Taming the School Heartthrob

Chapter 3

I GRIPPED MY PEN as I traced the smooth slate of paper, the problems, and the questions for our quiz printed on it. Feeling nervous, I licked my lips and inhaled a heavy breath.

From my back, I could feel the slight movements of someone's feet on the floor, so near to my chair. I mumbled, tried telling him to stop. But the pain inside my head and the slight ringing that I heard in my ears clouded my voice. It came out so soft and impossible to hear.

Tears started pooling from my eyes but again, I redirected my focus to the problem I was solving. Polynomials, rational numbers, integers, and everything is mixed. I have previous knowledge about these, but I don't know. It seems I am still doubtful when I can't recheck my answers using a calculator. Taking this quiz felt difficult. Scenarios that I would mess up this quiz took over my head and that elicited an abnormal thump in my chest. I feel helpless, defenseless, and constrained... short breaths, cold sweat, and shaky hands.

Three more questions to go.

But the disturbing emotions that I was feeling before heightened when the tapping of shoes was felt directly on my chair. Right there, as I sat in my shaking chair, I was shaking too, more and more.

I shut my eyes and bumbled. Repeatedly. I am calm.

"Can you please get your feet off my chair?" I said, not looking back at the very person that was causing this will, I couldn't glance behind me because I knew for a fact that I would just come face to face with the insensitive Ceasar, who seemed to think he would always have his way in this class. Poor him, he won't. If it is with me.

"Stop," I declared. Loud enough to get his attention, and perhaps our other classmate's attention too. The shaking of my chair stopped, but he still didn't remove his feet from the bottom of my chair.

Seconds after, I felt him move my chair abruptly. I lost the last string of patience I had. Without even thinking further, I stood up from my seat and faced him. "What the f**k?!"

Everyone's mouth went ajar, and so did mine. Heat transferred from my arms to my head before it dawned on me... What did I just do?

No words have left my mouth since then, but the entire classroom went dead silent as someone's death would soon follow. The ticking of the clock rang loudly in my ears. And the thumping of my blood and erratic heartbeats echoed. But I was the only one hearing it, succumbing to nausea and panic, I felt the blood leave my face and shame swallowed me.

"What was that, Ms. Yue?"

I refused to face our teacher, instead, I glared at the man in front of me, grinning like a madman. I don't know what came to me, but in my mind, he was growing horns on the side of his perfectly disheveled medium-length hair; transforming into the persona that he truly is inside---the right hand of the devil himself.

My hair covered my face so that I wouldn't have to stare at other people. I was fuming seeing this jerk in front of me grinning but at the same time ashamed of my outburst. That wasn't part of my character. I wasn't like that.

"Celestine Trina Yue," reprimanded our teacher. "Why did you shout? What you just did is disrespectful. Didn't you see me in front?"

"I-I'm sorry, ma'am." I couldn't move on my spot nor raise my face to face our teacher. I have never done things similar to this. I couldn't even imagine doing so. My anger was replaced with shame and fear.

"Why did you do that?"

I closed my eyes and answered her question with honesty.

"Ceasar was moving my chair from my back. He was tapping his feet on the bottom of my chair. I told him to stop but---"

"Well, I didn't hear you."

His audacity!

"Look, ma'am! He has triggered my nerves!" This time I faced our teacher and motioned to the guy behind me. Hoping she will understand, but she glared at me and Ceasar.

"That's how you answer questions from your teacher? With a raised voice?"

I blinked repeatedly, not expecting things to become this serious.

"Get up from your seats, pass your papers, and go to the disciplinary office."

"Ma'am, I d-didn't mean to raise my voice..." But my attempt to explain my situation was futile. The fear I felt intensified. I was about to cry, so, I immediately grabbed my paper and walked to the front. Then, without talking, I placed it on the teacher's table. My steps got heavier each second.

From the corner of my eyes, I saw someone stand up. Ceasar nodded his head and stood up from his seat. He started walking towards me, then submitted his paper on the same pile as mine.

"Thank you for the early dismissal, Mrs. Granados," he said.

I gripped my palms seeing him this close, I wanted to claw my nails on his face and scar him for life so his arrogance would disappear and his shameless grin would cease forever. This guy is sick! He messed up with my focus just so he could be dismissed early. How the hell is he thinking that this was an early dismissal? For Pete's sake, we will be put at the disciplinary office for the remaining hours of the day! What the actual f**k!

I stomped out of the classroom and then walked to the disciplinary office. I didn't want to go, but I didn't want things to escalate further. I have already disappointed one of our teachers, she must think I was disrespectful. But I only did that because I couldn't take things anymore because of this bastard's doing. Now, I'll be labeled as a failure. What would my future be?

While walking in the corridors, I heard footsteps from a distance.

I faced him abruptly, one side of my hair covering my face... in an instant, my emotions escaped, then I burst out crying. "You!" I called him, my voice was shaking. I raised my hand to point at him. "Why are you messing up with me? You have no regard for a classmate. Out of everyone, why me? Did I do something against you? I haven't..."

Then I ran without looking back. My tears ran down my cheeks and my mouth stifled my cries. I tapped my chest repeatedly so it wouldn't hurt and the emotions wouldn't be too great. When I stopped running, I was breathing heavily, still crying, and enduring the intense emotions that govern my body. My shoulders shook this time and my hands roamed around my face, my mouth, and my forehead. My hands shook and got cold. I feel like throwing up.

Soon, I was sobbing, helplessly crying, and gasping for breath.

"Hey!" I didn't even notice that you ran towards me.

He stopped and stared at me right then as I pressed my palms on my chest. Now, I was trying desperately to stop crying but my body shook, sending cold shivers in my arms. I choked on my sobs and gasped for more breath.

"What's happening to you?" he asked, eyes wide open.

I shut my eyes close and then tried to focus on breathing deeply, but my legs were too weak so I stumbled. But I didn't land on the floor, he rushed towards me and helped both of my arms, not saying anything. His hands felt warm to my cold skin. I took a step back, away from him, but to no use because I was still struggling to breathe and he just followed my movements.

We stood like that. In silence, with him standing in front of me, steady and helping me balance myself. I didn't even want to lean on his arm, but I had to focus on my breath so that I'd be able to calm down. The last thing that came into my mind was protesting when what he was doing was quite helping me.

I breathed deeply, but it was not enough. I need more air. I need to calm down. Not like this... being held by a stranger that was the one who even caused my distress to begin with.

"Stay away from me," I mumbled. Then I backed away from him. While doing so, I caught a glimpse of his face.

But instead of seeing him with eyes wide open just like earlier, I saw his cold stare towards me. His nonchalant stare and cold expression pierced deep and made me pity my situation. My emotional state.

Not a single emotion showed on his face. He just gazes at me like I am a trivial thing. What was happening to me didn't even elicit a panic towards him. He didn't even say a word this time.

I managed to back away from him. I shook my head repeatedly. I swallowed my sobs and aggressively wiped my tears, which were too stubborn as they started falling from my eyes once again.

Still gasping for air, I felt a sudden jolt on the side of my head. My body shook from the intense piercing pain, I took three steps backward, not even able to balance myself.

Panic took over my body until I finally couldn't stand straight. "Help!" was all I could muster, then my eyesight started getting blurry. I fell onto someone's chest before everything went blank.