Chapter 4 (Recitation)

Chapter 4

Astherielle's POV

Two hours ago...

It took me three days to make a decision about whether I should go to Polaris University or not.

For the past few weeks, I had locked myself inside my room, repeatedly asking myself the same question: "Am I really ready to leave my familiar world behind?"

I let out a long sigh. I had just gotten off Tita Mavic's car, who had just waved goodbye and wished me good luck.

"Astherielle, hija, how are you feeling?" She sat beside me earlier and looked out the car window. "I'll pick you up later, okay? Just text or call me anytime... The office is not that busy today because we finished our project yesterday... See you later..."

I didn't go to class this morning. I suddenly showed up in the afternoon, with only two classes left for the day. I don't know what came over me to make a decision at the last minute.

While I was locked up in my room, many thoughts rushed through my mind. I must have gotten tired, which led me to this decision. I called Tita and begged her to take me to the university. I was hesitant at first, but when I realized that nothing would happen to me if I stayed locked up, I gathered the courage to ask for help.

"Oh, God, Astherielle, I won't even ask you anymore. Get your things ready, and I'll take you to the university today!" Tita exclaimed as soon as she saw me. My backpack was already on my shoulders at that time.

"I'm ready, Tita... Thank you for coming... Sorry for the inconvenience..."

"Oh, don't worry about that. You can inconvenience me anytime you want. It's worth it! Can you imagine, you're going to school now! You're just like your dad... A bit difficult to talk to and very late in making decisions!"

So, it runs in the family? I smiled, feeling a bit nervous but not as much as earlier.

We didn't waste any more time. She immediately took me to her car outside the gate of our house.

"Your former adviser gave you a map. We saw it in the folder. You won't get lost as long as you use it."

I looked up, trying to remember if I had put it in my bag, but I couldn't recall doing so. Oh well. I probably won't get lost anyway. I only have two subjects left for the afternoon.

"Okay, auntie... It's just in my bag..."

"Okay then, dear, and I need to go back to the office. I just left a message to one of my colleagues there..."

I woke up as she said her goodbyes and waved back as she left. I kept my gaze on her until she disappeared from my view. And now, I'm about to face the moment of truth. I faced the main view of the University and my eyes squinted at the towering old arc that bore the words "Polaris University."

I was wearing a simple t-shirt, pants, and rubber shoes, which helped ease my nerves with their comfortable feel. I let my hair loose, which I only decided to cut last week. When I left the hospital, it was very long, thick, and black, and it was starting to weigh me down, so I decided to have it cut. I was planning to have a short haircut as a new beginning for my journey outside the hospital, but my aunt objected. She couldn't bear to see my beautiful hair go to waste. I had no choice but to agree when she brought a hairstylist to our house. She left it up to me to decide on the style that would suit me best.

I unconsciously rested the tips of my fingers on my bangs and just laughed to myself. It's my first time having bangs in my entire life. It's the trendy curtain style. My hairstyle is also trendy, according to my aunt's hairstylist, it's called the wolf or octopus cut. He said my hair is beautiful because it's naturally wavy at the ends. Since I know he's an expert in haircutting, I just let him decide. I'm not used to the outcome, but I liked that my head feels lighter now. He also gave me freebies of special hair wax for my bangs. I used it to fix my bangs before my aunt picked me up.

I'm more used to leaving my hair down, regardless of whether it's windy or not.

After a long moment here in front of the university, I took a step forward and went inside.

Wow... this is what it feels like to have someone walking with you... I let out a deep breath and started to walk faster. I was amazed by the surroundings, but I tried my best to hide it. My neck was starting to hurt from holding back my excitement. I wanted to turn around and look, but my shyness was getting ahead of me.

So there, I was so amazed that I forgot to prioritize what I needed to do. It took me a while to find my second-to-the-last subject for this afternoon. When I finally found it, I was already thirty minutes late. I felt embarrassed to go in, so I just decided not to attend anymore. To make up for it and not waste my trip here, I looked for my classroom for my last subject earlier than expected.

"Phew," I sighed in relief when I found it. I stood in front of the door of the classroom, staring at its name and number. "Wow... That's why it was so hard to find you, you're in such a remote part of this University... Hay..." I said again while looking at the nearby mini-forest park.

I took a deep breath of the air coming from it and checked the time to rest a bit.

"Five o'clock in the afternoon... I still have plenty of time..."

I smiled after I came up with an idea. I walked back the same way I came but before that, I peeked at my upcoming classroom.

"I'll just come back later..."

My last class was at seven in the evening, that's two hours from now, so I went back to the forest park. I sat on a concrete bench and took out my drink. I'm not used to looking like this, sweaty. That's probably why I felt so heavy every day back then because I didn't sweat like this. This is just normal sweat, though.

"So, this is the feeling... I like it..." I whispered slowly as I looked up at the branches and leaves of the clustered trees.

From here, I could also hear the noise, laughter, and conversations of other students who were doing an activity on the other side of the forest.

"So, this is what happens when you go to school, there are many people and it seems like everyone is always happy..."

I've seen scenarios like this in schools on TV, but it's different when you see it with your own eyes.

My smile became even brighter. I hope to meet some new friends soon...

After visiting the forest park, cafeteria, gymnasium, and other places, I returned to the mini-forest just in time for my class. Since I arrived thirty minutes early, I waited for my classmates to arrive before going up to the classroom.

I tightly held onto the straps of my bag as I made my way through the shortcut to the classroom. I slowly regained my composure upon finding the courage to enter through another open door at the end of the classroom. My steps quickened and I didn't even slow down when I reached the front of the door.

I entered the classroom unnoticed as I walked to my seat at the back. The other students in my row were already seated and I didn't know whether to smile or not, but they smiled back at me in a formal greeting. It was clear from their faces that they knew I was a new face in the class.

I placed my bag on my lap and looked straight ahead, realizing that the teacher had not yet arrived. I tried to control my excitement by occasionally nodding my head in acknowledgment of my surroundings.

"Oh my! What time is it? Babe isn't here yet! This is so frustrating, my prince charming trained me to arrive ten minutes early before class!"

Everyone in the class turned to look at the girl who suddenly spoke up in the middle of the room.

"This girl is too much! She acts like she's a babe to the professor!" said the guy beside her who seemed like he was gay. "Hey girl, maybe he hasn't even answered you yet... Don't be too sure, huh? Just update us when you're good at his Calculus subject! You can't even solve a simple Calculus problem... What a waste of your beauty, girl!"

His face was full of makeup, so I thought he was a girly girl. Apparently, students like him are now allowed to wear makeup and wear clothes for girls. I was amazed again by myself.

I couldn't tell if they were just fighting or showing off when the girl spoke earlier. I've noticed that the girls have been looking outside for a while now. I even caught some of them putting makeup on in front of the mirror. It's strange because it's already late at night. I'm sure that this is their last subject for the day, just like me.

I bowed my head when the two women beside me burst into laughter at the same time. I felt too shy to ask what they were laughing about.

"Hey, ugly, at least my babe notices me! How about you?" one of them teased.

"He only notices you because you're so smart in his subject!" the other retorted. "Our professor hasn't given a quiz yet that you didn't get a zero on!"

Everyone laughed at the last remark, and I was the only one who chuckled even though I had no idea what had happened in this class before.

One of them chuckled happily. "Hey! You're so funny! You're taking this too personally! Can't a stupid person like me daydream?"

I shifted my eyes around the students, who were all amused by the exchange of words between the two.

Suddenly, a loud and shrill scream echoed in my mind, and it seemed to have affected not only me, but almost everyone in the room. The three girls who had peeked through the door seemed to scurry back to their seats like frightened kittens.

"Professor Scheids is coming to town!" one of the three girls shouted earlier.

I noticed someone walking past the door next to me, but I couldn't catch up because they seemed to be walking quickly.

When I shifted my attention and gaze back to the front, a man in semi-formal attire entered, wearing black slacks and a slightly fitted long-sleeved shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. The top two buttons were left unbuttoned. I guess he was not aware that his hard and toned muscles were bulging from his arms and chest... I was far away, but I could see all that, can you believe it?

I squinted my eyes in confusion, wondering if this was Professor Scheids or a male model who had just wandered into our classroom.

I continued to observe him, and to be fair, his haircut was impeccable! I was lost in thought when he faced the class after setting down his things on his table. I was surprised to find that there was something more beautiful about him when he appeared completely.

My eyes were already on his face when he spoke.

Present time...

"Sorry, class, if I am late-"

I was about to close my eyes when our gazes met. He looked at me! He paused in his speech. He immediately knew that he had a new student! Oh, wow, amazing!

I blinked repeatedly, not to wake up, but to remind myself. I didn't even have time to prepare before he saw me!

He was arranging something on his table that also paused because he seemed to notice me. I was stuck between standing up and greeting him. My classmates were already standing up and greeting him one after the other. But here I am, responding to the gaze he was giving me.

Should I introduce myself? Should I stand up and say, "Sir, I am your new student..."?

"Oh... So, you finally came in..."

There was no doubt that he was talking to me.

"Uh..." I stammered and forced a small laugh. "Uh... Good evening, sir... and everyone..."

I already gave a brief greeting but I still felt embarrassed. What was happening?

I became the center of attention and I really hated the feeling.

"Ah... Um... Are you talking to me, sir?"

Why were his eyes like that? They seemed to hold some kind of power, captivating anyone who looked into them. My heart was pounding.

"Yes..." He raised his face and continued to work with his hands. He looked at my classmates. "Sit down, everyone..." he ordered, which they immediately followed. I was about to sit down too when he suddenly added, "Your name?"

My classmates who were sitting in front of me couldn't believe that I suddenly appeared out of nowhere without them even noticing.

I was caught off guard. I stood up straight and smiled at him.

"Hi, sir and to everyone else... I'm Astherielle Zuluetevo," I introduced myself while looking at everyone, but of course, my attention was focused on the professor. How could I not, when he was still staring at me!

"Okay... You can take your seat now," he gave a formal instruction but his gaze was still fixed on me.

"You didn't start my class, and I understand the private reason for that, Miss Zuluetevo..." His hands went back to what he was doing on his desk. "We're off to the lessons; I'll just talk to you later so I can explain everything to you and also make sure you don't have trouble keeping up with my class... I teach Calculus in this class."

He gave an excuse and a reminder in his tone. Yeah, I know that subject is really difficult. It can erase your mind with its complexity! It was my exams, quizzes, and activities in that subject that kept me awake during my days in the hospital. It was extremely difficult and made me cry!

"Anyway, welcome to my class."

Was I really welcome? His greeting sounded plain and cold. But those eyes, they were drowning! I wasn't a fish after all! So I shouldn't let myself drown in them.

"Okay, sir. Thank you so much... Don't worry, you won't have a hard time with me," I quickly said. I didn't look at anyone else. I just hurriedly took my seat.

The last glance he gave me had such a strong pull. It was as if I had done something wrong that I didn't even know about.

I took out my notebook and opened it, pretending to write something down. I tried to keep myself busy, even though I didn't need to.

"So, what is Calculus, Miss Zuluetevo?"

I was caught off guard again by the sudden use of my last name.

"Uh..." I knew the answer, but because of the strong presence of this man, I suddenly became tongue-tied.

"You said I won't have a hard time with you... So, coming from a homeschooler like you, what is Calculus?"

This man had such an impact that he was more difficult to answer than the subject he was teaching!

End of Astherielle's POV