(Heads up: This chapter and the upcoming ones happened during their high school days.)
(In the Past)
---10 Years Ago---
I was sitting in class early that morning when the teacher finally entered the room.
The classroom was unusually noisy. Some students were still finishing homework they should've completed the night before. Others were gossiping, playing games on their phones, or simply trying not to fall asleep.
It was just another ordinary school morning. Or at least, it was supposed to be. Because someone was following behind the teacher.
The moment I saw her, my eyes widened.
!
It's her!
The girl I saw near the sea two days ago!
For a second, I genuinely thought I was imagining things.
What was she doing here?
The girl slowly stepped into the classroom.
And the moment she did, her eyes immediately landed on Xavier.
It wasn't a normal stared, but eyes that were completely locked to him. As if she had been searching for him.
And Xavier's eyes locked onto hers as well.
For a brief moment, everything else disappeared. The others conversations, laughter, and, the noise of scraping chairs. Even the teacher standing between them seemed to vanish. It strangely felt as if they were the only two people in the room.
Her long silver hair gently swayed as she stood beside the teacher's desk.
Her expression remained calm, elegant, and
Graceful.
And somehow...She was still staring at him. Xavier immediately looked away. Then looked back.
She was still staring.
Why is she staring?!
Wait...
Does she recognize me?
Did she remember what happened at the beach?
Agh, this is so awkward!
"Ahem."
The teacher cleared his throat. The entire class quieted down.
Well... Almost everyone.
"Ahem!"
He did it louder this time. Now everyone looked at him.
"Thank you," he said with a sigh. "We have a new transfer student joining us today."
The classroom immediately erupted into whispers.
"A transfer student?"
"Three months after school started?"
"That's unusual."
"Maybe she moved here recently."
The teacher gestured toward the girl.
"Please introduce yourself."
The girl nodded politely.
"My name is Leticia Vallion."
The classroom immediately exploded into even more whispers.
"That's such a cool name."
"Sounds foreign."
"Is she from another country?"
"Maybe she's mixed."
"Whatever she is, she's gorgeous."
Nobody was even trying to hide it anymore.
And honestly... They weren't wrong. Her appearance stood out too much to ignore. Her skin looked almost flawless. Her eyes were sharp yet strangely beautiful. Every movement she made seemed graceful without even trying. It was like she belonged somewhere else entirely.
No. Pretty wasn't enough. Beautiful wasn't enough either.
She looked like a doll that had somehow come to life. A very expensive doll. One that probably cost more than the entire school building.
Even some of the girls couldn't stop staring. A few of them looked jealous. Others simply looked amazed.
One girl was already searching for beauty products on her phone.
"Alright, Miss Leticia," the teacher said with a nod. "You may choose between the two vacant seats at the back."
"Thank you."
She gave a small bow.
Then she began walking toward the back of the classroom. Every single student followed her with their eyes. Even the teacher.
Her footsteps were soft and quiet.
Yet somehow they felt louder than everything else in the room. The entire classroom watched as she approached the empty seats.
There were two options. One seat was near the window, one chair ahead, while the other was parallel to Xavier, in the same row but a different column.
Please choose the window seat.
Please choose the window seat.
Please choose the—
She sat beside Xavier.
Xavier nearly choked on air.
Seriously?! Why there?! Out of all the seats?!
The girl calmly arranged her things on the desk. Then she looked at him.
Again.
She was still staring.
Xavier immediately turned forward. Nope, I won't be dealing with that.
Class finally started, or at least...It tried to. Because Xavier couldn't focus on a single word.
The teacher could've announced the answers to the final exams and he still wouldn't have noticed.
Every few minutes, curiosity got the better of him. He would glance sideways. And every single time—their eyes met. Because Leticia was already looking at him.
AHHHHHH!
Why?! Do I have food on my face?! Did I accidentally offend her?! Did I do something weird at the beach?!
Xavier quickly looked away again. His ears were starting to turn red.
Meanwhile, Leticia simply continued watching him with the exact same calm expression.
The bell eventually rang. And Xavier had never been happier to hear a sound in his life.
Unfortunately...things only got worse after that.
A few days passed. And unsurprisingly, Leticia became the most talked-about student in school. Her popularity skyrocketed almost overnight. She had unofficially been added to the list of the prettiest girls in campus history. Not that anyone disagreed.
Half the male population suddenly started dressing better. Several boys began carrying extra snacks and some started working out.
One guy even changed his hairstyle three times in a single week. The girls noticed and relentlessly mocked them for it.
Naturally, countless boys tried approaching Leticia.
Some were polite and confident but some were embarrassingly desperate.
Unfortunately for them... The results were disastrous.
Because despite her elegant appearance, Leticia possessed absurd physical strength. monstrous strength, the kind that completely ignored common sense.
One guy tried grabbing her wrist then five seconds later, he was on the ground questioning every decision he'd ever made.
Another tried cornering her after class. Nobody knew exactly what happened. But he came back limping.
Then there was the third idiot.
The self-proclaimed toughest guy in their year level. He challenged her to an arm-wrestling match and if he won Leticia would date him. He somehow ended up inside a trash bin afterwards and nlobody asked for details.
After that, most people wisely decided to admire Leticia from a safe distance. Whenever someone asked why she was ridiculously strong, she would simply smile.
"I just exercise."
Nobody believed her not even a little. Then one morning, disaster struck.
"Alright everyone."
The teacher clapped his hands.
"Today's activity will be done in pairs."
The classroom froze then seconds later chaos erupted.
The girls immediately rushed toward Xavier.
"Xav! Pick me! I already know the task! It's just plotting coordinates!"
"No, me!"
"I already understand the lesson!"
"I have colored pens!"
"I brought snacks!"
"What does that have to do with math?!"
Meanwhile, the boys swarmed Leticia.
"Miss Leticia! Partner with me!"
"No, choose me!"
"I'm first honor!"
"I can help carry your books!"
"I can carry your bag!"
"I can carry YOU!"
"WHAT?!"
The classroom descended into complete madness.
The teacher looked ready to retire.
Then— BANG!
A loud sound echoed through the room.
Everyone froze.
The source of the noise was a chair beside Leticia. The chair now had a noticeable dent, it was a metal chair.
Silence filled the room and Leticia slowly stood up.
"Oh..."
She blinked innocently.
"I'm sorry."
Her voice sounded calm.
"I must've accidentally hit the chair while standing."
Nobody believed that explanation.
Her face still carried the same neutral expression. Yet somehow... The atmosphere around her felt terrifying.
The boys surrounding her immediately backed away.
Meanwhile, Xavier awkwardly swallowed because Leticia was staring at him again, and this time...
She looked annoyed. No, more like pissed.
Like the existence of every girl currently surrounding Xavier had personally offended her. The girls immediately sensed danger and everal took a step back.
Then Leticia began walking forward.
Slowly.
The classroom fell completely quiet, that even the teacher stopped talking. She stopped directly in front of Xavier's desk.
Everyone held their breath.
Then she spoke.
"Xavier."
It was the first time anyone had heard her say his name. For some reason, that made the room even quieter.
"Do you want to be partners with me?"
Every student in the classroom stared at him. Xavier felt like he was standing in front of a firing squad.
He glanced around the room.
The boys looked heartbroken and the girls looked betrayed, but teacher looked entertained.
Meanwhile, Leticia continued staring at him.
Waiting patiently.
"...Sure."
The moment the word left his mouth, Leticia's serious face let go of some tense.
"Alright," she said.
Then she calmly sat down beside him as if nothing unusual had happened. As if she hadn't just crushed the hopes and dreams of half the classroom.
"Bummer..."
A collective sigh echoed throughout the room.
Though deep down... They all knew they never stood a chance against either of them anyway.