TO CHEAT OR NOT TO CHEAT

My opponents were doing better than we expected. Their eyes were staring straight at the pronouncer. They didn't even look away for a split second.They stood high above us.They had long legs and I had to look up to see their faces. Their faces were long and  they had a stern look. Before the beginning of the competition  they passed my teammates in the hallway. “There is a strong gust of wind,” they said as they passed us, their facial expression numb.

We began the competition with five teams all competing for the prize which was amazing. It glimmered like the stars in the sky and was in the shape of a bee. Its’ body was golden yellow with a coat of shimmer and it had stripes that were as dark as night. The bee had a huge smile on its face and a thumbs up too.  The prize was displayed in a clear glass box near the entrance for everyone to see. I must admit it was my main motivation to win.

Our school had never won before and we were always first to be eliminated. The pressure was all on us. We watched as our opponents answered their questions with no trouble at all. They looked so calm like they were not worried. I could hear my heart pound as I breathed heavily.My hands were shaking and I could feel butterflies in my stomach. Just then I felt a hand on my shoulder. I turned around to look at Mary, my teammate, and she told me that everything would be alright. Suddenly my breathing relaxed and I no longer felt butterflies in my tummy. My confidence slowly came back. 

The competition began with five teams, each with four team members. There were 20 rounds and  one competitor had to be eliminated in each. Each competitor had two chances to get a word correct, if they didn't an elimination would follow. If two or more competitors got the answer wrong, the person with the most incorrect answer would be eliminated. If one is caught cheating their  whole team is eliminated and the school is banned for three years. 

In our first round, one of our teammates was eliminated. This made our team nervous. We  wondered how we would win but we kept our hope alive and continued working hard. I slowly watched my teammates and opponents get eliminated. My best friend Mary was out just because she got one letter wrong. This made my heart drop. I held back my tears as I watched her leave the stage. She smiled at me in a reassuring way.

John and I were the finalists in the last round. John was the best in his team and arguably in the whole game. He was as quiet as a church mouse and I only heard him talk when he was answering questions. John never got an answer wrong, it was always correct. He never looked nervous, his face was numb but he stood upright with pride. I, on the other hand, was very nervous. My hand trembled and my heart pounded. The butterflies in my stomach didn't feel like butterflies, they felt like big birds. I bit my nails and moved around, I couldn't stay still. The way my teammates looked at me made me relaxed and hopeful again.

Before the final round we got a thirty minute break. I entered the bathroom to splash some cold water on my face. A beautiful lady came to the tap next to me. The lady’s name was Hannah. She said a very suspicious line, “You're very good at spelling but I can make you better.” It made me a little uncomfortable but I still stayed to listen.  She offered me a small chip to put in my ear. Hannah said that this chip would give me all the spelling answers which would obviously make me win.

When I heard this my jaw dropped as my eyes popped out of their sockets. I didn't know what to say. A million thoughts rushed through my head. I stood there frozen, with nothing to say. I was in a dilemma. If I took the chip, I could win the competition but if I'm caught we would lose. Our school would be banned and everyone would hate me. If I didn’t take the chip there was a chance I could lose but the school would be proud of our team. If I won, I would have won fairly. The butterflies in my tummy knotted in a fit of panic. My face tightened as it turned red. I couldn't make a decision. I suddenly whispered, “No.” as I ran away. I wasn't sure whether my decision was right but I felt good about not cheating.

The finals began and I felt goosebumps all around my body. John got his word correctly so all the pressure was on me. Luckily I got it correct too. We had a second round and once again John got it right and the pressure was on me. The pronouncer said a word I had never heard before. My tummy dropped to my toes, my heart pounded. My face turned as red as a tomato.I tried to spell it but I knew I was incorrect. A frown slowly creeped on to my face, my head dropping down looking at the floor as they announced John was the winner.

As John and his teammates jumped up and down in celebration, a chip fell from John’s ear. Everyone in the crowd gasped in synchrony. John was caught completely off guard, you could see his chest move up and down as he breathed heavily. His hands covered his face as he ran off stage.The pronouncer and judges inspected the chip and soon came to the conclusion that John had cheated.

My teammates and I looked at each other in confusion and shock. We suddenly realized we were the winners. Big smiles spread across our faces, we were like children on christmas morning. After we were handed our trophy we jumped up and down in celebration. We were  ecstatic. When we arrived back at school they had arranged an assembly for us. We pretended that we had lost before holding the trophy in the air. Everyone one in the audience shouted and clapped. A sense of euphoria swept across the school. My teammates and I had made history.   I felt a sense of satisfaction as I did not cheat. In the end I learned a very important lesson: honesty pays