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!

had to

are incredible. Did you really only learn

entire event unfold, silently nodding in

her skills, Roseanne's composure under pressure was what really set her apart. In that respect, Sammy was at a definite disadvantage. Jen teased, "Sammy,

"Absolutely,

math whiz, was normal, but losing to Roseanne, an undergraduate? Sammy

patted him

"Win some,

get her

let's not

for

the real

tonight! But Roseanne, how

his method was fast, but she had

her technique

"I had no idea you

not? A good catch

learned something

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

his gaze and shook

child, she

calculate faster than her peers, offering solutions