Ariana
Who. Is. He?
I stare between him and Anna. My eyes darting back and forth like I'm watching a tennis match. She knows him? How!
Anna doesn't talk casually to many people like this. She barely laughs like this with our classmates! And yet here she is—relaxed, smiling, even teasing him!
I glance at Tiara. Oh wow.
She's making faces like she just tasted garlic. She's super pissed! And honestly, I don't blame her.
That guy just ignored her—ignored the most popular girl of the class. That takes audacity!
But he's back-facing me and I'm not able to see his face. I notice as his shoulders shake when he laughs at something Anna says. His hair is long, brushing the back of his neck.
Cling
My pen rolls down the desk and falls on the ground with a metallic sound. I reach down to get it.
"Um… you could but —" I hear Anna's voice above and see two pairs of boots beside the bench.
The new guy is also here! Beside our desk! I freeze for half a second. Then try to get up in a hurry and end up banging my head against the wooden desk.
"Ouch!" I cry out.
"What were you doing there?" Anna asks me, her tone surprised.
"I was searching for… Ow!" I cry again as I again bump into something—no, this time someone!
"Hey!" He cries at the same time with me.
I look up to apologise only to find my breathings getting hitched.
…He is so beautiful.
That's the only sentence my brain can find.
I stare at his face which is only mere inches away from mine. His sharp Asian eyes with a straight Roman nose, flawlessly fair skin and those black rimmed spectacles—
I'm gone.
"Uh… Ari, he's Nathan." I hear Anna introducing him to me and with a sudden jerk in my brain, I come back to the real world.
I blink. Once. Twice.
"Oh ha-hi! I'm Ariana." I say to him. And without responding, he tilts his head and studies my face. My cheeks go red. I make a quick bow to him, "I'm sorry for bumping into you."
Now he laughs. He laughs!
"Hey, that's alright. You don't need to apologise." And he smiles at me. He has dimples!
"Ahem!" Anna clears her throat and raises an eyebrow at me. I squint my eyes at her.
"So, where am I gonna sit?" Nathan asks her. They both turn their heads here and there in search of a seat.
"Sam is sitting alone there." I notice and point out quickly, desperate to stop staring at this handsome face in front of me.
"Yeah, you can—" Anna was about to say something but Nathan cut her off.
"Gotcha! I'll sit there! And that'll be better than sitting beside you ha!" And he trails off to sit beside Sam.
"Idiot!" Anna mutters under her breath.
Meanwhile Mr. Choi, our class-teacher comes and introduces Nathan to the class and starts the chapter. And soon the board is filled with numbers.
***
"Hey," I whisper to Anna and glance at Mr. Choi who's been solving a sum on the board for nearly ten minutes.
"What?" She replies while doing her own sums in her notebook. I guess she's one chapter ahead of him.
But I hate maths though.
"How do you know that guy?"
She smirks. "It seems like you're so interested in him."
I roll my eyes. "Fine! You don't have to tell me! Jeez!"
She laughs and, after solving the final equation, looks at me. "You've really forgotten?"
"What?" I sound confused.
She sighs, "Eat walnuts Ari. That'd help."
"Just shut up and spit the real matter!" I snap.
"He's Nathan Miles." She starts counting her fingers while spitting the facts. "Son of Felix Miles, my father's best friend. He came back to Seoul after four years from America. Didn't I tell you all this before?"
Events reel inside my head. "Oh yeah! You had told me last Friday when we were in the café! I remember now!"
"Thank god! Ari, now focus on the sum sir's solving on the board."
"But why did he come back here? That too, alone?"
"He—"
"Now the answer will say… Ariana."
I jump on my seat at the mention of my name. I stand up abruptly and look at the teacher. "Yes sir?"
"Answer it."
"Yes sir." And I pinch Anna's arm, asking for the answer.
"Ouch! You…" She curses me under her breath, "say 'x'."
"The answer is 'x'."
"Ha-ha-ha" Suddenly a witch-like laughter is heard. I didn't know we even had one in our class. Oh, it's Sumi. "How can she ever answer something correctly? The answer must be 'x square'."
I pinch Anna again, "You told me the wrong answer!"
"Impossible! My calculations are all right!" Anna squints her eyes and stares at Sumi.
"Silent!" Mr. Choi shouts at the sudden noisy class. "The answer is probably 'x'. How did you calculate it so wrong, Park Sumi?" I notice Sumi paying no attention to sir. "I'm talking to you Ms. Park!" He snaps. "Get out of my class! Now!"
I bite back a satisfied grin.
Sumi glares at me and walks out of the classroom to stand sticking to the wall raising her both hands.
"You can sit Ms. Ottawa." Sir addresses me and I sit down.
"Barking dogs seldom bite." I hear Anna mutter the quote. I laugh.
***
After the class ends, Sumi comes in and goes straight to Tiara's desk. Wow—two witches in one frame!
I ignore them. Then hear Anna laughing beside me.
"What happened?"
"Just hear them." She indicates Nathan and Sam. I look at their desk and try to hear.
"Really brother, no one has ever made friends with me! You're really really so kind!" Sam exclaims to Nathan. Nathan just nods his head. He seems to be stuck in Sam's overreaction.
"No, I mean, you're new, yet you're acting so well known to me. I love you brother!"
I laugh. Anna also laughs.
Nathan's eyes fall onto our bench. I suppress my laughter biting my lips so hard and Anna turns back and hides her face into her book. Nathan rolls his eyes.
Sam is such a drama-queen!
And now Nathan has to see all of his dramas — This year seems to be interesting!