The English Billionaire

Chapter 23

Forest's POV

The past week had been full of watching tapes of other final interviews, listening to audios and being interviewed myself. The Washington Post wrote an article with quotes from one of the students who had made it to the final round, and had criticized the questioning method I had gone with, of course. I couldn't catch a break, every week there was another huge problem and every day there was a new article and every hour I had to correct someone's thoughts.

In the judging we had narrowed down almost all of the sections. There were a wide range of students, but they all shared one characteristic.

"Why?" had been the question, and the simple answers were the answers most prized.

Simplicity helps others understand what is going on, simplicity was helpful and actually worth listening to.

The real question is whether you would like to sit through a three hour long lecture about the exact workings of a subject or a simple answer to your specific question.

"Because." "Why not?" Or simply grinning and answering with, "there's no answer."

Those were the answers. Snarky people who have the potential to do great things.

People I was going to help do great things.

Hopefully, that is.

--

Emma's POV

I had just finished my english final, a huge vocabualry and grammer filled exam, my feet taking me to study hall when I heard my name on the intercomm.

"Emma Gordon and Brett Fallows to the office." 

My heart sped up. The results-- it had to be the results.

My feet slowly turned from their course and turned me toward the office. With every step I gripped at my book that I was holding in my arms harder and harder. If I won I didn't know what I would do-- I couldn't let myself even think about that. It was so amazing that I had even made it to the final round, I wouldn't actually win. I couldn't... Could I?

I met Brett halfway down the hallway. He smirked, "wanna bet I won?" he asked. I gave him a forced "Ha." to which his smirk grew.

With every step we took towards the office my heart rate increases and my palms become sweatier. I am about to fall over when we reach the door. Brett enters first and I follow closely behind. The office staff gestures us to the back of the office towards the principal's office. I follow Brett step by step as we enter the principal's office.

He greets us with a smile, "Congratulations, Emma and Brett, on making it to the final round of the competition!" He says as we take a seat. He pulls out two cream envelopes and waves them a little. My eyes glue to the one that has my name printed on it in perfectly sculpted times new roman font.

The principal talks on about how he's so proud of us making it so far, how we are so lucky and even if we don't win it was still such a wonderful experience for us to be a part of. Most of what he said just flew out of my brain as my thoughts turned into a whirlwind of anxiety and nerves.

Five minutes later Brett looks as though he was about to pounce on the principal if he didnt give us the letters sooner rather than later and my heart rate had risen to fatal levels. I could hear the bell signaling the beinning of study hall as my ears started working correctly again.

"I just want to stress how absolutley proud all of the staff and I are of you," he smiled again, "So here are the results, good luck yet again, although I suppose it's a tad late for luck, huh?" Brett didn't laugh at the attempt at a joke so I gave a wobbily smile as the principal finally handed us the envelopes with our names on it. "You can open them here or in your study hall or at home, if you can wait that long!" He flashed us another smile. Neither of us chose to open it in front of him and he showed us the way back to the hallway.

Brett made it three whole steps before stopping me.

"Open them together." It should have been a question, but since it was Brett talking it was a command. This time I didn't have too much of a problem with the commanding tone he had-- I wanted to open my letter just as badly as he did.

I nodded in agreement and he gave one short sigh and counted us down as my fingers slipped under some of the flap of the envelope.

"Three... Two... One!"