Sarlun High School only has two classes for twelfth graders, each accommodating 25 students, making the total number of students taking the high school graduation exam, 50 students.
Today, as usual, they engaged in self-study to complete the quiz. Despite the self-study concept, all students were highly focused on their studies.
Allynna no longer needed to aim for a perfect score since she had already received a green card as a reward for winning the math olympiad, granting her admission to Bells Royal University.
However, Principal Pearcy had asked her to continue striving to enhance the school's reputation, and she didn't want to disappoint him. She was determined to do her best and secure the top position in the National Exam.
The National Exam tested only three subjects: Math, Science, and History.
Allynna had no issues with Math and Science, but History was her weak point, so she put in extra effort to catch up.
After finishing self-study, Allynna promptly headed home. She was eager to complete her history books as quickly as possible.
****
Another day passes...
Concluding the final school study sessions.
All twelfth graders will continue learning from their homes starting next week. Then, the following Monday, the graduation exam will take two days.
The exam includes only three subjects: Math, Science, and History. Allynna consistently excelled in two subjects but always received a zero in History because she had never bothered to complete the answer sheet. It simply didn't interest her. However, things had changed.
Allynna had been reading many history books recently and had completed several history quizzes.
As a result, her quiz scores, which had previously been zero, had significantly increased. Yet, she hadn't achieved her own target. It seemed like something was obstructing her nearly eidetic memory regarding History.
Her curiosity about History and the royal family had grown like never before, and she had developed a liking for the subject.
The previous night, she had finally finished "The History of Bellsor Empire" book.
She was proud of her progress in her History because she had put in every effort to achieve the full marks, a way of repaying Principal Pearcy's kindness with achievements.
...
In the blink of an eye, the weekend has arrived. The day he had been waiting for.
Lizzy will come to her house this Saturday afternoon to help sort out her parents' belongings.
For some items that are no longer used, she will donate to people in need. Because she would leave her house for a long time, she was worried that the things would be damaged. So, it is better to give to someone in need.
Allynna also plans to cook and bake for their lunch and desserts. She has promised Lizzy to reward her with super delicious cooking for being willing to help.
Meanwhile, Lizzy's agreement with her was canceled before it started. Yesterday, her best friend withdrew after finding out that her backyard was the one to clean. So, she would probably have lunch alone because Lizzy only comes after lunch.
...
After having lunch, Allynna had plenty of time before Lizzy arrived at her house.
She decided to make a Choco Lava Cake.
Creating this cake required intense concentration because the process was quite complicated. A small mistake could result in the cake's failure.
Allynna gathered all the necessary ingredients: chocolate, eggs, butter, flour, sugar, and a pinch of salt. She meticulously followed the recipe left by her mother.
She became so engrossed in baking that she didn't hear Lizzy knocking on her door. It wasn't long before Allynna suddenly heard someone calling her name from behind. She was shocked.
"My goodness, LIZZY!! You shocked me—" Allynna shot an annoyed glare at her. "Why didn't you knock, Liz?"
Lizzy rolled her eyes. She had been knocking on the door for a good five minutes. She continued until the back of her hand hurt from banging on the door, and her throat ached from calling Allynna's name.
But Allynna didn't hear anything.
Lizzy even thought about breaking the door in because she was worried that something might happen to Allynna. But luckily, the front door wasn't locked, and she found out later when her throat felt hoarse.
However, when she entered, she was taken aback to find Allynna kneeling before the Oven, completely absorbed in her baking.
"Jeez, my dear friend, Allynna Frost... I did knock on your door, but it seems you're ignoring me, more engrossed in what you're making. What's that?" Lizzy said while attempting to peek inside the oven.
"Cake!" Allynna looked at Lizzy excitedly. "You'll love it, Liz... this is the best cake my mother ever made for me."
"Really? Wow, Ally, now you can bake too? I'm impressed with you, young lady." Lizzy gave her a thumbs up, sincerely praising her. After eating Allynna's cooking for a few days, she immediately recognized her friend's talent as a great cook. And now, seeing her bake, she was even more amazed, eagerly looking forward to trying it out.
Feeling somewhat useless in the kitchen, Lizzy decided to watch TV, leaving Allynna alone in the kitchen, still focused on the oven.
After another few minutes, Allynna's beautiful smile appeared on her face when the timer rang. She carefully removed the cake from the oven and allowed it to cool to room temperature.
The scent of chocolate emanating from the oven made her eyes light up even more. She knew that the first cake she had ever made was a success. She still couldn't believe she had a talent for baking.
"Done already?" Lizzy, who had heard the timer, walked to the kitchen to look at her best friend. Her eyes lit up when she saw Allynna taking a cup-sized chocolate cake out of the oven.
"Wow, Ally..." Lizzy was quite familiar with the cake; it was the exact cake she had seen in her favorite drama. She used to imagine that the smell must be fantastic, and now she could smell it for real. Suddenly, she felt hungry.