Stirring Trouble

"Umm... Ms. Claes? What do you think you're doing?"

Dumbfounded, the class' top student stopped scribbling on the whiteboard and turned to look at her flabbergasted Math Teacher who's standing in the back of the classroom.

Funny how her classmates are also wearing the same astonished expression as him.

Eli remained quiet for a moment and tried to process what was going on.

"I'm solving this equation, Sir," she said, matter-of-factly.

"Not that. Why are you sitting on the teacher's table?"

That's when she looked down at her current position.

True enough, she found herself sitting on the teacher's table, one leg resting on the top of the other, back straightened to reveal her curved, fragile spine, and arms crossed rather a bit too conceitedly.

All in all, the view shouts nothing but superiority. In the eyes of her audience, she's definitely not acting like the normal Angelica Claes.

Startled, Eli scrambled away from the furniture, earning a few small snickers from her classmates. The flustered girl then apologized to her teacher who returned to looking indifferently.

"Were you tired, Ms. Claes?" he inquired to which Eli just shook her head.

The school bell rang and lunch break came, yet the scowling girl on the front seat by the window remained in stupor.

She was so embarrassed by what happened that she just continued to ignore the ensuing chatters around her and tried to recall what made her do it in the first place. Though she admitted she's a little bit sleep-deprived, it wouldn't cause her amnesia or anything.

All she remembered was being called by her professor to answer a problem he wrote on the board, since, like always, nobody wanted to do it without getting any extra points for the upcoming quiz, or maybe it's just the others being lazy to use their brains at the moment.

After a minute or two, she suddenly found herself in an awkward position that wasn't so like her.

It's just like someone else took over her body for a few seconds.

"Hello...? Earth to Eli..."

Snapping out of her daze, the girl looked up in surprise.

Hal is standing in front of her desk with a quizzical look, an arm raised upward as if he's just waving at her face earlier. She blinked twice before asking, "What is it?"

"Are you seriously daydreaming right now?" he questioned incredulously.

"And what if I am?" she retorted, straight-faced.

"You're such a girl," he mused with a smirk.

Her cheeks slightly warmed up at that as she wondered why he's suddenly teasing her like this.

"So, about the books you got yesterday..."

"No, I didn't make a library."

Hal only stared at her for a moment before chuckling.

Eli then realized that he might've meant something else, but she also didn't know why she recalled that particular statement of his yesterday.

While watching him chortle like a child, she suddenly sensed something rising from the pit of her stomach.

It wasn't so bad that it would feel like she wanted to vomit, though. However, what followed was akin to the feeling of being smothered as a strange sensation began to crawl up its way to her throat, making her gulp involuntarily.

Then, out of nowhere, her eyes began to see blotches of scarlet.

"That's not it. I was thinking if I could check them again since I was so busy with the Student Council that time. Also, with regards to our short talk yesterday, you can always tell me what's troubling you, if you're willing to, that is," Hal finally said after a fit of giggles.

With that, Eli figured out the reason why people see him as a nice guy.

"What now? Are you ordering me to show them to you?"

Yet, for unknown reasons, she started blurting out this nonsensical mockery.

"...Isn't it your fault to begin with? You could've just leave them alone for a moment instead of acting like you're some kind of a multi-tasker."

Hal was taken aback.

His playful smile dropped and he's now peering at her as if she just grew two heads.

Confounded, he tried to come up with a counterattack to this unexpected jeering. Yet, he's too befuddled as to why this classmate of his, so modest and polite, suddenly started acting like a pompous aristocrat.

It's not just how she spoke to him, though. Her eyes were also hooded just now, a menacing glint barely visible.

On the other hand, Eli felt like panicking to take back her words.

The keyword was 'felt like', though. For an unfathomable cause, she doesn't seem to feel burdened by what she did.

Both perplexed, the two just engaged in a mini staring contest.

"Isn't he the Student Council President?"

"Huh, what? What's he doing here?

"Hello there, President!"

"President, what brings you here?"

A commotion stirred at the entrance of their classroom, causing both Hal and Eli to break eye contact.

Their classmates began to shuffle around at the sight of the glorious Student Council President. A good-looking upperclassman from the ninth grade division is now gracing their humble classroom with his magnanimous presence.

Before everyone at the eight grade's class is a tall, handsome fair-skinned guy with fiery, ruby red eyes and lustrous, dark velvet hair that was neatly combed. Instead of the academy's iconic jacket, he is wearing a beige one with the upper part unbuttoned, making him look professional.

He appeared to be inquiring one of their classmates about something, which turned out to be true when said classmate pointed to their direction.

Hal didn't budge in his current spot and waited for the Student Council President to approach him himself.

He then confidently sauntered to Eli's desk, several pairs of eyes in tow.

"What can I do for you, Sir Student Council President?" Hal questioned as if asking a customer for his order.

"Hal, what did I say before? That name's too long. It isn't even my real name," the President replied with a grin that made him look so lavish and amicable.

"Okay then... Allen."

"Good."

Eli just watched them silently.

Hal turning his attention to the red head didn't help calm her nerves down, though. In fact, it only worsened when the Student Council President appeared.

Like an ascending storm – a scorching whirl of emotions slowly blistering her insides and making her shiver compulsorily in revulsion and detestation – ironically, this foreign sensation makes her numb.

Then all she could do, though against her will and conscience, was glare daggers at the two conversing boys before her.

Eyes narrowing and lips curling into an unpleased frown, Eli tried to swallow back her words but couldn't.

"Go out if you're just going to talk that nonsense in front of me."

And the world froze.