Chapter 177
Josie held up five fingers and said to Merida, “Each alpaca worth five points!”
Rosalie’s face twisted in frustration, as if she had just swallowed a fly. She muttered under her breath, “Why didn’t anyone tell me that catching the alpacas could earn us extra points? If I had known…”
Her voice trailed off. Even if she had known, their family had been too busy running away from the alpacas to even consider trying to catch one.
All Rosalie could do was watch helplessly as the teacher moyed Paisley’s nameplate down to second place. Josie then updated the scores beside Merida’s name. Merida currently had 40 points, while Paisley had 30 points.
At the same time, another teacher announced Beau’s score Beau, zero points.”
Moments ago, when Beau stepped out of the Maybach, he had looked so impressive and proud. Now, he looked completely miserable.
His Louis Vuitton cap was long gone, likely stolen by an alpaca. His collar was stretched and crooked, and he was holding his breath, trying not to inhale the awful stench of alpaca spit covering his clothes.
Niamh wasn’t faring much better. Her hair was a mess, her jacket zipper was half undone, and she looked like she had just returned from weeks of wandering the streets.
When she finally processed what the teacher had just said, she snapped. “How the hell did he get a zero? Did you even count properly?”
The teacher barely resisted the urge to roll her eyes. “When the three of you arrived at the finish line, you didn’t even have the bucket anymore. You tell me whether I miscalculated.”
Niamh’s head snapped toward Beau, whose hands were completely empty.
“Where’s the bucket?” she demanded. “Where are the carrots? Don’t tell me… You didn’t even manage to save one cabbage leaf?”
Beau scowled. “They were too scary! One of the alpacas took the whole bucket!”
Then, instead of admitting defeat, he turned to Niamh and angrily demanded, “Why didn’t you protect me?” Niamh crossed her arms and huffed. “I was pedaling! And let’s be honest, no one expected you to handle that part. Beau, you’re supposed to be a little man! How could you not even hold onto a bucket?“!
The teacher cleared her throat and announced, “Since you lost the bucket, that’s another three points deducted. Beau’s team now has a score of negative three points. I hope you’ll do better in the next challenge.”
She then moved Beau’s nameplate to the very last row on the scoreboard. Seeing Beau dead last, Rosalie suddenly lost all interest in complaining about Merida’s extra ten points for catching those alpacas.
Instead, she grinned mischievously and called out loud enough for everyone to hear, “Why, Harvey, you’ve never been in last place before, have you? What a rare experience for you!”
Harvey’s expression darkened instantly. His gaze then fell on Elara, Merida, and Finnegan, who were celebral.
first–place win.
Then, he looked at Beau’s nameplate sitting at the very bottom, next to a humiliating negative score. It felt like a slap to his face in front of everyone.
The other parents began whispering among themselves.
Chapter 172
“Bean used to be first place in these events. How did he end up dead fast this time?”
“And his sister got first! Even their school performance is worlds apart now, I heard he’s always at the bottom of the rankings.”
Niamh planted her hands on her hips and shouted defiantly “Who cares if it’s fast place? It still takes skill to be dead last! That’s impressive in its own way!
Beau stared at her like she was an idiot. His lips trembled, and the rims of his eyes were red with frustration.
As he turned away, he spotted Merida and Elara crouched in front of the alpacas, offering them water. A group of other kids had already gathered around Merida as well.
“Hey!” Beau called out to his usual group of followers, but they were all standing next to Merida, completely ignoring him.
At that moment, a wave of disappointment, frustration, and loneliness crashed over him. His eyes welled up, and his unshed tears glistened in the sunlight.
Chander 18
