Chapter 99: No Trophy

The auditorium of Preston Oakes High was built to seat two hundred people. 22 were in the room right now, and it was 22 too many. And 1 too few. Luke Dawson, where are you? I nervously stepped onto the stage under a large banner saying "POHS Mathletics." I think I've spent my whole life establishing how un-athletic I was, so this was a good way to undermine my confidence. I squinted under the bright lights and made my way to one of the chairs on stage. My footsteps echoed in the auditorium. The doors to the auditorium stayed firmly shut. With every step I took, I kept hoping to see Luke enter. Unfortunately, no one did. My mom and sister weren't here either. I texted them that I was taking part in a math competition today, but no reply. It's probably for the best. I didn't want to cause more second-hand embarrassment than I already do. I took a seat on stage behind a small desk with a red buzzer on it. My competitors had the same setup and we were all side-by-