"So, judging from your giggling a while ago," Death said, merely watching as the In-Between changed its form for the nth time already. "I guess we'll see a more fruitful romantic endeavor from you."
"Did you bring a thesaurus with you?" I arched an eyebrow at him.
"Just answer the question, Evangeline."
"Hey, you don't need to sound so irritated!" I frowned. "Where's this attitude coming from?"
Death groaned, rolling his eyes at me. I furrowed my eyebrows, feeling annoyed because he was annoyed for no good reason. At least I had a good reason.
"Yes," I answered, finally. "I had a blooming love life when I was in high school. I guess people like strong, independent women rather than doormats at this time and age."
"Gone were the days where docile women were celebrated as the 'ideal'," Death said. "Well, they're still in style but generally preferred by self-proclaimed alpha males who think women have no other purpose but to serve them."
"They want maids and a second mother." I nodded, agreeing with him against my will because he was being mean and unwarranted. "Not an actual relationship."
Death hummed as the In-Between finally molded itself to our next destination, or rather, memory.
We were standing in the middle of a hallway, in front of a bulletin board, where a crowd of high school students pooled.
"If I'm not mistaken," I said, trying to recall the memory before us. "We just finished our very first exam week of high school during this time."
I remembered it being a lot more difficult than middle school, but since I was a fucking nerd who thrived on the praise and admiration of others, I did my best in the exam. Thankfully, it produced good results, and my efforts were not in vain.
"What's up with the crowd?" Death asked, pointing at the students pushing each other to check their names on the board.
"At the school, everyone's class ranking is on this bulletin board," I explained.
We watched the younger me push myself closer to the announcement board. High school Evangeline was the same height as the current Evangeline (me) because I stopped growing at that age. Merely tiptoeing to see my rank on the list will not suffice.
I could barely even see the names on the board. All I could see were my schoolmates' big heads blocking the way.
"If I didn't study, this would be embarrassing," I said, scrunching my face.
"Yeah," A voice from behind me said. "But you don't have to worry about that. Look." A hand pointed at the top-most name on the bulletin board.
It was the spot for the person who got the highest score in their freshman year.
I turned around to look at the source of the voice.
'Who's this person?' I thought. 'I was just talking to myself aloud. I didn't expect anyone to pay attention to me.'
The voice belonged to a tall boy. Or rather, man, since they were already high school students. He wore think-framed glasses and had blond hair neatly parted to the side. He seemed familiar to me.
If I wasn't mistaken, he was the one who spoke during the opening ceremony.
'Who was he again?' I tried hard to remember who he was, but to no avail.
"Evangeline Vermillion." He said my name, surprising me that he even knew my name in the first place. "That's you, right?"
Hesitantly, I nodded. However, the initial discomfort of being talked to by someone I didn't know quickly dissipated with the realization that I was at the top of my year.
"Wow, I was expecting to be at least in the top 10, but to be at the very top?" I said my thoughts aloud again, doing it absentmindedly.
"But going back," Death interjected, a hint of disgust in his voice. "What's the deal with this guy?"
I tried not to be bothered by how Death was suddenly hostile, but I failed miserably. Instead, I just remained silent, and we continued watching the memory.
"How do you know who I am?" I asked, my voice small.
"Rumors spread like wildfire here." The tall guy answered in a matter-of-fact tone. "Like, for example, who the smartest freshman is at the moment."
I blushed, not used to getting compliments, despite being a people-pleaser.
Death tutted, shaking his head.
I glanced at him, getting increasingly annoyed at his changed demeanor.
"I'm Klaus, by the way." He introduced himself. "You might remember me from the opening ceremony.
'Oh, that's right.' I remembered, making sure this time that I didn't say that out loud. 'He was the one talking about the school's rules and regulations, I think. I wasn't paying attention to him. I just noticed that he was tall.'
"That's the only note-worthy thing about him." Death scoffed.
"No," I defended Klaus, feeling offended for him. "He's a sweet guy!"
"Can it."
I was about to explode at Death, but the younger me continued.
"Yeah, I remembered."
"Cool," Klaus smiled, making my heart flutter for no reason.
I internally slapped myself, not wanting to fall for a person I had just talked to once to happen again.
The other students who crowded the bulletin board had already dispersed by this time, leaving only the two of us alone in an uncomfortable silence.
"Well, I better get going." He said awkwardly. "It was nice to meet you, Ms. Vermillion. And uh, keep it up."
He gestured to the list again. I nodded coolly, unable to react with anything else.
Klaus gave one last wave before leaving me in the middle of the hallway, dumbstruck.
"How cliché," Death glared, saying each word with utter menace. "Did he instantly tug on your heartstrings?"
"No!" I replied defensively, but I wasn't believable because my cheeks were completely red.
"I guess he was your love interest in high school?" Death sighed depressively as soon as the words left his mouth.
"One of them," I answered.
"One of them?!"