The chapter

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Will's POV:

We were furiously scribbling down notes, going over everything we were going to say. "Can Nortshore high and Westwood high please meet in hall 1 in 15 minutes. I repeat, can Nortshore high and Westwood high meet in hall 1 in 15 minutes", a voice announced over the speakers. I clapped my hands together and stood up. "Shall we then?", I asked as I grabbed my stuff.

To be honest, I didn't really care about this. Well, I didn't really care about winning. As I walked towards Hall 1, looking at the students and faculty passing by, I really didn't feel the urge to beat them. Heck, the whole reason I joined debate was to spend more time with Brian. Not that we did anything else than bicker, but still. I walked into Hall 1 knowing that if we lost now, I wouldn't even be that sad.

But Brian would. It seemed like this club was his life. If we didn't win, he would be devastated. Heartbroken. I couldn't screw it up now, I had to win. For him.

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Brian was taking a shower while I waited for him on the bed. My mind kept replaying the moment I forgot what I was going to say. There's only one thing worse than forgetting what you're going to say, and that is saying something wrong. Luckily for us, I quickly remembered what I was going to say. Not so lucky for us, the other team did a flawless presentation, not stumbling or stuttering for a second. As I was deep in thought, I didn't even register that Brian walked out of the bathroom before his hand waved in front of my face.

"Helloo, earth to Will", he said. I took a good look at him. His usually messy straight hair was combed and styled in place. He was wearing the suit I bought him, and it seemed to fit perfectly. The navy blue brought out his tan skin and high cheekbones. He was looking reaaaally handsome. But when I took a deep breath I smelled something. "I used some of your cologne, I hope you don't mind", he blushed. I just stared at him in shock. "Uh, if it's that big of a problem I'll pay you for it!", he anxiously said as he looked down at me. I shook my head. "Nah, relax. I was just surprised. Now let's go", I ushered him out of the room, desperately trying to think of something that would kill my boner.

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The dining hall was already pretty full when we arrived. Luckily, there was assigned seating, so Brian and I was sitting next to each other. Then I could subtly brush my knee against his when we were eating. Anna, Jackson and Ms. Johnson was already seated, and the moment we sat down Anna opened her mouth to say something. "Guys-" "Y'all did a really good job up there", Jackson cut her off. He flashed a sincerely grin as he dragged his hand through his twists. "Who cares if we loose, we are an awesome team, and we won in our hearts", he said as he patted is heart to really emphasize his point. "Ok, but guys", Anna grumbled before Ms. Johnson cut her off again. "Wait a second, Anna. I would just like to say that I am incredibly proud of both of you. I couldn't have asked for a better team, and no matter where we end up tonight, you are all winners to me", she smiled. Anna sighted. "Okay but for real guys-", she hissed. Just then, a woman entered the stage and tapped on the microphone. The whole room went silent.

"Ladies, gentleman and great students in general, the time has come. I will now announce the winner of US High School Debate Championship", the woman announced. This is it, I thought. She's gonna announce the fact that they won and we lost because I messed up and now Brian will hate me for eternity. Even more than he used to. I could feel the despair growing inside me. The lady cleared her throat.

"Due to stating a false statistic, the team from Nortshore high is disqualified. Therefore, I'm happy to announce that the winner of the US High School Debate Championship 2021 is WESTWOOD HIGH."

The moment those words left her lips, everything went blank inside my head. I spaced out for a moment before blinking and turning to look at Brian. He was wearing the same puzzled look I probably was wearing too. The moment of silence broke as everyone around is started cheering. Brian leapt forward and locked me in a tight hug. I only stood there and watched as everything around me exploded into one big blob of happiness. Jackson was wildly screaming and cheering, Anna smiled a "what did I tell you" smile while Ms. Johnson was crying. That's when I realized.

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