"You have got to be kidding me."
Him? Out of everyone alive, why him? Why that arrogant bastard who had already ruined my clothes and my mood yesterday?
He didn't even look like a student. He was dressed head to toe in black, every piece of it expensive, like a villain in a movie, or the bad boy the heroine should know better than to fall for. The moment he walked in, the air in the room felt heavier.
"Can you introduce yourself?" our teacher asked, struggling to keep her professional composure.
He answered with a billionaire's arrogance, short and unbothered. "I'm Theo Throne. Nice to meet you, new classmates."
I thought that was it. Then his eyes landed on me. "Though I think I already know someone here."The class instantly broke into whispers. I felt Emma nudging me so hard that she nearly made me fall off my chair.
"Do you know him? Why didn't you tell me? Who is he to you? A friend? A former classmate? A brother? A cousin? A countrymate? Tell me!" she demanded, firing one question after another.
"Chill," I said with a grimace, covering my ears.
Before she could get another word out, Sara, a girl sitting behind me, spoke up. "Hey, Spencer! Who is this handsome newbie?"
"Let's see if you still consider him handsome after you witness his arrogance," I countered.
She waved her arms dismissively. "Arrogant or not, he is gorgeous. His face doesn't change when he speaks, does it? No. So, who cares?"
I rolled my eyes.
"Please don't tell me you're already falling for him."
Sara gasped dramatically, pressing a hand to her chest. "Falling? I haven't even stood up yet."
Emma snorted beside me.
I couldn't help laughing, but the sound died almost immediately when I noticed the room had gone strangely quiet.
I looked toward the front.
Theo was still standing there.
And he was still looking at me.
Not casually.
Not like someone who had simply recognized a familiar face.
It was the kind of stare that made me wonder whether there was something on my face.
I quickly glanced down at myself.
No stains.
No ripped clothes.
Nothing.
When I looked back up, his expression hadn't changed.
What was his problem?
Our teacher cleared her throat.
"Well, Theo, you can take the seat by the window."
I followed the direction she pointed in.
My stomach sank.
The seat was by the window, directly parallel to mine.
Of course it was.
I looked at the teacher, then at the empty seat, hoping she'd suddenly change her mind.
She didn't.
Theo walked toward it.
I kept my eyes on my notebook, pretending to be incredibly interested in the blank page in front of me.
I heard the quiet scrape of a chair being pulled out.
Then nothing.
I risked a glance to the side.
He was sitting there, leaning back slightly in his chair, looking completely comfortable.
The sunlight from the window fell across his desk, making the black of his clothes stand out even more.
I immediately looked away. Whatever.
It wasn't like he had chosen the seat himself.
Our teacher had told him to sit there. That was all.
I opened my notebook and tried to focus on the lesson.
"Alright, everyone. Let's continue from where we left off yesterday."
Pens started moving.
Pages turned.
The classroom slowly returned to normal.
I should have done the same.
Instead, I became painfully aware of the person sitting across from me.
Not because he was doing anything.
That was the annoying part.
He wasn't.
He wasn't staring.
He wasn't talking to me.
He wasn't even looking in my direction.
So why was I so aware of him?
I shook the thought away and started copying the notes from the board.
A few minutes passed. Then I noticed his hand move in the corner of my vision.
He was writing. I glanced over.
Just notes.
Nothing unusual.
I looked back at my notebook.
See?
I was imagining things.
Maybe I was just still irritated about yesterday.
Or maybe Emma's questions had gotten into my head.
Either way, I wasn't going to spend the entire lesson wondering what Theo Throne was thinking.
I had better things to worry about.
Like surviving the rest of the day without another disaster involving him.