When I was getting all those high fives and fist bumps from my classmates, for a second there, I actually believed that my life was going to return to normal. I know, I know… it probably was wishful thinking. But still, at that moment, I felt that some form of normalcy was about to return to my life.
But oh boy, does the universe really like to rain on my parade.
Wink!
A wink that was literally too fast for a human eye to see. None of my classmates saw it, but I did. And Irina already knew that I would've been able to see it, because she wouldn't have winked at me so quickly otherwise.
Which means…
"Shit," I muttered quietly under my breath as Irina finished her sentence. "I'm really looking forward to experiencing this new journey alongside all of you."
"I'll explain it in detail…" The creepy voice from the phone call resurfaced in my mind as Irina bowed in front of the classroom. "...when we meet in person."
….She's most definitely the creepy voice guy- I mean girl.
"Woah, she's cute." Darren leaned over and whispered to me, nudging me with his elbow, and I simply nodded my head in response. I'm pretty sure I didn't even hear what he said to me at the time.
What is she upto? Why is she studying here? Is she just pretending to be a student to keep an eye on me? Was that her actual cell number earlier because she kinda bad-
I mean, is she also a vampire? How else could she have winked at me during super slow motion?
My mind was a whirlwind of thoughts, and I couldn't help but feel frustrated. So many questions, and yet no answers. I felt like I was stuck in a maze with no exit.
All I could do was wait.
"Where do you want to sit, Irina?" Mr. Pink asked her, and she pretended to survey the room before her gaze settled on the vacant seat next to mine.
Fuck.
"I'll sit there," Irina said with an innocent smile on her face as she pointed at the empty desk beside me, and all the boys let out a collective groan.
"Ah, shit!"
"Damnit!"
"You've got to be shitting me!"
"I'm actually gay, so I'm okay."
They then turned their attention towards me, glaring at me with an expression that was a mix of anger and fear, and I let out a short and bitter chuckle before avoiding eye contact.
Well, the good news is that they're even less afraid of me, I guess..
"You lucky son of a bitch," Darren teased me with a playful punch to my abdomen. "I can't believe you get to sit next to a babe like her."
"Aha, ahahaha.." I let out a fake laugh in response. "Yeah, I sure am glad."
Irina strolled towards the vacant seat beside me, and both the boys and the girls couldn't help but steal glances at her as she passed by them, almost as though they were under a spell. I suppressed the urge to roll my eyes.
What a bunch of weirdos. Why're they acting like she's a goddess or something? I mean, even the girls? They wouldn't act this way even when they'd see their favorite k-pop group, so why on earth are they so enthralled by h-
My eyes widened as Irina smoothly pulled out the chair and seated herself right beside me. Wait, could this be some form of vampire enchantment? I've read about vampires using mind control in books (fictional, but still); perhaps this could be a similar technique.
"Nice to meet you," A sweet, feminine voice interrupted my thoughts, and I glanced sideways to find Irina gazing at me with a friendly smile. Her hand extended toward me, and she added, "Looks like I'll be your desk neighbor. Let's hope we can hit it off."
"Ah! Oh, ye- yes!" Realizing that she was asking for a handshake, I hastily offered mine, and we exchanged a handshake. My smile felt forced and nervous as I replied, "I'm sure we'll get along just fine."
Just fine, my ass! I'm not falling for your acting, bitch.
I pulled my hand back after a brief moment, turning my attention back to the front of the class. A nudge on my elbow caught my attention and I tilted my head; Darren was giving me a thumbs-up. I shook my head, sighing in response.
Classes proceeded as usual, with everyone turning their focus back onto their studies. Throughout the class, Irina would lean in my direction, asking me questions about the subject matter. This did draw a fair share of glares from the male students, but I focused on assisting her with her queries regardless.
As recess finally arrived after a few hours, the classroom seemed to converge around Irina. Questions about her homeland, interests, and the usual(at least for the girls), her favorite k-pop group, flooded the air.
"Fucking hell!" I let out an annoyed groan as the crowd of students pushed me aside. Annoyed, I rose from my seat and exited the classroom, with Darren following closely behind me.
"They wouldn't even let you talk to her, huh?" Darren let out a chuckle, slinging his arm across my shoulders, and I gave a resigned shake of my head. "Dude, come on. I get it, she's hot. But I'm telling you, I'm not into her."
"Yeah, sure dude.." Darren said in a sarcastic tone, nudging my elbow and teasing me as he continued, "I saw you staring at her the whole time she was being introduced, alright? You seemed like you were ready to propose to her."
Shit! He thought that I was staring at her because I had a thing for her?
"You can believe whatever you want, okay dude?" I said with a dismissive wave of my hand. "I meant what I said, and it's up to you whether you buy it or not. I don't care either way."
He definitely won't believe me even if I say otherwise, so the next best thing would be to just ignore it. When it comes to teasing people about their crushes, half of the fun comes when you get some sort of interesting reaction from them, and if I don't give him that, then he'll most probably get bored and let the whole thing go.
"Alright, fine. I won't bother you about it anymore.." Darren grumbled in disappointment, clearly unhappy that I wasn't taking the bait of his teasing.
There we go! It actually worked.
"So, where are we heading to?" Darren inquired as we strolled down the hallway, and I answered, "I was thinking of hitting the cafeteria. Maybe grab a drink?"
"Alright, cool. That sounds good," Darren agreed with a nod. "I could go for a milkshake too."
But as we were walking towards the cafeteria..
BEEP! BEEP!
My phone buzzed in my pocket, and I pulled it out to check the notification, my eyes widening in surprise.
"Hey, um..." I turned to Darren and said, "I just got to go take a quick piss. Can you grab an orange juice box for me?"
"Ah, sure thing, dude.." Darren nodded, and I shot him a thumbs up before heading towards the stairs. "Thanks, man! You're the best."
Darren, now alone, stayed silent for a few seconds before muttering to himself. "....There's a restroom on this floor, though.."
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I quickly climbed up the stairs and reached the rooftop door. "Finally," I muttered under my breath as I turned the doorknob and stepped outside.
"Ah, fuck my eyes!" The intense sunlight hit my eyes like a truck, prompting me to let out an involuntary shout and raise my hands to shield my vision. "What's the fuck is up with this goddamn heat?"
"You can say that again..." A familiar voice reached my ears, and I turned towards its source, squinting to see clearly.
"I knew it!" I exclaimed, my finger pointing dramatically at Irina. She stood by the rooftop railing, wearing a comically large straw sun hat and dark sunglasses. "You're the creepy voice gu- how the fuck did you manage to bring that hat to school?"
"Yeah, no shit, sherlock! You figured out my fucking secret! What do you want, a fucking medal?" Irina retorted with evident irritation, her face scrunched up in annoyance, and her choice of words momentarily caught me off guard.
I mean, I knew she was the creepy voice gu- uh, girl, all along.. But still, hearing this seemingly angelic-looking girl spew out curses at me was a bit ….surreal, to say the least.
"Ehem," I cleared my throat before asking, "So, uh, you said you wanted to see me in person, right? Why?"
"Ugh, right, yeah.." Irina rolled her eyes as she groaned, which just made me even more confused. Why is she the one groaning? Wasn't this her idea in the first place?
"Right.. Felix Wilczek!" Irina proclaimed loudly as she pointed her finger at me, and I focused my attention on her. "I want you…. to be my boyfriend!"
..... Huh?
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Meanwhile…
Darren stood near the entrance of the cafeteria, holding an orange juice in one hand and a chocolate milkshake in the other.
"...He's not showing up, is he?"