The sheer reminder of having French without Adrien gave her stride an extra spring.
Making Raven wasted no time, on her way to the next lesson, arriving a little earlier than normal.
As that class ended too, the room rose to a similar volume and commotion.
Though Raven paid it no mind and rather chose to disappear in it, leaving at a time when not too many—or too few—were left.
“Not too soon, not too late,” she commented, her eyes trailing after the tiny twirls and curves in the engraved wood watch already sitting inside her next class.
She slowly realized with every small tick, with every knock against the door, that made her shoulders briefly squeeze together before they released as no steps were heard:
That ‘ Goldilocks isn’t just late—no, the boy isn’t coming’ .
At this, Raven’s back relaxed against the cushion, her gaze wandering away. The distant sounds of laughter echoed inside the room.
Lowly whistling an old melody, Her fingers lightly tapped on the refined table.
“I literally have nothing to do. No homework, no work for any courses, or little preparations.”
Raven’s fingers picked a slower pace. ‘ Who cares though? It’s not like I get much rest anyway.’
“Priorities, priorities,” Raven chuckled dryly, closing her eyes as the silence buzzed through the room like a lullaby.
Even without opening her eyes, Raven could visibly map out her classroom and parts of her school:
high ceiling, expensive materials, mostly wide landscapes and spaces.
If She remembered it right, the color scheme was a mix of natural brown, white, and black.
It was also pretty common to spot hints of beige, red, and green combined with splashes of silver and gold if she looked closer.
Raven let herself fall back; it wasn’t like her school needed any excessive attention. The old building itself was art alone.
The detailed craftsmanship shone through every brick, noticeable even to someone akin to her, who didn’t have the biggest touch for architecture.
Not to mention the careful caretakers, modernized things, utensils, and many other details.
It always amazed Raven, to be honest, how something could look so old yet good, not losing its charm even though it had been renovated so many times.
“Who would have guessed that the inside looks like this?” Raven opened her eyes, observing her hands, scratched everywhere.
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“What a tragedy—what good brings a nice body if the core is lost,” grimaced Raven.
Now wide awake, Raven rubbed her eyes, barely containing a yawn,
as the sleepy atmosphere seemed to vanish at the recollection of exactly where—and with whom—she was.
A few minutes later, Raven heard a rattle against the door and voices getting louder.
Sighing, Raven quickly straightened her posture, pulling out her phone. It was 11:00 a.m. “I guess it’s over.”
The door opened shortly after, a swell of noises sweeping in as a group of girls walked in, not even noticing they weren’t alone.
Raven clutched her phone tighter. ‘ Well, that was unexpectedly loud.’
The next few minutes followed a similar pattern—people walking in, but no one really registering her.
Some shot her a few quick looks, brows and lips tightened firmly at her sight, drifting as they walked to their tables.
But none of the eyes lingered—none but his.
When Adrien walked in, the air didn’t smell any different, nor did the room get any louder. It was nothing obvious, nothing important.
Just the heavy feeling of a following gaze—notice you, looking for you.
And to her, this was even worse; it was a sensation almost forgotten, like an ancient text, known in the past, even appreciated in a way, and now just a fragment of memory.
So Raven shifted a little into the shadows at the back of the room under the intense blue.
The watching peripheral part of her eyes burned a little by the time her teacher strolled in and started the class.
***
The class bored Raven.
She was never someone who really liked math or was good at it. She barely passed most of the time.
Her hands itched to do something, yet they were forced to lay still on her thighs, eyes outside following, drawing after each tripping teardrop.
It had started raining halfway through the class.
It was like even the sky cried at the equations her teacher presented.
As if numbers weren’t bad enough, they now had letters. ‘ Excuse me, but I believe two different subjects shouldn’t mix.’
“Life would be easier if everything stayed in their respective lines,” mouthed Raven soundlessly.
Her sight drifted down to the muddled ground—a patch of wet brown.
A little clang dragged her out of her mind.
Pupils slightly widened, she turned around, looking for the culprit.
It seemed like her seatmate had dropped his Apple Pen onto the table, as he picked it up and continued to write down.
Before she could turn back, Mr. Mettvew’s voice boomed through. It was strained, leaving no trace for excuse.
“Miss Storm,” Mr. Mettvew called her out again. “I believe I have asked for you for the third time.”
A short pause—his eyes sweeping over her, stopping abruptly, then swinging around, glaring.
The classmates who had stopped working resumed immediately under his stare.
His voice leaned,
“Miss Storm, Mr. Anarché, come to the front. It’s time to present your idea—you are not the only group.”
Heat traveled into her cheeks. Raven bit the inside of her mouth. “I am sorry, Sir—I am coming.”
Raven wasted no more time, moving forward with Adrien trailing right behind her after pulling the form out.
Right. Today was the day they made it official—the whole group plan. She recalled their conversation.
The talk with Mr. Mettvews moved swiftly.
Adrien spoke, and Raven nodded at the right times so she appeared interested enough, adding a few words here and there.
Mr. Mettvews appeared satisfied enough as they left with the signed form.
The moment they sat down, Mr. Mettvews called out the next group, shouting their names from the front.
Whilst Raven turned towards the window, she heard Adrien softly mutter, “Thank God,” smiling down before starting to calculate again.
Raven nodded inwardly.
Even she had to admit she was thankful he accepted their project plan without any issues.
Swinging her legs around, Raven watched the rest of the class blur past, and before she knew it, the last equation was being discussed.
Raven was listening to Mr. Mettvew explaining why x was 2 and not -2 when something poked her side. Raven turned her head automatically, looking for the source.
It was apparently her sheepish-looking seatmate—Adrien.
‘What is it now?’ asked Raven to herself in a rather chipped tone, yet making no sign of turning back. ‘This better be really worth it.’
Adrien made small throat-clearing sounds under Raven’s empty pupils, ruffling his hair before going on.
“Well, I kinda thought—we could leave a little earlier because we have an appointment with the principal,” playing with his hair again.
“I don’t wanna deal with the crowd today, you know.”
And how Raven knew. She could even top it. She never wanted to deal with the crowd.
Earlier, she had already worried about how she was going to make it through the mass with Adrien in tow.
It was like wearing a shirt and jeans to a wedding.
Adrien seemed to take her lack of response as a no, moving his eyes to the side. “You don’t have to, though. I’m fi—”
“It’s okay,” Raven said, the sound gentle and low.
It seemed really important to him, and she also had no need to be in a crowd.
Right now, he made her think of Adelaine—being too nice again, instead of his usual golden-puppy behavior.
And if they wanted to leave early and reach the principal before they became a spectacle, they had to ask the teacher now.
Raven looked at her phone—they had only 5 minutes before it was 11:40.
Adrien apparently understood, as he wasted no time packing his bag, raising his hand, and asking for their early leave.
Mr. Mettvew paused the lesson, “Okay, we don’t want the principal to wait. Get the approval for your project.”
Sighing and looking down at his watch, “It’s at 11:45, right, Raven?” His eyes filled with skepticism.
Raven shook her head. “No, the appointment is at 11:50, as Adrien has told you before, sir.” She didn’t even blink an eye at the small lie.
Adrien evidently had no issues lying either, shooting her a brief look.
Satisfied with their answer, Mr. Mettvew gave them a go. They had passed his test.
See you hopefully soon !
Little Trailer :
Raven felt soft tingles all over herself—they didn’t hurt, though. Voice dropping, “Hi, Ade,” said Raven into the embrace. She didn’t hug her back, but Adelaine crushed them enough for both of them.
—(N.N)