Painful Smiles

Claudia was already staring.

She wasn’t one to stare at guys. Rich, popular, but wonderfully handsome? She can’t guarantee.

He was looking at them, he had deep eyes.

Claudia looked away. She hated deep eyes. That’s a turn off there.

‘Hi, are you new?’ she asked, totally looking in his face but not staring. Wright gave her the ‘he’s new obviously’ look. She looked away and rather threw his back at a nearby seat.

‘You’ll be my seatmate this year, Wright’ she muttered. His eyes widened and she smirked. She looked back at the new guy expecting her answer.

The new guy kept quiet. She scoffed, did he just ignore her?

‘Well, welcome. Try not to be trouble’ she said sassily. Wright widened his eyes at her. He nudged her a bit but she pushed his hand aside.

‘Michael is my name’ the new guy finally answered.

‘Claudia is mine’ Claudia quickly replied, ‘Let’s go submit our assignments’ she said to Wright and left the class.

For some reasons, the new guy smiled. Wright frowned. He knew Claudia’s sassiness and cool attitude could be irresistible. But the new guy better still gauge his heart.

Michael placed his head back on his desk.

Their new form teacher, Mrs. Joseph, gave a thrilling speech about how wonderful she hoped their senior year goes. She went further to ask the goals of some of the students.

‘I want to top the class this year, like I’ve always done’ Charm, the class top student, stood up to say. They were cheers along side boos.

Claudia sighed at her bossiness. If not she cared about passing her grade and not necessarily topping anything, she could have contested for top students too.

‘Improve my athleticism. Get more girls’ Max had cooed and cheers followed. He was the most popular boy in class, second to Mark only. Mega had whispered something to Belle and they shared a dramatic laugh.

‘Nice goal. In their different ways. Could we get a introduction from our new student please?’ Mrs. Joseph smiled, looking at Michael. He looked her straight in the eye. But didn’t get up for any introduction.

Half the class we’re looking at him. The ones who weren’t looking were watching from the side of their eyes.

They’ve been waiting for the executive director of Bleu Cristal to speak and now he was acting snobbish.

‘Excusez-moi, le professeur vous parle. Pouvez-vous répondre?’ someone shouted. The French accent was deep. Mrs. Joseph stood transfixed.

(English Translation: Excuse me, the teacher is speaking to you. Can’t you answer?)

Michael turned to her. He smiled at her again.

Wright nudged at her, it was Claudia, of course.

‘Oh, yes. He’s French. Maybe he doesn’t understand us well, yet’ Mrs. Joseph had laughed nervously.

Claudia rolled her eyes to Michael as response.

‘Well, basically we all know who he is. Michael Louis. Treat him well, everyone, okay?’

‘Yes, ma’ the whole class chorused to Mrs. Joseph. The rest of Mrs. Joseph class had gone rather quietly. Or maybe it was because it was the first day at Senior year.

‘Assignments by tomorrow, I’ll be stricter in my punishments if you fail to submit my assignments. And the student that was assigned as Michael Louis tour guide should start their duties immediately’ those were Mrs. Joseph’s last words before she left the class.

The next teacher was always late. The Economics teacher.

Everyone watched the other while waiting for who will take on the job as Michael’s assigned guide.

‘Who was assigned to such a cold guy? Jeez, he already has the ‘I’m the boss here’ aura. Whoever is his tour guide… That person is in trouble’ Wright mumbled to Claudia. She shrugged casually. It was whoever’s problem, not hers.

Belle got up quietly and walked to her holding a picked of paper. Everyone watched her.

‘What?’ Claudia sighed when Belle stood still in front of her. She hated it when her sister or any of her friends acted like they knew her. She didn’t want any mingling with them at all.

‘It wasn’t supposed to be you. But the Principal said you should be Michael Louis’s tour guide’ she stretched and gave her the tour guide note.

Wright literally screamed in his head. He looked at the anger mixed with confusion lasted on Claudia’s face. Of course, such jobs were not given to her.

The teacher’s knew she wasn’t very social. Weight patted her back gently to soothe her down, she looked like she would scream at Belle.

He looked at Michael who wasn’t even looking at them but was staring at Clara. Yeah, Clara was the school’s Barbie. He could admire her, Wright didn’t mind.

‘Who should it have been then? We all know Claudia doesn’t do these things’ he whispered to Belle.

‘It should be Clara honestly. But my uncle said she was disorganized and even though her twin is antisocial bit see more organized. I couldn’t revolt’ Belle said in hushes.

She surely didn’t tell Clara what her uncle thought of Clara. Claudia smirked, if it was a job to annoy her twin, then she’d gladly take it. She snatched the paper from Belle.

‘By prep. We’d start the tour by prep’ she nodded. Wright scanned her head to toe, ‘I’ll come with you’ his voice sounded rather tense. She nodded to him too.

Belle quietly slugged to her seat with eyes still looking at her as they didn’t know what was said. The Economics teacher coming brought everyone back to their sense.

‘You really sure you’ll handle the French guy by yourself. I know ya tough and all. But this dude has a legend of being a Mafia at his other school’ Lara, the only other friend Claudia, told her after the Economics class.

Claudia kept on nodding through her explanation, trying hard to understand everything she was saying despite Lara’s thick Black American accent.All text © NôvelD(r)a'ma.Org.

‘I agree’ Wright chipped in, ‘I’ve heard of allegations against the Bleu Cristal for having Mafia workers. It was called fake news but had lots of proof like guns, underground kungfu classes a special tattoo on the workers’ arms still pointed that something was wrong’.

Wright was trying hard to scare Claudia but she wasn’t buying it. If this job would annoy Clara, then she’s taking it. It was all that mattered.