Grace was dumbfounded by Derek's behavior. Moments ago, she thought she was the one in control, but now it seemed like she might have damaged her own reputation. Noticing the rising tension, the class rep, Lucy, calmly reminded everyone of the task at hand. Before long, the class returned to its previous state, as if nothing had happened.
Grace didn't so much as move a finger—she was still in shock. One thing she absolutely hated was being made to feel small, and that was exactly what Derek had done to her today.
Derek calmly and gently walked to his seat, not sparing the incident a second thought. He just sat down, still and void of emotion.
Before Grace could snap back to reality, Lucy had already submitted the assignments. The day was turning sour for her, and she couldn't ignore the countless eyes stealing glances at her. Could today really get any worse? she thought, sinking into her seat.
The first two periods were English, and soon enough, Allison made her entrance. She was dressed in all black today, which only added to her appeal. After placing her teaching notes on the podium, she cleared her throat and began to speak.
In most schools, English and Math teachers were exempt from being homeroom teachers. But Brandon was different. The school owner ran things strictly for business, and in a bid to cut costs, English and Math teachers had to double as homeroom instructors.
"Good morning, class. I hope you're all having a wonderful day. After some consideration, I've made a decision, and I'd like everyone's cooperation," she began.
The class fell dead silent, all ears on Miss Allison.
After a pause, she continued, "Derek, please, I need you to stand."
Turning to Lucy, she said, "I want to commend you for the wonderful work you've done as class president. But from today onward, I'd like our new class president to be Derek." With that, Allison concluded and allowed Derek to sit down.
Miss Allison had already rotated the role twice among students, but none had met her expectations. Exhausted, she decided to give Derek a chance. No one else had reached her standard.
Hands shot up across the classroom in protest—Grace's hand leading the way.
Miss Allison noticed and made a simple statement: "If you have a problem with my decision, then be ready to serve as class president again."
Immediately, the hands being raised hands disappeared. Allison scanned the room with a satisfied look. The students knew that being class president was a heavy responsibility, one that could easily ruin one's reputation.
With that, she resumed the lesson, and soon enough, the class was over. Derek was still in disbelief over what had just happened. He wanted to rush after Allison, but he forced himself to remain calm and wait until the school day ended.
The wait was tough. His classmates kept making eye contact—some friendly, some cold. Grace's glare was especially hard to ignore. Finally, classes ended.
Derek packed his books quickly and rushed toward Miss Allison's office, even though his heart felt like it might just not be in place. Within minutes, he was standing at her door. He knocked gently.
Inside, Allison, who was already packing up for the day, was surprised by the knock. She hadn't asked any student to see her after school.
"Come in," she called out.
"Ma, I really appreciate the position," Derek said, head bowed, "but I don't think I can work as class president."
Allison listened quietly, then gestured for him to sit so she could explain calmly.
"Derek, being class president will actually help you become more open and less antisocial," she said softly.
She went on to explain how social withdrawal could lead to many issues. After all, she was an English teacher. As she spoke, Derek drifted into thought—until his gaze accidentally fell on her cleavage. It wasn't intentional, but it happened.
Midway through her explanation, Allison noticed where his eyes had wandered. Her expression shifted to disappointment. She wondered why he'd seemed so attentive just moments ago.
"Derek… Derek," she called sharply.
Snapping back to the moment, Derek's face flushed with shame. "I'm really sorry, Miss Allison," he said, bowing his head lower. He already feared he'd ruined any chance of building a good relationship with her.
He held his breath, waiting for her response.
After a long pause, she spoke quietly, "Well, I think it's time to call it a day. It's getting late."
Derek nodded. "Thank you," he said, rising to leave.
But just as he reached the door, he remembered something important. Turning with a soft smile, he said, "Thank you for making me feel important… and I'm really sorry about how my mother spoke to you on the phone yesterday." And without giving her time to respond, he stepped out of the office.
After he left, Miss Allison felt strangely flattered, though confusion clouded her thoughts. Could that really have been Derek's actual mother? she wondered.
While her suspicion of Derek being a bit of a pervert still lingered, she couldn't shake the feeling that his gaze had been… different.
Then another thought struck her. She had just demoted her own daughter from the class president role. Wasn't it too soon to hand it over to Derek, especially on his first day?
Still, something deep within her insisted it was the right decision. One thing was clear: his presence felt different.
Meanwhile, Derek walked down the hallway with his bag slung over his shoulder. He couldn't stop thinking about how badly he thought he had messed up in Miss Allison's office. She must think I'm weird now, he thought. At least I said what I needed to.
Lost in his whirlwind of thoughts, Derek didn't notice he was heading straight toward someone, until he crashed into Michael, one of his classmates.