Lorelei walked with heavy footsteps towards her next class. She was utterly pissed getting labeled as a stalker when she did not have any ulterior motive in approaching the guy. The memory made her ball her hands into a fist.
The lecture hall was half-filled with students waiting for the professor to arrive. Amari and Sam did not arrive yet. Lorelei decided to let off some steam by messaging their group chat while she waited for her friends. She grabbed her phone and typed.
Lorelei: [GUYS PLEASE REPLY ASAP. THIS IS IMPORTANT!! TELL ME HONESTLY, DO I LOOK LIKE A STALKER?]
Amari replied quickly.
Amari: [What are you up to this time?]
Amari: [And yes you look like a stalker :P]
Lorelei sneered at her friend's reply.
Lorelei: [Amy, I'm serious, okay!!!!! >:( ]
Amari: [Fine, fine. You don't look like one. Why, did someone call you a stalker?]
Sam: [GIVE YOUR WORD, LEI. AMARI WILL SKIN THAT PERSON ALIVE]
Lorelei: [UGH WHATEVER. WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU GUYS? CLASS IS ABOUT TO START IN FIVE MINUTES. U BETTER HURRY UP >:(( ]
Sam: [Blame Amari!!! She ordered another cheesecake, that pig D:< ]
Lorelei sighed and leaned her head on the back of her chair. Amari and Sam were taking too long and she's not in the mood to mingle with others. After a minute or so, the two finally arrived.
"'Sup, Lei!" Sam raised a hand for a high five. Lorelei gave him one but with a frown on her face.
"Oh my god, someone really called you a stalker?!" asked Amari hysterically while putting her bag down.
Lorelei rolled her eyes. "Don't even remind me of that. That jerk is too conceited. I mean, just look at me. Aren't I too pretty to be called a stalker?! And people would even line up just to be my friend, you know!" she said and crossed her arms.
Amari chuckled. "More like you approach them to be their friend, but yeah sure, girl. Whatever you say."
Lorelei was about to sulk but then their professor suddenly entered the room. It was Professor Im, their History professor.
"Good afternoon class. I am Professor Edward Im and I'll be teaching your History course for this semester," the professor greeted.
Professor Im was in his early 60s probably. He had gray hair and an almost bald scalp. His face looks friendly but was sagging a bit because of his wrinkles. His tone was stern making him sound like a terror professor you'll never want to encounter.
"I'm pretty sure you have heard about me, rumors perhaps, from your upperclassmen?" the professor asked.
No one answered his question and there was only an awkward silence.
"Very well then." Professor Im treaded in front of the podium. "Maybe some of those are true, some maybe not, but let me tell you one thing. I give good marks to those who deserve it. Just do your best, and you can expect a good one," he said and gave his students a genuine smile.
Lorelei couldn't help but crack a smile. Although she felt scared for a bit, she's pretty confident in her academics so she got nothing to worry about. She had way more terrifying professors in the past that she wasn't that fazed with Professor Im anymore.
Professor Im took the class list and said, "Alright let's start the roll call. When I call your name, just say present if you're here." He started calling the students' names one by one.
"Jung, Lorelei," called Professor Im.
"Present," Lorelei said in an unusually low voice, barely recognizable as her own. She was still sulking because of Amari.
"Kim, Amari"
"Present, sir!" Amari was rather enthusiastic this time. The professor's words earlier got her fired up, and most likely, she would challenge Sam this time too.
"Lee, Jace"
Lorelei's eyes widened.
"Present, sir." someone said.
Lorelei turned in the direction of the voice and scanned the left part of the hall. There, she found the guy who called her a stalker earlier. She glared at him. "I was right, you asshole. Who's the stalker now huh?!" she murmured to herself in a whispering manner while making faces at him.
Amari nudged her. "Isn't that the guy from the Korean barbeque place? You know, the one you asked?"
"Yeah, right," muttered Lorelei.
Professor Im just discussed the course's introduction and went over the curriculum and course guide for the whole semester.
While the professor was discussing, Jace scanned the hall and the faces of his classmates to somehow familiarize them. When he looked at the right side, his and Lorelei's eyes met. Lorelei was scowling over him but he just looked at her blankly. Jace broke off their staring contest and continued surveying the room. He just faked a calm facade but deep inside, he was already going crazy.
'What the fuck, she's taking this class too?! Shit. What do I do now? Heck, I even called her a stalker. Should I go apologize to her after the class? But that would make me look like a fool though. Ugh. I hate this. I bet she was offended by my words earlier. If I do apologize, how do I approach her? Goddamnit,' Jace couldn't focus on the professor's discussion as he was occupied by these thoughts.
Although he doesn't look like it, Jace easily admits his mistake if he knows he was in the wrong. But this time, what he did was too embarrassing that he did not know how to approach the girl.
The class finally ended. Students stood up from their chairs and started flocking on the doorway to leave the hall. Jace was still sitting on his chair while browsing his phone. He felt someone's presence in front of him and looked up to check who it is. It was the girl he called a stalker.
Lorelei was crossing her arms as she was standing in front of Jace. She raised an eyebrow and tried to look more confident and intimidating.
"I believe you have something to say to me. Don't you think?" she said.
Jace was just looking at her, still expressionless. "Fine. I'm sorry," he said and bowed. He grabbed his bag and left.
Lorelei, instead of feeling better, felt even more furious. The guy's apology did not sound sincere even the slightest bit. Jace was halfway to the lecture hall's door when Lorelei suddenly called him.
"Hey! Do you think that will cut it, huh? You don't even sound sincere. Say it again!" yelled Lorelei.
Jace raised a brow. "I don't want to though. I won't say it twice," he said and left the lecture hall.
Lorelei stomped her foot and grabbed her things to leave the hall as well.
"Oh my god, what was that? I thought you two were acquainted!" exclaimed Amari.
"Yeah, in a bad way! God, I can't believe there are people like him. Such a sore in the eye," replied Lorelei.
"Lorelei Jung? Is that really you? Damn, I've never seen you get angry over something this petty for a while now," said Sam and grinned playfully.
"It's not petty, you hoes! Ugh, whatever!" she defended and walked faster than the two.
"I can feel something forming called L-O-V-E!" yelled Amari and burst into laughter. She was enjoying this fresh side of Lorelei they rarely see.
Lorelei turned to her and raised her middle finger while briskly walking ahead of the two.