Opposites
For reasons she could never explain, she always felt uneasy in competitive situations. According to her mother, a bit of fear of failure shows that you are passionate about what you are doing. However, her mother had never been to law school, nor had she ever experienced the pressure of trying to be the best no matter what happened.
Peridot realized that she might not have been fair to her mother; it wasn't as if her mother demanded that she be the finest. Although her mother had always been proud of her, Peridot knew that most of her anguish came from within herself. It started in fourth grade when she became the top of her class for the first time. This was after a spelling bee and A's in all her classes. Peridot felt significant, and she had tangible proof this time. The competition got more difficult each year, but she managed to keep trying regardless of the difficulty due to the similar intelligence of those she was competing against. Sometimes, she wondered whether she really enjoyed studying anymore or was just a praise addict now.
In the end, none of that matters at the moment. As a graduate student, she learned to live for brief moments of joy when at the top. She also learned to survive the never-ending anxiety of college life.
She took a deep breath and sang in her head whatever song was playing on the radio on her way to school. Her formal blazer's sleeves were smoothed later, and she entered the Moot Courtroom to enter what she called "The Zone." It was routine with one sole purpose: to get her to that sweet spot where everything around her faded away, and all that mattered was the task at hand. No sounds, no presence, no feelings, or fears bothered her in that state. This helped her become steady in whatever she said and often made her appear more confident, which usually helped in situations like this. She vaguely sensed her partner sitting next to her, busy with her cell phone and not looking at her. It wasn't the first time Yvonne Zircon worked with her; she knew how she worked.
A loud sound startled her out of The Zone. A visibly agitated woman with short blue hair walked into the courtroom. A distressed woman stood behind the blue-haired girl, trying to keep up with her long strides. "Lazuli!" said the sweaty woman. "Please don't storm off like that. This is serious." She finishes before sitting in her chair in a frenzy.
Lazuli didn't spare her a glance and dropped herself onto the chair. Her suit jacket, which had once been very stylish, now looked like no one had cared for it in a while, rumpled in her strange position. Underneath that, she wore a simple white shirt and jeans just dark enough to appear somewhat professional if you didn't look too serious.
"Okay, listen to me. We need to practice what we will say. This is the final stage. We cannot mess this up." The taller woman hunched slightly in a useless attempt to keep Peridot and Yvonne from hearing her. Sadly, her voice was too high-pitched with anxiety to prevent anyone within a five-mile radius from listening. "Fuck off, Beth," was the only response she got from the blue-haired girl as she reached for her bag and took out a trashy teen romance book.
Yvonne wasted no time and walked over to their adversaries, positioning herself very close to the woman who was trying not to pull her hair out with her bare hands. Beth briefly looked up at her and then slammed her forehead on the desk, groaning audibly. "Ready to be crushed, Ms. Beth Zircon?" Yvonne taunted, not unkindly. Peridot knew her partner had a crush on her opponent since law school. This was when they got mixed up because of their last names. Since then, Yvonne teased the poor woman mercilessly, too afraid of rejection to confess her feelings. A reassuring pat on the back was given to her by Yvonne once she noticed how distressed she was. "Relax, Peri, I’ve got this. Just relax while everything comes down," she whispered.
Peridot closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and tried to clear her mind. She could feel the sweat on her palms and neck, but she tried to ignore it. She had done this a thousand times before. She just had to hope that Yvonne remembered everything she had written down for her. After a few minutes, the judges came in and began with a brief introduction and then turned to the participants. Peridot and Yvonne were up first. They stood up and went to the podium, trying to appear confident and composed. Peridot could feel the judges' and spectators' eyes on her, but she tried to block it out. She had to focus on the task at hand.
A logical and clear argument was presented by Yvonne at the beginning of the discussion. She could hear Yvonne chime in occasionally, adding her points and supporting Peridot's arguments. Peridot could feel her confidence growing as Yvonne spoke, and she relaxed. She was lucky because this was what she was skilled at - presenting a compelling argument and convincing others to see her point of view. Yvonne appeared to say everything they had discussed.
Peridot didn’t have to speak for any trials due to her 504, meaning Yvonne had to speak all the time. Peridot knew her strengths, and she used them to her advantage. She was confident in her arguments and presented them in a way that made it easy for Yvonne to follow what they discussed. As a result, Peridot could rely on Yvonne to present her case without speaking at any of the trials. That didn’t mean Peridot hadn’t been a large part of their work, since everything Yvonne was currently saying was what Peridot would’ve said if she could. For instance, during the last trial, Peridot wrote out all the necessary information Yvonne needed to make her case. Yvonne successfully defended it in court.
After an eternity, they finally finished their argument. They returned to their seats, feeling relief and anxiety. Peridot tried not to think about it too much as she watched the other team present their arguments. She tried to focus on her breathing and clear her mind. It wasn't easy, but she had to do it.
Finally, the judges began their deliberations. Peridot felt her heart race as she waited for the verdict. This was it - the moment of truth.
The head judge stood up and cleared his throat. "After careful consideration, the judges have decided that the winner of this year's Moot Court Cup is..." he paused for dramatic effect, "Peridot and Yvonne!"
Peridot felt a rush of relief and joy wash over her. They did it. They won. She turned to Yvonne, smiling hugely, and hugged her tightly. Peridot squealed and hugged Yvonne back as she smiled. After all the arduous work they put into preparing, their victory was sweet. Peridot felt the joy and relief of their success coursing through her veins. She looked at Yvonne and smiled, and hug her tightly in celebration.
Yvonne grinned back at her. "Told you you had nothing to worry about," she said, giving Peridot a playful shove. Peridot laughed, feeling lighter than in weeks.