"Ms. Quint! "
I cringed at the name, It made me feel old like a teacher who has been in this school for years.
I saw Ryan smiling and me and I sighed. He was the only one in the classroom, everyone else left.
"It's Bobby. "
"Sorry.. "
He scratched his head and laughed nervously. "Thanks for teaching us today, you're a really experienced teacher. "
I frowned at this. I was experienced? All I did was tell them to draw their partners, I even accidentally knocked over Cal's sketch and lost Zoe's pencil case when I asked her if I could borrow it.
"Just say it, Ryan. " I mumbled.
"What? "
I smiled. "C'mon, it's only me. "
He gulped and fiddled with his backpack strap. He looked deep into my eyes and I felt a shiver for how intense his stare was. It reminded me of-
"You were horrible. " he admitted. Before I could say anything, he began to bow down to me.
"I'm so so sorry! " He apologized. "You told me to say the truth and I-"
"Chill, man. " I assured him. "I'm not mad. "
"Y-you're not? " he asked.
I shook my head. "Thanks for being honest. But don't be all the time. "
"What? "
"Snakes. " I answered. "They get under your skin and find your weakness, they deceive you and backstab you, so you better dodge their venom or it'll be toxic. "
Ryan's eyes twinkled with admiration. "That was random but wow you sound really wise! "
I coughed to hide my embarrassment. "It's nothing. " Actually, it's a quote from an adventure manga that I have read and forgotten a long time ago. But I'm not telling him that. I gotta sound professional.
It seems like this kid has a lot of admiration for me but that very thought is crazy, how am I admired? I fist fighted with the most popular kid in school, injured a janitor and made a very embarrassing scene in the cafeteria.
"Can I walk with you? " he asked out of the blue and I nodded after some thought. It is nice to have a friend once in a while, Ryan was a really comforting guy with patience and I think I really need it. He was talking about his life as a kid, how he'd come to love art and why he thinks I'm so cool which took half the time we had. I wasn't complaining though, I felt like a goddess.
After we separated, I went back to Katie's office and opened the door. She was already packing her stuff, the AC already off and Ginger's bowl was stuffed for tonight. That cat greeted me with a hiss and I stuck my tongue out.
"You're back. " she smiled. "How was it? "
"Ok. " I stretched my arms, tensing my muscles. "Met students with different personalities."
"That's nice. " Katie chirped. She zipped her bag closed and faced me. "Wanna go grab dinner?"
I laughed. "Date night? "
She rolled her eyes. "No, I'm way out of your league. I jusy want to treat you, I did promise Dylan to take care of you. "
"No problem, just let me text him. " I grinned and opened my phone to contact him.
Me: Going with Katie for dinner brb around nine see u soon🍴🌌
Dylan: Finally you're socializing. Be safe👌
Be safe? As if we're going to a bar!
I put my phone back and nodded at her. She grabbed her keys from the drawer and we walked together outside, chatting about our day. I told her about the students in the club and what I think about them.
"I think I know that Esteban boy. " Katie told me as we walked on an empty, dim lighted hallway.
"Really? "
"His father is a businessman currently in Mexico, their homeland."
"He's a good kid. " I complimented. "Very kind and cool. "
"I can agree on that but he's prone on getting bullied, I see reports about almost every time." she paused to think about it. "Well, was your first day fine? "
I was lost in thought for a second. "It was cool.. A lot happened. "
Katie smiled curiously. "Like what? "
I was debating in my mind if I should tell her what I'm thinking right now. Katie seems like a really trusting person so why am I hesitating? maybe I'll just not really get straight to the point, beat around the bush you know?
"I heard about a really interesting person today." I told her and Katie seemed bemused.
"From the sketch club. " I added quickly. She nodded, we were near the entrance.
"Kara Harington? " I tapped my chin, pretending to have forgotten her name, like she wasn't that important to remember. "She's the ice princess here or something."
"Oh? " Katie said. "What have you heard about her? "
"That she's the ice princess and she moved here recently."
"There are many cold and rude students here and who also moved here recently, what makes her different than the rest? "
I gulped, she is sharp.
"Well, compared to others she's really famous and there are nonstop gossips about her no matter what she does so that is how unique she is."
I grinned internally, proud of myself. Katie was silent for a while before replying.
"All I know is that she's rich, like almost everyone in this school but on a top level. Maybe she's famous because of how close she is to William, you can't befriend a guy like him in just a short period of time.'
"Maybe they've known each other before?" I asked, feeling a bit annoyed that she's friends with an fucking asshole like him. How can she stand that guy?
"Who knows? They are like the power couple here, right?. " Katie giggled. I tensed and didn't ask for more. I didn't feel like it.
"Speaking of the devil. " Katie whispered when we were meters from the main entrance. I stopped in my tracks and looked up. There was William and Kara, talking to each other.
I panicked and pulled Katie aside and hid behind a bunch of lockers, she yelped and gripped her wrist in pain.
"Sorry." I muttered, eyeing them.
"What?! " she whispered. "Why are we hiding? "
"Because-" I tried to search for a reasonable explanation in my brain but I guess there was none. Wait.. Why are we hiding? It's just two students. God, sometimes I act without thinking.
" I don't understand you. " Katie sighed but she didn't complain anymore. William was grinning like crazy and was saying something to Kara but I couldn't hear anything. I groaned in frustration, why am I so curious?
"I can read lips. " Katie told me as if reading my thoughts. I felt impressed by her talent. Guess there's one useful thing she has at this moment. I'm glad.
"What are they saying? "
She squinted and adjusted her glasses to get a better look.
"Okay.. He's saying "The elephant took a shit wow I'm polar at school. Ass is-"
"Shut up. "
Kara was saying something back, she looked nervous and played with her tie, I found it cute. William touched her arm and she recoiled, I almost stepped out of the hiding spot if Katie didn't pull me back.
"Calm down. " she told me.
William suddenly turned concerned and whispered something to her ear, she stared blankly at the floor while blushing and looked up at him, her mood changing. She gave him a smile and he put his arm around her, they walked away oblivious to the two pairs of eyes following them.
"Asshole. " I hissed, Katie just stared at me with confusion written on her face. We went out and just stood there.
"I want an explanation." Katie folded her arms. "Why were we hiding? "
"I just didn't want to cross paths with that asshole. " I answered. "You know how he pisses me off. "
"Well you definitely looked pissed. " she laughed. "I know there's more to it but I can't seem to find what. " I was a bit surprised by what she said.
I sighed and gave her a tiny smile. "Still up for dinner? "
"Of course. " Katie said and began to walk, I followed behind. Her heels clicking echeod around.
"For a mature adult, you sure act like a teen. " I teased.
"What do you expect? I like to keep my youth." Katie smirked at me. "Being young is better than being old, so why not have fun even when you're past your prime? I think that should be my motto. "
"Valedictorian indeed. " I rolled my eyes. Wishing I was that smart, I need to upgrade from anime quotes to originality if I have to look cool in front of Ryan, my only fan.
"Why thank you."
While we were having a comforting silence, I couldn't help put picture Kara's cute gummy smile over and over again, how pretty she looked, the way her dimples showed and her perfect teeth and how it felt like if she smiled at me like that.
I scoffed. That will never happen.