Chapter 4 - Emotions

As she walked over to Alex, Mary was shocked to see such clean, beautiful and neat handwriting. It looked as if he wasn't even working to solve the assigned task, but instead, he was painting calligraphy. The notes Alex was making were undoubtedly a masterpiece, that should be displayed in a gallery rather than being thrown into the depths of a school bag and never to be seen again.

Mary was actually troubled for a brief instant, she had the thought, the desire to confiscate the boy's notepad, though she managed to quickly push away these thoughts.

She gently placed her right hand over his left shoulder and gave it a light tap, before she returned to her desk to resume the lecture.

Yet, before she could, the school bell suddenly hollered out, marking the end of the first lesson of the school year. In the next moment, like an active angry volcano, the classroom erupted into a chaotic rumble. Whispers and small tidbits of chatters flew around the closed space, making the silent and attentive classroom nothing more than a wishful dream in the blink of an eye.

Knowing that with the signal of the bell, all semblance of control she held was gone. Mary sighed, raising her voice to try to overcome the chaos, she spoke again.

"Okay, I guess let's end the lecture here. Rest up, go eat your breakfast and we will resume after the break."

She explained although, besides the two girls sitting at the front, nobody was paying attention. However, just as she was about to nod at the girls, her gaze met with the piercing, deep stare of the boy in the back, causing her to sigh with an unfamiliar sensation burning, tingling at her heart. Unsure of how to react, Mary decided to not do anything and instead hastily turned away and like a scared little rabbit, escaped from the domain of this unknown predator.

She didn't even stop as she crossed the busy hallways with haste, not bothered by the loud clicking, clattering sound of what her heels were making. Only when she reached the staircase at the end, could Mary sigh with relief. Only then could the rapid, chaotic rhythm of her heart regain some sense and cool.

'What is happening with me? Am I going crazy?!' She wailed inwardly, as she leaned against the cold marble pillar support just in front of the stairs. She couldn't understand why was she reacting like a crazed teenager, barely able to contain the fangirl inside her down.

'Calm down and get some sense into your idiotic head, Mary Janette Fulton!' Inhaling some air, she berated herself harshly. 'He is your student, someone that is lost in that. What he needs is help and guidance, rather than an animal! Shame on you! Is this how you wish to prove yourself?! Are you the same as those… those… others?!'

She threw curse after curse, slowly but steadily regaining control of her emotions in the process. Her slender palm was twisted, clenched into tightly held fists. Blood was pushed down, causing it to turn paler with each passing instant.

A tear swelled up at the corner of her eye and escaped from its constraints. As it trickled downwards, carving a path through the creamy, soft heavenly face of hers, Mary finally managed to once again be the one in charge. The troubled look on her gaze transformed back into her usual cold display, the torrential storm of her heart was finally quelled.

Heaving a soft sigh, to let go of the last of the rebellious air inside her lungs, she nodded at her inner success and pushed herself away from the pillar.

'That's how it should be Mary. You are an adult, act like one.' She reminded herself, before resuming back into a much steadier pace and left the third floor, going all the way towards the Teacher's Study on the first floor. With the arrival of the new transfer student, there was a lot of paperwork she still needed to complete and even give to Alex later today…

—-

Almost instantly as the teacher left, the class literally exploded. The girls jumped up from their seats, they rushed and flocked around the new boy's desk. In almost no time at all, Alex was surrounded by a swarm of girls from the class. As time passed and the word traveled even ladies from the neighboring classrooms came to get their eyes on the newest eye candy.

A heavy barrage of questions was launched at him, Alex was under a heavy assault.

"Where are you from exactly?"

"Who are you? What about your family?"

"Do you have a girlfriend?"

"Why do you have such a local-sounding name? If you came from overseas, shouldn't you have a more exotic one?"

"Do you like someone?"

"Are you rich?"

"Are you good at sports? Fights? What about your tattoos? Did you have trouble with the law in your hometown?"

"Would you like to go out and have a drink with me and my friends after school?"

Amidst the endless slew of questions, the returning topic was undoubtedly related to Alex's private life. Though like he did with the rest, Alex gave the same cold-shouldered, snorts as responses to each and every one.

"No."

Even as he was annoyed by all the attention he was receiving, Alex tried to not show it to the crowd. He had the normal, aloof-looking outward expression on his face, his deep, midnight blue eyes were focused on the window's glass after a quick scan of his surroundings.

Still, despite his actions, the blatant ignorance he was showing the rabble, the girls did not lose any of their initial enthusiasms, but only grew crazier by the second. They found the air of mystery and rigid coldness just that much more alluring.

As the seconds kept on passing, they only grew more and more excited, and with that, turned more and more intense with their attempts to get to know just a bit more about their newest mystery knight.

Besides a few exceptions, mostly from the front row seat of Sid and Zoe, and two of the boys that rushed away as soon as the teacher left, everyone else was swarming around the outsider.

"Just look at them… and his obviously fake theatrics! Hmpf! So annoying!" Turning his attention towards the back row, Sidney snorted with a displeased frown contorting her usually serious-looking face.

In response, her desk mate giggled at her friend's actions. "Fake? What makes you say that?" She said, looking at the scene with a stretched-out, mischievous smirk across his face.

"Just look at it!" Sidney exclaimed, pointing with his full hand at the boy instead of just using a finger in his annoyance. "It's so obvious he enjoys the attention and just plays the hard-to-get playboy! Urgh!"

As if she was about to vomit, she displayed an ugly face and looked away.

"So annoying! I don't get it… Why is it that no-"

Before she could finish her complaint, suddenly the second, back door was pushed in. A powerful loud roar reverberated into the room.

"Move away trash! The Prince is here!"