Past - 2
Elysia's POV:
I stared at her, momentarily too shocked to respond. She extended her hand for a shake and smiled.
"Is there something on my face?" She asked playfully, bringing me back to reality.
I quickly shook my head and cleared my throat. "Oh, no, no. I... I didn't mean to stare. I'm sorry, you are just really beautiful."
I smiled and quickly shook hands with her. "Nice to meet you, Aubrey."
"Thank you, and nice to meet you too," she replied with a sweet smile.
"Your surname is Lawson. I've never heard of it here. Did you recently move from abroad?" She asked, curiosity written all over her face.
My smile froze, and I lowered my gaze to my desk. This had happened to me before. When people learned I wasn't from the same prestigious background as them, they never bothered to talk to me again.
"N-no, I didn't move," I replied shortly. She blinked once and snapped her fingers.
"I know now, are you, by any chance, related to Robert Shin Lawson? The jewelers in the US?" She asked quickly. I immediately shook my head.
"No, my family runs a small bakery café. I'm not related to any other Lawson," I answered firmly, feeling proud of my parents.
Even if I lost friends during my time here until I graduated, I would never be ashamed about my background or my parents. I loved and respected how they earned a living by working so hard, and I always valued honesty in their work.
Her smile faltered for a moment upon hearing my words. "Oh, that's... that's nice."
Just then, another teacher entered the classroom, halting our conversation. Aubrey turned to face the front as everyone greeted the middle-aged man who was Mr. Mitchell, our mathematics teacher.
After silencing the class, he noticed me with confused eyes for a moment before exclaiming, "Oh, you must be the new transfer student, Elysia Lawson, right?"
I quickly stood up and nodded politely. "Yes, sir."
"Very nice, very nice. I happened to see your past records. It was highly impressive. I must say, you're the most deserving candidate for the scholarship. Excellent, kid! Full marks in my subject. Very good," he praised, clapping his hands.
The whole class erupted in applause at Mr. Mitchell's appreciation. A wide yet shy smile appeared on my lips.
"Thank you, thank you, sir," I respectfully thanked as he gestured me to sit.
"Okay, now. Let's start today's lesson." Mr. Mitchell began explaining the structure of the course. Just as he started talking about the course outline, our classroom door swung open, and a boy entered.
His appearance was visibly rough. His hair was disheveled, the collar of his shirt was undone, a few buttons were open, and his tie hung loosely around his neck. His sleeves were rolled up to his elbows, one hand in his pocket, and the other holding his bag over his shoulder. His whole attire screamed carelessness, with his shirt out of his pants and a missing belt. Mr. Mitchell's serious face turned into a scowl as he glared at the newcomer.
I glanced around and noticed the girls in the classroom were swooning and gazing dreamily at the guy. When my gaze moved to Aubrey, she didn't seem affected by the new guy's presence. Instead, she had an expressionless face while watching the whole scene unfold.
My eyes automatically turned toward the guy again. He had silky straight dark brown hair, silver-grey eyes, sharp features, and piercings in one ear, giving him a cold and edgy look. He was probably an inch taller than Ares, and apart from their hair color, there was nothing common between them.
"Sven Damaris! Have you even checked your grades before? Do you still have the audacity to skip classes? Do you even want to be promoted to Year 12, or are you–" Mr. Mitchell started scolding the guy, presumably Sven, but he seemed completely unfazed by the reprimand.
"Good morning, too, Mr. Mitchell. If you keep talking like that, you'll get old before your age," Sven interrupted, marching toward the fourth row. The class snickered as everyone covered their mouths. Mr. Mitchell appeared angry but ultimately ignored Sven and continued his lecture. I was surprised Mr. Mitchell didn't pursue this matter, even after seeing how disrespectful the guy was.
Sven walked up to the vacant seat next to mine, which was by the window. His attention wasn't on anyone in the class. Instead, he almost tossed his bag on the desk and slouched into his seat, putting his head on the bag and gazing out of the window, completely disregarding the whole classroom.
My eyebrows furrowed at his behavior. He was... rude. I instinctively glanced at the seat behind me.
The girl who sat behind me appeared absorbed in writing something in her notebook, seemingly unfazed by the scene. It looked like Sven's disruptive behavior was quite common.
Perhaps he always acted like this. When I realized I was staring at her lost in my own thoughts, I quickly looked front and turned my attention back to the lecture.
Sven's arrival aside, the rest of the class continued with its usual routine. When it was lunchtime, I took out my lunch and made my way to the shared courtyard between the main building and the sixth form block. I avoided the cafeteria since it was crowded, and I felt uncomfortable in such places.
The courtyard was nearly empty since most students were having lunch in the cafeteria. I chose a small bench in the corner, away from the other students.
As I quietly ate my lunch, I gazed at the building of the sixth form block. Ares was a Year 12 student, and that's why he was in a different building. There was no way we'd have a chance encounter this year.
When I will promote to Year 12 next year, we might share the same floor, building, cafeteria, and even labs and the library. Just the thought brought a smile to my face.
"It would take a high level of luck to catch a glimpse of him here in this courtyard," I murmured to myself, sighing lightly.
This was the shared courtyard, so it wasn't entirely impossible, as I could see some seniors on the other side of the yard.
Encouraging myself, I ate my lunch, savoring the sandwich my mom had made and the small piece of cake she baked for me. It was moments like these that made me feel close to home.
"Oh, you're here! I've been looking for you everywhere," a voice from behind startled me.
I looked back to see Aubrey standing behind the bench, gazing down at me with a sweet smile.
Oh?!
I thought she wouldn't talk to me after learning that I'm not from a wealthy background, then... why?
She circled around the bench and sat beside me, her smile unwavering.
"Why are you sitting here alone?" she asked.
"Um, no reason. I just wanted to sit here," I replied, closing my empty lunchbox and setting it aside.
Glancing around, I noticed the courtyard filling up with students from both buildings.
"You don't know anyone here, do you?" Aubrey asked, observing me looking around.
I shook my head. "It's just my first day, so..."
Aubrey nodded in understanding. "Let me introduce you. See the group over there, sitting on that bench?" She gestured toward a group of benches.
I followed her gaze and noticed a familiar guy sitting on one of the benches with a girl's arm wrapped around his neck, almost sitting in his lap. He appeared disinterested in the girl, engrossed in a conversation with the boys on the other benches.
"That guy is Sven Neve Damaris. He's the leader of his gang. The girl beside him is Ophelia Blake, his 'flavor of the week,'" she explained, rolling her eyes. "Sven is the most popular guy in Year 11. He's a bit of a troublemaker though. If you see him anywhere, I advise you to run, if you want to stay here," she shrugged.
He did seem like a troublemaker, judging by his earlier behavior.
Making a mental note to stay a mile away from his circle, I attentively listened to Aubrey's introductions.
"The four guys beside him are Brey Cornell, David Bronson, Carter Brookes, and Gabriel Prescott, along with their current girlfriends, who are Ophelia's friends. We usually don't get to see all five guys because they're in detention most of the time," she said.
She then gestured to the other side. "Look, look!" I turned my head to see what she was looking at. My eyes fell on a familiar figure making his way to the courtyard along with his best friend. My heart pounded in my chest, and my breathing faltered.
I never expected my luck to be this good today. Ares was walking toward one of the benches where seniors were sitting.
"The guy in front is Ares Simon Knight, the star student of our Academy and the most popular guy on our whole campus. He's won several awards, both academic and in sports. But... he's not friendly at all. Officially, he's the coldest guy you'll see here. He doesn't have friends, except for the guy beside him, who is Maron Lopez, his best friend. They've always been together as far as I've seen," Aubrey informed me as Ares and Maron sat down on one of the benches.
I couldn't tear my eyes away from Ares; he was undeniably the most handsome guy I had ever seen.
Then, a girl appeared out of nowhere and sat on the same bench, wrapping her hand around Ares' arm. I furrowed my eyebrows, confused.
Did he...have a girlfriend?
Is it really...?
I couldn't even process the thought when Ares abruptly stood up, removed her hands from his arm, and glared at her, wiping his sleeve. My mouth hung open at his cold reaction; I had never seen him act like this before.
"There goes another girl's heart," Aubrey commented. I turned to look at her. She was also watching the scene unfold.
"What do you mean?" I asked, genuinely confused.
The Ares I had gotten to know was not like this; he was kind, gentle, caring, and undoubtedly the guy with the softest heart.
"Oh, that girl is Brianna Jones, one of many who has a crush on him. But he's never taken interest in girls. There was an incident when a girl confessed her love to him a year ago in front of the whole campus. Everyone expected Ares to accept her confession, even just for the sake of saving the girl from utter humiliation. But imagine the shock when he said straight 'No' and left her there. It was so embarrassing that the girl transferred after a few days," she explained.
I knew it wasn't right, it was absurd, and probably the most petty thing about me, but I felt happy when he rejected the girl. I kept telling my heart that it wasn't true, but deep inside, a very small part of me was over the moon at this moment.
Aubrey recounted several instances of Ares rejecting girls, and I listened attentively. It felt like I was discovering a new side of him, one that I hadn't seen yet. Following him to school and back hadn't allowed me to see how he interacted with others in school.
Hearing all this information made me wonder why he was so different around people and completely the opposite when he was alone. It was as if he was hiding his true self.
His behavior was a genuine mystery, leaving me both confused and curious at the same time.
My gaze returned to him once again, but he was already walking back towards the building.
I sighed silently, thoughts of him still occupying my mind when I noticed the girl sitting alone, typing on her laptop in the corner of the courtyard. She was the same girl who had sat behind my seat.
"Who is she?" I asked Aubrey, capturing her attention as she observed Sven and his group. She looked at me and followed my gaze.
"Oh, her," she turned back to me. "She's Esme Indira Vasquez. If I say Sven Damaris is a troublemaker, then think of her as an upgrade. Sven isn't dangerous, but she is. I don't really know much about her, just that no one in the campus crosses paths with her. There's even a rumor that she almost killed a guy from our school. She nearly beat him to death, and we were shocked to learn that the incident was resolved by the management, and the guy transferred. She didn't even receive any punishment. People say it's probably because of her family's influence. Her father is one of the biggest benefactors of our Academy, you know. But if you ask me, she's the biggest bully. Since that incident, everyone stays away from her," Aubrey explained.
My eyes widened as I absorbed all the information. I thought this academy would be nice, but I never expected the students to be so chaotic.
How was I going to survive here?
**************
Just as the bell chimed, signaling the end of the school day, I exchanged quick goodbyes with Aubrey and hurried out of the classroom. Ares typically left school around 3:00 P.M. I glanced at my watch to check the time.
"It's already 2:40 P.M. I need to hurry," I muttered to myself, picking up the pace as I made my way to the parking area. I had just 30 minutes to reach my destination and complete my task.
While I was halfway to the parking area, someone suddenly came running from the opposite direction. In my rush, I barely managed to sidestep, avoiding a collision. Our shoulders brushed against each other as I passed, and in the haste, I didn't take notice of who it was.
"Sorry!" I called out, continuing my dash toward my bicycle.
I retrieved my bike, relieved to see Ares' bicycle still there, and hopped on mine before pedaling away from school. Along the way, I stopped at a nearby playground, pulling out my hoodie and a mask from my bag. Wearing both, I retrieved a small shopper from my bag.
Crouching down, I cupped some mud from the ground with my hands, putting it in the shopper. After I had enough, I sealed the shopper and hopped on my cycle again, making my way back to home.
Just as I reached to the spot I marked in the morning, I stopped near the potholes on the road.
I opened a small shopper bag and crouched down near the marked potholes on the road. Carefully, I began filling the potholes with mud, leveling them with the road surface. Once they were filled, I quickly retrieved a small ruler from my bag.
I scanned the area once more to ensure Ares wasn't approaching yet, and seeing no sign of him, I continued my work. Using the ruler, I smoothed the road, removing excess dirt.
After cleaning everything, a relieved sigh escaped my lips, as I began putting the remaining mud back into the shopper.
"Ouch," I winced as my wrist grazed against the rough road, leaving a red scratch. After blowing on it for a moment, I continued cleaning the remaining mud.
With everything packed back into my bag, I checked the time. It was already past 3:10 P.M., and Ares could arrive any minute. I slung my bag over my shoulder and gripped my bicycle handles tightly.
Just as I parked my bicycle behind a pillar and took cover, I noticed Ares approaching on his own bicycle. I held my breath, watching him intently. As he rode over the freshly filled potholes without stumbling, my anxiety lessened.
Suddenly, Ares stopped in his tracks, reversing his bicycle. My heart raced as I concealed myself. He looked down on the filled potholes, eyebrows furrowed, a look of confusion and surprise crossed his face as he inspected the now-filled potholes.
I stood still, mud covering my hands, elbows and some sprinkled on my clothes and a little of it smudged on my chin. Uncaring about my appearance, I chewed on my lips, wondering if I made a mistake. But when a broad smile spread across Ares' face, any doubts or nervousness I had instantly vanished.
A wide grin appeared on my face as I savored the sight of his genuine smile. Ares continued on his bike, the grin never fading. His reaction had made my day, if not my entire week.
When he disappeared from view, I wiped my muddy hands with a handkerchief and hopped back on my bicycle. I made my way to my usual parking spot, securely locking it before heading to catch my bus.
My smile didn't fade the entire day. Even my parents were taken aback by my unusual happiness when I returned home. They were so pleased to see me in high spirits that they didn't question my explanation about collecting mud from the playground. It wasn't an outright lie; I had indeed gathered the mud there.
The next day, I went to school, following Ares as usual, grinning all the while. Observing him park his bicycle and head toward the sixth form block, I secured my own bike and proceeded to the main building. However, just as I was about to cross the path, a motorcycle blocked my way, startling me.
I looked up to see the rider, and my eyes widened as my earlier grin froze in an instant. Staring back at me from the motorcycle was none other than Sven Neve Damaris.
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