Sprigs from Ice

Part One// 2. Strangled Roots

She stood then and went over to her desk, which was next to mine, and sat down. "Want to bring back our study dates? Obviously studying solo doesn't work well for us."

I forced a smile. "Sure. I'll let you know when to come over."

"Speaking of working together," Astrid picked the conversation back up, just when I thought it was over and had been in the process of pulling out my notebook. "The Debate Club could really use extra help." Her eyes watched me expectantly.

"Oh, you mean my help?"

"Uh huh. The schools in the district are organizing some sort of competition that will happen sometime in July." She gestured vaguely with her hand. The colourful dress-code-violating beads on her wrist rattled lightly. "Madam Helena says the topic will be in this afternoon, but I'm roping in the help of the Moden UN Club Vice-President for it."

"Uh..." With extra classes and the new pressure from my parents, plus my other responsibilities, I wasn't sure how much time I could make in order to help Astrid. "I'm not sure..."

"Please, think about it." She pleaded with a soft smile. "We'll need all your experience from speaking to large crowds and all the knowledge you have in your head."

"Okay." I nodded. "I'll think about it and let you know."

"Brilliant!"

Shaking my head slightly, I turned to face the front of the classroom.

I had been signed up for Model UN as soon as I started JHS, and even though I'd initially been apprehensive about joining such a prestigious club, my parents had insisted that the exposure I got from it would be worth it. I hadn't expected to flourish as much as I did and enjoy the discussions to the extent of constantly participating in them. It had come as a shock when I was elected Vice President, and my parents had never stopped bragging about it ever since.

As overwhelming as the title was, I still tried my best to help the club in any way I could, and the approving smiles from the parentals any time I did, made it so worth it.

By the time snack break rolled around, I had received my timetable for the extra classes, bringing with it a sour taste in my mouth.

While everyone went to find something to eat, I took it out and studied it. As I'd expected, mum had signed me up for extra tuition for all my electives and had barely bothered with the core subjects. She was probably hoping I'd turn into a scientist like herself.

I was about to fold it and shove it into my notebook when it was suddenly snatched out of my hands. Instinctively, my head jerked up and my gaze was met with the sneering, pompous face of Adam Boadi. Every class has that one person where no matter how nice you were, you just couldn't help but silently loathe them.

Adam Boadi was it for my class.

Sure, he was a genius, but when he wasn't around, everyone simply wished that he just stayed gone.

"Excuse me," I said as calmly as I possibly could. "Can I have that back?"

"What do we have here?" He smirked, completely ignoring my question. "Extra classes?"

"It's none of your business, Adam."

"It kind of is. I'm the class prefect and all. And also Head Prefect. I have to know what goes on amongst my friends." With that stupid grin still on his face, he leaned on the desk until we were practically eye-level. "Aren't we friends, Trish?"

In a bid to get him away from me as quickly as possible, I nodded. "Yes, we are. Now, can I have my timetable back?"

He tutted, stood up straighter and went back to studying the timetable. "Wow, you're taking classes for all our electives? Trying to get better than me or what?"

"I just need the extra help." I said. "The mid-terms were hard."

"Oh, were they? I barely noticed. Have you seen my results, by the way?"

Everyone had seen them by now. Still, I decided to give Adam's ego its quota of attention for the day. "No. I was offline during the entire break."

"Ah, you were studying. Well, my little friend, they were stellar." He beamed. "I am just so relieved I had all As, you know? When I struggled to answer the questions, I thought I was turning stupid for sure."

Stupid. My throat tightened. That was the one adjective I did not want used to describe me. Stupid. I wasn't good at shrugging off insults, and I didn't know what to say. Thankfully, I didn't have to.

A hand clamped down on Adam's shoulder just then and jerked him backward. Adam abruptly let go of my timetable as he struggled to maintain his balance, and I snatched the sheet of paper up and shoved it in my bag.

A very familiar face stood before Adam, with his hand still clutching Adam's shoulder tightly. He was taller than Adam, with his hair neatly trimmed, although I was sure the length was against school regulations. His sharp jawline and strong neck were contrasted by his soft features.

David smiled, although it was clear in his eyes that there was nothing he found amusing about the situation. "Do you think all the time in the world belongs to you, Adam?" He asked in an accented voice that whispered of his English upbringing.

Adam shook his hand off and glared at him. "What the hell, man?! I told you I was coming."

"Well then make it quick. I have places to be." He was going to say more, but his eyes flickered over to me for a second before returning to glare at Adam. "One minute."

"Okay, okay." Adam grumbled.

David turned and walked out, his steps as light as a cat's. And without another word, Adam also walked to his desk in front of the class, snatched a notebook from under his desk and followed.