Chapter 1: Old Acquaintances
A/N- The images used are not mine. They are either made in Canva or taken from Google. This is my first story, and I made it for fun. (Some scenes may or may not be based on the author's personal experiences.)
??? P.O.V.
6:15 am
"...and because of that, I expect all of you to strive for academic excellence.."
I wonder if joining this class was a mistake. I mean, I know some of these people but..
"..to focus only on your studies and no che.."
Why did I do this again? I don't know if I can handle this kind of pressure...
"...show that you ARE the cream of the crop in this school, and.."
I'm not close with anyone here! Why did I even leave my friends for this class??
"..passing works are just that, passing."
Ah. Of course, how could I forget? My main motivator for everything..
"...only the best efforts made are to be appreciated."
Spite.
"..for now, let's start with the introductions."
Third Person P.O.V.
In a class occupied by thirty-six students, a woman can be seen talking at the front of the room holding a large pink folder. The atmosphere was tense, as the students eyed each other with judgement.
The woman introduced herself as their class adviser, and wrote her name on the board-
Ms. Elle, it said.
"...and if you have any questions, ask. Right, next is-"
The teacher finished, with her finger pointed at the student sitting at the end of the first row from her right.
The teen stood up and said, "My name is Benjamin, but call me Ben. I'm 16, and I love to play basketball as well as video games."
Ms. Elle suddenly raised her hand and made a halt motion, so the student was forced to remain standing.
"What was the reason you joined this class?" she asked, as she flipped through her pink folder. The sound of paper rustling can be heard in the very quiet classroom.
??? P.O.V.
This is stupid. I shouldn't have skipped breakfast. I can't even eat secretly during this time. The smell would be obvious in this air-conditioned room. Sigh.
"..is interesting they said and I asked my..."
Maybe the rules aren't strict...? I mean it's just the first day of class, Ms. Elle wouldn't be that uptight. Besides, I'm at the back. Small bites would do.
"...skills can be improved upon, and I think.."
I should bring coffee, too. I'm starting to feel sleepy. Shit. I hate Mondays.
"What are you..?" A sudden whisper from my right side sent a shock down my spine.
As I turn my head to look, a girl with long hair and very long nails stared at me in confusion.
"You..." she started.
I raised my eyebrow at her, daring her to tell on me and continued eating. She gestured to my hunched form and whispered, "You look obvious like that, and it's starting to smell."
I shrugged off her comment. And carefully maneuvered the bag on my lap, as to not spill the food inside. When I was about to open my mouth for the next bite,
"What's your name?" She asked, as she scrolled through her phone...
Is that YouTube??
"Shouldn't you offer yours first..?" I whispered back as she casually liked a comment from a video-
"I can smell your breath, it stinks"
Off to a great start, I'll say.
??? P.O.V.
6:50 am
I'm not shy. I do just fine during Recitations. I am NOT hindering myself intentionally.
People these days assume you're quietness means just that, ugh. Thanks for the unnecessary lecture, Mom.
"..you Gab. Next is..."
How long is this going to be? It's been almost an hour, and we're still on the second row. I want to finish my turn already.
I don't like feeling my heart beating fast, and no Mom... it's normal to feel panic because I want to impress!
Breathe in. Breathe out.
Something interesting about me that's not common. It should make me mysterious but still approachable,
Breathe in. Breathe out.
Ms. Elle and that pink folder of hers looks intimidating. I should try academic answers for my reasons in joining.
Breathe in-
...what is that smell??
I slowly leaned back on my chair, and turned my head to the left. Pulling my grey jacket closer to myself, I casually inspected my surroundings. Wait...
Is that Charlie? I mean I'm not surprised that she'd join, but why is she reading that so early in the morning?
"....yes Anna? Why are you raising your hand?"
I looked back to the front, and saw-
Third Person P.O.V.
7:55 am
The seats are positioned into four rows and nine columns, with a split in the middle to make space for walking. Five columns on the teacher's right and four from her left.
The chairs on both sides are closely packed together, and this arrangement made the students sigh in relief.
The classroom seems to be decorated in heavy pink. Pink walls, pink bookshelves, pink curtains, and other hanging pink objects. Some former classmates suddenly felt a wave of nostalgia,
But a sudden foreboding made itself known..
'Not another one.' They thought.
"Almost two hours have past, I see. That's alright since this will be your last year here, it's only proper to really get to know your peers." Ms. Elle said, as she counts the heads present in class.
'Thirty-five. Only this time will I allow such behavior. Going to the restroom should be done before the first class, Ms. Anna.' The teacher thought with a frown on her face.
"And now let's proceed with the nomination of Class Officers..."
-
9:05 am
Five minutes have past after homeroom ended. The students we're waiting for the next teacher to come in and start their second class, when a girl wearing large round glasses spoke up from the front...
"Does anyone here have like a mobile hotspot? What's the password? I want to connect."
'Shameless.' One student thought as he eyed their classmate, Charlie.
"I have that. Sure, Ms. President!" A teen pipes in from the third row with a smile on his face, as he waves her over.
He tells her, and the others, that the limit is upto six devices. And that it's fine to want access to the net for the whole day.
A group of three friends from the second row eyed the scene with distaste. "I don't like him." The girl with the black slingbag commented to the group.
"You haven't even talked to the guy, Amy. Maybe he's just that generous?"
Amy's P.O.V.
"...just that generous?" Ava suggested, with a look of contemplation on her face.
"That's not what I meant." I said dryly, but it would be a lie if I said I didn't think of that.
He reminded me of someone with that kind of attitude. "His whole demeanor screams pathetic." I added.
Megan, my childhood friend, stares at me and said, "Explain." As I was about to, the door to the classroom suddenly opened with a bang. And all eyes turned to the front.
Oh no. It's him.
I quickly eyed my former classmates and, lo and behold, I see Oscar making that stupid grinning face of his. Unsurprisingly, a tense atmosphere enveloped the room.
"I thought it was just a rumor..." Megan whispered, as she quickly hid her phone.
Some of the new students seem to be confused of the situation. Well, they'll learn soon enough anyways.
"Just a reminder, I don't appreciate not being referred to by my name." The man stresses as he casually walks to the front of the room, holding two metal rods in one hand and purple curtains on the other.
"Past is in the past. Let's start over shall we?"
A pause,
"That is... if you don't have a problem with me being your English teacher." He said.
No one spoke. I glanced at my phone to see that only ten minutes have passed since the first class. Dammit. To think, three hours of this twice in a week...
Gab's P.O.V.
9:15 am
It's too early for this shit. And why me? I thought to myself, as I walk my way to the front to get the two metal rods. While Ben got a hold of the purple curtains.
"Be careful! I bought that, and it's not cheap you brats!"
Yeah, yeah. Did he seriously think we- no, I guess he's paranoid. I glanced at Oscar's group and... that's fair.
"Why are we even doing this??" Ben whispered next to me. As we replaced Ms. Elle's pink curtains with the purple ones, I glanced at him and said...
"Don't be stupid, Ben. It's not like you to ask the obvious."
He rolled his eyes in response, "You know how Judy is." True.
"Well, some of her info can be reliable. And can you fix your grip on the chair! If I fell I am going to purposely land on you." I threatened, as I carefully shifted my weight on the chair.
Stupid curtains for being high up on the wall.
"Just because he likes purple-" I cut Ben off with a tap on the shoulder and quickly finished the task. When we were about to head back to our seats, I gave him a look.
'Later.'
He nodded in response.
Hopefully, it's just introductions for today and maybe even-
"...now that that's settled, we'll start the day with a mock exam. So class,"
I spoke too soon. Damn, purple enthusiast.
