I went to my table where my Ugly Buckets, sample containers, and laptop were ready. We would each have access to a PowerPoint, and tech wasn’t my strong suit; I wanted to ensure my slides wereperfect.
Orion was at his table with his Gray Ooze experiment. His table looked neat, professional; his materials were top of the line while mine were cheap as hell.
It’s fine. It’s the content that counts.
Our eyes met. He looked tired but blank. His eyes completely devoid of anytwinkle. I know he blamed himself for Dean because he’d thrown the party, and what was left of my shattered heart wanted to go to him. To tell him it wasn’t his fault. But I had almost nothing left in the tank.
Get through this presentation, and then…
But I couldn’t see beyond that. My future rested on the cheap plastic filtration system I’d devised that may have looked ugly but actually worked. And worked well.
After a few minutes, the judges entered, and the auditorium went silent.
“Good afternoon. I’m Dr. Milford Hargrave, head of our STEM department,” said a tall, thin man with a gray beard. “You know Dr. Ian Langford, and it is my honor to introduce to you, Dr. Regina Chen from MIT. We are your judges for today’s presentations.”
My heart began to thud as Hargrave explained the procedures, and my eyes found Orion. He smiled faintly. Sadly. And then the contest began.
I watched as the three judges made the rounds.
After what felt like an eternity, the judges made it to Orion’s table. Orion was entirely checked out but came to life like a performer putting on a show to explain his Gray Ooze self-closing pothole polymer. The judges seemed enchanted, impressed, and laughed loudly at his jokes. Even stiff Dr. Hargrave.
And then it was my turn.
“Right now, the system is designed for contaminated freshwater, especially in flood zones, using layered filtration and activated carbon to remove particulates, chemicals, and organic compounds. I’veachieved 98 percent clarity. Additional cleansing comes from sunlight, which heats the water, causing it to evaporate. The vapor condenses and is collected here. It doesn’t require electricity, only heat and time, so it could be scaled for disaster zones or remote communities. The filtration unit can handle debris and pollutants, but I see no reason why, potentially, it can’t be expanded for desalinization too.”
The judges took notes, seemingly impressed. Langford wore an expression I couldn’t read and asked a bunch of questions—far more than I heard him ask anyone else. I was prepared and answered everything thoroughly. The judges took more notes, and I saw them take in the cheapness of my materials. My cheeks reddened, but I held my head up.
“In times of sudden disaster, or in underserved communities, people can’t wait around for billion-dollar industries to swoop in and provide clean drinking water,” I said. “But they can start with an ugly bucket and a little bit of sunlight.”
The judges exchanged glances, and Dr. Langford laughed. “Bravo. Well said, Harper.”
I eased out a breath as they moved on. Orion approached slowly.
“That was brilliant,” he said.
“Thanks, but I don’t know. We’ll see,” I replied, hating how awkward and terrible and fucked up everything was now. “Yours sounded well-received.”
“Mine is crap. I just did it to keep my parents happy, that’s all. I’m not going to win shit.”
I bit my lip. I wasn’t so sure about that, but it was out of my hands. I’d done my best. That was all I could do.
His phone chimed a text. He glanced at it, frowning. “Mum and Father. They’re here for the awards ceremony tomorrow. They want to go to dinner.”
“That’s nice. They’re supportive—”
He barked a harsh laugh. “It’s a farce that I’m even here. I should have dropped out a long time ago. But they came all this way, and Iblew off the audition, and Dean…”
“Audition? What audition?” I said, my pulse jumping.
He only looked at me sadly. Strangely. “Good luck, Harper.”
“Orion, wait.”
But he was already gone.
***
My classes were cancelled due to the NoSci presentations, but the last thing I wanted to do was go home. Emery was busy preparing her prom decorations, and Tessa was in rehearsals forLes Mis,so I loitered at school until I couldn’t loiter anymore. And then I remembered I’d left my laptop in the auditorium for the PowerPoint section of my presentation.
