By the time Alex escaped the crowd, he was almost late. He couldn't remember how many history reports Mr. Kim had given him. He ran as fast as he could. The creaking of his sneakers echoed through the hallway. Everyone turned to look, frowning in confusion as to why this guy was in such a hurry, as if today was the last day of his life.
The classroom door swung open. The male and female students flinched, and they all looked at him with the same gaze. An awkwardness spread to his neck. He was the latest in class. According to the rule of studying with Professor Kim, all students had to be in class about five minutes early. He had only the last minute left.
It was no wonder that everyone in the room gave him suspicious looks. Some who knew him secretly giggled. Of course, one of them was Connor and Tommy, Gary's dogs number two and three. He didn't pay much attention to them or look them in the eye, so he didn't respond and acted as if they were just air and a rotten smell in the room.
Of course, Ivan and Ryan, who were sitting almost at the back, were secretly laughing at him for being a regular latecomer.
"That guy's at it again, huh? Hehe," Ryan giggled softly.
"That sleepyhead? Our friend, haha." Ivan whispered to his friend.
Alex, who saw Ivan secretly slit his throat, teasing him that he was not going to make it, responded by secretly raising his middle finger low and muttering incoherently, "Get lost!"
Ryan chuckled, enjoying his quirkiness. "That guy doesn't know the surprise yet, does he?"
"Yeah, it's a good thing he hung up on me earlier, so he could have found out for himself. Hehe." Ivan smirked wickedly, as if he knew what was coming next was going to be a surprise for Alex.
"Hey, Alex! How many times have you been late?!"
Mr. Kim frowned and stood in front of the room with his hands on his hips. Behind him, the projector, a long slide of text lessons was showing, and he was holding a sheet of paper in his other hand.
"Oh... I'm sorry, Mr. Kim. My alarm didn't work." He scratched his messy head.
The longer he stood there, the more it felt like the atmosphere in the room was tense. He didn't dare look away because the professor in front of him was displeased with his irresponsibility.
"Oh my god! That's the worst excuse I've ever heard!"
"I'm so sorry, sir. I won't let this happen again. I swear."
"You said the same thing in the last class! And before that, too! Hurry up and sit down. Class is about to start!"
Mr. Kim pointed at the empty table in the middle of the room.
Alex, who was already embarrassed, turned to where Kim was pointing, and his expression changed as if he had seen a ghost.
He awkwardly saw that the empty chair was next to Penelope, sitting with her arms crossed and mouth pursed. Her dark silver eyes stared at him, telling him in a roundabout way, "You will not escape from me!" Just thinking about it made him think of that annoying, creaking sound in his ears.
"What are you waiting for, Alex? Go sit down!" Mr. Kim urged him.
"Y-Yes, sir!"
Alex reluctantly walked over and sat down next to Penelope. She immediately took action against him as soon as he sank into the chair.
"Hey, prev. How many times have you been late, huh?" Her clear voice haunted me again.
Penelope is the daughter of Alex's stepmother. Even though they were step-siblings, they never got along. Especially Alex, who wanted to run away as far as he could when he saw her face, because every time they met, they always fought. She's usually a person who doesn't talk much with anyone. She likes to be alone and hang out alone. Some people consider her an introvert, which is what annoys him, the solemn and unwelcoming attitude of the guests.
They are the same age. Although they grew up under the care of Julia. But they didn't get along since they were in the sixth grade. She always spoke sarcastic words at him. As for him, he did not allow her to act on one side.
In one incident, he was assigned by his stepmother to order Penelope's birthday cake in the summer of their tenth grade. He ordered the bakery to write a mock blessing: Happy Birthday Bitch! She then threw a cake at his face, but in exchange, he felt a sense of satisfaction that he still remembers to this day.
The reason she called him a pervert is that in the past, she saw him sitting in the room reading an adult magazine. That humiliated him to this day.
"Please, leave me alone!" He even shook his head and held his temples with his hands.
"Tch! You're still the same lazy person from high school to now. Damn it! I called you so many times. Do you think I'm your alarm clock?"
"I didn't ask you to do that, you know? Stop acting like you're my nanny!"
"So why don't you answer my messages? I texted until the system warned me I was spam!"
"I told you I forgot to turn on my cell phone. I don't even know when to turn it off."
"You are remiss! You're an adult now. Learn to take some responsibility."
"Thanks for worrying. But I can take care of myself."
"Don't be fooled by yourself. I don't want my mom complaining about not taking care of you. Tft! Such an infantile!" She rolls her eyes. On the other hand, she said it out of sincere concern.
"Oh! Thank you, nanny. I appreciate that." He spoke sarcastically.
"Whatever you say, dumb!"
The study continued tediously. He yawns every time Mr. Kim speaks, presenting stories of history around the world. All students are willing to write down important material in their notebooks. Except Alex was hand-to-cheek in boredom.
"Boring..." He mumbled like a lifeless person.
Penelope overheard him complaining, so she spoke sarcastically.
"Studying wouldn't be as interesting as flirting with a girl, right?"
"Shut up..."
"Where did I say wrong?"
"Don't bother me, please."
"Yep! If I were a Charlotte. You'd probably say it's okay, honey. Even if I stay here all day, if I have you, right?" Her tone sounded more jealous than sarcastic.
"..." Alex doesn't want to have a problem with her. So he chose to remain silent.
He swore to himself that he would never like or date a girl like her. He admitted that her face was beautiful, like her mother's. But her habits were the opposite. If he compares him with the girl he's been in a relationship with. Penelope is considered a failure since she hasn't even started getting to know each other in his opinion.
At that moment, he seemed to realize what she was thinking.
"Is she jealous of me? Come on, Alex. No... Not this crazy bitch!" he speaks in his mind.
He let his thoughts wander. He only misses holidays, parties, tournament fights, and his sexiest ex-girlfriend, Charlotte. He still misses her all the time. They've been broken up for months since she asked to leave on her own.
He is obsessed with boxing. Plus, he's about to become the president of the university's fighters club, so he can step into a professional boxing career in the future. Charlotte wanted to study hard and prepare to become the president of the cheerleader club.
The reason for both of them is that they don't have time for each other. But for one reason, he doesn't understand why she's dating that freaking Gary. That matter caused him great frustration.
But there wasn't just one thing that was bothering him, the dream from last night. He felt something strange, more like it was an omen than a normal dream.
He couldn't explain it in words; everything in the dream felt so real, as if he had been there. After thinking that, his face tensed, and he held his stomach. The feeling of being stabbed still made him want to vomit.
"Hey, perv. What are you thinking?" Penelope asked when she saw the mournful look on his face.
"Ah! Come on, Pe. Don't bother me." Alex said.
"I just want to know what you think. Did you miss Charlotte, right?"
Her curious and irritating attitude made him feel mad. If he told her about his dream last night. She probably thought he was delusional. Or go crazy.
"..." He didn't answer.
"Oh... I am right." She smiles deviously.
"Please, stop bothering me, please!" His face was tired.
"I didn't bother you one bit. I just felt annoyed." She pouted.
"What do you want with me?" He began to lose patience.
"Stop acting like a loser, and I will enjoy it very much."
"That's not your DAMN! business."
"Is it not my business? Why not. I don't like you acting pathetic like this. Plus, you're still in the same family as me. I don't like losers in my house."
"Am I pathetic or not? That's not your business anyway."
"Tft! Such a..."
She hadn't finished speaking yet. Alex knew what she was going to say. He hurried to speak first.
"Such a loser, huh? Say it in one word, Bitch?!" He's running out of patience. He won't let her insult him any longer.
"HUH! You call me bitch?!" She's mad.
"Haven't you heard? Are you deaf?" He made a sneer with a grin.
"Alright! Do you want to start a war with me?"
"I think I fucking want it!" His face and tone were serious. He was ready to fight with her at any time.
Penelope raised her hand. "Mr. Kim, Alex didn't understand what you were teaching, sir."
"WHAT THE FUCK?!" Alex cursed at her in shock.
"Huh? What don't you understand, Alex?" Mr. Kim asked.
"Uh...No! I understand clearly, sir." He hurriedly said.
"If you understand. So please come out and present the history of Rome to your classmates." Mr. Kim said.
"WHAT?! Uhm... I..." He was stunned.
"Come out now, please. I love it when you explain historical stories, so be a good example for your classmates."
"But I..."
"If you haven't come out yet. I will assign you a homework report on the history of Rome, at least three pages."
"Okay, sir! I'm coming..."
He turned to look at Penelope with vengeful eyes. "I will get back to you, Bitch!"
She sticks her tongue at him. "Hehe, I'll wait, perv."