"Uh.. May I?" I raised my hand and asked. "And you are?" she asked. "Alicia King. I just joined today." I answered. "Oh yeah. Mr. Brown told me about you. My name is Mrs. Seo-yun Cooper and if you need any help in my subject, I'll be there." she smiled. "Now, are you going to give the analysis." "Yes Mrs. Cooper. In Jane Austen's mind, mutual attraction is the nost important thing in a marriage. The heroine of the novel, Elizabeth, is a loyal follower of her own affection. She encourages Jane to pursue true love with Bingley and has disagreement of Caroline's notion of marrying someone because of his wealth and fortune. She refused Mr. Collin's proposal because she knew he doesn't love her, instead just wanted to marry her because she was fit to be his wife, considering her character and appearance. Here, Elizabeth expresses Jane Austen's views about the importance of true love in a marriage." I said in a breath without any pause. "Very well, Alicia." Mrs. Cooper smiled at me. "At least, someone takes interest in my subject." she cast an annoyed glance at the class. I could feel glares piercing holes in my back but I was never the one to give in to peer pressure. The concept of "cool" and "nerd" always seemed very foreign to me. If I am studying regularly and preparing ever test, I don't think I have any reason to be ashamed of. After that, Mrs. Cooper presented a brief analysis on Chapter 10-14 of the novel. She gave us homework to write a character review on Fitzwilliam Darcy within three days. After she left, I pulled out the schedule. My next class was P.E. Ugh. Why do we have to take P. E? I don't want to be fit and active. I just want to roll into my bed, eat Nutella and watch seasons. With small steps, I searched for the gym. Each second of the next hour felt like a torture. When the bell rang finally, I was the first person to rush out. My next class was AP biology. Again, I had to sit in the first row as it was the only seat available. The seat beside me was also unoccupied until a cute blonde girl entered the class and stood beside me. "Hi." I said to her. Unlike that rude girl, this one smiled in return. "Hi." she replied meekly. "I am Emily." "Alicia." My smile grew wider. "I know." she answered and my brows furrowed in confusion. "Don't get confused. I was in your English Lit class." she cleared when she noticed my confusion. "Oh." "You are really brave." she said after a pause. "If I were in your position, I would have never answered on my first day." I smiled at her expressions. She looked really cute with her big, blue eyes and round face. "Well, I hope I don't get bullied for it." I joked and her smile dropped in an instant. "I hope that too." she said softly and turned her face away. What happened to her? Does she get bullied? To be honest, I didn't know bullying still existed. In my last school, nobody could pass any condescending remark or insult to anyone, all thanks to our strict administration. I was about to ask her the reason of her sad face when the teacher entered the class. He introduced himself as Mr. Walter. He was rambling on and on about the parts of Stomach and nobody bothered to listen to him. I myself was trying really hard to grasp the concepts as his method of teaching was really crappy. It felt like he was just reproducing crammed material without even trying to make the class understand. "He should get retired now." Emily said. "I know, right." I supported. "Don't bother listening to him. You will retain nothing. Believe me, I have tried before." she grinned. "Excuse me miss." I was busy talking with Emily when I heard Mr. Walter's voice. Not me. Not me. Please, not me. I prayed silently as I turned my gaze to him. Unfortunately, his words were directed at me, so was his board marker. "Can you tell me which surgeon is known as the father of Gastric Physiology?" he asked. "I just mentioned it few minutes earlier when you were busy chatting with Miss. Parker." "Umm. I... Umm.." I gulped the saliva down my throat. He shook his head in disappointment and turned his attention away from me. "Anyone else?" Nobody said a word. "Anyone?" Still nothing. "It's William Beaumont." a voice called from the back of the class. The voice was deep and sensuous, as if someone has poured chocolate in my ears, as silly as it may sound. I turned around and looked at the source of the voice. It was a guy sitting at the last bench of the corner. Half of his face was covered with the hood of his jacket. From the distance, I could only make out his thin lips and his strong jaw. A stupid urge to run my finger down his sharp jawline erupted in my mind and I scolded myself for such vile though. "Well done, Adam." Mr. Walter said loudly. He didn't bother to reply. Instead, he just nodded slowly and lowered his face towards his book. For a moment, I kept my gaze at him, expecting him to lift his head so that I could see his face. Too bad, a tap on my shoulder broke my concentration. "What's your next period?" Emily asked as she stood up to leave. "I have a free period." I replied. "Me too." she said excitedly. "Do you want to spend it together?" "Why not!" I followed her out of the class but not before casting a look at that hooded boy. He hadn't raised his face from his book yet though all other students were leaving the class. "Where to?" I asked, turning my attention back to Emily. "My favorite place in the whole school, our cafeteria." she chuckled and excitedly, made her way forwards. ________________________