When Winning is Everything

"Go!" my teacher called. The race was on. My fingers flew across the keyboard, and the people surrounding me cheered. My opponents, Erin and Max were frantically typing, just as I was. I knew that everyone expected me to win, judging as my typing was the best in the class. I made a mistake and angrily kept typing. My peers were running around the competitors, and our teacher was probably rooting for someone too. I was almost done, and my classmates were surprisingly less rowdy after being told off by our teacher. My friends knew I do NOT work well under pressure, but no one else seemed to understand that. Most of them bet I'd win. I took deep breaths and tried to relax. It was only school. It wasn't being taken for a grade. But my classmates would probably judge. I was good at typing, but could I do it? At the time, I wasn't so sure. In an ugly red, a mistake was highlighted. Onlookers groaned. Max, one of my opponents, asked someone to find out how far his own opponents were. I was in the lead. People patted my shoulders, and most of them figured out to leave me alone. I bit my lip as I made another mistake. How could I win when I'd made so many mistakes? People shook their heads, apparently agreeing with me. My thoughts brightened as I reached the last line. So close! The other competitors were no where finished. I typed in the last character. I still remember that moment today. I crossed my fingers, hoping for less than four mistakes. I sat there for a few minutes, unable to believe my score. I smiled weakly at my friends, but my mind was going crazy.

"Done!" cried Max. Had I beat him? My teacher came to record my score, and had just moved on to Max's when Erin announced her finish. The class ran around excitedly, calculating the winner. I kept thinking, 'Did I win?' You, reader, can decide that for yourself.