Volume I Chapter 2

"How unlucky are you really, Nes?"

"Well by the change of times now, pretty much a 10/10 don't you agree?" I whispered to Jill behind a book called 'Crazy' in my hands. We were at Lutec's small library, where several bookshelves weren't really much of a good obstacle to hide into. Especially if some students planned to do things that the school would punish you from doing so.

"Oh, I don't know about that, darling. I mean you did say that she didn't show any signs of recognizing you, did she?" Well, yes, that's what I thought but I still can't help but feeling other things otherwise.

"Good morning devils! Now that a new school year has come, math would still be the bane of everyone's existence." Everyone gave off a low awkward chuckle at our math teacher, Michael Gandley's words of true utter wisdom.

"I see that you all were fortunate enough to end up with Ms. Collins in class. Good morning dear, no problems with fitting in, are you? We could always tell someone about it." He addressed the girl with such careful yet probing words, that it was making me puke from thinking about what he would look like if the room were to be full of Clementine students to the brim.

"Nothing sir, do carry on." Snorts, and paused amusement silently seeped through as the ever favor-currying teacher was violently shut down from his 'good-hearted' advances. "I see, then we shall continue on with the discussion. A-" He bounced back with his usual shameless endeavor and went onto teaching about derivatives and integration of our Calculus subject.

I zoned in and out of the discussion when I noticed his habit of rambling came more frequent this time again. Having more likely to predict that he would make us do presentations and project reports than actually teach, I stopped listening to him entirely and skimmed to the pages of my books to do some outlining for my own self-study.

I was on the page pertaining to deriving trigonometric equations when I heard the room turn silent. Having not been used to the sudden silence of the room, I looked up from my notes to see that everyone was looking at me, waiting for me to say something.

"Uh." I was clueless but I saw my seatmate, Charles, sign to me five fingers so I took a leap of faith and said, "Five?"

"Excellent! Next row please." They continued counting off repeatedly by one to five, until the last student, Watson, said her assigned number. "Now that we have our assigned numbers, let's proceed with giving you topics that you would report tomorrow!" Groans about the early deadline trembled the walls as topics of derivation and its uses on the basic math operations were written on the board. Everyone waited with bated breath as numbers were finally assigned to the string of words plastered on the white board.

"Addition? Should be easy enough."

"All of it should be easy, if the basic operations are what they called, basic."

"Fuck me."

"Later babe."

Ugh. Hormonal teenagers.

I looked to where my number was assigned to, and saw it on the basic operation- division of derivatives. I sighed in relief as I see that but as Mr. Gandley says, 'Math would still be the bane of everyone's existence'. It wasn't just math for me at the moment but the teacher himself, was my thought process when I saw him include the derivations of trigonometric equations.

"Sir, why is it that only group five has to do two reports on the basic operations in math? And the other one is practically categorized as an advance lesson" I couldn't help but let my mouth run after he finished putting the last letter on the board.

"Well, I thought that you devils could take on more now. Especially when a Clementine student is within your group, yes?" He grinned shamelessly at my way and I couldn't help but want to rip out those eyes that exhibited contempt and undervalue of his student just because she fuckin' asked.

"Well, fuck Clementine then..." I muttered once again and realized I was sitting by the bleachers, watching Jonah, one of Steven's athlete friends, play basketball.

"Did'ya say something about Clementine?" Jill glanced at me and titled her head out of curiosity. "Nothing." I muttered, and continued to absentmindedly watch the players and a group of cheerleaders mingle on the court for a short break.

"Ugh, it's her again. Why can't I enjoy watching the babes without her meddling in the way." Jill pointed out Chloe, the girl with the supposedly cooties, who was currently giving out a cold bottled water to Jonah and his friends. I don't really care much about their interconnection with each other, but the way that Jill always seem to be aggravated by the poor girl was giving me different vibes more than the usual. Continuing with this good for distraction of a thought, I wracked my brain of the moments where Jill would constantly berate the cooties girl, year after year.

"Hmm..."

"God! Look! Look at what that bitch is doing?! Oh-" If I didn't know better, I'd think that Jill, what's the word-oh yes, fancies the girl much more than she ever did realize herself.

"Ugh, hello! I said, aren't we going back to class? This airhead really-if I didn't know you better, I'd think that you were charmed by my gracious looks. Don't tell me you swing that-"

"No thanks." Standing up with great vigor, I quickly left her, spouting the words no quite strongly for my taste. I wasn't really averting to the possibility that I may swing that way, but me being charmed by her Dora-like looks?

Bitch, please.

Kidding aside, I probably wouldn't be the one that Jill would most likely want to be the one falling for her. Let's just say that the name she's waiting for starts with a letter C.

Technology and Livelihood came after the short break, and everyone had to grab their bags in tow for the next two hours of sitting at a fancy computer room located just above the classroom ceiling. On the way there, we saw a student sat on the stone-cold floor. Fabio, a student who was famous for his mural paintings displayed on the school freedom wall, was per usual, painting. But the thing that was a little off with this guy was the fact that whenever I pass this room, he was always stuck on one wall for at least a week or two. It was strange, and it bug me as much as everyone did whenever they passed by. I mean, it could be that he was having trouble finishing it with his artistic touches. But noticing that it was always repeated at the start of the first semester was quite, intriguingly fishy. I tried asking him about it. Trust me, I did. But he only just keeps staring off the wall with his paint-stained hands hidden behind his back.

"Oh goody! Everyone's here I presume?" Ms. Ysa, was a rare ball of sunshine out of all the teachers found throughout the school campus. She was incredibly short for a teacher, but the lack of her height is something that her happiness bar had pushed her setback off the roof. And everyone loved Ms. Ysa for it.

All of us gave her affirmation, and everyone had to lined up by height before going into the classroom. It was, well, a versed rule that can be found plastered on the front door. So even the transfer student knew what to do the moment Ms. Ysa said to line up. Soon, after everyone had routinely complied, all students are found to have already settled into their seats. The inside room of the computer laboratory consisted of rows of white sleek tables, and computer monitors each. The seats were the same fancy and comfortable brown cushions that we had used throughout high school. What did change, however, was the black painted walls and ceiling. It wasn't just black anymore, rather, it was as if we were sitting in a computer laboratory that was built in space.

"Wow..."

Wow, indeed.

"Like the new decor, everyone? Hehe, I've got some help from a student earlier and it was more than I could ask for. Okay! Now that everyone's nice and comfy, I'll introduce myself once again. Hello devils, I'm Ysabelle Jeane Roche, your Technology and Livelihood subject teacher of the first semester. Nice to meet you all! Now, about the subject course and yada... I thought that since all of you are soon to be leaving this place, I would like to propose a project that everyone would most likely love to do!" Ms. Ysa introduced herself and told everyone about our first semester's project in a jubilant manner. She talked about making a short stop motion clip that we will compile with the other groups to form a short story compilation about it. It was all an interesting thing to do, but hearing her mention about how the post production would be done seemed like a lot of work.

It probably wouldn't be a problem if I got placed where the Clementine girl would direct at, but remembering the events earlier at math made me eat my words real quick.

Time went on, and everyone was watching examples of stop motion movies that we could make adaptations from. The room was shaded black and white, like any other real movie theater. Everyone was either doing their own things or learning from the movie. Everyone but me, whose eyes felt droopy the moment that someone turned off the lights. Why was I sleepy, you ask? Well, I hadn't really slept well yesterday, and the thought of sleeping in such a comfortable dark space was so inviting that I almost fell asleep. Well, take note of the word almost, as I was jolted awake when I felt a cold feeling graze the back of my ears.

Weird. I knew for sure that no one took a seat behind the one that I had taken, I thought to myself. I didn't glance behind me as I kept myself awake from the strange debacle, feeling a weird and eerie feeling creep on the whole place. By the time that the bell rung for lunch to arrive, I felt like the zombie apocalypse wouldn't be much farther than what everyone thinks it'll be when I probably look like one already.

"Nes! Let's eat lunch by the babes today-"

"Uh I was thinking of having lunch by the school field actually."

"Oh, well, that works too!" Jill and I bought takeout at the canteen and sat by our favorite meadow on the school's field. We talked-sorry, she talked, about the short movies that was played at the room. And to my surprise, it was all horror/thriller in terms of genre.

How they had done a stop motion horror film and actually fitted the scenes, was quite mind boggling to me.

"The story was actually pretty good. Well, for a C grade comedy that is-especially with the way that the characters always look like silly dolls in tense moments of a jump scare. Pfft! Hilarious!" I shook my head at the silly description of the movie that I wasn't able to focus on. After chatting and resting some more, Jill and I took a walk back to the room to get some quick naps out of silence, courtesy by me of course.

But a wise man once said, 'We don't always get what we want.'

"Oh, what are you doing here, Pearson? I thought that you were meeting that Clementine girl." Wency, our five-year running president, told me as soon as she saw me standing by the room's doorway.

"What are you talking about? Why am I meeting her for?" I grumbled at the thought of interacting with her again. Just remembering our past direct-ish interaction makes me flinch out of embarrassment.

"I heard Gian said that it was for the math report earlier, don't tell me you weren't informed?" She mentioned with a bitchy tone like she always does, and flipped her hair away like she was better than being a walking messenger.

"Well, shit." I muttered under my breath.

Thinking hardly, I thought about my options on where would I find them in this time of the hour. But such thoughts were tossed out in the gutter when I saw my group mates coming a few steps just behind me. Gian, the tallest and oldest boy of the group, forcefully locked his arm around my neck when they passed by. "Where were you, Toyota?"

Normally, I would respond with something that has the words monster truck in it but, I was too busy thinking about breathing and getting away from his suffocating arms of death.

"Eating..." I felt my neck tighten and with hard effort, I tried to grab his arm away, only for him to tighten it even more as he spoke. "Why...-" "Ms. Clementine was looking for you. Tsk, tsk, saying stuff about being an unreliable teammate when I defended you and such. Aye! She was pretty mad and strict, you see."

No, I don't see, I want to retort back but couldn't with my neck being squeezed out of my throat. When suddenly, he let go and I breathe once again. Opting on asking why, my thoughts were hurriedly answered when the girl we were talking about passed by us in a breeze. Seeing the mood of the girl in question, the energy that I had been saving up from lunch was emptied faster than one could say fuck. Dread and more dread came, as I felt more lethargic about the topic of being the only one in the smart girl's shit list.

"Shit." I feel like shit, indeed.

"Anyway, there will be another one of those meetings later. Thought you ought to know, little Toyota. Well, unless you want to be placed on her shit list then pretend this never happened."

"Thanks, big trucker. But, actually, I feel like I already am." We dispersed as quick as lightning after that.

Chem and Physics was the last block we needed to go through today and before going inside the laboratory, students needed to wear the necessary uniforms for protection of chemical usages.

Wearing a lab coat that barely reached my knees, elastic surgical gloves, and goggles, I strode in with Jill who looked like a mad scientist through the metal doors of the school laboratory. Metallic tables and the pungent smell of moth balls were what greeted us inside, as well as that one area where everyone could take a shower if they ever get doused by alcohol or methane.

"I still don't get why bitchy Maria never lets us use the shower." Jill mumbled and went ahead to stand by a large table on the right. I followed her lead and stood across from her. Slowly but surely, everyone had settled in and Ms. Lopez came walking with her hair on a high ponytail for the day. She wore her black rimmed glasses, her cute mole peeking underneath, and a smile that lit up the dull room.

"Welcome back devils!" She grinned as I do. Her smile seemingly infecting me like a virus that I didn't have any cure at the moment. Yes, isn't it quite obvious already I am certain that I absolutely have a crush on her.

"We are all gathered here for your last year to learn about the way of life, and of course, to learn how nuclear bombs and destructive stars are formed." Her small fit of giggles at the end had me giggling like a little girl as well, and for that, I received a kick under the table.

This bitch...

Jill gave me the 'what the hell' while I ignored her accusatory gazes.

"Now, Ms. Stanford, can you please stand and tell us the things we had learned last year. The memorable ones should be fine. Please add the things that you would like to learn as well." I nearly laughed as Jill looked like she was being forced to eat shit when she was called for a sudden recitation. Like, this is a major why I have an absolute crush on her. She's a teacher who just likes to give out oral recitation for students who keeps troubling others.

Can you really blame me if I would sometimes want a peace of mind at school but all I get is a friend talking my ear off? This is the only way that I could get back at her for the many times she's deprived me of sleep, by laughing at the demise of Dora the scavenger from the notorious pop quiz giver.

Everyone snickered, and class passed by quickly at the end of time. Going back to the room, I waited on my seat when everyone was packing their bags to go. I still haven't got any news update about the second meeting for today, so I was taking my chances to see if the girl in front of me would inform me about it.

But she didn't.

I frowned, and quickly packed mine to follow her out in the hallways for any chance to talk to her about it.

Now, I may be a student who likes to sleep in class all the time but I'm not a student who'll let it affect their grades, badly. I trailed behind the girl of my objective who was within arm's reach, but the way that she walked screamed at me that she was pre-occupied. I didn't do anything more than walk behind her until we reached the school gates still not talking to each other.

I kept on following her, like a stalker as we walked by. Kidding. But at this point, I know that approaching her would be a useless endeavor as soon as we passed by the school gates. So, all in all, I'm walking behind her because I was going home. It was interesting when I saw her stopping at the same bus stop as I was, but it became strange when I saw her getting off at the same stop as I was as well.

Fuck me. Why didn't I notice just now?

I slapped my own forehead when I remembered one crucial detail, Collins. A surname that one of our nice neighbors had of course. And of fuckin' course she would be related to them.