Page 37 of The Year I was Almost Prom Queen

He comes over and squats down beside the desk. He grabs the top of my Chromebook and slowly lowers it until it clicks shut.

“What did you do that for?” I ask.

He puts a hand on my arm and gives it a gentle squeeze. My skin sears beneath his touch. “You know this stuff,” he says, looking into my eyes. “You’ve practiced enough. Now come relax for five minutes, before you hyperventilate.”

I glance down at my Chromebook again.

“Don’t worry about it,” Austin says. “It’s not going anywhere.” He takes my hand in his and leads me over to the rest of the group.

A funny prank video turns into, “Did you see that one with the two guys on a treadmill?”

Which leads to, “Have you seen the cat one?”

Everyone laughs. “Which cat one?”

We’re comparing funny videos and I almost forget all about my nerves. Almost. Then Mr. Graves walks in.

He claps his hands together loudly and I jump. “Let’s get this party started, shall we?” He walks over to me and introduces himself. He shakes my hand. “Nice of you to join us, Emma,” he says. “I know your parents, they’re good people.” Everyoneknows my parents. Just once I wish I could go somewhere and not have their reputation proceed me.

I just nod in reply.

“Austin speaks very highly of you,” he says.

I don’t know how to respond to any of this. Can we just get the tryouts over with please?

“Let’s get started,” he says. “Set up the tables, please.”

The seven Academic Decathlon members pile their backpacks on the floor and move the desks into two rows. They each stand behind a desk and face each other. Four desks on each side. Mr. Graves sets paper and a pencil on each desk. He then puts a small buzzer on the two desks at the end. Austin is standing beside one of the buzzers. The desk with the other buzzer, opposite him remains empty. Mr. Graves points to the empty desk.

“You get to stand there,” he says.

I step over to the desk and look around. Everyone is watching the teacher for instructions. My dry throat returns and I wonder if I’ll even be able to talk.

“Hands behind your back please,” he says. I put my hands behind my back and look across the desks at Austin. He smiles and makes his eyebrows dance up and down. I grin. It makes me feel a little better.

“I’m going to ask a series of questions,” Mr. Graves explains. “If you know the answer, push your buzzer. Wait until I say your name and then give your answer. This first time around, we’re just going to be one-on-one, no help from your teams.”

Austin and I both nod. I’m not sure I can beat Austin on any subject. He knows everything.

“Mr. Smith,” he says, looking at Austin. “You are to give Ms. Carpenter a five second head start for every question. She needs to get warmed up first.”

Five seconds? That’s it? What about a sixty second head start? That seems far more doable.

I wait until Mr. Graves is done with his explanation. Then he looks at each of us. “Let’s begin.” He asks the question and it’s one I actually know. I reach forward and tap my buzzer gently.

“Emma?”

“Is it Baltimore?”

“Yes, it is.”

My team claps. Austin smiles and mouths “good job”.

“Next time don’t ask me the answer, tell me,” Mr. Graves says.

He asks another question and I buzz immediately.

“Emma?”

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