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- Story Listed as: Fiction For Teens
- Theme: Drama / Human Interest
- Subject: Friends / Friendship
- Published: 12/12/2014
In a small town named Capulet, there were only two schools: Lucrezia and SSI (Sapientia, Scientia et Intellectus). Lucrezia was a small, simple school with little students, while SSI was a large, elite school with thousands of students. Being the only schools in Capulet, Lucrezia and SSI were rivals. This story tells about one of the examples of rivalry between the two schools in Capulet.
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In Lucrezia, there were six students named Alex Farkle, Octa van Gent, Haris Nordegren, Tessa Strong, Arale Levoisier, and Figlia Silvan. Alex was a shepherd's son, but he is content with his life. He is the friendliest student in Lucrezia, and he is always seen smiling and greeting people. Octa is a son of a soldier, and he has some difficulties in learning. However, he is known to be the bravest student in Lucrezia, and he never hesitate to protect his friends. Haris is a farmer's son, and he's very shy and timid. But, when you get to know him, he'll be one of your best friends ever. Tessa is an orphan (her parents died when she was a baby), so she stayed with her grandmother, Ottoline Strong. She is known to be clever and humorous, and always stays on her friends' side, so people say she's the kind of friend everybody needs. Arale is a daughter of an iron mineworker, and she is a gifted artist. She is usually quiet but she 'works behind the scene', and she also cries easily but has a golden heart. Figlia is actually a rich man's daughter, and her parents can afford to enroll her in SSI, but she chose to be in Lucrezia instead (she thinks SSI's students were too snobby and stuck-up, so she prefers Lucrezia). She is known to be a generous girl who made friends with everyone, no matter who they are.
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There were another group of six students in the SSI. They are Marco Kretschmer, Augustine Fenton, Wolfram Zwingli, Dyre Carvell, Cwenhild Jovanovic, and Fulvia Sonderlund. Marco's father, Arthur Kretschmer, is one of Capulet's favorite sportsmen, so his son inherited his talent in sports. Even though Marco is very skilled in sports, he likes to tease others and tell dirty jokes. Augustine is a politician's son, and he is a technogeek who is obsessed with science fiction and superheroes. However, he is a huge narcissist who thinks he's the always the best, and he refuses to listen to other people's advices. Wolfram is the son of Capulet's most successful doctor, Dr. Jozef Zwingli, and he also dreams to become a succesful doctor like his father one day. But, he is known to be very impolite and disrespectful, especially to his elders. Dyre's father, Lud Carvell, is the mayor of Capulet, so she brags about it everyday. Because of it, people know Dyre as a spoiled, bratty girl who acts like a princess and treats others like her servants. Cwenhild is the daughter of Merida Jovanovic, a famous actress who starred in many box-office movies, and that's the reason Cwenhild is very fashionable and up-to-date. Even though she wears fancy clothes and make-up everyday, she is a gossip girl who can never keep a secret. Fulvia is the daughter of a well-known composer, Kristoff Sonderlund, whom she inherited her musical talent from. She, able to play the piano at age 3, is a wonderful prodigy of music, but she is known to be very arrogant and she shoots everybody with a cold, unfriendly glare.
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One day, the mayor of Capulet held a competition for Lucrezia and SSI. When the students of SSI heard about that, they were excited. "Is there a competition for making robots? I could easily win that!" Augustine said proudly. "And I could bring home the trophy for the music competition." Fulvia said, smirking. "If there is a sports competition, the winner would surely be Marco Kretschmer!" Marco bragged. "Well, we have many talented students here," said a student named Gilbert. "But that doesn't mean we should underestimate the Lucrezia students," said a girl named Margit, who passed by. "Oh come on, Mar-GIT!" Said Cwenhild, exasperated. "If you keep on defending those Lucrezia students, why don't you just move there?" She continued. "Besides, those Lucrezia students are FAR from talented," said Augustine. "Especially Octa van Gent. Even my little brother Constantino, who had just entered elementary school, can operate a computer better than him." Said Fulvia. "But that shouldn't mean we should always oppose them," said Margit. "They are our neighbors, and we should love them as we love ourselves." She stated firmly. "Well, I think this kid spends too much time at Sunday school," Cwenhild whispered to Dyre, who was sitting beside her. "Of course, her father is Pastor Siegfried Rosenblom," Dyre whispered back. A few minutes later, the two girls were already gossiping. Margit walked away sadly, tears pooling in her eyes. Gilbert, who had stared at the whole commotion with a poker face, also walked away.
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When the Lucrezia students heard about the competition, their reactions were different. Haris panicked. "Good Lord! We're going to have a competition!" He said. "Don't panic, Haris! Arale can easily win the art competition!" Said Figlia. "B-but..." Haris stuttered. "Just look at those SSI students! Marco Kretschmer is talented at sports, Augustine Fenton is talented at informatics engineering, and Fulvia Sonderlund is talented at music! And, my sister Rey knows a girl there who is very good at art!" He panicked again. "Oh, you mean Gomentrude Reichensperger? I know her too. She's a total snob," said Tessa. "Hey, yesterday I overheard the SSI students talking about the competition," Octa chimed in. "I heard Augustine, Fulvia, and Marco bragging about their talents. Then, Gilbert said something about the SSI students. Margit chimed in and said something about us. I hear Cwenhild say 'Oh come on, Mar-GIT!'. I also heard her say something else, and she mentioned Lucrezia there. I also heard Augustine mentioning Lucrezia, and I heard Fulvia mentioning me, Constantino and computers. After that, I saw Margit and Gilbert walking away," After hearing Octa's report, the other Lucrezia students gaped in shock. Suddenly, Arale raised her hand. "I think we'll need a witness for this, and maybe either Gilbert or Margit will be the reliable witness," she said. "So... We should call them?" Alex said doubtfully. Arale nodded.
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The next day, Alex and Figlia called Gilbert and Margit to Lucrezia. Gilbert looked confused, while Margit looked scared. When they arrived at Lucrezia, they met Octa, Haris, Tessa, and Arale. "So... What did you say yesterday?" Tessa asked. "Wait. If you know what are we talking about yesterday, doesn't that mean you're eavesdropping?" Gilbert asked. The Lucrezia students froze. Haris trembled. Finally, Octa spoke up. "I passed by the SSI two days ago. I heard you were talking, so I decided to stay a little while. I'm sorry for what I did," he said. "It doesn't matter. I only said that SSI has talented students, and I'm neutral," Gilbert replied. The Lucrezia students looked relieved. "And what about you, Margit?" Tessa asked, trying not to look intimidating to the trembling girl. "W-well... M-my friends were b-bragging a-and I t-told them n-not to s-say bad t-thing about y-you g-guys..." Margit stuttered. "I-i said... Y-you are our n-neighbors... A-and we s-should l-love our n-neighbors... As we l-love o-ourselves..." She continued. The Lucrezia students gaped at Margit's words. Suddenly, Figlia hugged her. "Well, Margit Rosenblom, thanks for your words. It's really true that we should love our neighbors as we love ourselves. And thanks for your avowal, Gilbert." Figlia said. "Your welcome," replied Margit and Gilbert. Then, they waved goodbye and left.
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When she saw Margit and Gilbert walking out of Lucrezia, a SSI student named Verity was curious. She, like Gilbert, was also neutral in the rivalry, but thoughts started flooding her mind, and she grew worried. So, she approached them and asked in a slightly worried tone, "What are you doing in Lucrezia?" Gilbert told the whole story because Margit started trembling. "Oh, thank God you're both okay," Verity said. "About that commotion, I was there too. But I was watching from far away nobody notices me. Suddenly, a thought struck my mind, since when did the rivalry between SSI and Lucrezia started?" She continued. "Yeah, that question has been troubling me too," answered Gilbert. "What about we ask the Lucrezia students?" He suggested. "Agree!" Verity said. "And Margit, do you want to go with us or stay in here? I can call Madison if you want to," Verity said. Madison is Margit's older sister who is in SSI's senior high school. "I'm going with you," Margit stated firmly. "Let's go," said Gilbert. Verity and Margit followed him.
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"So... Since when did the rivalry between SSI and Lucrezia begin?" Gilbert asked. It was quiet for a few seconds, then Arale raised her hand. "Yes, Arale?" Verity replied. "Well, a long time ago, in 1950, Lucrezia was built by a woman named Lucrezia Moretti. At that time, being Capulet's only public school, Lucrezia was successful. However, Miss Moretti's brother, Giovanni Moretti, grew jealous. So, in 1958 he started the Sapientia, Scientia et Intellectus, or SSI. It means Wisdom, Knowledge and Understanding in Latin. As time passed by, SSI overshadowed Lucrezia. Some SSI students started spreading rumors about Lucrezia." Arale paused for a while. "Do you want to know who they are?" She asked. Everyone nodded. "The most notable rumor-spreading SSI students are Arthur Kretschmer, Eduard Fenton, Jozef Zwingli, Heidi Jansson, Merida Adnan, and Jesabel Houtman," Arale continued. "I recognize Arthur, Eduard, and Jozef. By the way, isn't the mayor's wife's name Heidi Carvell? And isn't Adnan Merida Jovanovic's maiden name? And I've also ever heard that Jesabel was the name of Kristoff Sonderlund's wife." Figlia said. Arale nodded. "Yes, you're correct. Heidi Jansson married Lud Carvell and became the mayor's wife. Merida Adnan married Ezra Jovanovic and became an actress. Jesabel Houtman married Kristoff Sonderlund, and she became the mother of Fulvia and Constantino Sonderlund." Arale said. Gilbert, Verity, and Margit froze. They didn't know that their school and friends had such a history. "Does their children know this?" Verity asked. Arale thought for a while. "I'm not so sure, but I think they didn't know about this," she said. "Should we... Tell them?" Margit said, doubtfully. "MARGIT!" Verity nearly screamed. "They'll kill us for it!" She continued, exasperated. "I don't think it's a smart choice to tell them about that, they'll eventually find out," said Gilbert. "Agree," said Verity.
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Days passed, and now is the time for the competition. There were five competitions: sports, informatics engineering, music, art, and photography. The participants for sports competition are Marco Kretschmer from SSI and Tyrone Fogelmanis from Lucrezia. The participants for informatics engineering competition are Augustine Fenton from SSI and Toris Vuk from Lucrezia. The participants for music competition are Fulvia Sonderlund from SSI and Rey Nordegren from Lucrezia. The participants for art competition are Gomentrude Reichensperger from SSI and Arale Levoisier from Lucrezia. The participants for photography competition are Heinz Peter Kunz from SSI and Braxton Dupree from Lucrezia. Everyone is excited for the competition. The SSI students kept on bragging. "I'm very sure I'll defeat li'l Arale from Lucrezia in the art competition," Gomentrude bragged. "Of course you will, Gommie," said her best friend, Allegra. "Tyrone Fogelmanis got nothing against the great Marco Kretschmer!" Marco bragged. Everyone laughed, even the neutral students such as Gilbert and Verity. But the neutral students laughed not because they want to diss the Lucrezia students, but because they find Marco's actions to be funny.
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In Lucrezia, things were different. "I wonder how can I defeat Auggie Fenton from SSI," Toris said gloomily. "Hey, you don't call him Auggie! He gets mad everytime you call him that!" Figlia said. "Nevermind. I DESPISE him," Toris replied. "Don't worry Toris, just believe in yourself," said Tessa. "If you believe that you'll win and you try your best to win, you're already a winner mentally," Figlia added. "Thanks, guys. You're really my true friends," Toris said. "Of course we are!" Alex chimed in, and then everybody laughed.
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Now, the participants were already at the Capulet City Hall, ready to compete. All the students of SSI and Lucrezia were there. They were anxious to watch the competition. The first competition was sports. The participants will have to throw the ball to the ring without missing as many times as possible in 5 minutes. So, Marco and Tyrone began throwing the ball to the ring. Marco missed 11 times, but Tyrone missed only 7 times. The Lucrezia students clapped their hands for Tyrone's achievement. Some SSI students (among them are Gilbert, Verity and Margit) also clapped their hands.
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The second competition was informatics engineering. The participants will have to make a robot according to the instruction manual given, and their time is only 45 minutes. At first, both participants looked calm at first, but after 20 minutes, Augustine began to look frustrated, while Toris still looked calm. 10 minutes later, Augustine is struggling to connect some parts of the robot, while Toris is almost done. Finally, when the time left was only 8 minutes, Toris was done. Augustine was shocked at this. Then, the Lucrezia students clapped their hands. Augustine turned out to be more shocked when he saw some of his schoolmates clapping their hands.
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The third competition was music. The participants will have to compose a song in an hour. Fulvia arrogantly walked to the piano, trying to look calm, but she's actually worried. She glanced at Rey, who was still calm. Rey smiled at her. Fulvia's mind is now a mess. "Is Fulvia okay? She looked so worried." Cwenhild whispered to Dyre. "It troubles me too. Usually the prodigy of music didn't act like this," Dyre whispered back to Cwenhild. A few minutes later, the two girls were already gossiping. Meanwhile, Fulvia frustratedly banged the piano keys and Rey is still calm, gracefully pressing the piano keys, making a melody out of it. When the time is up, Rey is done with her song, while Fulvia was just randomly pressing the piano keys hoping to compose a song out of it. The Lucrezia students and some SSI students clapped their hands. Rey smiled proudly at them, while Fulvia shot them an angry, bitter glare.
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The fourth competition was art. The participants will have to pain a landscape painting in 75 minutes. Gomentrude smirked. She knew what to paint, while Arale is just being her usual quiet, behind-the-scene self. Gomentrude began to paint the landscape of Paris at the evening. Arale painted the landscape of Mount Kilimanjaro. After an hour, Arale was done, while Gomentrude was still struggling to erase an unwanted spot at her painting because she didn't paint carefully. When time is up, the unwanted spot at Gomentrude's painting was just erased, while Arale calmly gave her painting to the judge. The Lucrezia students, and some SSI students, clapped their hands. Tears pooled in Gomentrude's eyes. She then ran back to the audience seat, crying.
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The last competition was photography. The participants submitted the photographs about professions they took a few days ago. Heinz Peter's photographs were about a CEO, while Braxton's photographs were about a teacher. As the judge examined their photographs, he smiled at Braxton's photographs. Heinz Peter frowned in disbelief at this. He adjusted his glasses and said, "Sir, I've gone to my uncle's office to take pictures of the CEO there, and it's no easy task. But why does you value Braxton Dupree's photographs which are about a teacher in a public school, which may be taken without effort?". "Mr. Kunz, Braxton Dupree's photographs seemed like it had a special aura in it. Your photographs are just mainstream photographs of a CEO who just seem to be relaxing instead of working, while Mr. Dupree's photographs are special photographs of a public school teacher who dedicated her life on educating her students." The judge replied. Braxton smiled. "Thanks, Sir," he said. "I feel very appreciated in this," he continued. Heinz peter looked at him with an unpleasant face. He then walked away, just like a presidential candidate who had just lost the election. The students of Lucrezia clapped their hands, and a few SSI students clapped as well.
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When the participants from Lucrezia were awarded with trophies, the SSI participants looked away in shame. "This is unbelievable," said Augustine. "I've never lost a competition like this." "Well, apparently the judge doesn't appreciate my hard work," Heinz Peter added. "If only they gave more time," Gomentrude said gloomily, "I've won." "I thought Rey Nordegren knew nothing of music," Fulvia angrily added, "And she turned out to beat me!" A few minutes later, the SSI students ranted about the Lucrezia students. But, Marco kept quiet. "What happened to you, Marco?" Wolfram asked. "Screw that git Tyrone Fogelmanis," Marco replied angrily. "Marco! You weren't supposed to say those words!" Margit chimed in. "Back off, Mar-GIT," Marco said. "Mar-GIT," Fulvia repeated, cynically. Margit walked away sadly. Gilbert and Verity stared with a poker face.
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Not noticed by her friends, Margit walked out of the Capulet City Hall. It was dark and raining. Margit wiped the tears that spilled out of her eyes. "Is it even wrong to stand up for the Lucrezia students? Is it wrong if I want this interscholastic rivalry to end?" Margit thought. She found a bench, and sat there sobbing.
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Suddenly, Margit felt someone put their hand on her back. So, she decided to look up. It was Tessa. "Tessa..." Margit said. "Yes, Margit? Don't cry, I'm here for you," Tessa replied. "Tessa, IS IT WRONG IF I STAND UP FOR THE LUCREZIA STUDENTS?" Margit nearly screamed. "IS IT WRONG IF I WANT THIS INTERSCHOLASTIC RIVALRY TO END?" Tessa hugged the sobbing Margit and said, "It's totally not wrong. Most of the students in Lucrezia wanted this rivalry to end. And, you know what, Gilbert and Verity are neutral because they are sick of this rivalry and they don't want to take part in it? The same goes for other neutral students," Margit looked at Tessa in awe. "I feel better now," she said. "Thanks, Tessa," she continued. Tessa hugged Margit again. "It's okay. The Lucrezia students will also stand up for you," she said. Margit hugged her back and said, "Thanks a lot. Now I gotta go. Bye!" Tessa waved as Margit walked away.
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The next day, Margit came up with a petition about the rivalry between SSI and Lucrezia. Whoever wanted this rivalry to end must sign the petition. Most Lucrezia students signed it, including Alex, Octa, Haris, Tessa, Arale, and Figlia. Some SSI students signed it, including Gilbert and Verity. Then, they showed this petition to Marco, Augustine, Wolfram, Cwenhild, Dyre, and Fulvia. They also showed it to other SSI students. For sure, they were shocked. "I've never thought this many people want the rivalry to end," said Augustine. "Me too," said Dyre. "I thought most people wanted the rivalry to keep going until one of us won." "Maybe this rivalry is useless, after all," said Cwenhild. "Well, it seems we have to make up with the Lucrezia students, then," said Fulvia. "Agree!" Marco said, putting his thumb in the air. "Wolfram, you'll be our representative to make it up to them, okay?" He continued. Wolfram looked unwilling at first, but he took a deep breath and said, "To all students of Lucrezia, and some students of SSI. We're sorry for starting the rivalry between our schools. We're sorry to spread nasty rumors about you. We promise not to do it again. Now, let's be friends, and end this rivalry." He paused for a while. "I would also like to say thank you to Margit Rosenblom. She is the one who is brave enough to end this rivalry. Let's clap hands for Margit!" Wolfram continued his speech. Margit's face was red. "Thank you, thank you!" She said. "I never thought people would appreciate me like this," "Well, you deserve to be appreciated," Dyre said. She hugged Margit. Margit hugged her back. Everyone witnessed this moment happily. Gilbert and Verity smiled. Augustine took his phone and captured the moment by taking pictures. The Lucrezia students also smiled. "Hey guys, since this is a big moment for all of us, why don't we just take a selfie?" Tessa suggested. "Good idea!" Cwenhild said. "But there are too many people here!" Wolfram said. "I have an idea," said Arale. "Why don't we just take an automatic camera and take our selfie with it?" "Genius!" Marco said. "But who has an automatic camera here?" Augustine raised his hand. "I have," he said. "Then take it!" Cwenhild said. "Okay! Be right back!" Augustine ran as fast as he can, getting his automatic camera.
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When Augustine got his automatic camera, they set a timer on it and placed it in front of them. The Lucrezia and SSI students lined up, and the automatic camera took a picture of them. When the picture is done, they took a look at it. Marco said, "This is a fantastic picture, let's print it!" "Agree!" The other students said in unison. And they went to the photo studio to print it, fifteen copies for each student (there are Marco, Augustine, Wolfram, Cwenhild, Dyre, Fulvia, Alex, Octa, Haris, Tessa, Arale, Figlia, Margit, Gilbert, and Verity).
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After the picture is printed, the 56-years-long rivalry between Lucrezia and SSI has officially ended. The students of both schools lived in harmony with each other. They are all good friends, and whenever one has a difficulty, others wouldn't hesitate to help. Now, Capulet is a peaceful, harmonious city.
Rivals(Heather Beal)
In a small town named Capulet, there were only two schools: Lucrezia and SSI (Sapientia, Scientia et Intellectus). Lucrezia was a small, simple school with little students, while SSI was a large, elite school with thousands of students. Being the only schools in Capulet, Lucrezia and SSI were rivals. This story tells about one of the examples of rivalry between the two schools in Capulet.
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In Lucrezia, there were six students named Alex Farkle, Octa van Gent, Haris Nordegren, Tessa Strong, Arale Levoisier, and Figlia Silvan. Alex was a shepherd's son, but he is content with his life. He is the friendliest student in Lucrezia, and he is always seen smiling and greeting people. Octa is a son of a soldier, and he has some difficulties in learning. However, he is known to be the bravest student in Lucrezia, and he never hesitate to protect his friends. Haris is a farmer's son, and he's very shy and timid. But, when you get to know him, he'll be one of your best friends ever. Tessa is an orphan (her parents died when she was a baby), so she stayed with her grandmother, Ottoline Strong. She is known to be clever and humorous, and always stays on her friends' side, so people say she's the kind of friend everybody needs. Arale is a daughter of an iron mineworker, and she is a gifted artist. She is usually quiet but she 'works behind the scene', and she also cries easily but has a golden heart. Figlia is actually a rich man's daughter, and her parents can afford to enroll her in SSI, but she chose to be in Lucrezia instead (she thinks SSI's students were too snobby and stuck-up, so she prefers Lucrezia). She is known to be a generous girl who made friends with everyone, no matter who they are.
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There were another group of six students in the SSI. They are Marco Kretschmer, Augustine Fenton, Wolfram Zwingli, Dyre Carvell, Cwenhild Jovanovic, and Fulvia Sonderlund. Marco's father, Arthur Kretschmer, is one of Capulet's favorite sportsmen, so his son inherited his talent in sports. Even though Marco is very skilled in sports, he likes to tease others and tell dirty jokes. Augustine is a politician's son, and he is a technogeek who is obsessed with science fiction and superheroes. However, he is a huge narcissist who thinks he's the always the best, and he refuses to listen to other people's advices. Wolfram is the son of Capulet's most successful doctor, Dr. Jozef Zwingli, and he also dreams to become a succesful doctor like his father one day. But, he is known to be very impolite and disrespectful, especially to his elders. Dyre's father, Lud Carvell, is the mayor of Capulet, so she brags about it everyday. Because of it, people know Dyre as a spoiled, bratty girl who acts like a princess and treats others like her servants. Cwenhild is the daughter of Merida Jovanovic, a famous actress who starred in many box-office movies, and that's the reason Cwenhild is very fashionable and up-to-date. Even though she wears fancy clothes and make-up everyday, she is a gossip girl who can never keep a secret. Fulvia is the daughter of a well-known composer, Kristoff Sonderlund, whom she inherited her musical talent from. She, able to play the piano at age 3, is a wonderful prodigy of music, but she is known to be very arrogant and she shoots everybody with a cold, unfriendly glare.
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One day, the mayor of Capulet held a competition for Lucrezia and SSI. When the students of SSI heard about that, they were excited. "Is there a competition for making robots? I could easily win that!" Augustine said proudly. "And I could bring home the trophy for the music competition." Fulvia said, smirking. "If there is a sports competition, the winner would surely be Marco Kretschmer!" Marco bragged. "Well, we have many talented students here," said a student named Gilbert. "But that doesn't mean we should underestimate the Lucrezia students," said a girl named Margit, who passed by. "Oh come on, Mar-GIT!" Said Cwenhild, exasperated. "If you keep on defending those Lucrezia students, why don't you just move there?" She continued. "Besides, those Lucrezia students are FAR from talented," said Augustine. "Especially Octa van Gent. Even my little brother Constantino, who had just entered elementary school, can operate a computer better than him." Said Fulvia. "But that shouldn't mean we should always oppose them," said Margit. "They are our neighbors, and we should love them as we love ourselves." She stated firmly. "Well, I think this kid spends too much time at Sunday school," Cwenhild whispered to Dyre, who was sitting beside her. "Of course, her father is Pastor Siegfried Rosenblom," Dyre whispered back. A few minutes later, the two girls were already gossiping. Margit walked away sadly, tears pooling in her eyes. Gilbert, who had stared at the whole commotion with a poker face, also walked away.
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When the Lucrezia students heard about the competition, their reactions were different. Haris panicked. "Good Lord! We're going to have a competition!" He said. "Don't panic, Haris! Arale can easily win the art competition!" Said Figlia. "B-but..." Haris stuttered. "Just look at those SSI students! Marco Kretschmer is talented at sports, Augustine Fenton is talented at informatics engineering, and Fulvia Sonderlund is talented at music! And, my sister Rey knows a girl there who is very good at art!" He panicked again. "Oh, you mean Gomentrude Reichensperger? I know her too. She's a total snob," said Tessa. "Hey, yesterday I overheard the SSI students talking about the competition," Octa chimed in. "I heard Augustine, Fulvia, and Marco bragging about their talents. Then, Gilbert said something about the SSI students. Margit chimed in and said something about us. I hear Cwenhild say 'Oh come on, Mar-GIT!'. I also heard her say something else, and she mentioned Lucrezia there. I also heard Augustine mentioning Lucrezia, and I heard Fulvia mentioning me, Constantino and computers. After that, I saw Margit and Gilbert walking away," After hearing Octa's report, the other Lucrezia students gaped in shock. Suddenly, Arale raised her hand. "I think we'll need a witness for this, and maybe either Gilbert or Margit will be the reliable witness," she said. "So... We should call them?" Alex said doubtfully. Arale nodded.
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The next day, Alex and Figlia called Gilbert and Margit to Lucrezia. Gilbert looked confused, while Margit looked scared. When they arrived at Lucrezia, they met Octa, Haris, Tessa, and Arale. "So... What did you say yesterday?" Tessa asked. "Wait. If you know what are we talking about yesterday, doesn't that mean you're eavesdropping?" Gilbert asked. The Lucrezia students froze. Haris trembled. Finally, Octa spoke up. "I passed by the SSI two days ago. I heard you were talking, so I decided to stay a little while. I'm sorry for what I did," he said. "It doesn't matter. I only said that SSI has talented students, and I'm neutral," Gilbert replied. The Lucrezia students looked relieved. "And what about you, Margit?" Tessa asked, trying not to look intimidating to the trembling girl. "W-well... M-my friends were b-bragging a-and I t-told them n-not to s-say bad t-thing about y-you g-guys..." Margit stuttered. "I-i said... Y-you are our n-neighbors... A-and we s-should l-love our n-neighbors... As we l-love o-ourselves..." She continued. The Lucrezia students gaped at Margit's words. Suddenly, Figlia hugged her. "Well, Margit Rosenblom, thanks for your words. It's really true that we should love our neighbors as we love ourselves. And thanks for your avowal, Gilbert." Figlia said. "Your welcome," replied Margit and Gilbert. Then, they waved goodbye and left.
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When she saw Margit and Gilbert walking out of Lucrezia, a SSI student named Verity was curious. She, like Gilbert, was also neutral in the rivalry, but thoughts started flooding her mind, and she grew worried. So, she approached them and asked in a slightly worried tone, "What are you doing in Lucrezia?" Gilbert told the whole story because Margit started trembling. "Oh, thank God you're both okay," Verity said. "About that commotion, I was there too. But I was watching from far away nobody notices me. Suddenly, a thought struck my mind, since when did the rivalry between SSI and Lucrezia started?" She continued. "Yeah, that question has been troubling me too," answered Gilbert. "What about we ask the Lucrezia students?" He suggested. "Agree!" Verity said. "And Margit, do you want to go with us or stay in here? I can call Madison if you want to," Verity said. Madison is Margit's older sister who is in SSI's senior high school. "I'm going with you," Margit stated firmly. "Let's go," said Gilbert. Verity and Margit followed him.
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"So... Since when did the rivalry between SSI and Lucrezia begin?" Gilbert asked. It was quiet for a few seconds, then Arale raised her hand. "Yes, Arale?" Verity replied. "Well, a long time ago, in 1950, Lucrezia was built by a woman named Lucrezia Moretti. At that time, being Capulet's only public school, Lucrezia was successful. However, Miss Moretti's brother, Giovanni Moretti, grew jealous. So, in 1958 he started the Sapientia, Scientia et Intellectus, or SSI. It means Wisdom, Knowledge and Understanding in Latin. As time passed by, SSI overshadowed Lucrezia. Some SSI students started spreading rumors about Lucrezia." Arale paused for a while. "Do you want to know who they are?" She asked. Everyone nodded. "The most notable rumor-spreading SSI students are Arthur Kretschmer, Eduard Fenton, Jozef Zwingli, Heidi Jansson, Merida Adnan, and Jesabel Houtman," Arale continued. "I recognize Arthur, Eduard, and Jozef. By the way, isn't the mayor's wife's name Heidi Carvell? And isn't Adnan Merida Jovanovic's maiden name? And I've also ever heard that Jesabel was the name of Kristoff Sonderlund's wife." Figlia said. Arale nodded. "Yes, you're correct. Heidi Jansson married Lud Carvell and became the mayor's wife. Merida Adnan married Ezra Jovanovic and became an actress. Jesabel Houtman married Kristoff Sonderlund, and she became the mother of Fulvia and Constantino Sonderlund." Arale said. Gilbert, Verity, and Margit froze. They didn't know that their school and friends had such a history. "Does their children know this?" Verity asked. Arale thought for a while. "I'm not so sure, but I think they didn't know about this," she said. "Should we... Tell them?" Margit said, doubtfully. "MARGIT!" Verity nearly screamed. "They'll kill us for it!" She continued, exasperated. "I don't think it's a smart choice to tell them about that, they'll eventually find out," said Gilbert. "Agree," said Verity.
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Days passed, and now is the time for the competition. There were five competitions: sports, informatics engineering, music, art, and photography. The participants for sports competition are Marco Kretschmer from SSI and Tyrone Fogelmanis from Lucrezia. The participants for informatics engineering competition are Augustine Fenton from SSI and Toris Vuk from Lucrezia. The participants for music competition are Fulvia Sonderlund from SSI and Rey Nordegren from Lucrezia. The participants for art competition are Gomentrude Reichensperger from SSI and Arale Levoisier from Lucrezia. The participants for photography competition are Heinz Peter Kunz from SSI and Braxton Dupree from Lucrezia. Everyone is excited for the competition. The SSI students kept on bragging. "I'm very sure I'll defeat li'l Arale from Lucrezia in the art competition," Gomentrude bragged. "Of course you will, Gommie," said her best friend, Allegra. "Tyrone Fogelmanis got nothing against the great Marco Kretschmer!" Marco bragged. Everyone laughed, even the neutral students such as Gilbert and Verity. But the neutral students laughed not because they want to diss the Lucrezia students, but because they find Marco's actions to be funny.
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In Lucrezia, things were different. "I wonder how can I defeat Auggie Fenton from SSI," Toris said gloomily. "Hey, you don't call him Auggie! He gets mad everytime you call him that!" Figlia said. "Nevermind. I DESPISE him," Toris replied. "Don't worry Toris, just believe in yourself," said Tessa. "If you believe that you'll win and you try your best to win, you're already a winner mentally," Figlia added. "Thanks, guys. You're really my true friends," Toris said. "Of course we are!" Alex chimed in, and then everybody laughed.
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Now, the participants were already at the Capulet City Hall, ready to compete. All the students of SSI and Lucrezia were there. They were anxious to watch the competition. The first competition was sports. The participants will have to throw the ball to the ring without missing as many times as possible in 5 minutes. So, Marco and Tyrone began throwing the ball to the ring. Marco missed 11 times, but Tyrone missed only 7 times. The Lucrezia students clapped their hands for Tyrone's achievement. Some SSI students (among them are Gilbert, Verity and Margit) also clapped their hands.
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The second competition was informatics engineering. The participants will have to make a robot according to the instruction manual given, and their time is only 45 minutes. At first, both participants looked calm at first, but after 20 minutes, Augustine began to look frustrated, while Toris still looked calm. 10 minutes later, Augustine is struggling to connect some parts of the robot, while Toris is almost done. Finally, when the time left was only 8 minutes, Toris was done. Augustine was shocked at this. Then, the Lucrezia students clapped their hands. Augustine turned out to be more shocked when he saw some of his schoolmates clapping their hands.
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The third competition was music. The participants will have to compose a song in an hour. Fulvia arrogantly walked to the piano, trying to look calm, but she's actually worried. She glanced at Rey, who was still calm. Rey smiled at her. Fulvia's mind is now a mess. "Is Fulvia okay? She looked so worried." Cwenhild whispered to Dyre. "It troubles me too. Usually the prodigy of music didn't act like this," Dyre whispered back to Cwenhild. A few minutes later, the two girls were already gossiping. Meanwhile, Fulvia frustratedly banged the piano keys and Rey is still calm, gracefully pressing the piano keys, making a melody out of it. When the time is up, Rey is done with her song, while Fulvia was just randomly pressing the piano keys hoping to compose a song out of it. The Lucrezia students and some SSI students clapped their hands. Rey smiled proudly at them, while Fulvia shot them an angry, bitter glare.
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The fourth competition was art. The participants will have to pain a landscape painting in 75 minutes. Gomentrude smirked. She knew what to paint, while Arale is just being her usual quiet, behind-the-scene self. Gomentrude began to paint the landscape of Paris at the evening. Arale painted the landscape of Mount Kilimanjaro. After an hour, Arale was done, while Gomentrude was still struggling to erase an unwanted spot at her painting because she didn't paint carefully. When time is up, the unwanted spot at Gomentrude's painting was just erased, while Arale calmly gave her painting to the judge. The Lucrezia students, and some SSI students, clapped their hands. Tears pooled in Gomentrude's eyes. She then ran back to the audience seat, crying.
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The last competition was photography. The participants submitted the photographs about professions they took a few days ago. Heinz Peter's photographs were about a CEO, while Braxton's photographs were about a teacher. As the judge examined their photographs, he smiled at Braxton's photographs. Heinz Peter frowned in disbelief at this. He adjusted his glasses and said, "Sir, I've gone to my uncle's office to take pictures of the CEO there, and it's no easy task. But why does you value Braxton Dupree's photographs which are about a teacher in a public school, which may be taken without effort?". "Mr. Kunz, Braxton Dupree's photographs seemed like it had a special aura in it. Your photographs are just mainstream photographs of a CEO who just seem to be relaxing instead of working, while Mr. Dupree's photographs are special photographs of a public school teacher who dedicated her life on educating her students." The judge replied. Braxton smiled. "Thanks, Sir," he said. "I feel very appreciated in this," he continued. Heinz peter looked at him with an unpleasant face. He then walked away, just like a presidential candidate who had just lost the election. The students of Lucrezia clapped their hands, and a few SSI students clapped as well.
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When the participants from Lucrezia were awarded with trophies, the SSI participants looked away in shame. "This is unbelievable," said Augustine. "I've never lost a competition like this." "Well, apparently the judge doesn't appreciate my hard work," Heinz Peter added. "If only they gave more time," Gomentrude said gloomily, "I've won." "I thought Rey Nordegren knew nothing of music," Fulvia angrily added, "And she turned out to beat me!" A few minutes later, the SSI students ranted about the Lucrezia students. But, Marco kept quiet. "What happened to you, Marco?" Wolfram asked. "Screw that git Tyrone Fogelmanis," Marco replied angrily. "Marco! You weren't supposed to say those words!" Margit chimed in. "Back off, Mar-GIT," Marco said. "Mar-GIT," Fulvia repeated, cynically. Margit walked away sadly. Gilbert and Verity stared with a poker face.
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Not noticed by her friends, Margit walked out of the Capulet City Hall. It was dark and raining. Margit wiped the tears that spilled out of her eyes. "Is it even wrong to stand up for the Lucrezia students? Is it wrong if I want this interscholastic rivalry to end?" Margit thought. She found a bench, and sat there sobbing.
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Suddenly, Margit felt someone put their hand on her back. So, she decided to look up. It was Tessa. "Tessa..." Margit said. "Yes, Margit? Don't cry, I'm here for you," Tessa replied. "Tessa, IS IT WRONG IF I STAND UP FOR THE LUCREZIA STUDENTS?" Margit nearly screamed. "IS IT WRONG IF I WANT THIS INTERSCHOLASTIC RIVALRY TO END?" Tessa hugged the sobbing Margit and said, "It's totally not wrong. Most of the students in Lucrezia wanted this rivalry to end. And, you know what, Gilbert and Verity are neutral because they are sick of this rivalry and they don't want to take part in it? The same goes for other neutral students," Margit looked at Tessa in awe. "I feel better now," she said. "Thanks, Tessa," she continued. Tessa hugged Margit again. "It's okay. The Lucrezia students will also stand up for you," she said. Margit hugged her back and said, "Thanks a lot. Now I gotta go. Bye!" Tessa waved as Margit walked away.
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The next day, Margit came up with a petition about the rivalry between SSI and Lucrezia. Whoever wanted this rivalry to end must sign the petition. Most Lucrezia students signed it, including Alex, Octa, Haris, Tessa, Arale, and Figlia. Some SSI students signed it, including Gilbert and Verity. Then, they showed this petition to Marco, Augustine, Wolfram, Cwenhild, Dyre, and Fulvia. They also showed it to other SSI students. For sure, they were shocked. "I've never thought this many people want the rivalry to end," said Augustine. "Me too," said Dyre. "I thought most people wanted the rivalry to keep going until one of us won." "Maybe this rivalry is useless, after all," said Cwenhild. "Well, it seems we have to make up with the Lucrezia students, then," said Fulvia. "Agree!" Marco said, putting his thumb in the air. "Wolfram, you'll be our representative to make it up to them, okay?" He continued. Wolfram looked unwilling at first, but he took a deep breath and said, "To all students of Lucrezia, and some students of SSI. We're sorry for starting the rivalry between our schools. We're sorry to spread nasty rumors about you. We promise not to do it again. Now, let's be friends, and end this rivalry." He paused for a while. "I would also like to say thank you to Margit Rosenblom. She is the one who is brave enough to end this rivalry. Let's clap hands for Margit!" Wolfram continued his speech. Margit's face was red. "Thank you, thank you!" She said. "I never thought people would appreciate me like this," "Well, you deserve to be appreciated," Dyre said. She hugged Margit. Margit hugged her back. Everyone witnessed this moment happily. Gilbert and Verity smiled. Augustine took his phone and captured the moment by taking pictures. The Lucrezia students also smiled. "Hey guys, since this is a big moment for all of us, why don't we just take a selfie?" Tessa suggested. "Good idea!" Cwenhild said. "But there are too many people here!" Wolfram said. "I have an idea," said Arale. "Why don't we just take an automatic camera and take our selfie with it?" "Genius!" Marco said. "But who has an automatic camera here?" Augustine raised his hand. "I have," he said. "Then take it!" Cwenhild said. "Okay! Be right back!" Augustine ran as fast as he can, getting his automatic camera.
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When Augustine got his automatic camera, they set a timer on it and placed it in front of them. The Lucrezia and SSI students lined up, and the automatic camera took a picture of them. When the picture is done, they took a look at it. Marco said, "This is a fantastic picture, let's print it!" "Agree!" The other students said in unison. And they went to the photo studio to print it, fifteen copies for each student (there are Marco, Augustine, Wolfram, Cwenhild, Dyre, Fulvia, Alex, Octa, Haris, Tessa, Arale, Figlia, Margit, Gilbert, and Verity).
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After the picture is printed, the 56-years-long rivalry between Lucrezia and SSI has officially ended. The students of both schools lived in harmony with each other. They are all good friends, and whenever one has a difficulty, others wouldn't hesitate to help. Now, Capulet is a peaceful, harmonious city.
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