By Mirae Park (G10)
Banyan is riding the bus back home from school. He feels his phone vibrating, and he sees that he is getting a call from Qiao.
Banyan: (picks up the phone, jokingly) Oh my goodness, is this real? If it isn’t Qiao who has finally picked up her phone!
Qiao: (rolls her eyes, laughing) We only just got our phones back. It’s not like I was ignoring you or anything.
Banyan: Yeah, yeah. I know I’m much more boring than the mushrooms you picked in the Guizhou farms.
Qiao: Stop it. Mushroom picking is surprisingly very therapeutic. And I know you guys did a lot of fun stuff at school, too.
Banyan: Well, true; I’ll do the activities we did over attending classes any day. But it’s still school! I wish I could’ve gotten the real Week Without Walls experience and visit somewhere new...
Qiao: There’s always next year. Plus, aren’t you going to the GBA Cup tomorrow?
Banyan: (excitedly) You bet I am. We had a sports house challenge today, and we practiced using our strategies. Our house won, as always. Anyways, our ZIS Jaguars are going to DOMINATE.
Qiao: That’s the spirit. Do you remember what our last big sports event was?
Banyan: Of course, it was the Cross-Country event we had, right? To be honest, it didn’t really feel like a competition, even though it was. I just had fun running with friends and pushing myself.
Qiao: (smirks) And I had fun splashing a cup of water on your head as soon as you crossed the finish line.
Banyan: (scowls) If only I had the energy to run after you to do the same… Should’ve taken the chance to set up a water dunking booth at the Come Together Charity Festival.
Qiao: (laughs) Well I’m glad we were only volunteers and not participants. Besides, I had to study for the British Psychology Olympiad Qualifier Round, and you know how much I hate getting sick right before an exam.
Banyan: (exasperatedly) Oh come on, one dip into a tub of cold water won’t make you bedridden. Learn to have some fun!
Qiao: Is that what you said during the Parent Teacher Conference as an excuse for your… questionable grades?
Banyan: (innocently) Of course not. I just can’t help but doze off during classes sometimes.
Qiao: Hmph. Well, you heard what they said in the Hong Kong University workshops. So if you want to become an engineer, you better start putting in a little more effort right now.
Bayan: (rolls his eyes) You sound like my mom. You know, she tried bribing me by saying she’ll get me a new phone if I score a 7 on my math test. It’s not like I’m trying to get bad grades, but I have to understand what’s going on in class if I want to improve!
Qiao: (thoughtfully) Hmm, maybe you can start by completing your math homework on time?
Banyan: Ah, true.
Qiao: Uh huh. And you know that Felix in grade 12 is hosting a secondary math competition, right? You can start by trying that out. I heard that the lower secondary group was packed with participants!
Banyan: (grumbles) Knowing my abilities, I’ll probably need to be put in the lower secondary one. But fine, I’ll try it out.
Qiao: Great! I’ll join with you. We can prepare together.
Banyan: Alright, at least it’ll be fun joining with a friend. But anyways, what I need to focus on right now, is WINNING AT THE GBA CUP.
Qiao: (sighs) Well, best of luck for that. I’ll be rooting for our Jaguars!
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