The first day of final exams had arrived.
Math.
Anna Anderson — Roll No. 11 — sat nervously at her desk. Right behind her sat Oliver Walker — Roll No. 12.
Because of their roll numbers, they were seated one behind the other for every exam.
The question papers were distributed.
Anna read the first few questions. Easy.
Then she reached a long algebra problem.
Her mind went blank.
She tried solving it, but the numbers didn't make sense. She could feel the pressure building in her chest.
Behind her, Oliver was writing confidently. Math was his strongest subject.
After some time, he noticed Anna hadn't turned her page in a while.
Gently, he tapped his pen twice on the desk — a small signal.
Anna didn't turn around, but she knew it was him.
When the teacher walked to the other side of the class, Oliver slowly whispered, "Check question 5… use the second formula."
Anna's heart started beating fast.
She quickly looked at the formula section again.
Second formula.
Oh.
She understood.
He didn't give her the answer.
He just reminded her how to solve it.
Anna solved the sum herself this time.
For the rest of the exam, she felt more confident.
When the bell rang, Oliver leaned forward slightly.
"Roll 11," he teased softly, "you look stressed for nothing."
Anna smiled a little.
"Thank you… Roll 12," she replied.
It was a small moment.