Classroom of the Elite | The Hoax of Life

4.

A/N:  

Bold : English
Bold Italics: English in a Dream or a thought.

As the sun's warm embrace relinquished its hold on the sky, ominous clouds converged, swallowing the once cheerful horizon. A distant growl, that felt like a warning, heralded the storm's approach. With a suddenness and unpredictability that stole the breath, thunder roared, its deafening resonance drowning out all other sounds. Veins of lightning emerged in the darkened heavens, illuminating the landscape in stark relief, casting sinister shadows that danced and flickered in the tempest's fury.

Yet, amidst the tumult, a symphony of rain began its choppy beat against windows and rooftops a counterpoint to the thunder's bass. And in those fleeting moments of calm between the thunderclaps, a profound stillness descended, punctuated only by the gentle pitter-patter of raindrops, those gentle noises provided me with a sense of comfort. 

I was standing on the balcony of my apartment provided by the school. Although the apartment's not too big, it's not small either. The main room is about 10 tatami mats large and we teachers are provided with a kitchen much larger than that of the students and a much better bathroom too. 

Our rooms have ample space for a single person to walk around, listen to music, and do any activity we want to not get bored. So, something I didn't quite understand was why this pathetic excuse for a teacher or a friend had to barge into my room all the time and use it for partying. This devil's name: is Hoshinomiya Chie. She was sitting on my bed with her back against the wall making 2 shots of vodka with Sprite while smiling ear to ear casting glances in my direction now and then. 

I have an undying feeling that she still hates me after what had happened because of me in class all those years ago. And honestly, I couldn't blame her, because I, Chabashira Sae, was easy to hate for most people. Although we refer to each other using nicknames like 'sae-chan' or 'Chie-chan' that make us appear close in front of others, that couldn't be further from the actual truth.

I pulled out a box of seven stars cigarettes from the pocket of my cotton pajama with chocolate prints on it. I placed the cigarette between my lips and pulled out a lighter to light it, but just as I was about to light it-

DING!

The doorbell of my apartment rang. I was annoyed at the thought of having to get away from this windy balcony but I didn't want Chie to open the door for me. I walked into the main room and started going toward the door.

"Coming!" I shouted.

"Ne ne, who is it?" Chie inquired. 

"Let me open the door first!" 

I peeped through the door to have a look at who was it that had come to visit me. It was rare for someone to pay me a visit. Although students are allowed to visit their teachers in their apartments, no student has ever been seen going into a teacher's apartment. 

I placed my eyes barely an inch away from the peephole and saw a familiar, depressed-looking boy, water dripped out of his black hair, and his blazer and shirt were completely soaked, through his shirt you could even see his skin. The boy's eyes weren't really visible as his wet hair had covered his forehead and eyes entirely. 

The boy was Nakata Aiyuki, who from today onwards had become a student in my class. But even before this student-teacher relationship between us took place, he had become acquainted with almost everyone in this school, but had become way closer to me and Chie in particular as we would spend a lot of our free time together partying, talking.