"Sorry, I…" The morning bell snapped me out of my trance and I jumped out of his already free hold. How many hours did we spend like that? Hours? No. Time stopped.
"It's alright. Just watch your footsteps next time." He said, and zoomed off on his bike. Who rides a bike in this school?!
Oh my goodness, I'm going to blush all day thinking about a bike guy whose face was so well hidden beneath a helmet. Poor Hope. I dragged myself to class, pushing off the magic eyes from my mind.
*
"As a class monitor, she would assist Phil in doing his job. Since you all have made this…"
Then she trailed off on seeing me. I really wished she completed her statement because there seemed to be a hell of a meeting in the classroom this morning which I have missed. When I glanced at my wristwatch, you were fifteen minutes late. How slow? I could have reach here before the bell rang and even after it rang I was too lost in my dreamy trace to run to my class which was on the third floor.
"You are late, Miss." She said.
"I apologize, Teach'." I bowed and rushed to my seat. She isn't harsh. I told myself. I emptied the contents of my backpack into my locker and locked it up, before I finally decided to join the class. The new transfer students, Philson and Shiara stood by her side. Philson got his badge already and Shiara…
Class monitor?!
How?!
"So Hope, just before you come in, the class voted for a class monitor. So shiara will assist Phil. "
She then faced the class. "I've placed these as leaders over you. Please obey and respect them as you would respect me."
This shouldn't be. I should have gotten this little posts at least. If I was…
Early enough.
What is a distraction?!
Now they will rule over us -- Strangers!
An ovation erupted from the class, and I realized I was the only one who saw them as strangers.
Holy Hope. I just hope this year doesn't go on as messy as it starts. I'll always watch my steps from now on.
Miss Silver tapped the board with her white board marker to drag the attention of the class back to herself.
"That is for that. Fortunately, first period is biology, so we shall dive into the lesson now."
She introduced our first lesson for the session as "Living and non-living things." And then she said so much about how she expects us to be familiar with the topic and how much of a revision class it will be. I was bored by most of her talks, and the only motivation that kept me from dozing off was my goal.
You've got to be better this school year.
So, when she asked, "Can anyone please tell the class what the basic characteristics of Living things are?"
I felt like I was the first to hear that.
I raised my hand from the corner of the classroom where I sat, and she stopped on me, smiling.
"Anyone besides Miss Hope?" she amended.
I lowered my arm quickly, accidentally hitting the edge of my aluminum ruler, which was hanging
off my desk. The action caused a gush of blood from my tender palms, it also pops up and fell to the floor, creating a sound that brought me nothing but humiliation.
Laughter twittered through the previously silent classroom. My face flushed in
embarrassment as I tried to cover up my hurt palm.
"Attention! Please!" Miss Silver's voice snapped, directing everyone to look back at her.
"Miss Hopkins, go get your ruler quietly, please."
I groaned internally. I needed to stop this blood than rescue the damned ruler, but I had to obey her.
My wary eyes searched the floor for where it had landed, and I saw it at the far end of the classroom towards the east, right beside his chair. What's his name again? The one I'm supposed to respect as the teacher.
My humiliation was complete. It was bad enough that I have walked out of the class yesterday when they made him ruler over us, bad enough, that I have sworn never to forgive him for ruining my innocent plans, bad enough that I hate to look into his face.
Well… I don't have to.
I walked towards his sit and knelt down to pick my holy damn ruler while keeping my right hand out of view and in a tight fist to avoid any trace of blood.
"Doesn't that wound need to he treated?" I heard a whisper that made the hair on my back rise. Then I saw a pack of brevetted paper thrown down at me. "Take care Hope."
Then I looked up and I…
It stopped. Time again. What is it with time today? Like I was in some kind of programmed trance, another set of green eyes pierced onto my soul and I felt like I was really going to go flat on my weak knees again.
It wasn't until I felt warm flesh on my wound that I realized I was staring. I took a brief look around and discovered that I was barely observed beneath his chair.
I sighed.
"What are you doing?" I whispered, taking my hurt hand from him. He had cotton wool in his hands, and it looked already soaked in something, spirits. Where did he get that from?
"Be more cautious next time, and you should change your ruler."
I sighed in exasperation, trying to figure out what he was talking about. Because I was barely listening. He flashed
a bright smile, and my gaze settled first on his perfect, white teeth, then on those delicate and slim lips of his.
"Have this." He handed to me the cotton wool soaked in my blood. Woah. That was quick.
"Ehm." I suddenly felt uncomfortable under his scrutiny. "Thanks. . . I think."
The dashed back to my seat.
You know what hope? That was a dream. Just…forget it.