We slipped into the math classroom, and thank God there was air conditioning, because otherwise, the Mexico City heat would've made us smell like a street market. I pulled out my notebook, and my stomach dropped. Oh, no… Of the fifteen math problems assigned, I'd only solved ten. Last night, while grinding through them at my bedroom desk, I fell asleep without even realizing it. I shook my head, letting out a sigh. Not again. Is he going to call my parents this time?
Finally, Teacher Hernández walked into the classroom, followed by the new student. He strolled in calmly, hands stuffed in the pockets of his black hoodie, his face partly shadowed by the hood. He stood next to the teacher with a reluctant slouch, like he'd done this introduction a million times before. Is he a Viking descendant? Or maybe British? He's for sure as tall to be tagged as European, I thought, comparing him to Teacher Hernández, who once said in a math problem that he was 1.75 meters tall. Is this guy, like, 1.85 meters? For his age… he's definitely going to get taller. All my classmates' eyes were glued to him, curiosity buzzing.
"Young man, please introduce yourself to your classmates," Teacher Hernández said firmly, his presence radiating that no-nonsense authority. The new guy sighed with a hint of annoyance and straightened up. "And please take off the hood. We're in a classroom, and heads stay uncovered."
He pulled off the hood, and a collective gasp rippled through the class. Even the guys couldn't help it. He shook his head, and his blond hair fell perfectly into place. He turned to scan the class, his gaze sweeping over us. "Nice to meet you all. I'm Máximo Volkov García. I just got back from a long trip abroad. A pleasure," he said, his magnetic voice captivating the room, matched by his striking presence. His blond hair and piercing blue eyes had every single girl in class swooning. I couldn't help it either—something stirred inside me. I'd never seen a guy this attractive.
Leah snapped me out of my trance with a nudge to my shoulder. I turned to her, and her face had a triumphant I told you so written all over it. Then I felt a stare from my left, where Kael sat. I glanced at him, and when our eyes met, his teal-green gaze held a curiosity I'd never seen before. Insecurity? He seemed to be analyzing my reactions, and it threw me off.
Teacher Hernández cleared his throat, pulling our attention back to the front, and continued introducing the new guy. "Young Volkov missed a year of classes, but he aced the entrance exams, so we made an exception to let him join this cycle. I expect you to help him feel included in the program. As his teacher and advisor, it's my responsibility to make it clear: no negative comments about your classmate will be tolerated. Understood? I want a 'Yes, teacher,' not just nodding like you've lost your voices."
"Yes, teacher," we all answered immediately. We knew better than to mess with Teacher Hernández—he was serious business.
The teacher turned to Máximo. "Young Volkov, take a seat in front of Miss Larios, the one with the giant blue bow on her head, by the window." I glanced where he pointed, at my classmate two rows to my left, right next to Kael. Her face turned bright red as she scrambled to move her backpack from the empty seat she usually used as an extra table. "Take a seat," the teacher finished. Máximo nodded, muttering a low "thanks," and headed to the assigned spot. He sat down with a subtle elegance that caught my eye—it was faint, but odd, like something out of a novel. Definitely raised in Europe, 100%, I thought. But within three seconds, he slouched into his chair like any apathetic teen, careful not to cross into disrespectful territory. Weird. Maybe I got him wrong… but he reminds me of that character from the anime, the manga I was rereading not long ago… what was it? The one where a girl reincarnates for the seventh time, heads to a balcony, and jumps, but she catches the villain's attention—that quiet guy, a master swordsman who killed her in her last life. From that other kingdom, Galk...?
"Miss Cervantes," Teacher Hernández's voice cut through my thoughts. Does he hate me or is it my imagination? "If you're done checking that your classmate is seated…" Light chuckles from my classmates filled the air, but his stern glare silenced them instantly. "…I'd like you to share how you solved problem thirteen from yesterday's homework on the board." He held up the marker, pointing to the problem written on the whiteboard.
Panic surged through me, my eyes widening. I didn't solve it! "O-of course, teacher," I stammered, taking a deep breath to steady my voice. "It's just… I only got to question ten."
"I assigned fifteen problems, not ten," he said, his tone sharp. "Please stay after class to discuss this." My vision blurred, my composure crumbling. No, I can't drag my parents into this again… one of them will lose a day's pay just to come deal with me. "Teacher, I promise—" I tried to explain, but he raised a hand, cutting me off.
"I'll see you at the end of class," he said, final. "Young Terán."
I glanced at Kael, who was looking at me with sympathy and concern before turning to the teacher. "Yes, teacher," he said, his voice a touch deeper than usual, which pulled me out of my panic for a moment. I took another deep breath, trying to calm down.
"Please solve the problem on the board," Teacher Hernández ordered.
"Of course, teacher," Kael said, standing up. He wove through the desks, took the marker from the teacher's hand, and, with his notebook in the other, started writing out the problem's solution. Okay, let's think of options here. I could ask the teacher for a project to make up for this and avoid him calling my parents. Maybe I could offer to stay late to… I got distracted watching Kael's back, focused as he wrote. He's gotten taller, almost as tall as the teacher. For almost 17, that's not bad… Is that why he's been stealing my spotlight at assemblies? Stop it, Alina, we need to figure out what to do. We can't let them call my—
A sharp tingle surged under my skin, stronger than before, like my blood was screaming. The pill didn't help at all. I followed the sensation and locked eyes with the new guy. Máximo's blue gaze was fixed on me, scrutinizing, cold, unreadable. My heart raced. He broke the stare, pulled out his phone, and typed something quickly. Who's he texting in the middle of class?
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