4. Rivalry

                “Books, movies, and real life, what do they have in common, class?” asks Mr. Whitenod casually walking around the room. The class thinks it over, a multitude of answers forming in their brains ready to travel down to their mouths, and be let out. “Well?” he asks a bit impatiently when no one has raised his or her hand yet. The class remains quiet some still thinking it over others a bit afraid to raise their hand while others are waiting for a person to do it first. While Mr. Whitenod remains waiting about ready to choose, a random kid if no one answers soon. A girl with auburn pigtails and jade green eyes raises her hand halfway up into the air a bit unsure of her answer.

                “Yes Kisha?” asks Mr. Whitenod glad that someone was finally brave enough to raise her hand.

                “Is the answer love?” she says in a timid voice. The teacher sighs and starts to mutter something in German that almost sounded like why me?

                “Anything not so obvious?” he says at the same time when five more hands rise up. “Yes?”

                “Is it emotions?” asks a guy with too much gel in his hair.

                “No,” he says flatly.

                “Is the answer, everything has a story?” asks a girl with too small glasses.

                “No.”

                “Climax?”

                “No.”

                “Do they have drama?”

                “Yes, but that’s not what I was looking for.”

                “Words, language?”

                “No and no.”

                “Humans?”

                “Survivors?”

                “Rocks?”

                “No, no, no, and don’t you dare come up with another suggestion,” he says in a slightly irritated tone, “All of those are excellent, but it’s not what I’m looking for. Now I’m going to give you one more chance, and make it a good one.” Everyone was confused because the teacher has said not to come up with another answer, but he was giving him or her one more chance to come up with the correct answer. So everyone thought and thought all coming up with one last and very impressive guess by their standards, but they were a bit scared to raise their hands. So with one quick glance around herself the girl with auburn hair and jade green eyes raises her hand. Her classmates hoping a bit that she is right this time.

                “Yes Kisha?” asks Mr. Whitenod, wondering a bit if she’s going to state out another obvious answer.

                “Is the answer… thoughts?” she timidly asks. The teacher sighs and forces a tight smile onto his face, the class inwardly cheering a bit thinking that she got it right.

                “No that’s good though, but no it’s not the answer,” the teacher says deflating the happiness.

                “Then what is the answer?” asks the guy with too much gel in his hair.

                “It’s something simple but complicated and it’s called rivalry.”

                “Rivalry?” nearly everyone in the whole room asks at the same time, a bit confused.

                “Yes rivalry. You see everyone is rivaling against each other, for power, wealth, success, knowledge, and one of the most common ones for love.”  The students absorb this, still a bit confused as to what the teacher is really saying. Mr. Whitenod sighs a bit irritably noticing the confusion in the room. “Look, there’s competition everywhere. In the Twilight books and movies, Edward and Jacob are competing against each other for Bella’s love. Same thing in the Hunger Games only it’s with Gale, Peeta, and Katniss. If you’re trying out for something, you’re rivaling against others who also want the same thing. See even you guys were rivaling against each other to see who can come up with the correct answer.” The students nod a bit understanding what the teacher is talking about. “So look around you, see who’s rivaling to become the smartest, the prettiest, the most popular, etc. You’ll be surprised to notice that there’s usually more than ten.”