Pop Quiz

"Get one sheet of paper." 

A deep, stern voice boomed into the room, coming from a man in his early thirties with a perpetual frown drawn all over his face. As the afternoon period officially began, the dreadful calculus pop quiz struck immediate fear into the students in class 2-C.

Everyone obliged, as this has been a usual scenario in this class, a cacophony of paper sheets being torn filled the silence in the room, followed by low groans and subtle whines.

Raphael scratched the side of his cheek, watching everyone in the class instinctively prepare themselves with a paper and pen in hand, placed neatly right on top of the desk, before he scrambled to tear a sheet from his own pad and grabbed a pen from his bag.

A surprise quiz? Is this what they talked about this morning, huh?

His eyes glanced over Antonio and Alexis, who seemed to be nudging each other, probably the former begging his friend for answers. Meanwhile, a few chairs right next to him, Feyline looked so serious as she began cracking her knuckles like preparing for a fight.

Why's everyone getting agitated? 

It shouldn't be that bad, right?

"A reminder to everyone. If you get a zero, I will send you to detention regardless." Mr. Milton spoke once more with intimidation. 

Mr. Milton's words echoed in his mind as the pressure slowly built inside of him, thinking hard about the possible topics and equations he could recall from his private tutor's Calculus lessons. It seemed so easy when he was quizzed in the comforts of his home, but something else felt different this time. Was it because of the pressure not to fail, or just the new school environment? 

He heaved a deep sigh.

The female student in front of him, Sylvia, turned her head slightly to the side, intentionally looking over him. Her pen lightly tapped on her desk like a rhythmic distraction. 

"Need help?" she cooed in a whispering tone. 

Raphael blinked twice, thinking about her suggestion before politely declining with a small smile. "No, thanks. I think. I am good." 

"In case you do," she pointed down under her desk. "Have a look."

Out of curiosity, Raphael leaned a bit closer to look thoroughly over where she was pointing. Her fingers motioned not just underneath her desk but on her leg.  

She lifted her skirt further up as she raised her thigh slightly, perching it over the metal bars beneath the desk. As Raphael's eyes squinted through her tights, just around the inner corners of her upper thighs, he could make out a piece of paper stuck in between her sheer material and bare skin.

Is that some code or something?

Staring at it closely, he could finally see through a bunch of answers arranged in numerical order. Immediately, he realized what was about to happen, like a flick of a switch in his brain.

W-wait, isn't that cheating?

Without a word, he gazed up with eyes widened as he met her eyes, still darting at him with her face curving out a playful grin. She placed a finger between her lips like in a hush. Raphael looked away, dismissively shaking his head.

Unbelievable. 

No way he would stoop that low just for a small quiz.

"Pass this over." Mr. Milton commanded. "Remember. Cheating and peeking at answers are prohibited," followed by a warning.

Handouts were passed over from one student to another right behind. As Raphael reached out to get his, Sylvia turned over slightly to her side. 

When he clasped the sheets, her fingers held onto it tightly for a second longer, while eyeing him intently with her gaze. Raphael tugged it once more, finally releasing her grip as she chuckled softly under her breath.  

As soon as each student received their copies, Mr. Milton cleared his throat before announcing. 

As Raphael leaned back in his seat and sat in calm composure, his fingers turned the pages, skimming through the handout that was given to him. The questionnaire had only 10 items, covering solving equations, completing blank statements, and using appropriate formulas.

It seemed like a standard quiz at first glance until he began reading the first question.

The worker has 45 m2 of material to build a box with a square base and no top. Determine the dimension—

Suddenly, the words in his mind slurred, blurring into images as he tried to understand the question. He kept rereading it, but nothing came up. 

What was that equation again? 

His mind blanked out. He couldn't recall anything. 

While clutching the locks of his hair, trying to squeeze out the memories in his brain cells, his gaze wandered to Sylvia as he remembered that cheat sheet on her leg. 

The equation was there. He saw it. 

Meanwhile, across from him, Sylvia looked utterly calm, exuding confidence in her posture— sitting upright and twiddling her fingers with a pen.  She began scribbling on the piece of paper while glancing up at the handout and back to her sheet.

Then, her green orbs gazed swiftly down her thigh, pulling her skirt up to scan over her cheat sheet, but not long enough to linger in suspicion.

The beating in his chest hammered wildly. 

Instinctively, Raphael took a quick glimpse, seeing the full equation etched on her thigh as he copied it onto his sheet. Just before he could finish it, her fingers pulled over her skirt to conceal it. 

Ah— crap. 

I almost had it. 

He sighed once more, looking down over his piece of paper.  Although he failed to get the full formula, he decided to proceed to the next question. Still, he couldn't recall at all, skipping from the next one to another. 

Slowly, his mind got more frustrated, staring closely into the questionnaire while aggressively tapping on his desk as he got more agitated as the time grew past. The white sheet of paper was still empty, except for a few missing answers and pen blot markings. 

Should I take a look again? 

Didn't she say I could, right? But.... It feels so wrong.

His eyes darted onto her leg once more, seeing her skirt still draped over it as he let out a defeated sigh. Guess I have to wait for it ... 

Sylvia began to feel Raphael's intense stares over her, not like daggers but studying the answers in utmost concentration. To her, his piercing eyes felt like a wonderful sensation, dancing all over her skin. The thirst of frustration in his eyes sent a chilling gaze down her spine, but that didn't faze her at all. Instead, she felt amused, savoring his thirst for knowledge. 

Look at him. That poor little puppy is struggling to quench his thirst. How cute. Her thoughts spoke out in her mind with a condescending tone, but at the same time, playful. 

A soft giggle escaped from her lips, concealing it with her hand. 

In a tease, her fingers tugged her skirt, bringing it up to reveal her thigh enough for the top of the sheet to be seen as she took another glance. Slowly, unveiling it.

There, he is looking at it again. 

She stopped, only revealing the first question's answers. Immediately, she could hear his pen begin to jot down hurriedly out of desperation. How amusing...

As the scribbling ceased, she knew he had finished. Then, her fingers moved, pulling it up further for the next item in the list, slowly and carefully, but she halted midway. A playful grin appeared on her face. 

What about now, Raphael? 

It's been roughly fifteen minutes that have passed, and Mr. Milton was just sitting on his seat with watchful eyes scanning all over the classroom. 

"Antonio. First warning," he called out.

Antonio flinched after hearing his name. Then, scratched his head with a nervous chuckle. 

"Friendly reminder. Never cheat in my class," he warned once again.

Sylvia had not moved for some time now, still clinging to her skirt with the answers shown halfway. Seriously, what on earth is she doing? 

Unable to wait any further, Raphael risked himself as he stretched his leg outward enough to reach the foot of Sylvia's chair, nudging it once. She noticed it as her back leaned against the chair, turning her head slightly for a quick look, still grinning.

The next nudge was a more intentional reminder. 

"Fine," she rolled her eyes as she heaved a deep breath, looking straight forward to watch Mr. Milton from a distance, who seemed distracted by another student calling him out for another warning. 

Carefully, her skirt lifted as she perched it further up for him to get a closer look. 

Once the answer sheet appeared closer, Raphael didn't hesitate as he quickly glanced over it.  The tip of his pen scratched against the surface of the paper as he continued writing down the answers from the second one down to the sixth. 

Each time his eyes fell onto it, her body shifted, spreading her legs apart the more he stared until a glimpse of something red beneath the skirt captured his attention.  

Floral laced patterns and scallop-lined edges in a sheer fabric. 

The skin beneath it pulsated. 

Heat rose from his cheeks, turning his face red as he realized the distraction in his sight. 

Hey, hey. Focus. 

That's not what I was here for. 

Shutting his eyes for a moment, he shook his head. Four more answers are left. Now isn't the time to be distracted. 

"Seven minutes left." Mr. Milton announced once more to remind them.

As the minutes continued to trickle down, the pressure was on. Getting used to her method, Raphael continued to jot down the answers as the next one on the list was a long equation.  This time, Sylvia's hand had slithered above her thighs, caressing them slowly in a sensual manner. Raphael just kept his eyes locked, not getting himself distracted any further from her weird antics. 

"Come on," Raphael muttered under his breath while tapping his leg on the floor with more unease. Two more left.

Then, her fingers stopped the hem of her skirt, quickly pulling it as a footstep approached near them. Mr. Milton was now standing beside her, pointing at her leg while squinting his eyes, staring intently at her.

 "Would you mind sitting properly? It's distracting." 

"Sure. Mr. Milton." Sylvia replied in a playful tone before bringing her leg down on the ground to comply.

"Make sure you review your answers. There's still time for it," he scrutinized her, glancing at her face, then to the piece of paper on her desk. Afterwards, he continued on his pace, roving onto the next aisle. 

Raphael swallowed a lump while stuck staring at his own paper, not moving a muscle.  She was almost caught. Now that the cheat sheet had been compromised, he just needed to hope everything was at least right.

At this point, he should just try solving this on his own. 

Meanwhile, Sylvia didn't falter from almost being caught red-handed. She watched Mr. Milton moving slowly to the other side of the room, judging another student's actions and reprimanding him for the third time.

She began scooting her fingers underneath her skirt and fingered out the piece of paper from her tights. With a quick shift of her hand, she reached out to Raphael's desk with the note, giving the cheat sheet directly to him. 

Raphael eventually noticed her slender fingers with dark auburn-tinted nail polish, handing it to him insistently. His eyes widened, looking around the room before taking it. 

This is not good. 

It was either he gets the last two answers or takes a risk of getting caught. Nevertheless, it was his only chance to write everything as he could narrow down the remaining questions. From a distance, he could still hear Mr. Milton scolding another student for being caught cheating, but at the same time, it was a perfect time to take advantage of this situation. 

As he finished scribbling the answers onto his paper, he finally got everything down, just before Mr. Milton announced the last seconds of the quiz. Without further thought, Raphael quickly crumpled the note right in front of him and stuffed it into his pocket, hoping not to be found. 

The countdown ended in a breeze.

Raphael was now able to sit at ease, but not entirely sure yet, as the dread continued as the papers were collected and redistributed to different rows for checking.

Someone's sheet of paper was passed to him, not someone familiar, though, unfortunately. As he tugged the paper from Sylvia's fingers, she didn't let it go. Instead, she turned her head towards him with a smile as their eyes locked onto each other.

"You owe me a lot for this," she kindly reminded.

"Ah, sure... thanks?" he replied with uncertainty. Eventually, she released her grip from the paper. 

Mr. Milton began to discuss the answers to the quiz straightforwardly. Some students groaned after knowing the answers, while some cried in defeat.

After completely reviewing the answer sheets, they were returned to their respective owners. Each time someone received their results, it was either dread or joy etched across their faces. 

"You did really well." Feyline approached behind him with paper in hand. "I got yours."

"Oh, thanks." Raphael smiled as he accepted it. The results showed a perfect score, which caught him by surprise. After returning to his seat, he leaned forward and looked over Sylvia's shoulder.

"Sorry, I doubted you, but thanks a lot," he gratefully said before sitting back properly.

Sylvia just smiled upon hearing such sweet words from him while looking over her results. 10 out of 10 perfect score. 

Just as she expected.

The Calculus class continued as Mr. Milton began talking about the next topic relevant to the pop quiz just a while ago. Fortunately, none were punished for detention this time, despite some getting reprimanded for cheating.  

Raphael felt safe, but at the back of his mind, what does she want in return?