were experiencing. We felt that the common point was that we both had aspirations in studying, achieving high results in the entrance exam to grade 10...

Finally, the entrance exam came. On the day of the exam, I met Phong for the first time. Phong was tall but very thin, his eyes were dark as if he had stayed up all night. The day before, Phong texted me: “I have to be the valedictorian! I have to be the winner.”

The day I got the results, I was so happy that I forgot to look at Phong's score and was just happy with my high score. The title of valedictorian fell into my hands. I texted Phong, but he didn't reply. I don't know why Phong cut off contact with me.

In 10th grade, Phong and I were in two different classes. Even though we were in the same school, we didn’t talk to each other like before. In the new class, I tried to be more active and proactive, taking the initiative to get to know my classmates, while Phong still seemed to be withdrawn. I asked Phong’s classmates and learned that Phong failed the entrance exam to be the valedictorian, so he was disappointed and had his phone and computer confiscated by his parents for a long time. He considered himself a failure…

Ky ran out to greet me, making me suddenly realize that I had arrived home. Entering the house, remembering Phong's gentle smile just now, I suddenly smiled. I opened my phone, went to messenger and texted Phong: "Thank you very much, be happier, and express yourself more confidently. You are the winner, not me. The title of valedictorian is just a temporary title in an exam. We have many more exams ahead of us. Good luck!"

Phong sent me a video of him playing badminton with a message: “I’m happy for you because you seem happier than before. Happy for us - we are all winners in the race to enter grade 10.”

I think, although Phong and I will have different choices, we will always be determined to overcome ourselves to reap sweet results on the path of learning and conquer the peaks ahead.