Finally, I could get a proper look at her. Cold, brown eyes, wavy dark chestnut hair, a perfectly straight nose, thick yet delicate eyebrows, oval-shaped lips, and sweet freckles on her face. The teacher handed her a textbook and asked her to take an available seat. I was surprised that I didn't hear the familiar "Introduce yourself."
Mafiozi headed in my direction, and I felt a shiver. She sat behind me. Why there? Wasn't there enough free space in the class? Everyone's attention was entirely captured by the girl. It seemed like every glance was filled with fascination.
"Alright, class, let's review what we've learned before. What are the types of marketing?" The teacher pointed to the blonde girl, and she raised her hand.
"Conversion, Demarketing, Supporting, Counteracting, Synchronous, Remarketing, Stimulating, and others," she mechanically replied.
"Excellent. What is Demarketing? Luke?" The teacher pointed to Foris, and he shrugged.
"It's negative marketing, directed against a specific company or brand," he answered on behalf of the absent boy, Charlie. Charlie had almost black eyes, which gave me goosebumps whenever he looked at me.
"Alright, now let's talk about Synchronous Marketing. Julian, what can you tell us about it?"
I needed to pull myself together, to show my grades and knowledge. What's the point of studying so hard if I don't answer? Just because I am different doesn't mean I lack skills.
"Oh, our nerd will tell us a lot about it," Luke lazily commented.
I took a deep breath and straightened up; I could feel Mafiozi watching me, her piercing gaze drilling into my back.
"Synchronous marketing is a type of marketing whose goal is to stabilize demand fluctuations," I began, reciting the well-known phrase.
"To fend off the failure of Julian!" Foris interrupted boldly. Some students burst into laughter. When they calmed down, I continued.
"It is achieved through flexible pricing..."
"The deviation of your brain!" he shouted.
"The emergence of flexible prices," I finished and glanced at the blonde guy. I chuckled inwardly because Foris looked genuinely foolish. He deliberately showed off in front of the girl, trying to demonstrate his "power" over everyone.
The teacher remained silent; of course, she wouldn't do anything against the rich kids. No one would contradict or interfere. They wouldn't dare.
"Fool! Fool! Julian Carner is a fool!" Luke repeated. The chant was picked up by everyone. I started shaking, not from the cold but from humiliation. Even in my mind, that pathetic "Julian Carner is a fool!" echoed. At such moments, I felt like a helpless creature.
"Goodness," a chilly voice echoed behind me."