Chapter Text
★ Song: Champagne Coast by Blood Orange.
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"I can't believe we have homework again."
As Jacquelin eats with their friends, the bell rings and they snap out of it instantly.
"Jackie!" Tamarack approaches them and taps on their lunch table. "Let's go back to class together!"
Jacquelin smacks Tamarack's palm and stands up, linking arms with her. They wave goodbye to their friends as they walk with her.
"Sure, but don't you usually walk with Savannah to class?" They ask, walking outside of the classroom with her. Tamarack chuckles awkwardly, and doesn't say anything; her silence was a sign for Jacquelin not to say anything further.
"Oh, Jackie~" She points to Taihong, the pink haired boy in the distance. Hurriedly, Jackie swats Tamarack's hand away. "Stop it! He's staring!" They whisper, briefly locking eyes with the boy before averting their gaze in shame.
Even with Jacquelin looking away, the boy continues to look at them. He must've spaced out.
The two pass by each other, with little acknowledgement of the other's existence. However, the two can never truly avoid one another; the sleeves of their sweaters brushed.
"Damn it, Tam. That was embarrassing." Jacquelin grumbles, and she just laughs as they reach Tamarack's classroom, they clear their throat.
"We don't have any more classes together until Wednesday." She frowns, and Jackie giggles. "I'm thanking whoever's up there after that stunt you pulled earlier."
The two girls both giggle and Jacquelin sees Tamarack off, walking upstairs by themselves as they reach class. They open the door and are met with stares from classmates.
"Ms. De la Lluvia." Mr. Murray says with a smirk, a shiver runs down their spine. Why was there only one seat left?
"You're late by a few minutes, there's only one unoccupied seat; it's on the left of Mr. Chen."
Jacquelin's neutral expression sours. Oh boy.
"What are you waiting for? Take a seat!" Mr. Murray exclaims, and Jackie hesitantly approaches the desk. Mr. Murray might've thought that he scared them away, but the truth is, Jackie's more scared of the person he mentioned.
"Qiu..." Jacquelin whispers, and Qiu darts their gaze away from Roxanne, who's too busy focusing on the lesson, and looks towards them instead. "Yeah? What's the matter? You look tense."
"Uh... can we change seats?" They mumble quietly, and Taihong looks at them. The boy says nothing, but goosebumps start to form on their arms. "Nevermind."
Qiu shrugs, acknowledging their sudden change of mind, even if they find it quite weird. They continue talking to Roxy as usual like how they do with their classes together.
They look back at Mavix, who is not bothering to listen to the lesson. He was smart enough to pass with flying colors despite never paying attention to classes. Jacquelin felt too conscious to ask him, especially since Mavix was an outcast.
"I'm gonna die..." Jackie thinks to themselves, losing all their focus in class. They were doomed, and the day couldn't get any worse. Was the universe working against them?
Trying to forget their worries, they quickly start to doodle on their notebook instead of taking notes of the lesson. They never did well in school anyways, no matter how much they tried. It was only Physical Education that kept them from having their average grade plummeting.
As class passes by quickly, everything fades into mush in Jacquelin's memory; there was nothing worth recalling whatsoever from the lesson.
"Alright, class." Mr. Murray calls the attention of the students, "Before you go, there will be this project which will be presented in the next three meetings."
"I will only allot 30 minutes per session for this project, so I will allow you to meet outside of class for this, hence the time. More details will be posted in the announcement after class, so please check your emails!" The whole class groans because of Mr. Murray's statement, but he ignores it.
"You will work with your seatmate. So for example, you're Mr. Chen, you'll work with Ms. De la Lluvia."
What?
Did they hear that right?
Jacquelin doesn't even hide their shock as their eyes widen—they turn to look at Taihong—who just stares back with his eyebrow raised, showing them a puzzled expression.
The students pack the rest of their bags while the two just have their own staring competition.
"Have a great day, class!" Mr. Murray smiles, but Jackie frowns.
How was their day going to be great after that?