Emma took her usual spot at the back of the classroom.
People always sat at the back of the classroom so they wouldn't be caught by the teacher if they weren't paying attention.
Emma just felt more comfortable studying from the back instead of being all the way at the front, where the watchful eyes of the other students bore into her.
One by one, the other students came filing into the classroom as, taking their places at their usual seats.
Mr. Boldman, their Spanish teacher, came strolling in with his leather suitcase in hand. He placed he bag on his desk and straightened his glasses.
Instead of making the whole class stand to greet him like they normally would've, he made everyone stay in their seats.
A girl came walking into the classroom slowly, her eyes fixated on the floor.
Emma noticed the jet black hair and emerald green eyes almost instantly. She realised it was the girl she had hit earlier, the guilt overwhelming her immediately.
"Class, this is our new student, Olivia Michelle Jauregui. Please show her your warmest forms of welcome and we can get started with the lesson."
Olivia Jauregui. Olivia Fucking Jauregui. The girl Emma had hit just happened to be the same girl that had helped her out in the bathroom, the same girl that she was unexpectedly falling for.
Could her day get any worse?
Emma's self-directed question was answered soon enough.
When the whole class was done introducing themselves — Emma excluded, because she chose not to — Mr. Boldman pointed to the seat beside her.
"You can sit there at the back of the class. I'm sorry but it's the only available seat we've got," he said.
Olivia looked at the back of the classroom and her eyes met Emma's, before looking away quickly.
She was probably afraid that something bad might happen to her. Emma felt another pang of guilt wash over her.
Olivia gulped. "N-No, it's fine, I can sit there," she willed herself to walk towards the empty seat and placed her bag on the floor, taking out her textbook and opening it to the page Mr. Boldman had written on the board.
She kept her eyes fixated on the board and the teacher, sometimes scribbling down notes in her textbook.
Emma, on the other hand, couldn't pay attention at all.
How had it been that the girl she liked had to be the same girl she had to act like she hated?
"Class, turn to page 135 of your textbooks." Mr. Boldman instructed pausing to look around the classroom.
His eyes landed on Olivia.
"Ms. Jauregui, could you do us a favour and read the poem out for us?"
The green-eyed girl nodded and stood up.
Bella,
como en la piedra fresca
del manantial, el agua
abre un ancho relámpago de espuma,
así es la sonrisa en tu rostro,
bella. [Translation: Lovely one,
just as on the cool stone
of the spring, the water
opens a wide flash of foam,
so is the smile of your face,
lovely one.]
Bella,
de finas manos y delgados pies
como un caballito de plata,
andando, flor del mundo,
así te veo,
bella. [Translation: Lovely one,
with delicate hands and slender feet
like a silver pony,
walking, flower of the world,
thus I see you,
lovely one.]
Bella,
con un nido de cobre enmarañado
en tu cabeza, un nido
color de miel sombría
donde mi corazón arde y reposa,
bella. [Translation: Lovely one,
with a nest of copper entangled
on your head, a nest
the color of dark honey
where my heart burns and rests,
lovely one.]
Mr. Boldman raised his hand, a signal to let Olivia know she could stop. Olivia bowed slightly and sat down, not noticing the rest of the class staring at her in awe.
"Ms. Cabello, would you please continue from where Ms. Jauregui left off?" Emma realised he hasn't used her first name; and she was thankful for that. It was probably better if Olivia didn't know who she really was just yet.
She stood up and read the poem, just as Olivia previously had.
Bella,
no te caben los ojos en la cara,
no te caben los ojos en la tierra.
Hay países, hay ríos,
en tus ojos,
mi patria está en tus ojos,
yo camino por ellos,
ellos dan luz al mundo
por donde yo camino,
bella. [Translation:
Lovely one,
your eyes are too big for your face,
your eyes are too big for the earth.
There are countries, there are rivers,
in your eyes,
my country as In your eyes,
I walk through them,
they light the world
through which I walk,
lovely one.]
Bella,
tus senos son como dos panes hechos
de tierra cereal y luna de oro,
bella. [Translation: Lovely one,
your breasts are like two loaves made of grainy earth and golden moon, lovely one.]
Emma felt her cheeks flush as she read that stanza of the poem, but she urged herself to go on.
Bella,
tu cintura
la hizo mi brazo como un río cuando
pasó mil años por tu dulce cuerpo,
bella. [Translation: Lovely one,
your waist,
my arm shaped it like a river when
it flowed a thousand years through your sweet body,
lovely one.]
Mr. Boldman stopped her as well, nodding his head in approval. "Ms. Jauregui, Ms. Jensen, the two of you have exceptional traces of Spanish. Do you come from Spanish blood, perhaps?" he questioned. He two girls nodded at the same time.
"I'm Cuban-Mexican," Emma answered, Olivia speaking right after her.
"I'm Cuban-American," Mr. Boldman nodded his head once more in approval.
"That's a pleasure to hear, girls. I'll read the rest of the poem, thank you for reading the first half of it," he commended.
The bell signalling five minutes to the end of the period rang just as their teacher finished analysing the rest of the poem.
Mr. Boldman sighed. "Well, it seems like I wouldn't be getting much else done today. Right, as students taking Spanish Literature, I expect you to be able to dissect and annotate the other poems yourselves. So, here's this week's homework. You will be in pairs and have to do a review on this poem based on what we've done in class today."
One by one, Mr. Boldman struck off the names of the students he had already assigned a partner to. Before he knew it, he was only left with the names of two girls.
Olivia Jauregui and Emma Jensen.
He closed his notebook and looked at the two girls. "Well, it seems like the two of you will be paired up together. I hope you do take good care of her, Ms. Jensen. Show her around school, make her feel comfortable, yeah?"
Emma nodded.
"Very well," Mr. Boldman turned his attention back to the rest of the class. "Class dismissed,"
The students streamed out of the classroom and went their separate ways.
"So," Emma turned to Olivia, a wave of confidence coming over her.
"Would you like to come over today to get started on this project?"