Chapter 16 Mystery
JAXON’S POV
It was time for my first lecture.
I closed the files I had been skimming through and grabbed my materials, then strode down to the lecture hall.
It was empty, and the quiet helped me rearrange a bit of my thoughts, settling most of my irritation into something quieter before the students began to arrive.
The day had begun strangely, but that was all there was to it.
“Good morning Mr Landon.”
“Aye, Mr. Landon, what a nice shirt you have there.”
“Mr. Landon, you look extra good this morning.”
“Mr. Landon, I might drop by your office later. I have a question.”
I accepted all of their greetings with brief looks as low chatter began to fill the room, as well as the sound of backpacks hitting desks and zippers opening.
A while after, I felt someone pause near the middle row, and without knowing why, my gaze lifted automatically.
It was Nancy.
She stood there for a couple of minutes, as if she couldn’t quite decide where to sit, but I realised soon after that she was just waiting for Diana, who walked in without acknowledging me and headed straight for Nancy.
I didn’t mind that; I’d told her not to be too familiar in professional settings.
Diana gestured vaguely, and I spotted Nancy looking over her shoulder.
At me.
She seemed even more nervous than she had been earlier at home.
I forced myself not to dwell on the reason for that and went back to organizing my thoughts about today’s lecture.
However, a few minutes later, I found myself searching for her within the crowd until I spotted her. At the same time, someone slid into the seat next to her.
My eyes flickered.
Mason.
He leaned back into his seat with the quiet confidence of someone who knew he was being watched.
I guess all popular kids had that ego, even when they couldn’t spot it themselves.
Nancy glanced at him, then quietly said something that made him grin.
The two of them laughed afterwards, and without meaning to, my grip on my tablet tightened.
I released it right after with an exhale.
The weird one here was me.
It wasn’t unusual for students to socialize before class.
Except theirs didn't stop even after class began.
I noticed the little nudges, the shared smiles, the whispers, and even the looks shared between them.
What I abhorred even more was how distracting it turned out to be.
My gaze swept over the room again, and I paused on Mason, and surprisingly, he straightened.
Interesting.
Regaining my focus, I dived into the lecture, and students began to take notes while some seriously asked questions that I thoughtfully responded to.
A brief glance at Nancy showed that she had also seriously begun to take notes.
Mason leaned closer and then pointed at her page. She shook her head, then muttered something that made him laugh, a little too loud.
I cleared my throat, and many pairs of eyes turned to me.
“Mr. Kravitz,” I said loudly and watched his smile wane as he answered the call of his name.
“Yes, sir?”
“If the conversation you’re having is more interesting than the lecture, perhaps you would like to share it with the rest of the class.”
“No, sir.” His response was immediate.
“Then I suggest you focus.”
Mason nodded in acknowledgment, then took his seat while ripples went through the classroom.
Before the day ended, I was sure whispers of how Mr. Landon had reprimanded the school’s hunk again would begin to float around.
I didn’t care about it; I was only doing my duty as an educator.
The lecture resumed, and thankfully, the talking stopped.
Nancy buried her head in her notebook for the rest of the class, and oddly enough, I didn’t find that satisfying,
Forty minutes later, class ended, and students began packing their bags.
I gathered my things slowly, half listening to the chatter going round.
Nancy stood up from her seat and grabbed her bag. Diana did the same, but they both didn’t move immediately.
They waited for Mason.
Afterwards, they all headed towards the door, and Mason naturally fell into the walk beside Nancy.
I was glad to see her making friends fast, but the familiarity and comfortability Mason exuded made me uncomfortable.
Years of teaching had taught me that boys like Mason often confused good intentions with admiration.
I stepped away from the desk, grabbed my things, and walked out, noting that I had ended up walking right behind them.
Just before they reached the door, Mason took something out of his pocket.
My eyes narrowed on it.
It was a note, and he slipped it into Nancy’s hand after.
“What’s this?” Nancy gave him a sideways glance of surprise.
“Just read it later,” Mason said with a grin.
Her cheeks flushed faintly and she held the paper a little bit hesitantly, for a minute, before slipping it inside her bag.
My jaw tightened slightly but I relaxed it a second later.
It wasn’t my business.
Students passed each other notes all the time but I couldn’t look past the deliberate way Mason had handed it to her.
I shook my head a second later.
This was just ridiculous. Whatever Mason had said or written in that note had nothing to do with me.
I made it out of the classroom just as all three of them turned a corner. Right then, something white fell out of Nancy’s slightly open bag.
It was too late when I reacted, I couldn’t call her attention to it.
Walking forward quickly, I picked it up to see that it was the same paper Mason had given her.
I stared at it for a minute, fingers hesitating over the fold.
Tempted, I opened it slowly until a single line of words became visible.
It was written with a bold, careless handwriting.
“Meet me tonight, I’ll text you the details later.”
My grip tightened, and suddenly, I was very interested in what the letter meant.