The Numerical Coronation
[Jay's POV]
The first Monday of the new semester felt different. The air was crisp, and the atmosphere on campus was thick with a tension you could practically taste. Today, the "Hall of Fame"—the massive digital display in the center of the Engineering Plaza—would reveal the final scores for the Advanced Structural and Fluidics exam.
"Nervous?" Keifer asked, his hand firmly interlaced with mine as we walked toward the plaza. He looked as calm as a summer lake, his stride confident and steady.
"My logical brain says no," I replied, adjusting my bag. "The calculations were verified. But the human part of me? It's currently operating at a high frequency."
As we rounded the corner, we saw the crowd. It was a sea of students, hundreds of them, all staring up at the giant screen. In the center of the front row, I spotted Percy and Aries. They looked like they hadn't slept in a week, their eyes darting nervously between their phones and the display.
"Look, it's the Power Couple!" Rory shouted from the edge of the crowd, waving us over. The entire Squad was there, huddled together like a pack of nervous wolves.
"They're about to refresh the feed," Freya whispered, her face pale. "I think I've held my breath for three minutes straight."
Suddenly, the screen flickered. The "Top 100" list began to scroll.
The Shattered Curve
The names moved upward.
Rank 10: David (The Squad) - 91%
Rank 9: Mica (The Squad) - 92%
Rank 8: Kit (The Squad) - 92.5%
"WE'RE IN THE TOP TEN!" Kit shrieked, jumping into Erdix's arms. The crowd was buzzing. Usually, the Top 10 was dominated by the Marianos or the legacy students.
The list scrolled higher.
Rank 5: Percy Mariano - 94%
Rank 4: Aries Mariano - 94.2%
I saw Percy's shoulders drop. In any other year, 94% would have been the winning score. He looked around, a smug, desperate grin starting to form on his face, as if he expected the list to end there.
But there was a gap. A massive, gaping hole between Rank 4 and the Top 3.
The screen flashed gold.
Rank 2: Keifer Watson - 99.8%
Rank 1: Jay Mariano-Watson - 100%
The silence that followed was absolute. You could have heard a pin drop on the concrete plaza. A perfect score. In the history of the university's Advanced Engineering program, a 100% had happened only once before—thirty years ago.
"One hundred," Rory breathed, his voice breaking the silence. "SHE GOT A HUNDRED! AND KEIFER ONLY MISSED A POINT ON A ROUNDING ERROR!"
The plaza erupted. The Squad went into a state of total, blissful delirium. Freya and Rakki were sobbing and hugging me, while Calix and Felix were lifting Keifer onto their shoulders.
The Fall of the House of Mariano
[Keifer's POV]
I climbed down from the guys' shoulders and walked straight to Jay. She was standing still, looking at the screen, a single, silent tear tracking down her cheek. It wasn't a tear of sadness; it was the tear of a woman who had finally stepped out of a shadow.
I glanced over at the Mariano brothers.
Percy looked like he had been struck by lightning. His mouth was open, his face a ghostly shade of white. He had been beaten. Not just by a Watson, but by the sister he had spent a lifetime belittling. The "Burden" had just set a record that would likely stand for decades.
"It's over, Percy," I said, my voice projecting across the quieted circle of students. I tucked Jay under my arm, my hand resting protectively on her shoulder. "The curve didn't just break. It's gone. You're looking at the new standard."
Percy tried to speak, but no words came out. He turned and walked away, Aries trailing behind him like a beaten dog. They didn't belong here anymore.
The New Era
[Jay's POV]
"Jay Watson," Mamma Serina's voice rang out from the back of the crowd.
I turned in surprise. She and Pappa Keizer were standing by the fountain, having come to campus secretly to witness the moment. Pappa was holding his phone, showing the results screen to someone on a video call.
"Look at this, Jasper!" Pappa was saying into the phone, his voice booming with pride. "Look at the Rank 1. That's my daughter-in-law. I'd tell you to be proud, but I think you're too busy looking at Rank 5."
He ended the call with a satisfied click and walked over to us. He didn't say a word; he just pulled me into a hug that felt like a shield.
"100%," he whispered. "Your grandfather is smiling today, Jay. I promise you that."
As the Squad surrounded us again, dragging us toward the cafeteria for a "Victory Feast" that Rory insisted should be billed to Keifer's credit card, I looked at the man beside me.
"Calculations confirmed, Keif," I whispered, leaning into his side.
"Better than confirmed, Jay," he replied, kissing my forehead as we walked past the Hall of Fame. "The equation is finally balanced."