Chapter 3

Ramona reminded me about the piece of paper on my desk that Jean had been looking for during gym class. "She must have had a reason for doing that."

"I know, but I have no idea why she did that," I said helplessly, showing Ramona the paper.

I added, "It's just a regular health check report showing that everything is normal with me."

No matter how I racked my brain, I couldn't figure out why Jean had rummaged through my desk for my health report.

Ramona was equally perplexed. "Could she have been worried you had some contagious disease? Maybe she was scared that you'd pass it to her or something."

I glanced at myself and remarked, "I don't have a skin condition, and I look perfectly healthy. Why would she think that?"

"Duh. Of course, I know you're not afflicted with any kind of disease," Ramona said, rolling her eyes.

The whole situation was just too bizarre.

Suddenly, I remembered asking the class monitor, Noah Fitzgerald, if I seemed strange in any way just a few days ago. He had looked me over with a puzzled expression and said I looked perfectly normal.

At least in his eyes, I didn't seem abnormal. Maybe I could ask for his help with this.

Just as I intended to go and talk to Noah, he appeared and looked like he wanted to talk to me.

"Are you okay, Ivanna? I hope you're not affected by the unfortunate interactions with your previous two deskmates," Noah said with concern.

I sighed, feeling frustrated. "It's been bothering me a lot. They were acting like I'm carrying some kind of plague."

Noah tried to console me. "It's not your fault. The teachers are even joking that maybe it's the seat itself—maybe it has bad energy. Perhaps the scent of the crabapple blossoms outside is getting to some people."

I knew he was trying to lighten the mood.

"It's fine. I know this probably has something to do with me, so you don't need to sugarcoat it," I said dejectedly.

Noah then asked, "Do you remember when their behavior started to change?"

I thought about it carefully.

Willow began acting strangely when the crabapple blossoms bloomed, which was right at the start of the semester. As for Jean, her warm and enthusiastic attitude became cold and fearful in the span of a single lunch break.

Noah seemed to latch onto something. "What were you doing when the crabapple blossoms started blooming? Did you do anything unusual?"

I thought back and replied, "Well, I dragged Jean and Ramona to the grove to see the crabapple blossoms. Does that count?"

"The grove? Isn't that area off-limits? What were you doing there?" Noah questioned, a hint of disapproval appearing on his face.

Moments later, his expression shifted to one of intense fear. He shot me a strange look, and his legs started shaking. Without another word, he ran back to the classroom.

Ramona raised an eyebrow. "The school bans us from going there because of all the bugs, right? Why is a dude like him so scared at the mere mention of the grove?"

I had a realization. "It's all because of the grove. We should check it out after school."

Ramona shrugged and said, "Suit yourself."

After lunch, I returned to my classroom.

Standing at the doorway, I saw Noah sitting at my desk and frantically searching through my things. His bloodshot eyes were filled with panic as sweat dripped down his forehead.

Finally, he pulled out a piece of paper.

The moment he read it, he froze.

Then, upon looking up and seeing me standing at the door, his legs buckled. To my surprise, he let out a terrified scream.

Startled by his reaction, I snapped, "Why are you screaming? Ms. Reed asked me to talk to you about my new deskmate."

"Go ask her about it yourself! I don't know anything!" Noah shouted back, agitated.

I was afraid that stepping into the room would make him faint since he was in such a panicked state. So, I turned and went to the teacher's office to look for Paulina instead.

"Ms. Reed, I really don't know what's going on," I said helplessly.

She tried to reassure me. "It's not your fault. High school students are always under a lot of pressure. It's normal."

Even so, I could sense from her tone that she was subtly suggesting that I should reflect on how I interacted with my classmates and be more accommodating toward others.

I felt wronged and frustrated, but I couldn't do anything about it.

"I have a suggestion, Ms. Reed. Since no one seems willing to sit with me, and Ramona is my best friend—why not move her next to me?"

At least Ramona wouldn't avoid me like the plague.

Paulina froze, and her fingers that were typing away on her keyboard halted abruptly.

With a puzzled expression, she turned to me and said, "Ramona? Who's Ramona? Do we even have a student by that name in this class?"