Chapter 16: tuition
Teacher- everyone's here?
Girl- yes sir.
Teacher- alright kids, we will continue with permutation.
Alice- may i come in?
Damian- May i come in?
Teacher- yes yes. You both from garden high right?
Alice- yes sir.
Teacher- well settle down then. Your friends are at the back there. Melvin? I can't see your face buddy.
Melvin- right here sir.
Teacher- you know these two?
Melvin- yeah these two are from my class as well.
Teacher- hmm. Wheres Jodi and Arty?
Melvin- don't know sir.
Teacher- they better not be skipping classes for the exams. We all got exams here. Anyway...
[ Alice and Damian take the seat at the last benches. Teacher starts teaching, everyone starts taking notes. After a while Melvin passes a cheat to Alice.]
Melvin- Amy stopped coming to class recently.
Alice- So?
Melvin- did she leave because of you?
Alice- how the fuck would i know? Aren't you her bf now?
Melvin- she looked pissed. I just wanted to make sure. I thought you guys were still talking.
[Alice tears the cheat, rolls it into bits and throws them at a corner. Melvin sends a second cheat to Damian.]
Melvin- are you and Alice still dating?
Damian- fuck off dude..
[Damian throws back the cheat, Melvin reads and crumbles the cheat making a mess on his seat then shows Damian his middle finger from under the desk. Alice and Damian both comeback with same sign from under their desk.]
Teacher- Alice! Come here and do the sum.
[Alice walks up to the board and does it but the answer is wrong. Teacher scolds her for not paying any attention and sends her back with a cold warning. The whole class stares back at her while she goes back to her seat and Damian starts whispering to Alice.]
Damian- you got the right answer though.
Alice- did i?
Damian- look here..... You did it right.
Alice- ....damn.
Damian- should i tell him?
Alice- nope...
Damian- ....
Alice- he's an asshole... he does this with "girls like me".
Damian- what do you mean?
Alice- well... I'll tell you later.
Damian- ok.
[Suddenly a boy speaks up]
Boy- sir i think Alice did it correctly.
Damian- told you.
Alice- ....
Teacher- let me see.
[Teacher checks the answer and corrects himself but doesn't apologise to Alice.]
Alice- an apology would really hurt his ego.
Damian- bigger the ego, smaller the dick.
Alice- hehehe....
Damian- hihi...
[Amy enters late in the classroom and takes a seat at the back, next to Melvin. Teacher scolds her. She stares at Alice and Damian for a bit and then takes out her books and flops them on her desk. A few guys stare back at her and Alice sighs and ignores it.]
Damian- jealous?
Alice- no. But she definitely likes attention.
Damian- that she does.... and so do you.
Alice-....but nothing like her.
Damian- ....
Alice- do you like her?
Damian- no.
Alice- but she likes you. You should talk to her.
Damian- nope.
Alice- well whom do you like then? Sharon? Ruby? Clare? Chloe? Rita? Anna? Come on. Anna is pretty cute.
Damian- isn't Anna from class 10?
Alice- she's a captain alright? And she's our age. She just failed a few years back in class 6.
Damian- so she was your friend?
Alice- yeah. I miss her.
Damian- ....
Alice- what about the boys? You like boys?
Damian- hell nah. I'm not gay.
Alice- ....so you homophobic.
Damian- am i?
Alice- you sound like one.
Damian- hmmm.... i am not into boys. Can't be helped if i sound like a homophobe.
Alice- ...
Damian- ...
Alice- do you know someone who's gay in our class?
Damian-.... just one guy i think, John.
Alice- no way. Doesn't he like Olive?
Damian- Nope. He acts cautious but i know the way he stares at Kyle sometimes. It's not normal. And then one day i saw them walk into the bathroom together and not come out for like 30 minutes.
Alice- wow. Did you go in?
Damian- ....and dig my own grave? Hell nah.
Alice- so you didn't see what happened.
Damian- well there's more to it. I follow Kyle on insta and saw him post a Photo of him and John and they were kissing. It was a real photo. He had it up for like a few seconds and then it was gone.
Alice- So Kyle is also gay.
Damian- maybe. A closet gay like John. Lots of gay guys here not gonna lie.
Alice- anyone else gay?
Damian- idk. Nathan's pretty sus.
Alice- ....wow.
Damian- ....yeah.
Alice- well i know someone who's gay but i can't tell you his name. He's actually bi to be honest.
Damian- ....ok.
Alice- .....
Damian- so are you gonna tell me or not.
Alice- he's right here.
Damian- lemme guess... Melvin?
Alice- ....
Damian- wait Melvin?
Alice- ..yes.
Damian- whooo.... damn.
Alice- yep.
Damian- how did you.... did he tell you?
Alice- yep.
Damian- so is that why you guys...
Alice- yep.
Damian- hmm. Makes sense.
Alice- yeah.
Damian- so that's why you're not that jealous.
Alice- i was pretty sad... i lost a good friend. Melvin has been a real good friend.
Damian- does Amy know?
Amy- does Amy know what?
[Amy scoots next to Damian]
Damian- ....
Alice- ....
Amy- what's happening?
Damian- we were talking about Melvin.
Amy- really?
Alice- yeah.
Amy- so what is it that i don't know?
Damian- well he said he's going to Hawaii next month.
Amy- what?
Damian- yeah. He's been bragging to the guys about it.
Amy- for real?
Damian- yep.
Amy- you're going to Hawaii?
Melvin- what?
Amy- Hawaii!
Melvin- later.... lemme take the notes please.
Damian- he was going to tell you.
[Amy scoots back to Melvin and they fight in whispers]
Alice- they are a real couple. Ignorant and blissful.
Damian- hmm.... sure wish i was like them.
Alice- so you have a girlfriend?
Damian- yes.
Alice- hmm.
Damian- ...
Alice- ....
Damian- we don't talk anymore.
Alice- so an ex?
Damian- i ghosted her.
Alice- after leaving school?
Damian- yes.
Alice- should have told her goodbye.
Damian- we weren't that close.
Alice- hahaha you can fool Amy with that excuse. Not me.
Damian- why do you care anyway?
Alice- ....
Damian- ....
Alice- you're right it's not really my business.
Damian- ....