One by one, they talked about how their summers went and of their class schedules. None had a class together, but lucky for Rose, she shared lunchtime with Josephine. Now, she wouldn’t be stuck to keep to herself.
At the first bell, they all said their goodbyes and headed their separate ways. Josephine, her class being near Rose’s, walked with Rose to her first class: Honors Trigonometry.
To her surprise, Rose was great at math. She didn’t like it much, but she picked it up fast.
Only a few people were in the classroom when Rose walked in. She stepped back outside for someone to talk to, but Josephine was already gone. Turning to walk back inside, a girl, who she assumed was a freshman, stopped her and asked something in Spanish. Rose quickly apologized and told her she couldn’t understand the language, so the girl repeated her questions in English.
As she disappeared with the directions Rose gave her, Rose headed back in, cursing her appearance.
Due to her golden skin and curly hair, most people assumed she was Hispanic. With that, she was spoken to in Spanish on a weekly basis.
In all reality, Rose was mixed with African American and Caucasian blood like Josephine, who strangely didn’t have this hassle like herself.
On the whiteboard, the words ‘Pick any seat’ were sprawled across. Rose headed towards her preferred seat straight away, thanking the heavens it was free.
In the back corner, it sat near the large window, which stretched an entire wall. Up front, teachers would always call on her where as in the back, she was left alone. That allowed her to gaze outside at the wonders of the world when the class became boring. For her, the seat was essential if she wanted to survive school; always had been.
The second bell rang, marking everyone who walked in now late. Right away, Rose searched for the teacher, figuring it to be an old-timer. There was none around.
After quitting her search, a semi-tall man with blonde hair, maybe in his late twenties, strolled in.
Heading straight to the white board, he began writing, “M-R.-S-M-I-T-H”. Mr. Smith, huh? Not bad looking, Rose thought to herself.
Clearing his throat, he began talking.
From Rose’s perspective, most of the class was present. Although, there were always a few stragglers, who could never find their way to class.
“Hello, class. I’m Mr. Smith, and obviously, this is Honors Algebra 2 Trigonometry. If you’re not taking this class, I’m guessing you’re in the wrong room.” Glancing around the room, he asked, “Is anybody in the wrong room?” No one spoke. “Okay, let’s get started taking attendance.”
Mr. Smith began calling off names when a boy, who looked to be a tad taller than he, walked in. From the sight of him, everything around Rose had been forgotten.
His golden-brown hair and caramel-colored eyes drew her in. She thought she could see a six-pack hiding from underneath his gray shirt, which hugged his arm muscles better than she could have asked for.
As mesmerized as she was by his looks, the scowl on his face piqued her interest more. It was clear he wasn’t an optimistic guy like she was used to around here, or at least what people pretended to be. Maybe this guy could be the change she was looking for.
Rose watched as he sat down in front when suddenly, a boy two desks away nudged her.
“Is your name Ambrosia?” he questioned in a hushed whisper.
“Yeah, why?” she answered, her voice coming out shaky. Keep it together, Rose. There’s no need to be afraid. Just breathe, she reminded herself.
“The teacher is calling your name.”
“Oh, thanks,” she replied, raising her hand. “I’m here!” Her words didn’t betray the thoughts racing in her mind. Don’t look at me. Please, don’t think of me that way.
“Thank you for telling me,” Mr. Smith chuckled.
“You’re welcome,” Rose replied, sheepish.
As Mr. Smith read off a few more names, Rose gazed around the room in search for familiar faces. It didn’t take her long to realize everyone was a stranger. Why couldn’t I have one recognizable face in class? Rose cried.
“And finally, Demetri Vega?” Mr. Smith questioned, glancing around the classroom. Someone up front raised their hand.
“Here,” the cute guy stated in a voice that sent chills down Rose’s spine.
“Good, everyone’s here. Now, I’ll have to put you guys in assigned seats. I know, I know. Ugh, how could he?! But, it’s so I can learn your names. Once I do that, you can sit wherever.”
Mr. Smith started with the row near the door. Rose grabbed her bag and waited patiently in her seat.
Reaching the row before the last, Mr. Smith said, “Ambrosia, you’ll be right where you are, but over a seat.”
As Mr. Smith continued, Rose walked over to her new seat, not sitting down; she needed to see where the cute guy would sit. It’s not like she’d get the courage to talk to him anyway.
“Lastly-- Demetri, you’ll be right next to Ambrosia.”
Ecstatic, she sat down in her seat with a bright smile as Demetri made his way towards her, pissed. How could he be mad when class has just begun? Is he angry that he has to sit next to me? Rose questioned.
Without a sound, he sat down while Rose snuck a glance at him. Demetri rolled his eyes, noticing her. What did I do? Rose grumbled.
That’s when she smelled it; something wretched yet strangely familiar stopped and lingered around her vulnerable nose. It reminded Rose of the rotten carcasses of animals she’d sometime find. Rose waited a minute, but it didn’t leave.
Unsure of what it could be, Rose glanced around incredulous. What is it? Who is it? Is it me?
Mr. Smith, finished explaining the syllabus, handed out the usual self-introduction worksheet. The standard requirements of getting up and asking fellow students intruding questions about themselves bored Rose. Every teacher handed it out, so by her junior year in high school, Rose had become used to this tactic. No student liked it, but everyone put up with it.
With the first bell, Rose handed in her almost complete worksheet. She was proud of herself for getting through the class with her fears, but she soon realized with each step during the activity, her eyes drifted to Demetri.
While everyone greeted the others, Demetri hadn’t moved from his seat. A few classmates tried talking to him, but he would always shoo them away. Rose began to understand her previous assumptions were only insolence.
When Rose grabbed her bag from her seat, Demetri groaned, loud. In that moment, her once admiration became hatred. Rose walked away, trying to keep herself calm. The vile smell grew faint the further she got.
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