I shift nervously, fidgeting with the edge of my plate. For the past week, Zhao Lan has been a constant presence in my mind. Every chance he gets, he reminds me that he’s going to be the number-one candidate. He’s better than me and, of course, his father is ridiculously rich and already reached out to a previous winner to help him.
I close my eyes for a second and take a deep breath. It’s not that I don’t have confidence. Maybe I do, somewhere deep down. But right now, all I can do is pray that my name makes the list. I don’t care if it’s called first or last, I just want to qualify. That’s it.
“Peach.” Braydon’s voice cuts through my thoughts. “You’re thinking about it?”
I let out a long sigh, my shoulders dropping. I can already imagine the disaster if I don’t make it. I’ll probably
