Short Stories To Entertain the Intricate Human Mind

The Champion of Kahoot

Everyone knows the iconic music, the one that lights the fire of competition under an entire classroom. It even makes the quiet kid, the one who never does their work, ready to compete.

There are those who throw the game for fun.

Those who sneak dirty messages in their usernames, the cleverest make it past the teacher, her watchful eyes like an eagle picking out her prey.

Then there comes the fifteen or so students that compete for real.

Unfortunately for them, their academic intelligence is low, leaving them vying for tenth place, celebrating top ten.

I am jealous of those people.

Then, the top five, who compete for the crown. Everyone is usually within a thousand points or so, the runner ups making detrimental mistakes near the end.

Then there comes the finale. Where the entire class realizes its a lost cause for those under second place.

The pretty, popular girl with the sneer stained on her face, her foundation shiny, like she's a doll rather than human. Athletic, everyone knows her, but nobody truly loves her.

Yet she is rooted for. To defeat the Champion, the one who always wins. The smartest, bound for success, to be a lawyer, or doctor, or politician.

The Champion is flawless. She prepares herself for speed, every answer etched in her mind before the question is even asked. She just knows, like some kind of witch.

The underdog struggles, her fingers a split second slower than the Champion. Her points are less, never adding up to more than the undefeated.

The entire class stands behind the underdog, rooting for her, cheering, telling her correct answers even though she knows it herself.

A few brave ones attempt to grab the Champion, cover the screen, but she is too attentive. Though annoyed, her pace never falters.

The final question. Everyone roots for the underdog, shouting, screaming, even the teacher is in on it.

It's over.

Third place.

Second place. The underdog.

First place. The Champion.

Congratulations go to the underdog, awarding her for the attempt. The Champion is boo'd as she packs up her supplies, ready to dash out of the class.
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Why does nobody root for me? The Champion thinks, glancing behind her to see the class watching the underdogs screen.

Her hands shake, heart sunk to her chest. A boy comes up to her, shaking her from behind. She elbows him, her right hand always ready to click.

Bam. 927 points. Speed is key in this game, along with preparation.

The Champion smiles, watching as the points tally up, but the rankings don't change. The desire to win forced her to keep playing, even as her nerves beg her to stop.

The final question.

The Champion frowns, hearing the obvious hatred towards her and her winning streak. They don't even know her, yet they hate her simply because she is smart.

It's like she's not even a person. Just a comparison, if you were above her, you must be a certified genius.

So she forced herself to be the best. It was embarrassing to have people comment on her brain like it was a celebrity going through their third divorce.

"She must be having an off day."

"You beat her?"

"She's not as smart as we thought she is."

To the Champion, these were like knives. Her intelligence is all she had, what would she be without it? Nothing.

So the Champion won the game, immediately echoed by a chorus of "boos" and "oh come on!" Everyone was saying how unfair it was that they had to compete against her. How she ruined the fun.

Not a single person congratulated her on the win. She wanted to cry, to be stupid, to have someone just say "good job." Even the teacher brushed her off, just another routine win, nothing special.

If you always accomplish greatness, it becomes the average. The normal. Unimportant.

So the Champion stayed champion, kept her record for winning and loneliness.

Her name was ThatOneNerdyGirly.