Chapter 20: March Madness

March had arrived, bringing with it the full weight of exam season.

Everywhere I went, students were either panicking, pretending not to care, or aggressively flipping through their textbooks like their lives depended on it. Even Azri, who usually had the attention span of a goldfish, had started actually studying.

That was when I knew things were serious.

Me? I wasn't panicking—except for History and Biology.

Math? No problem. Chemistry and Physics? Manageable. English? Well… it wasn't great, but I could get a B if I tried. But History? I had no idea how I was supposed to memorize every single detail about ancient civilizations and long-dead sultans.

And Biology? Don't even ask.

History Struggles

It was evening prep class, and I was staring at my History textbook like it had personally offended me.

Azri leaned over. "You good?"

"No."

He peeked at my notes. "Bro, why are you writing so much?"

I sighed. "Cikgu Zul says I have a good memory, but this subject is just… too much. There are too many dates, too many names, too many battles—"

Azri nodded. "Yeah, yeah. I get it. But, like… do you really need to know all this?"

"Yes! The exam questions are super detailed!"

He shrugged. "Just memorize the important stuff."

I groaned. "It's all important."

Azri smirked. "Then good luck, my friend."

I dropped my head onto my book.

The Biology Disaster

If History was bad, Biology was worse.

The next day, we had a Bio quiz. And when I say it was a disaster, I mean a total, unavoidable catastrophe.

The moment I saw the questions, I knew I was doomed.

"Describe the process of photosynthesis in detail."

…Something about sunlight?

"Explain the function of mitochondria."

Uh. The powerhouse of the cell?

I struggled through the quiz, writing whatever came to mind, but deep down, I knew. This was my worst subject.

When the quiz was over, Rina turned to me. "How was it?"

I sighed. "I'm dropping out of school."

She laughed. "That bad?"

Azri leaned in. "Did you at least answer the mitochondria question?"

I nodded. "Yeah, but I don't know if I got the details right."

Azri shrugged. "Eh, at least you tried."

Rina smirked. "Maybe you should focus more on Bio and less on staring at your crush."

I choked. "What?"

Azri grinned. "She's got a point, though."

I glared at them. "Shut. Up."

They just laughed.

Chemistry and Physics – The Redeeming Subjects

After the Bio disaster, I had to redeem myself.

Thankfully, Chemistry and Physics were coming up next, and these? These I could handle.

I actually liked problem-solving, and both subjects had a lot of that. Instead of pure memorization, it was about understanding how things worked—which made them a lot more interesting than memorizing the history of some war I didn't care about.

During Chemistry prep, Rina asked, "How do you actually enjoy this subject?"

I shrugged. "It makes sense. It's like a puzzle."

Azri snorted. "History is also a puzzle, bro."

I shot him a look. "No. History is just a pain."

Rina sighed. "I wish I had your brain. I suck at Chemistry."

Azri smirked. "Yeah, but you're a math genius."

Rina grinned. "True."

Azri turned to me. "Wait, so what's your actual worst subject?"

I didn't even hesitate. "Biology."

Azri laughed. "Man, you and Nad are total opposites. She's amazing at Bio."

I stiffened. "...Huh?"

Rina raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Interesting reaction."

I ignored her. "I didn't know that."

Azri shrugged. "Yeah, she's one of the top students in Bio. Maybe you should ask her for help."

I frowned. "I'd rather suffer in silence."

Rina smirked. "Or, you know, spend extra time with your crush."

I groaned. "I hate you both."

Azri and Rina laughed.

March was going to be a long month.

—Mana, March 2017