The Best at It

Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of racism, bullying, and mental illness.

That night, Rahul cannot go to sleep. He’s replaying past conversations in his head, like Bhai asking him about Justin and his dad asking his mom if she sees the same thing about Rahul that he does. Rahul smiles when he thinks about Justin standing up against Brent, but he quickly tells himself that it’s because he wants to be like Justin. He imagines himself stronger, taller, and whiter.

The next morning at school, Justin finds Rahul to apologize for Brent’s behavior. Justin confesses that he was only embarrassed because he was so nervous about the audition. Rahul is surprised that someone like Justin gets nervous.

Rahul panics when he realizes that he forgot to do his math homework. Even though the first bell rings for class, he sits down in the hallway to complete it. He finishes at the second bell, and Justin tells him that his math skills are amazing.

After the last period, Rahul asks the math teacher, Mr. Hayden, if it’s too late to join Mathletes. Mr. Hayden says that he is glad to have him and is optimistic about the team’s chances to make it to the state championships.