After a grueling awkward lecture. Heinrich announced something before coldly glancing at Darren and leaving the classroom.
"Your next teacher will not be Mrs. Grundel because of an unexpected reason. There will be a replacement, who just got hired as a teacher here recently. Despite her age, she's a renowned teacher with connections to the school director, so don't you all dare act like a thug in front of her."
-------
After Heinrich left the classroom. The atmosphere suddenly turned 360 degrees. Some students threw papers at Nicole while shouting and laughing "How does Henny's sweaty palm felt like?"
Then a group of girls surrounded her and consulted her while arguing with the students who are throwing papers.
Nicole looked prideful as she looked back at her aggressor and retorted "I don't know Peter! I didn't feel anything earlier. Why don't you tell us instead how Mr. Michael's asshole felt like?"
The class went into an uproar and started shouting and chanting "Rebutt. Rebutt. Rebutt"
"Damn."
"Yeah. No shit. Told you she was a real piece of work. She's also the class representative, boosting her rep to another notch." Darren replied
The guy, Peter, the one who just got roasted. Was about to shout his reply, when the door slowly opened and the next teacher calmly walked in and headed towards the podium.
The room instantly transformed once again. It seems Heinrich' word had some weight in them after all.
It was once again very silent and everyone went back to their proper seats.
The new teacher closed her eyes and turned around before she started writing her name on the white board.
Each and everyone of my classmates, even Darren and the guy in the front, felt an uncomfortable vibe. All except for me. I was very excited while thinking about my future actions.
After Heinrich said 'despite her age' my first impression of the next teacher would be someone of old age already. Someone decrepit.
Who knew that it would actually be some familiar face I encountered one weird night.
"My name is Ms. Melton. Your new science teacher and School Journalism Head."
I thought to myself 'this day couldn't be more pleasant for me'
Ms. Melton looked at all her students scrutinizingly, and once her gaze landed on me, I saw both the the irises in her eyes widened for a second before returning to normal.
I smiled innocently at her in that brief moment but she casually ignored me and proceeded with her introductions.
She said something about tolerable ground rules during her lectures and some other stuff about the course outline of her lessons.
Then class went on for an hour without something as eventful as the last one happening.
------
After Ms. Melton's class, is break time. When her lecture ended, the class turned lively again as she packed her visual aids before heading out.
My classmates were having conversations with each of their groups. Except for the guy in the front, who was laying his head in the arm rest of his chair while a blonde girl is pulling him, urging him to come eat at the cafeteria with her.
I turned to Darren and saw him resting both his feet in the armrest while sipping from a juice box.
He was about to put on an earphone connected to his phone, when I called him and asked something that's been bugging me.
"Hey Darren. Heinrich said something about a reason why the last science teacher retired early? What was that about?"
"Ah. About that. Apparently, the school found out about Mrs. Grundel's affair with a student from this school. Why?"
"Nothing. Just got curious."
"That's a bad habit to develop in here buddy. You'd do good to mind your own shit. Not that it matters to me though."
Darren went ahead and put on his ear phones and played a song after getting another juice from his bag.
When I saw that Ms. Melton was about to leave the room. I stood up from my seat and decided to follow her.
"I'll go the bathroom. Want me to go get something for you along the way?" I asked Darren
"Nahh, I'm good."
As I was about to head towards the door, a group of girls approached me and started talking to me.
"Hey Ocho. Mind if we hang out for a bit?"
"Yeah. We'd like to know more about you."
I looked at their faces and replied "Sure. But it'll have to wait for later. I really need to go to the bathroom"
"Oh sure. Sorry about that."
I continued on my way out and saw Ms. Melton's back at the end of the hallway. I quickly approached her and called from behind her.
"Excuse me. Ma'am?"
As soon as she heard my voice, her body stiffened up and slowly turned back to me with an indifferent expression on her face.
"Yes? Can I help you?"
"Yes ma'am. I wanted to ask if Chacha was still wearing that strawberry lipstick. It was really bitter, I think it was already expir-"
"What do you want?"
Ms. Melton cut me off and looked at me threateningly. She knew the trouble I could bring to her if I ever decided to run my underaged mouth.
And just about now, she'd be desperate to shut me up. A perfect opportunity for me and my future plans.
I gave her a serious look and replied.
"Simple. You could just give me a copy of all the profiles of my classmates. And in exchange, I won't tell a soul about that night"
".....how do I know that you will keep your word?"
"You don't. This is not a gamble. You already have the risk, I'm just giving you a lifeline and a chance."
"I'm warning you-"
"Do we have a deal or not? Ms. Melton?"
We stared each other for a moment as she thought of her reply.
"I'm warning you, Sta. Maria. Do not break your word... Meet me at my office after school. Its the first one on the 5th floor of the faculty building. I would have already prepared the copies by then."
She said that before turning her back and slowly went away. Her words may seem simple, but the threat it contained could not be hidden.
She addressed me with my surname just to prove her dominance to me in terms of information.
--------
Everything was going perfectly well for me today. This was a very pleasant first day, so far. But it was about to turn for the worst.
As I was standing in front of a nearby bending machine, trying to pick a snack.
One of my classmate approached me from behind.
'Fuck. I forgot about this one.'
I said to him without turning back and looking at him "Didn't catch your name last time."
"....Levi, that's my name....and I want you to leave this place...permanently....I'm warning you." He said in a slow and sleepy low voice.
I turned my face towards him and smiled.
"Woah their, Levi. Slow down. If I remember correctly you were eyeing me so hard even back then. I don't even know who the hell you are."
".....You're dangerous... You're not supposed to be here..."
"Me? Dangerous? Tell that to our gang affiliated classmates."
"...I already checked the backgrounds of all our classmates... none of them poses a threat. But you...someone of unknown origins from a western country...who can contend my bloodlust...you're dangerous."
There was a short moment of silence where we just stared at each other, then I sighed deeply and acted depressed.
"I'm a child of war. I saw my biological parents get killed in front of me by some soldiers while I got enlisted at a very young age. I'm more than acquainted with death. And I shed more blood back then than I could count on my little fingers..... You satisfied now?" I casually blurted out a bunch of constructive lies and random bullshits.
When he heard my words, his expression suddenly turned sour as if he remembered something, then he said "I'll be watching you, Ocho."
Before walking away.
I glanced at his back once before refocusing on the bending machine.
"Guess I'll go with nachos"
Then I also went back to the classroom while holding my bag of snack.
'There's so much more I'd need to deal with today.'