"Hello Teacher Andrews, you're not too busy right now, are you?" Alex knocked on the door with a hint of urgency in his voice. "I really need your help with something. Could you grade these two essays for me?" Teacher Andrews spun around in his chair, surprised by Alex's sudden appearance. "Of course, Alex. Come on in. What's going on?" Alex eagerly handed over the essays, both his and Sarah's, which they had submitted for the Newsletter Editor position.
He had doubts about his own essay and was convinced that Sarah deserved the position more than him. "Teacher Andrews, can you please take a look at these essays and let me know which one you think is better?" Alex asked, pushing the papers across the desk.
Teacher Andrews started reading Alex's essay, occasionally nodding and smiling. "Alex, this is really well-written." Alex beamed with pride. "Thank you sir What about the other essay?"
As Teacher Andrews read Sarah's essay, his face revealed everything that he was thinking. Sarah's writing was so captivating that even he couldn't help but react. Her arguments were so convincing that he found himself furrowing his brows and wiping sweat off his forehead.
After finishing the essay, Teacher Andrews was left in awe. He put it down and took a moment to compose himself before turning to Alex. "Wow, Alex! I must say, the second essay is even better than the first. It's incredibly well-written!"
Alex's face lit up with excitement. "Really?"
Teacher Andrews nodded and smiled. "Yes, really. In fact, it's so good that I think it deserves a special recognition." He looked at the teacher and smiled. "Can you please sign this vanguard sheet to signify that you agree the second essay is better?" He handed Teacher Andrews a sheet of paper with two columns, one for Alex's first essay and one for Sarah's second essay.
As the teacher scanned the sheet, he noticed something surprising. The column for Sarah's essay was already filled with signatures from almost every teacher in the department.
"Wow." Teacher Andrews muttered as he grabbed a pen, signing. "What is this for anyway?"
Alex gave a grin. "Project: Make Sarah Johnson happy."
********
"You're kidding."
"No I'm not. Here it is." exclaimed Alex, disbelief etched on his face as he locked eyes with Teacher Edison. Without a second thought, he reached for the vanguard that had been his constant companion throughout the day. "Believe it or not, this piece of paper holds all the teachers' signatures, and they all agree that Sarah's essay was superior. It's clear as day that you made the wrong call on the editor."
Teacher Edison felt a lump form in her throat as she took in the signatures of her colleagues. "Alex, I chose you because I had faith in your abilities," she attempted to explain. "As the principal's son, I thought you would be up to the task-"
"You're telling me you picked me because of who my dad is?" interrupted Alex, his voice rising with anger. "So it wasn't about finding the best writer, it was all just nepotism. And what about Sarah? Did you have any idea how much effort she put in?"
"Sarah's work was absolutely flawless," Teacher Edison commented, nodding in agreement. "However, as an editor, she needs to be more assertive and..."
Interrupting her, Alex jumped in, his tone blunt and unapologetic. "As a teacher, it's your job to help her develop those skills, right? So why aren't you doing that? Letting me become the editor won't make my father happy with how you handle things like this. Actually, he'd be disgusted."
Teacher Edison's face paled at the harshness of Alex's words. "Well... okay," she reluctantly agreed. "Alright, Sarah can be the new editor."
A grin spread across Alex's face. "Great," he said, turning to leave. But Teacher Edison called out to him before he could go.
"Why are you trying to throw away such a fantastic opportunity?" she asked, clearly puzzled. "Most people would jump at the chance and hold onto it for dear life. You're doing the opposite."
Alex met Teacher Edison's gaze and spoke with a touch of emotion. "Because this opportunity made Sarah cry."
********
Alex was practically buzzing with energy, feeling a bit like Deliah as he pulled up to Sarah's house. He knew that she was a tough nut to crack and wouldn't take the job offer without solid evidence. That's why Alex made sure to bring the vanguard piece with the teachers' signatures along, hoping it would convince her.
As he walked up the front porch with a huge grin on his face, he could already picture Sarah's reaction to the good news. He imagined her smiling from ear to ear and maybe even jumping up and down with excitement if he was lucky. Alex was practically bursting with anticipation at the thought of it.
But as he approached the front door, he noticed that it was slightly open and hesitated before pushing it further. Inside, he saw Sarah and her parents in the living room, but something about the atmosphere felt strange. Unsure of what to do, Alex paused and took a moment to observe.
"You really don't have to sacrifice your dreams for Deliah. You have your own life to live, you know."
Curiosity piqued, Alex hid behind the door to eavesdrop on their conversation.
Sarah let out a frustrated sigh, and Alex could almost see her lips pressed tightly together. "This is my decision, why can't you guys understand? Even if I have to settle for a second-tier college, I won't touch that money no matter what."
"Sarah, I am sorry that we can only afford to send one daughter to university. And I regret allowing you spoil Deliah for so long. This is not right. Deliah needs to learn to be independent and fight for her own future. It's a miracle that she's not completely spoiled and dependent already." Mr. Johnson interjected,
Alex raised an eyebrow in surprise. So that was the reason why Sarah was applying for the scholarship; her family could only afford to send one daughter to university.
"Look," Mrs Johnson continued. "Deliah doesn't need to get into the best fashion school. If she goes to the usual ones we'll be able to afford having both of you go to university and you can go to The University of Texas without the scholarship. Fashion schools are just so much more expensive than usual ones, we can just choose a cheaper alternative and everything is solved."
"No." Sarah shook her head firmly. "I want the best for Liah. Only the best. If PARSONS, THE NEW SCHOOL FOR DESIGN is the best, she will go there."
"Sarah!" Mr Johnson frowned in desperation.
Alex thought it was time for him to reveal himself before things got even uglier. "Hello Mr and Mrs Johnson? Is anyone home?"
He heard Mr Johnson clear his throat and Mrs Johnson rushed to open the door. "Oh Alex!" she looked happy but kind of flustered at the same time.
"Hi Mrs Johnson." Alex smiled. He looked in and saw Sarah staring at him in surprise, her unspoken question of the reason of his being there written on her face.
"Mr Johnson." Alex nodded respectfully at him. "Is it inconvenient now? I can leave if it is."
Mr Johnson sighed and looked at Sarah. "Sarah, we'll continue the conversation tonight." he stood up and faked a smile at Alex. "Make yourself at home. I'll be going up to rest."
Alex nodded and Mrs Johnson soon diverted all her attention to Alex. "So what do you want for a drink Alex? Why are you here now anyway? Deliah has cheerleading practice today."
Alex shook his head at her. "It's okay Mrs Johnson. I'm here today for Sarah." he looked straight at the girl he had come for. "I have good news."
**********
"So why did you come?" Sarah asked listlessly.
He watched her intently, his eyes fixed on her every move. Suddenly, he spoke up, startling her.
"I heard," Alex said, his voice serious and apologetic.
Sarah turned to him, surprised. "You heard what?" she asked, unsure of what he was referring to.
Alex looked guilty. "I'm sorry I didn't reveal myself the moment I reached, but I heard what you and your parents were talking about before I announced myself," he explained.
Sarah's eyes widened in shock. "You heard everything?" she asked, feeling exposed and vulnerable.
"Before I apologize, I want you to know that I agree with your father completely," Alex said, turning to look at her.
Without warning, he flicked her forehead hard, causing Sarah to yelp in pain. "Are you dumb?" he scolded. "I understand if you want to be nice and caring to your little sister, but this is getting a little too much, Sarah Johnson. You're sacrificing everything, seriously everything. And now I find out you're even trying to sacrifice your college. So what's next? The one you love?" he asked sarcastically.
Sarah hung her head low and let out a soft murmur, "I just want to. You don't understand." Alex's expression softened as he gently lifted her chin to make eye contact, "I may not fully comprehend, especially since I'm an only child, but I do see that you're overly fixated on her. She's a capable adult who can handle herself. You need to focus on your own life, Sarah."
Sarah bit her lip and stared at the ground, contemplating Alex's words. It was clear that she wasn't entirely in agreement with his perspective.
Alex let out a sigh, feeling a bit too tense for his liking. He gazed up at the sky and flashed a small smile. "So, aren't you curious why I'm here?" he asked, attempting to steer the conversation to lighter topics.
Sarah glanced up at him and retorted, "For your information, I did ask. You just didn't answer."
"Ah, touche." Alex turned to her, intrigued to see her reaction. "Well, today I'm here because..."
Sarah waited with anticipation, hoping for Alex to speak up. But as the silence dragged on, annoyance crept in. "Are you going to tell me or not?" she finally demanded.
Alex chuckled mischievously. "Well, I have some news for you," he began, drawing out the suspense. "I spoke to Teacher Edison and you, my friend, are officially the new Editor."
Sarah's eyes widened in shock as she processed the information. "What? No way!" she exclaimed, turning to face Alex.
He couldn't help but grin at her reaction. "Yes way! Take a look at this," he said, revealing a large binder filled with signatures from all the teachers in school. "I went to every single one of them and had them read our essays. And every single one of them voted for you. You earned this position fair and square, Sarah."
Jaekyung's eyes widened and shone as she turned to him. "But what about you, Teacher Edison?"
He scowled and shook his head. "Let's not even talk about that woman. She only picked me to be the editor because I'm the Principal's son. The whole thing made me sick, honestly."
Then he looked at her with a small smile. "As for me, I don't care about that position, Sarah. It doesn't mean anything to me, but I know it means the world to you. Even if I got the job first, I would give it to you without hesitation. You deserve it."
Sarah's heart raced in her chest, and she couldn't tear her gaze away from Alex. A strange, delightful feeling took over her body, one that she had never experienced before.
This guy was like no one she had ever met before. He could be selfless when it mattered, and selfish for her well-being.
He truly cared.
He was more than just a passing interest to her.
Every time he did something sweet like this, she couldn't help but feel drawn to him even more. It was like he was tailor-made for her.
Alex noticed Sarah's distant gaze and teased her with a poke on the cheek. "Lost in thought there, huh? Are you gonna cry or what?" he joked, chuckling at her reaction.
Sarah playfully swatted his hand away and scrunched up her face. *This is ridiculous, Sarah. Just be grateful to him.*
"Thank you, Alex," she said softly. "I don't think you realize how much this means to me."
Alex's smile grew warmer. "I may not know exactly how much, but I have a feeling it's a lot." He grinned mischievously. "Now that we've got that out of the way, how about we send in that scholarship application? Let's do this!"
Sarah was caught off guard. "Wait, you want to do it with me?" she asked with surprise.
Alex shrugged. "Why not? I just want to see you send the letter. Now come on, go get it!" He nudged her with a grin.
As Sarah got up, her heart was pounding with excitement. She couldn't believe what was happening. But as she made her way towards the house, she suddenly remembered the bet they had made earlier.
Stopping in her tracks, she turned back to Alex and reminded him, "Hey, don't forget about the bet."
Alex's eyes widened as he realized what she was referring to. With a mock-sad expression, he pretended to be defeated. Sarah couldn't help but laugh at his antics.
"Looks like I lost the bet," Alex grumbled. "And now, even though I helped you get the editor position, I'm going to get punished because of the bet. Alex James, your life sucks."
Sarah couldn't help but stifle a laugh, trying to contain her amusement. "Hmm, let me see, since you've been so incredibly helpful," she paused dramatically, "and let's not forget that you were the one who landed the job first and then graciously handed it over to me, I suppose that makes you the true victor of our little wager?"
Alex's eyes lit up with excitement. "Bingo! Sarah Johnson, you read my mind. I've got the perfect idea of what I want you to do."