I make it to the planetarium fifteen minutes before class starts. Pik and I are not allowed to sit next to each other today so we leave an empty chair between us and go over our notes for the remaining time.

"What is the distance between Earth and the center of the Milky Way?" Pik quizzes me.

"25,000 light years."

"And what is at the center?"

"A black hole and Sagittarius A*."

"I'm impressed, that second part wasn't even on the flashcard."

"I memorized little facts about each answer with the hopes of receiving some extra credit," I say proudly and exhale slowly. I'm getting pretty nervous now. "Hey, what time is it? I've already turned my phone off so..."

He looks at his phone's lock screen, his wallpaper is a photo of himself with a blonde actress, dressed as Drew and Sherrie from the musical Rock of Ages.

"It's 5.54," he reads the time.

"Do you mind watching my stuff for a minute? I want to run to the bathroom before class starts."

"Sure, just be back before 6 PM," he laughs.

"Trust me, I will never be late again."

There is a bathroom right around the corner of the hallway so it's not a far walk at all. It's empty, I sigh in relief. For a few seconds I simply stand in front of the mirror, telling myself it'll be fine. I studied hard enough, I've memorized every question and every page from the textbook. Deep breaths. Deep... breaths... I shut my eyes and go over the flashcards burned into my memory. I've got this. I tell myself over and over until only a minute remains until the beginning of class.

After splashing some cold water in my face I return to the planetarium just seconds before Professor Astor follows inside and shuts the door behind him. Sooga and Khoga are already handing out the exam, face down, while the professor makes his way to the center of the room.

I exchange a look of dread and anxiety for a soothing look from Pik. "Good luck," he mouths. I gulp and he smiles. How can he be so calm?

"Plagiarism or cheating of any kind will not be tolerated. You may receive an F in this course and are likely to face immediate and permanent expulsion," Professor Astor warns his students in a dry tone. "There are ten different exams so don't bother copying from your neighbor. If you disturb the class during the test you will be asked to leave and your paper will be graded the way it is at that very moment. When you're done you may turn in the paper and leave the room quietly. You have two hours, 70 questions. Black and blue ink only. You may start."

My heart must be racing faster than Earth can spin. I fill out my name and the date and turn the page to the first question. I only have to read the first three words to know the answer, but I read the whole question anyway, just to be sure. No multiple choice. That's fine, I've got this. Next question. Pik and I have practiced this one so many times, he had a feeling the professor would ask this. And so it goes on, question after question, and my confidence is rising like the sun on Jupiter. I have a pretty good feeling about this.

Time goes by and the professor and Khoga are keeping a close eye on everyone. Where did the big guy go? No, I can't let myself get distracted. I can feel my concentration dwindling, stay focused!

"60 minutes," the professor informs the class.

I turn to the fourth page. 10 questions and one hour left. If I can finish this and review it within the next fifteen minutes I can watch the final minutes of Link's game. Argh, I'm getting distracted again. Sports is not my priority right now. Question number 60... I have to draw the different types of galaxies for this one. I bet Pik will make it look like an artwork. I look over to him, he notices it and sends me a smile along with a wink. No distractions, my eyes return to my exam.

Suddenly, a familiar sound fills the silent room and my heart stands still. It's coming from my backpack. I drop my pen in horror. It's my phone, it's ringing! How is this possible? I turned it off!

My hand dives into my backpack and pulls out the vibrating phone. Unknown caller. Hastily and with an uncontrollable tremble, I slide my finger across the screen to turn the power off.

"Miss Hyrule," the professor snarls, standing in front of me no less scary than the reaper himself.

"It-it-it was turned off!" I stutter, the blood drained from my face.

"Get out," he takes my unfinished exam away from me.

"N-no, please, I- I'm sorry, please," I beg.

"You are disturbing the class. Leave now, don't utter another word."

A thousand thoughts flood my head and form two sides of an argument; speak or leave. I can't just leave, I will not get that 100 if he grades my test like that. But if I argue with him he might take more points off or even report to Father that I disobeyed a teacher. What should I do? Everyone is staring. My palms are sweaty, I feel light headed, room's spinning, try to keep my balance. I'm numb, choking. My chest hurts.

I look at Pik for comfort but he is the one person in the room who's not paying attention to me.

"Do I have to call security?" the professor's pale lips curl into a sinister smile and I shake my head.

When I grab my stuff I can see how visibly my hands are shaking but I can't get them to stop.

I know I turned my phone off. Ever since Impa called me that one time during biology I made sure my phone was always muted at the least. This shouldn't have happened.

I step out into the hallway where I'm greeted by painful silence. My chest is rapidly falling up and down and for some reason I'm waiting for Pik to storm through these doors any second now. But he doesn't. He is taking an important exam, of course he won't be here. I would hate for him to give up his grade just to calm my nerves.

Oh for the love of Hylia, what am I going to do?

I walk in small circles and claw my scalp. Technically it doesn't matter since I won't be studying biology anyway and don't have to prove anything anymore. But Father will be furious anyway. It's not just a low grade, it's a low grade due to incompletion. Perhaps I will still receive an 80 and that's all he will see when checking my grades. An 80? I've never received a grade so low! I can't--I can't breathe! I need to get out of here.

I practically sprint  through the light rain all the way to the stadium, and straight into the tunnel where I stop and pant. I remain standing here, looking over the soccer field from the shadows of the exit. There he is, in top shape, running across the lawn with the ball to his feet. He is unbothered by the rain and plays as good as anyone would expect.

Seeing Link wakes two feelings within my hammering heart; comfort and angst. When I look at him, it's like coming home, it's an amazing feeling of something safe and familiar, but with every step he takes toward the goal and with every cheer of his name from the fans I sink deeper into the misery of disappointing my father and the school with my recurring streak of failure.

He is the epitome of dedication. Like a soldier he doesn't ask questions, he doesn't defy, he just satisfies everyone who puts their faith in him. Maybe I shouldn't have come. I need to fix myself first and--

A sudden blow of boos and shouts tears me away from my thoughts and causes me to catch up with the game. An Eagle got fouled but it wasn't Link, thankfully. I couldn't take him getting hurt on top of everything that is going on.

Link walks away from the opponent's goal, rubbing the sweat off his impassive face with the bottom of his jersey. When he lifts it up to dry his forehead, his abs show and a great portion of the fans share their joy in screams so loud that my throat cringes at the thought of producing such sounds. At least it's taking my mind off the inevitable failure of the exam I've been preparing for for days on end...

Link stops where the referee placed the ball. I think our team is getting a penalty. Indeed, Link stands in front of the ball, concentrating on the goal. He takes a few steps back and prepares to run toward the ball. That's when, out of nowhere, his eyes are pulled to me. I hold half the breath I took and quickly wipe the tears. He saw me... Among all these people he always seems to find me.

His warrior expression turns into a frown when he sees me wiping my cheeks. Maybe he'll think these are rain drops? No, he's neither blind nor stupid... I keep on screwing up today... How selfish must one be to attend Link's game in such an awful mood. If I worry or distract him he will lose his focus, I can't do that to him.

This time the decision comes with ease. I'm leaving. I have to. I despise myself, can I not do a single thing right? I want to stop crying but I am no longer in control of my emotions. As I run away I turn around one last time and watch in shock as Link vaults over the low fence to follow me out of the stadium.

"What are you doing? Go back," I demand, pretending I wasn't a crying mess right now. I have to pull myself together and convince him that I'm fine so that he can go back free of worry. I don't want to be the reason he gets kicked off the soccer team for just leaving mid-game.

"What's wrong?" He's breathless.

I want to throw my arms around him and hug him as tightly as possible for running after me but my head is shouting hate speech at me for the same reason.

"You have to go back," I urge, pushing him toward the entrance with my weak arms.

"Zelda... Why are you crying?"

"Doesn't matter."

"It matters to me."

"You have an entire stadium waiting for you! You have to go back, Link."

He doesn't speak until I look at him with my eyes drenched in tears.

"Tell me what happened."

"Just go, please."

"Did somebody hurt you?" Anger takes over his features.

"No, I'm fine, really."

"Zelda, if somebody laid their hands on you--"

"It's nothing like that," I cry. I turn my back at him and seize the locket of my necklace. "I can't study biology anymore. Father told me so. And just now I got kicked out of my exam..."

He looks surprised but even more worried. He wants to place his hand on my cheek but I jerk away, shaking my head frantically. "We can't do this right now. You have to go back to the game!"

I run off, not knowing where to go, but Link's hand grabs a hold of my wrist before I can really distance myself from him. My skin is wet from the rain and I slip right out of his grip, ultimately landing on the muddy lawn. My knees and face are splattered in mud as I look up at him. I don't even care if I get wet or if my clothes get soiled, I just want this awfully strong awareness of pain and fear to go away. I am overreacting and ruining Link's life with my constant drama.

He steps closer and kneels before me, his head tilted and his eyes on me.

"How did it come to this?" I cry in a shaky voice and hide my face behind my icy hands.

This is really happening. For the first time it is really hitting me... My dreams are dead, just like that... When Father told me I would no longer be studying biology I clung to the hope that I could change his mind but Impa was right... He will never allow me to pursue my dream career. There is no going back and no fixing it.

"Everything... Everything I've done up until now... It was all for nothing." I look back up at him, tears streaming down my face. "So I really am just a failure!"

Today I managed to screw up everything... Mipha, my exam, Link's game...

"My friends, the entire school, and my father most of all..." my breaths are sharp and fleeting as my voice turns into a feeble whisper. "I tried and I failed them all..."

I fall into Link's arms, wishing the rain would wash away not only my tears but the pain they hold. He wraps his arms around me and rubs my back as I nuzzle my head into his collarbone. My breath calms nearly instantly and the tears slow down.

Impa is my best friend but she will never have the same effect on me as Link. She would, like Urbosa, try talking to my father, or tell me what I should do. I don't need that... I know my options, I know that there are ways to ease the pressure, but that's not what I want. I want to be able to bear the pressure and do what is expected of me, just like Link does every day.

"I studied so hard..." I tell him, my cheek pressed against his chest. "Only to be asked to leave after my phone rang. I turned it off, I know I did..."

I turned it off and put it into my backpack right before I went to the bathroom. Wait a second... I left the room right before the exam and Pik was watching my stuff... He knew where my phone was, what if he turned it on while I was gone? No, he wouldn't...

It's a possibility I don't dare consider. That's preposterous, Pik has no reason to do that. He helped me study, he sacrificed many hours to make sure I would get that 100, there is no way he would sabotage my grade like that... On the other hand, I know that the professor can't stand me and for some mysterious reason he fancies Pik. Is Pik not who I think he is? Do I really know him or is this all a big act of his?

This is not the right time to think about it.

"Link, I beg you, go back to your game," I try to send him away.

Their loss will be on me. If they don't win, they can't go to the nationals, which would result in a mass disappointment and tons of angry fans. This is what HU has been working toward for years now and Link is our only hope in defeating Lorule at the end of the season. I have already failed but he can still bring pride to Hyrule. But only if he returns to his duty now. If he stays here a second longer, loss will be on me and my incompetence.

"I'm not leaving," he says tenderly.

I back away slowly and give Link a soft smile. "Go back," I sniffle. He shakes his head. This is so unlike him. His greatest burden is the pressure of his fans, and by being here to calm me, I am making it all worse for him.

He has done more for me than he probably realizes. Without him, I would likely sit behind one of these buildings, crying in fear that somebody will see me. But reality is rarely as bad as it seems. Even though my exam didn't go as planned, I will still receive a passing grade for the 60 questions I answered.

It won't be a 100 but maybe Father will understand what happened when I tell him. He has been trying to be more considerate lately, perhaps he will go easy on me. Maybe he can even convince the professor to let me take the exam again or to give me some extra credit work to bump up my grade.

"I'll be fine, I promise," I say and mean it.

"Link," a deep voice calls from the parking lot next to us and we both turn to him. That's Link's assistant coach, if I'm not mistaken. "What are you doing? Get back in here!"

Link looks at me for approval before responding to his coach. I give him a reassuring smile. "I'll be fine, I feel much better thanks to you. Please go."

Link nods at his coach and waits for him to turn away, then his thumb brushes away the salty tears and kisses my cheek right there. After he gets to his feet he pulls me up, dreading to let go of my hand, but he must, and after giving me a shy smile, he lets go.

"I would stay and watch but I think it's best if I go. I have to get ready for Impa, she's coming over tonight."

I hope he doesn't ask why Impa is staying with me on a school night. I don't want any more people to know that it's my birthday. Fortunately, Link just nods as he always does, not asking any questions. He returns to his game and I walk toward my car. Hopefully Domidak got to substitute for a few minutes while Link was gone.

As I pass by the track I see Urbosa training her young athletes in the rain. She waves me over with a huge grin on her face.