- 2.
He was undeniably good–looking. Standing
there at the doorway, backlit, it was easy to
understand why I’d fallen for him.
But now, looking at his face, I only felt disgust.
The chattering girls suddenly fell silent. The
entire classroom held its breath.
Dozens of eyes were waiting for the show.
I brushed the chalk dust off my hands, walked
calmly to my seat, pulled out my chair, and sat
down.
I didn’t glance at Ethan once.
He hadn’t noticed the blackboard, probably assuming I’d already taken care of it.
€9
He went straight to his seat, reaching for his water bottle.
Unfortunately for him, I hadn’t filled it today
either.
His best friend, Zach, noticed the blackboard and whispered, “Dude, what’s up with Ms. Benson writing your name up there? Mia didn’t
wipe the board for you! And no water?”
Ethan finally noticed the math equations
scrawled across the blackboard.
His brow furrowed, but he quickly regained his
usual nonchalant expression and reached into
his desk drawer.
<
39
Normally, there would be a clean handkerchief
and a carton of warm milk waiting for him.
But today, there was nothing.
Zach watched as Ethan came up empty–handed and, with his usual lack of tact, said to me, “Mia, what’s with the sudden change of heart? Not wiping the board, no milk, no water? What gives?”
I frowned at Zach, impatience creeping into my voice. “Is he disabled? Can’t he do these things himself? I’m not his mother. I have no obligation to take care of him.”
Ethan’s eyes flickered, and he let out a soft,
cold snort.
He probably thought, like everyone else, that I
was just playing games, waiting for him to coax
me back.
<
Ethan nudged Zach with his foot, telling him to
shut up. Zach obediently went up to erase the board.
I opened my textbook and started studying.
Because of Ethan, I’d given up a chance to attend the prestigious Northwood High and came to Southwood instead.
I could have been in the advanced placement classes here, but because of Ethan, I ended up
in the lowest–level class.
I’d fought with my mom about it, but she
eventually gave in.
Our families were close, so it didn’t matter
where I went to school. The plan was always for
me to go to college with Ethan anyway.
Perhaps it was because of our families‘
connection that I’d always seen Ethan as my
Drina
Charmina
Now, all I could think was, what a jerk! He acted like he was some kind of royalty.
This time around, I was going to stay far away from Ethan, starting with the next seating chart change. I was determined to get into the top ten in the class on the next monthly exams. I never wanted to sit in front of Ethan again.
Zach came back down after erasing the board. Seeing me studying, he snatched my book.
“Whoa, Miss Sanders hitting the books? Getting ready to tutor our dear Ethan again? Maybe you
can help me out too?”
In their eyes, everything I did was ultimately to
get Ethan’s attention.
I grabbed my book back, my voice edged with
annoyance. “A dumb brain is a dumb brain, no
.matter how much tutoring it gets. Maybe you
should just go study abroad or something.”
<
I turned with my book and met Ethan’s eyes. He
was angry.
Of course. In his mind, Mia would never say
anything bad about him.
“Did I do something to you?”
His tone was sharp, almost hostile.
I ignored him, walked past him with my book,
and returned to my seat.
Knowing Ethan, he wouldn’t ask me twice.
Sure enough, he kicked the chair next to him
and stormed out of the classroom.
I shook my head. He really thought he was a
king.
And it was my fault, for having such terrible
taste in guys.
