Wednesday

"Believe me when I say I am as stressed as you are."

"You're a teacher. I'm a student. You can't be more stressed than I am."

Side by side, Sierra and Ileana walked in through the wide entrance of the school, both nervous in their own way.

Torres High School was a modern art of architecture, impressive enough to be listed among the top most aesthetic educational institutions. She had to search for it online this morning before embarking in this new place. It had a fair student population of 1500 and they were probably all elites. The pictures that were posted on the net were amazing and she just couldn't wait to see the place. The vicinity was environment-friendly with a myriad of trees beautifying the vast green landscapes at the far left side of the building and on the right side, there was an astronomy dome which also served as an observatory.

She held her breath. Definitely far more attractive than any schools she had been to in the past. She straightened her grip over her backpack, trying not to look impressed.

Sierra said, giving her a light squeeze on her shoulder, "You'll be fine. Let's go."

The atmosphere was pleasant. They could see many students walking around, sitting on benches or chatting next to distributors. Whenever Ileana thought of elite schools, she thought about tough work load, about students competing against each other and them having their heads always buried in thick school books and as she walked, she could hear their laughter, the usual gossips about celebrities, the chit-chats abut TV shows.

She followed Sierra inside the corridors as the latter asked her way to the rector's office. A group of girls who were standing near their lockers, tossed curious glances at her and she shyly looked away. God. It was happening all over again. New school. New environment. New people. And in all the countless times she went through this, she was still not used to it.

Finally Sierra reached the office and knocked firmly on the door. She gave a reassuring look to Ileana before they both heard a small speaker stuck near the door, "Come in!"

Sierra walked inside and introduced herself. The principal, a man in his fifties, stood instantly to shake hands with her, "Welcome on board, Ms Danvers. I'll give you your schedule right away." Sierra waited as the man searched in his drawer to draw out a file and took out a paper. He crossed out the name of the previous teacher whom she was substituting to write her name in a scribble.

Sierra thanked him and said, "Sir, this is the student whom I spoke to you over the phone." "Ileana is it?" The man adjusted his glasses to look at the teenager who nodded at him. "Well, 12th grade is a serious year but students transferring here are common these days. This school live up to expectations. First, young lady, you'll undergo a few written assessments to see if you can keep up with the level of this institution. Eligibility and merits are a must. And we'll allocate you to a class only if you succeed in satisfying the entry criteria."

Ileana swallowed hard. She certainly saw something behind the man's smile. Was he actually doubting her capabilities?! The principal turned to Sierra and said, "As for you Ms Danvers, you may proceed to your first class, illico presto! I hope you have a good first day."

"Thank you." Sierra slowed down to whisper to Ileana before leaving her, "Do your best. See you later."

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Ileana followed a tall and lean man to a small classroom with a few chairs and tables. He was an English Literature teacher and he was the one who had to assess her. The windows were closed and the room felt a bit suffocated. It was quite strange to find such a place in this highly sophisticated building.

The man instantly walked to the windows and pushed them open to let in a cool breezy air. He explained, "This room is for students who need extra attention. It's barely used. Everyone's good." How good was good? Ileana wanted to ask but chose to wisely remain silent. He gestured to a table and she took a seat.

He went through the thick blue file he'd been carrying, flipped through it and removed several papers and placed them on the little desk, "Maths, sciences and general paper. You have three hours to complete them. I'll come to check on you later, alright?"

"Okay..." She gazed at the sheets, her mind already thinking furiously. He hassled his way out and then peeped inside to smile apologetically, "I'm sorry. I have classes to attend to."

"Er...no, it's alright, sir."

Haha, at least here, teachers wanted to attend their classes. A good thing. Once he left, she looked at the questions and sighed heavily. Assessments on the first day, great! But they were rather...alright questions, she realized. In a way, she was glad she was alone. She didn't want to hear people whispering behind her back that she was the new girl or whatsoever...even if she was used to such remarks. The sooner she'd be done with that, the better it'd be.

She pulled up the right sleeve of her sweater and began to write. The few persons she already met were so kind. Maybe they ought to be kind because of the fees that students paid to study here. She wondered why Sierra didn't understand that she could be fine without her. Like, a few weeks taking care of herself...wouldn't be that bad, right?

But then, secretly again, she just found it in her best interest to leave her school. No one would missed her there...maybe Sarah would a little. She wrote furiously, the gel blue pen sliding smoothly on the page. Focus. Yes, she needed to focus.

The door suddenly burst opened only to slam heavily again. She jerked in her seat, sending the cap of her pen to the floor, her heart skipping a beat. She stared at the boy who stood against the door, breathing deeply, a victorious grin all over his face.

He was wearing a black shirt where the famous superman logo was imprinted in white and a pair of blue jeans. He was quite tall and seemed to be hiding from something. She saw him take a calculating step away, leaning sideway to peep through the door's window and then, he raised his iPhone to his ear and said, "Got the key. Distract the janitor."

She watched him in confusion for a minute and then shook herself from her trance and bent down to pick up her cap on the floor. The moment she sat straight again, her eyes fell on him only to realise that he was now watching her.

She managed, "...Hi."

He arched an eyebrow at her, suddenly pulled a chair to sit before her, the desk separating them, "Did you see anything?"

"Um..."

"Good. Did you hear anything?"

She recomposed herself, "Only that you got the key." Ileana pointed to his hand where he was clenching the bizarre object which barely resembled a key. No. It didn't look like one at all.

A slow smirk formed on the corner of his lips and he held her paper, reading her name, "Il...eana Danvers, mmh? Speak a word to anyone and I'll make your life a living hell."

A threat! She was curious above all, "Haha. Cool. And what's the key for?"

He held her hazel eyes with his blue ones and grinned, "Come to the east side of the canteen during lunch and...I'll show you. Ciao, newbie."

He stood, flashing her a devilish smile before he disappeared as loud as he came in. She looked at the door for a long second before she shrugged and resumed her work. Things were already entertaining. She might just have made her first new friend here. Well she hoped. Fancy calling her newbie. She hated it.

Jace met up with his small gang and they fired sneakily. "You got the key? What took you so long, man?" He tossed it at the closest guy, ignoring the question and the latter caught it. The janitor walked pass them, looking as troubled as ever, not suspecting that they were the ones who robbed him of his precious keys.

Jace laughed, "Another victory for us, gentlemen. Who's joining me for a match?" They followed him as he casually made his way to the gym and he thought of that girl he just met. She must really be a newbie. She looked like an eleventh grade student. He'd never seen her around here.

Who transferred at a time like this anyway?!

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

11/12/2019