Chapter 11 A feeling of awareness
NANCY’S POV
No, no, no.
Every muscle in my body locked into place.
Before he even spoke, I could tell what Mr. Landon was intending to do.
That call of 'Miss.'
He knew my name.
He absolutely knew my name, yet here he was, making me say it before all of these people.
My throat suddenly felt too dry and parched.
"...Nancy," I finished for him.
His expression didn't change after I said that, but his gaze somewhat sharpened.
"Miss Nancy," He repeated smoothly, making me shudder. "Would you care to answer the question on the board?"
Panic slammed into my chest, violently.
I had been so busy trying to get my emotions under control that I had absolutely missed the fact that he had written something on the board.
Fantastic.
Just great.
Now, the consequences of my action were about to dawn on me, and I couldn't help but feel aggrieved that Mr. Landon had chosen me out of the many people in this room.
Next to me, Mason subtly nudged my notebook closer, scribbled quickly, then pushed it back to me.
My eyes dropped quickly, and I couldn't even express how immense the gratitude I felt towards him then was.
Thankfully, the question was basic, or at least I thought it was.
Albeit still a little bit flustered, I thought about it and put my brain to use.
"It...It emphasizes an adaptive communication style by analysing the audience."
Silence stretched for a long minute, and my heart thumped painfully in my chest in that short timeframe.
Mr. Landon kept his gaze affixed on me, and right about the time my breath stretched thin, he gave a slow nod of approval, "Correct."
My heart sank with relief, and warmth flooded my cheeks.
This time, it wasn't because of embarrassment but because of the satisfaction with which he glanced at me before he looked away.
My heart gave another violent flip in my chest.
"...Okay," Mason drew closer, murmuring with a tone that sounded impressed. "You might actually be scary smart."
I turned slowly to face him, "Don't let it surprise you that I am."
He chuckled silently at my smugness while my gaze returned to Mr. Landon.
Even though he was no longer looking at me, I could feel the thread of awareness between us, invisible but real.
This class was going to be a long one, and I realized this a couple of minutes into the lecture.
Mr. Landon wasn't a bad teacher; he was quite the opposite. His words were clear, and he spoke with a knowledgeable confidence that had everyone paying attention to him.
Nearly every eyes were focused on him, except mine.
I couldn't bring myself to do so, because doing so was a terrible idea.
"... Communication isn't just about speaking; it involves perception and your ability to interpret what you perceive."
I encouraged myself to focus and scribbled that in my notebook when Mason drew closer to me, “You’re doing it again.”
“Doing what?” I didn’t stop writing.
“The intense staring thing.”
“What intense staring thing?” My face wrinkled in confusion.
“I’m listening,” I added, even though I still didn’t understand what he meant by that.
Unfortunately, I felt a familiar gaze on me, and sure enough, when I lifted my head, I found Mr. Landon staring at us, or more specifically, at Mason.
It was for a minute, but his look felt different.
Compared to the look he gave me earlier, this was different, much colder.
“So,” Mason whispered again, tapping his pen on my notebook, “Where are you from?”
I lowered my voice then replied to him, “New Jersey.”
“No way.”
“Yes way,” I retorted.
“You came here all the way from New Jersey?”
I nodded in affirmation.
“Wow, that’s a big change and a long distance,” he voiced.
“I heard New Jersey’s a really cool place. Why did you leave?”
This was it.
The question I had been avoiding being asked all day.
I’d considered that most people would be curious to know why I left, but even though I knew that, I hadn’t figured out what story to tell.
I fumbled for an answer, but Mason didn’t seem to be that interested in a response because he went on speaking, “There are a lot of cool places here, too. I can show you some fun places if you want.”
Despite myself, I smiled at him, and that proved to be a mistake.
“Mr. Mason.”
The voice came from the front of the room, definitely directed at us.
“Yes, sir?”
“I didn’t realise you were well-versed in the art of teaching yourself.”
Although his words were purely sarcastic, Mr. Landon looked very serious.
A few quiet snickers rippled through the classroom, and Mason scratched his head, a little bit sheepishly.
“I don’t care what you’re talking about, but do not interrupt my lecture with it. Is that understood?”
I couldn’t help but lift my head to glance at Mr. Landon. He sounded so stern and…cold.
It was as if he’d morphed into an entirely different person from the man I met at the airport and the man who had helped me escape my room and New Jersey.
After that, I didn’t speak again, but I couldn’t help thinking that something about the way Mr. Landon had looked at us didn’t feel neutral.
The rest of the class passed in a blur, and soon enough, the lecture wrapped up.
“Alright,” Mr. Landon said, closing his tablet, “That will be all for today. Ensure you review the material and make further research on our discussion today. Enjoy the rest of your day.”
The moment he signalled the end of class, loud murmurs rose, and chairs began to scrape loudly against the floor.
Mason stood beside me, slinging his bag over his shoulder while Diana gathered her things, “Shall we go have lunch?”
“Come on, Nancy, you have to experience what I told you yourself.”
It took a second for me to figure out that she was talking about the cafeteria food.
I smiled then nodded, and we started heading towards the door.
The awareness I had felt earlier prickled the nape of my neck again, and I glanced over my shoulder to where Mr. Landon stood, still at the front of the classroom.
He was watching us, and his gaze moved from me to settle on Mason, who was walking closely behind me.
The look in his eyes was far from pleased, and a shiver ran down my spine.
For some reason, I couldn’t help but feel that Mr. Landon did not like Mason at all.