Tak Tak Tak
Alicia returned to the classroom, her bag slung over one shoulder. She couldn't help but notice the way most of the girls now looked at her—with thinly veiled animosity.
'Whatever.'
She couldn't care less. In fact, it saved her the trouble of having to mingle with them.
She headed straight to her seat and sat down, glancing at Mark from the corner of her eye.
Mark was quietly working, completely immersed in whatever task he had on his tab, as if nothing else in the world mattered. Seeing him like that, Alicia's icy expression softened. A torrent of thoughts swirled in her mind.
'Oh honey~ I await the day you shower me with your love.'
'Don't worry. You'll remember everything by today.'
She thought she was being subtle with her glances—and she wasn't wrong. No one else seemed to notice.
Except for the person being stared at.
'Why is she looking at me like that?' Mark thought, not pausing his work.
'Does she really think I haven't noticed her staring at me for the past few minutes?'
'Well, as long as I don't get interrupted, it's fine, I guess.' He shrugged it off.
It wasn't the first time a girl stared at him like this. They stared, whispered, speculated and fantasized. He'd long gotten used to it.
Haah… lucky bastard.
Ehem!
'Still… that look in her eyes. It's different from the usual admiration or curiosity. There's… intent behind it. But what kind?'
Tak Tak Tak.
The sound of heels echoed in the hallway before their second-period teacher stepped in with calm, deliberate steps. It was none other than Miss Florence.
"Alright, class. Break is over. Open the Language app on your tabs," she instructed.
"Yes, ma'am," the class responded in unison, following her instructions.
"Hmm?"
Her sharp blue eyes scanned the room, ensuring everyone was complying. Her gaze stopped on Alicia.
"Alicia, have you collected the school-issued tab from the office?"
"Yes," Alicia replied flatly.
"Alright."
And just like that, a few more classes passed by. Then came the lunch break.
"Okay, class. It's lunch time. I'll see you all in twenty minutes. Make sure you're back on time."
"Yes, ma'am," the students echoed.
"Good," she nodded, stepping out of the room.
The moment she left, the classroom erupted in motion as the students made their way to the cafeteria—everyone, except for two people.
Mark Hollow.
And the new girl, Alicia Rains.
Alicia maintained her usual icy look, but inside, she could hardly contain her excitement.
'Yes! Yes! Yes!'
'I'm finally alone with him!'
'Now I can finally…! Hm… what do I actually do?'
She paused, trying to think of something.
'I had a plan for after school, but this? I didn't expect him to stay behind too... I didn't prepare for this situation.'
'No! This is an opportunity! I need to use it... but how?'
'Okay, start with a normal conversation. Ease into it. Keep it natural.'
"Excuse me," she said, trying to keep her voice steady as she looked at Mark, who was still studying despite the class having ended.
Several seconds passed.
'Why isn't he answering? This is getting awkward…' Alicia frowned internally, watching him work undisturbed.
"..."
Abruptly, Mark stopped writing. He calmly placed his stylus down and turned toward her with an unreadable look.
"What?" he asked bluntly, his voice flat and disinterested, the same as Alicia's when talking with others. However. she didn't mind.
'Finally! A response!'
"Well, you see... could you give me some notes including but not limited to from the Calculus chapter? I'm a little confused about a few things, and if you—"
"Alright."
"Huh? What did you just say?"
"Alright," he repeated, reaching out and handing her his tab.
"Oh... thank you."
"You're welcome."
'He agreed…? That easily?'
She had expected some resistance. A cold shoulder. Maybe a snarky remark. But instead, he was cooperative—blunt, sure, but not hostile.
She smiled gently, unable to hide the flicker of joy that danced on her lips.
'He's softer than he pretends to be…'
'Well, that's how he's always been, deep down.' She smiled to herself, a beautiful expression slipping onto her face.
Mark, already back to writing, noticed the smile from the corner of his eye.
'Weird girl. It's obvious she just wanted to talk to me. Her eyes—those micro-expressions—she planned this.''
He wasn't wrong—most wouldn't be able to tell, but Mark was exceptional at reading people. It only took one glance for him.
Still, he didn't feel alarmed. Just cautious.
'But that name… Alicia... I'm sure I've heard it before. Like déjà vu. Why can't I remember?'
'Something about it feels… ominous.'
'Well, as long as she's not causing trouble, it's fine.'
He mentally ran through his after-school schedule:
'Classes will be over soon. After that, I'll head home, freshen up, start tutoring. Once that's done, I need to post a new chapter of my novel. The readers have been waiting long enough… if I delay again, they might riot.'
'Then I'll finish my homework and chores. Busy, yeah, but at least better than rotting in front of a screen with nothing to do.'
Soon, break time ended, and the students returned. As usual, the girls entered first.
They took their seats—but not without shooting glares at Alicia.
She didn't so much as blink in their direction, focused entirely on copying Mark's notes
'This witch…!'
Her indifference only made them angrier, but with no outlet, they gritted their teeth and sat down.
'Why is Mark… staring at that girl?' Lisa wondered.
Before walking in, she'd noticed Alicia holding Mark's tab. And Mark? He was watching Alicia out of the corner of his eye.
'Is he interested in her? No… this is Mark we're talking about. There's no way he is… right?'
But even after several seconds passed, Mark continued to glance toward Alicia.
'No way… it can't be.'
Lisa's worldview began to crack like glass.
Meanwhile, Mark's mind was elsewhere.
'This girl… is she going through every single page?'
***
Eid Mubarak Everyone!!