~Zoe~

I moped at Mr. Hans, the science teacher as he kept on yapping for what seemed like ages, his hunched frame barely visible under an old brown cardigan that looked as worn-out as he did.

A pair of thick, smudged glasses sat low on his nose, and he peered over them, lost in his own lecture, but not until he noticed me.

My mind was unable to comprehend most of everything he was saying because I paid no attention to begin with, kept flinging my gaze from side to side, every now and then, trying to figure out who might've spread such an obnoxious rumor about me.

"And Le Chatelier's principle states what, Miss Zoe?"

His raspy voice yanked me out of my thoughts, and my heart raced faster with everyone's eyes pinned at me. Frozen, I gulped, watching him adjust his crooked-looking glasses.

"I-I...The principle--", I stuttered.

"Could you please get up and tell the whole class?", he requested.

'What a jerk', I thought.

I found myself fiddling with my fingers, tiny droplets of sweat carpeting my blood drained face while everyone jeered at me.

"That's what I thought...step forward"

The knot in my stomach pulled itself harder when he uttered those words and at that point, I wished hell would just consume me immediately.

My feet wobbled as I trudged further past my desk, my heart racing with every step I took until I arrived in front of the whole class.

I pulled a few strands of my bronze hair behind my left ear, burying my face downwards to avoid making an eye contact with anyone but the blue chess-patterned floor.

"Yes Mr. Hunter, what does Le Chatelier's principle state?"

My eyes shone at the mention of that name...could it be?

"Ethan Hunter, I'm talking to you", Mr. Hans added.

I gasped under my breath before lifting my head to catch a glimpse of the infamous class prince.

Ethan Hunter, just as I had earlier suspected, was the ghost-behaved guy clad in a really cool leather jacket, who constantly fiddled with a pencil while his attention was always pinned upon a sketchpad.

He wore a plain look on his face, highlighting his handsome features, from his perfectly chiseled jawline to his ebony black hair, lined with a single unique silver streak that casually fell across his forehead.

"Wow", I mumbled under my breath.

I silently witnessed as he let go of the sketch pad and pencil he was holding, rising from his seat while shooting a death stare at Mr. Hans.

"Le Chatelier's principle?", the teacher demanded.

A brief silence filled the atmosphere, suspense lingering in everyone's eyes as their piercing gazes shifted from me to him.

"Le Chatelier's Principle states that when a dynamic equilibrium is disturbed by changes in concentration, temperature, or pressure, the system will adjust itself to minimize the effect of the disturbance and establish a new equilibrium"

He spoke in a cold tone, and I realized from the brief glances I stole at him, that his gothic eyes were fixed on no one but me, while he spoke.

Everyone's mouth including mine, shot wide open at the end of his sentence. Meanwhile, he grabbed his sketchpad and pencil and took a seat, without the teacher's permission.

Mr. Hans exhaled, averting his unimpressed gaze to me;

"I'll let you off with a warning this time...but next time, you should pay more attention in my class, other than moping at everyone,understood?"

I shook my head in agreement, with my gaze still pinned to the ground.

A few more classes skipped by and the bell rung, prompting everyone to scurry out for lunch.

I wormed my way through the crowd, playing deaf ears to our biology teacher just like everyone else did. My stomach couldn't help but grumble at the thought of having lunch in the school cafeteria where everyone's eyes would keep staring at me, but I was left with no other choice.

I exhaled, scuttling down the hallway, its atmosphere consumed by the loud whispers of students.

Arriving at the cafeteria, I took another deep breath, the warm and creamy aroma of mac and cheese filling my senses in an instant.

I glanced around the bright, spacious cafeteria, swaying my gaze from the sleek red seats to the smooth tables along the glass walls.

A smile crept onto my face when I spotted table 44, where Trisha and I loved to sit, enjoying a close-up view of the red maple tree through the glass.

That was when a hand grabbed my wrist from behind, jolting me back to reality in an instant.

"Hey, Zoe"

I gasped and my heart skipped a beat.

"Geez...Asher, you've got to stop startling me"

"C'mon buddy, it's mac and cheese monday"

Asher beamed a sheepish smile at me, pulling me with him as he waltzed towards the waiting line.

Rolling my eyes, I responded:
"I can tell"

An awkward silence existed between us as we proceeded inch by inch, my eyes scanning past the array of palatable dishes until it was my turn to grab a tray from the multicolored stack.

"Hey Mrs Dwana, looking good today...is that a new apron I see?"

The lunch lady, Mrs. Dwana, wore a neat plaid apron and hairnet over her graying curls, her face beaming with a warm smile on hearing Asher's words. A warm feeling washed over me, and I couldn't help but smile when her gaze met with me.

"You must be new here," she said in a gentle German accent.

"Um...nope, it-it's complicated", I replied, eyes glued to the mac and cheese she dished into Asher's red tray.

"You seem nice...double scoops for you"

"Thanks"

I flashed a smile at her, knowing pretty well that besides Asher, she was the only one who actually didn't treat or mope at me like a diseased animal.

Asher waved from table 42, hands flailing for no reason at all.

'What a nerd'

I sighed, pacing towards him with my tray. With every table I passed, it felt like everyone poked at me with their edgy gazes, even though my eyes were pinned at him alone. Nevertheless, I pressed forward, but not until I walked past the worst table ever...

"Hey look, it's disease girl"

I froze and instantly felt my heart skip more than a dozen beats on hearing those words. The voice sounded familiar, and it was then I figured out who had been spreading the rumor about me.

"Would you look at that outfit...it's giving pathogenic", someone else from the table jibed.

I exhaled, playing deaf to their words, until suddenly....

"I heard her mum died of herpes...and--"

The cafeteria exploded with thunderous laughter from every angle and my quivering hand let go of the tray I was holding, its content bathing the floor.

I flung my sullen gaze at the b*ch who uttered those words, and of course, it was Sandra Carter.

She was clad in a beige dress, twiddling her long blonde hair with a smirk on her face. It felt like though I was a prey amidst the girls who sat with her, their scowling gazes stabbing me over and again.

My lips trembled, not in fear, but fury as I munched my words:
"W-what did you say?"

She grabbed a cup of smoothie from one of the girls beside her and sprang up, flipping her hair leftwards before drenching my blue dress with its pink liquid content. Everyone gasped, and with tears brimming in my eyes, I slammed my palm into her face.

I took a deep breath, exhaling with annoyance while watching her flawless cheeks turn red.

"Being the richest girl in school gives you no right to insult my mum or spread lies about her", I spat before making to leave.

But my exit was foiled when she seized my dress' neckline and emptied the content of another cup over my head.

The crowd was now glaring at us, and just as I was about to retaliate, she plunged her fist into my nose. I staggered backwards, wincing as the tingling pain zipped through my brain in seconds. My fingers were bathed in red when I rubbed my nose with them, tears pouring from my eyes as I staggered backwards. Yet she seized another cup from the table, ready to take the shot again.

Then, a cold familiar voice rang from behind me:

"Touch her again, and you'll lose every single tooth from that pretty mouth of yours"

Everyone's loud noises and whispers quickly faded into a sudden, heavy silence, transforming the atmosphere. Shivering from the humiliation I had just experience, I glanced over my shoulder and gasped when I realized who it was....Ethan.