4.9 ] The Mathematics Of It All

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I FEEL NO nerves when I walk up on the stage. I think I should. Given I've never done this and also given my dad is expecting a lot from me, and I have to talk about Team X like we're all sensible and accomplished, when really, we're falling apart. 

"Next up we have Team X," My dad speaks evenly into the microphone, "Represented by Reign Hayes."

People applaud, maybe by respect, politeness, or, because it's me, fear. My face holds no polite expression. There's no happiness or fake attitude in my voice like the others who got up to talk before me. 

I really just don't care. And I know that nobody else does. So, I'll do us all a favour, and go by as quickly as I can.

"We've contributed to majority of the cases since last Check Up Day," I start with zero greetings, "With four hundred and thirty completed between nine members. Some highlight cases would be-"

"Question?"

I hate whoever the fuck decided to interrupt me so early on. Am I surprised that it's a member of Team Y? No. Not at all. Am I surprised that it's Lincoln who is standing? No. Again, no. Lincoln is the absolute worst. He's Team Y's spokesperson basically. And he thinks the lot of them deserve to have our, Team X's, jobs. 

"Go for it." I smile with the most evidently fake enthusiasm to anyone who can see my face right now. AKA the whole auditorium. 

"Between nine people that would only be...forty-eight cases per person? A year? Surely you can do better. Three years ago your team hit the five hundreds in cases - you guys are only going down." Lincoln speaks into the mic situated by staff walking up and down the aisles. 

So. He went out of his way to find a staff member, ask for the mic, waste everyone's time, and ask me a question? I haven't been here a while - are Team Y really this fucking stubborn?

"Three years ago Team X had more than nine people. Thirteen to be exact. With those thirteen people, they were obviously able to hit five hundred cases. In fact, all thirteen of them were only able to do forty cases each. So this year our team actually did better than them with forty-eight per person." I run the maths quickly through my head. 

I'm calculative. Smart. We know this. If you want to get into a verbal argument with me, you should prepare better statistics than unfair results from three years ago. 

"Right," Lincoln smiles from where Team Y is situated (right at the front like they always want to be), "And you've lost four people from your team, haven't you? If you want to get mathematical and all. Thirteen take nine is four. Why would that be?"

I sigh again, annoyed, "Three years ago we had thirteen before three of them moved on to work under security for my father." 

"And that fourth one? What about them?" Lincoln presses. 

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