Chapter 3- Encounter

Lanie's POV:

I'm here outside my classroom, waiting for the professor in front to call me inside.

"Come here Ms. Inocencio, please introduce yourself." Finally, Mr. Liam called me.

I slowly go inside the classroom while biting my lips due to the nervousness and shyness that I'm feeling and right now I can feel the foreign policy that this school is following.

I inhaled before finally introducing myself to my new classmates. "Good morning! I'm Maelanie Inocencio, I came from Vienna Academy and it's nice meeting you all!"

"Oh!" My classmates said in chorus.

This classroom will be my classroom for the whole semester, but some of my classmates for this first subject might not be my classmates for the other subjects just like Rona who's just my classmate for our first subject.

Rona informed me that the students here in Saint Augustine are allowed to explore things they want to explore and the subjects they wanted to take though our schedule is already fixed and it is set by the school admins even before the semester starts.

"Mr. Liam!"

We all looked at the guy who raised his hand.

"Yes Anthony?" Mr. Liam asked.

"Her rank?"

"Oh yeah right, will her rank affect us?" The girl with curvy eyebrows also asked.

I stopped myself to put a grimace on my face because of what I heard. Well, I think the foreign policy is the only thing that I find weird here, but I can say that this is still a normal school where students care so much for their grades and ranks and that makes them so competitive.

"She's on top of her class in Vienna." Mr. Liam said while grinning at my classmates.

"Oh!" They said again in chorus, the others looked sad and the others looked like they didn't care at all.

"Whoa, interesting!"

"We have two number one now!" They chorused.

When I followed the direction where my classmates were looking, I saw Yshmael with his arms crossed while looking outside the window and not caring about what is happening.

"You can sit now, Maelanie," Mr. Liam nodded at me and pointed to the vacant seat beside the window. I actually like my seat, but the thing is, my seat is in front of Yshmael and even if I don't want to admit it, there's something about this man that makes me feel uneasy.

I silently walked my way to my seat and I stopped myself to take a glance at Yshmael.

Mr. Liam started his lecture about conspiracy theory and I listened to him.

Almost half an hour since our class started when suddenly someone knocked on our classroom's door. A girl professor showed up, she walked her way to Mr. Liam and she said something before leaving.

"Class," Mr. Liam tapped the table. "There's an urgent meeting for the faculty so I want you all to do a self study, remember that your mock exam is approaching. You all know that you need to have high grades to pass this semester. I also don't want to see any of you in the hallway, you can stay at the library if you want."

He just reminded us and he left our classroom. Some of my classmates are complaining, but the others started to open their book and did self study.

Jasleene immediately came near me when Mr. Liam left our room. "Girl, we'll just go to the library." She said and pointed to Lovely.

"I'll go to the laboratory," Rona said while pouting and putting her glasses. I nodded at them and faced the book I'm reading.

Most of my classmates decided to leave our classroom and they're all holding thick books in their arms, but there's still few who choose to stay inside our room like me. It's really a tough competition, I said in my mind.

I looked at the whiteboard in front where the date of the mock exam is written on the side and it'll be the end of this month.

"Mock exam?" I sighed and unconsciously leaned on my chair.

I need to catch up with their lessons because I am not sure if they're advanced with their lessons or not and it'll be a big problem for me if they're advanced.

I massage my temple. I think I need to stay away from deep diving for now, I really need to do that specially that the exam is fast approaching and I also need to catch up fast. I don't want to end up failing this semester.

I'm planning to stand up when I heard a crack, I held tightly to my chair.

I see in my peripheral vision that from the book that he's reading, Yshmael suddenly looked up, we made eye contact and at the same time we heard another crack that came from my chair.

"Don't..."

He couldn't finish what he's going to say when my chair shattered.

I can't help but shout when I fall on the floor with the chair, thanks to Yshmael fast reflexes because he catches the desk that is supposed to fall on me.

"Ouch!" I groaned, I can't move my feet, I think it got sprained.

"Hey, you okay?" Kalvin approached and asked me. He also picked my things up and put them inside my bag.

I slightly nodded at him and tried standing up but I really can't. I can feel the pain from my feet.

"Klutz." I heard Yshmael uttered before kneeling in front of me. He checked my feet first before putting a handkerchief around it.

"What?" He irritatingly said when he caught me looking at him. I didn't answer him and just focus on something else.

He stood up and I thought he's leaving, but he came back and came near me and before I could ask anything he suddenly lifted me.

"Whoa!" Kalvin exaggeratedly acted shocked and opened his mouth wide.

I can feel myself blushing because our classmates are looking at us.

"P-Put me down.." I told Yshmael with a poker face.

He glanced at me before looking at his friend. "Take care of her things Kal."

Kalvin nodded and saluted at Yshmael and a grin was plastered on his face.

And with that, Yshmael left the room while carrying me.

"Yshmael.." I called his name as I'm trying to get his attention.

He looked at me with his forehead creased, that's why I just averted my gaze from him. I can't stare directly in his eyes, his eyes are as deep as the ocean and black as the night, it's hypnotizing.

"Put me down," I told him again. I want to put my face in his chest because of the embarrassment that I am feeling right now. There're still some students in the hallway and they are looking at us.

He didn't answer me, instead he kept walking until we got outside of our building and reached the clinic. I didn't hear him complain about my weight and how heavy I am and that's a good thing because I didn't ask him to carry me in the first place.

"Yshmael!" Our school nurse looked shocked seeing Yshmael and it looks like she's going outside too.

He slightly bowed at the nurse as a greeting and put me down at the nearest bed.

"Her foot got sprained and it's swollen, Ms. Lia." Yshmael told the school nurse before removing the handkerchief around it.

Ms. Lia immediately checked my foot, she stood up and grabbed something before coming back to where we were.

"I'm sorry Yshmael but I need to attend the faculty meeting." She looked apologetic and gave the ice pack to Yshmael.

He just smiled a little and accepted the ice pack that Ms. Lia is giving him. "It's okay Ms. Lia, it's her fault anyway."

He looked at me and raised his eyebrow. I rolled my eyes at him, if it's not for my aching feet I will really kick him.

"Put an ice pack on her swollen feet but make sure that it won't pass fifteen minutes, then put a bandage on the area that got sprained," Ms. Lia instructed and faced me. "Please make sure that you won't force yourself on moving so it won't get worse. Don't worry, I'll explain everything to Mr. Liam so you can be excused from your classes. After this, please go and stay in your dorm." She continued.

I just nodded at her and she patted my shoulder, then she left the clinic.

I sighed. I'm so unlucky for this to happen on my first day here. First, the mock exam, then I got injured and to think that I still haven't spent half of the day for my classes.

I pouted my lips and let my eyes roam around the insides of our school clinic. I think this place is still not blessed, it gives me bad luck. I said jokingly inside my head.

I saw Yshmael shook his head before sitting down on the bed in front of me. He held my feet and lightly put the ice pack on it.

I stopped myself from wincing when I felt the pain every time he lightly touched the ice pack on my feet.

He just keeps doing it and I want to believe in Rona's words that this guy is a cold person, he won't speak even a single word. His watch rang and he pressed it to stop, he also put down the ice pack on the table near us and started putting a bandage on my feet.

"Thank you." I sincerely told him my thanks.

But just like earlier, he just looked at me and my forehead automatically creased when he came near me.

"Wait, what are you doing?" I nervously asked and started moving away from him.

I heard him chuckle. "You choose, a wheelchair or me?"

My eyes widened in shock as I looked at him in disbelief. "What?"

He problematically looked at me. "Look here Miss, I think you also heard when the nurse said that you need to stay in your dorm and you're not allowed to force your feet, right? I know you can't walk on your own right now, so you choose, I'll carry you all the way to your dorm or if you want I can get you a wheelchair and suit yourself on pushing the wheels of your wheelchair, now choose."

I can't help myself to give him a glare, "Asshole!"

I almost lost myself when I saw his lips curved and saw him smile. And without a warning, he lifted me, I shouted out of shock.

"Don't shout. First, it's hurting my ears and second people might think that I'm doing something bad to you, you're not even my type." He said arrogantly that made me irritated.

"Damn this jerk heir!" I silently uttered in my mind. 

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