“How was your weekend, you missing person?” Emily immediately asks as I sit next to her, prompting me to smile and nod in response.
“It was fine,” I reply, and she rolls her eyes.
“I called you a hundred times! There was an incredible party, and you weren’t there!” she says, pouting. I simply shrug with a smile.
Then Luke and another boy show up.
“Hey, Nina, this is James Wilson; he just started at our school,” Luke introduces him, glancing at me with a wink that makes me gulp. He takes a seat beside me.
“Nice to meet you,” he says, taking my hand and kissing it, and I give a nervous smile in response.
Emily looks at me, impressed, while I shyly look down.
“James, are you in our year?” Emily asks, gesturing between herself and me. He shakes his head, chewing gum.
“I’m in Luke’s grade,” he replies.
I notice how attractive he is with his blue eyes and blond hair-definitely someone Alexander made a good choice with.
“I’m new; could you show me around the school?” he inquires. I glance at Emily, who encourages me with a nod, so I agree and stand up.
I gather my things, and we start walking in silence until we exit the dining hall.
“Did Alex hire you?” I ask, and he nods.
“He must really like you, especially with how much he pays me, on top of my tuition,” he laughs, and I join in.
“Wait, he’s covering your tuition?” I question, and he nods, adding, “Though he can be strict,” he mumbles.
“How much did he tell you?” I ask. He shakes his head. “Oh, I see, he didn’t want you to disclose anything,” I chuckle, and he stumbles over his words.
“Let’s just say, once you sign a contract, there’s no backing out,” he murmurs. I smirk. “So, I’ve got to convince everyone I’m your boyfriend?”
“More like friends with benefits for now.”
“Shall we have sex?” he jokingly suggests.
“No!” I exclaim, flustered.
“I meant, do we ‘have sex’?” he clarifies, making my cheeks redden.
“Uh, no,” I respond quietly as he laughs, adding, “We just made out, and you enjoy nibbling on my neck a lot.” I chuckle, and he smiles when he looks at my neck.
“I see,” he murmurs as I blush. The bell rings. “I’ll see you in Mr. Gray’s office after class,” he says, and I frown before he departs, walking to my class.
“You never told me he was this hot!” Emily exclaims. I laugh, shrugging in response.
“Of course!” I reply, and she scoffs.
“He’s incredibly good-looking; it’s clear he works out,” she observes, laughing along.
Then Mr. Winston enters the classroom, causing me to sigh while Emily takes her seat. His classes are really dull, and his unchanged teaching style frustrates me, making it hard to focus as he constantly complains. Ugh.
“Miss Moore, would you mind distributing this to your classmates?” he asks as he sits down. I scrunch my nose and get on my feet.
I grab the stack of papers he pointed out and begin passing them around. When I see a boy drop his pencil, I help him pick it up. He smiles shyly, and I return the smile.
After distributing the papers, I take one for myself and sit down.
“Thanks. Now, who can read paragraph one for me?” I lean back and listen to the readings.
This is so boring! I can’t take it anymore. People are still reading when the bell rings, and I cross my legs in relief. I glance up and see Alexander walk into the room, smiling as he comes in with a big black bag. Mr. Winston frowns and starts scolding him. I roll my eyes, watching as Alex exits the class looking somewhat angry and came back .
Alex catches my gaze and seriously licks his lips. I look down and snicker.
“Good afternoon, class!” he cheerfully addresses everyone. The class echoes back in unison. “Well, I have two pieces of good news:
First, I spoke with your director, and we agreed that having five ethics classes a week is excessive. So, we’ll cut one class and shorten another into a personal development session. Secondly:
the first session begins today,” he explains, making me lick my lips. He looks amazing in a suit, I have to admit. “I’m pleased to say you all have impressed me; we’ve completed three out of five topics halfway through midterms; let’s give ourselves a round of applause!” he exclaims enthusiastically, clapping along with us.
That’s when I decided to use this class as a starting point for personal development, but his real classes are scheduled for Fridays. And to kick things off:
“What is personal development?”
“In this class, we’ll explore more about ourselves, what defines us, what influences us, our strengths, among other things.”
He begins and pulls out the big bag. “To start, I’ve brought enough balloons for each of you; please take two and come get them.”
We all comply.
I feel his gaze on me, but he clenches his jaw as I swallow and roll my eyes. I’m completely lost.
“Now, moving from right to left, I want you to pop your balloon and read the assigned question, and that’s how we begin.”
“What do you think is your main strength?”
“Um… Responsibility,” Robert Wood, the basketball player who failed a year by not submitting assignments, says.
The questions keep rolling until it gets to Emily.
“How would you define yourself in three words?” she asks. Alex looks at her intently. “Beautiful, honest, and funny,” she shrugs, and Alex grins back at her while I roll my eyes. Now, it’s my turn.
“Miss Moore,” he says as he searches for something on his desk. I frown and pop my balloon.
“Who are the three most important people in your life?” he asks.
I tilt my head, whispering, “I don’t know.” He still won’t look at me, and I detest this.