Page 6 of Break Points and Face Offs

It takes me a moment to focus on what she’s writing. I pick my pen up to take notes, but she’s just putting numbers down one side of the board.

“The world of finance is a highly competitive one,” she says. I’m sure she knows this isn’t news to us at this point. “I thought it might be fun if we had a little competition.” She gives us a sly smile.

My heart rate spikes at the word said out loud. Everything in life is a competition. Only, people don’t usually explicitly state it.

“I’m sure you’ve all heard that the top first-year student in this program earns an internship with Rosenthal Asset Management and that anyone who interns at RAM goes on to have a lucrative career.” I feel like she’s purposefully averting her gaze from mine.

She starts to write names on the list, starting from the bottom and working her way up. “Based partially on the results from your math exam during the application process, I will be placing you on a preliminary leaderboard.”

My heart pounds in my ears, but I assure myself I will be top of that list. My math is excellent and I know I’ve scored one hundred on that test, as I have every math test since the second grade. There is nothing better than one hundred percent, no matter how much gym bros like to give everything one hundred and ten.

But surely more than one person scored a hundred on a math test? It’s math. There are only right and wrong answers. We’re Ivy League grad students. If we can’t ace a math test, we might as well go home.

“The leaderboard is highly subject to change, of course,” Professor Moreno says, her back turned as she writes out more names. I’m sure the guy closest to me shrinks as she moves to the side and the names on the bottom of the list become visible.

“And this is not based solely on test scores.”

Fuck.

“I’ve been through each and every one of your academic transcripts. I’ve read up on your extracurriculars.”

She adds a name in the number five spot, crossing the T with a little flourish before turning around. She’s wearing a wolfish grin as she turns to face us. “I’ve even Googled you.”

I swear someone gulps at that.

She glances over us all before returning to the board to add the last five names. This time before she turns her back, her gaze flickers over me without expression.

Surely it can only be a good thing, her looking us up? Taking everything into consideration. My extracurriculars are astounding. What’s better than being president of a fraternity? Captain of a championship-winning tennis team?

My confidence holds as she writes someone else’s name in the number five, then the number four spot.

I pass the tingling in the palms of my hands off as anticipation, not nerves as she fills in the number three spot. Alice Liang. Sorry Alice, the number one spot belongs to me.

I’m wondering who the number two spot will go to when I notice her writing a P. Then a small r. Surely not …

Priestley Rosenthal.

She writes the family name with emphasis. I stare.

It can’t be. Who has a better academic transcript than I do? I wasn’t aware someone had bred Albert Einstein with Marie Curie to create the perfect academic.

Professor Moreno pauses with her pen poised next to the number one spot.

“Is it Will or William?” she asks the room, her back still turned to us.

There’s a pause before Will-or-William answers.

Someone clears their throat. I turn toward the sound and am horrified to find the Neanderthal from the library opening his mouth to speak.

“It’s just Will, Professor.”

I’m still staring at ‘Will’ as Professor Moreno’s marker squeaks on the board.

Will’s lips quirk in a small smile before I turn back to the front of the classroom to make sure I got this right. Am I having some sort of fever dream? Does that leaderboard say that Priestley Rosenthal is number two? And at number one is someone named Will O’Reilly? Who the fuck is Will O’Reilly?

I can barely focus during the rest of class. From the snippets I do catch, it’s just an introductory class anyway. Nothing I can’t find in those books I plan on keeping for as long as possible, just so Will O’Reilly can’t get grubby his hands on them.

Professor Moreno calls time on the lesson after assigning us a preliminary peer review. Unfortunately, the article she wants us to review can be found on the Princeton e-library, so Will O’Reilly won’t be automatically disadvantaged in that regard. I shake my head. It doesn’t matter, my peer review will still be better than his.