Love Burned, She Rose Unscathed

Jen asked, "Who do you think will win?"

Stoddard replied, "At this point, Sammy seems to have the upper hand."

Jen didn't say anything, but it was clear she agreed.

By the fifth minute, Roseanne had finished four problems and was starting on the fifth.

Sammy got stuck on the fourth problem for a few seconds, putting him slightly behind.

Roseanne managed to pull ahead, though her lead was slim.

By the sixth minute, both were stuck on the last problem.

...

With only ten seconds to spare before the seventh minute, Roseanne wrote down her answer, finishing the challenge.

Sammy's forehead was slick with a thin layer of sweat when he finally exclaimed, "Done!"

Unfortunately, he was ten seconds too late compared to Roseanne.

He took a deep breath, wiped off his sweat, and said with a smile, "It's alright. Speed isn't everything; accuracy counts too, and I'm confident in that." However, when the results were announced, Roseanne got everything right, while he missed one.

Sammy was flabbergasted, feeling like he'd been hit by a tornado!

he had to

incredible. Did you really only

watched the entire event unfold, silently nodding in

what really set her apart. In that respect, Sammy was at a definite disadvantage. Jen teased, "Sammy, you've got to admit defeat

quickly conceded, "Absolutely,

a senior researcher and math whiz, was normal, but losing to Roseanne, an undergraduate? Sammy had never

him on

"Win some,

her next time.

let's not

for

was the real point

tonight! But Roseanne, how did you solve that last problem

was fast, but she had found an

her technique

an epiphany, "I had no idea you could do it like

catch

learned something new

the burning question, "Are you sure you've never systematically studied mental

met his gaze and shook

a child, she

peers, offering solutions in