Math Class

"Lisa!" My mom shouted from the kitchen downstairs. It was already fifty minutes to the time classes start. As a transfer student, it's my first day attending Grassville High.

I combed and brushed my long soft black hair, put on a random top and wore my jeans that were not too tight and not too baggy. After filling my bag pack with my stationery and other school necessities, I looked at myself in my full-length mirror.

"Not bad" I muttered and looked closely at the mirror. The girl in front of me possessed a caramel toned slim face, with deep dark brown eyes staring back at me. Her nose, quite big, but just right for her slender face. Her lips were peach and plump, but dry. Her soft black afro tied in a bun, exposing the beauty of her silver stud earrings.

Turning my eyes away from the mirror, with moderate speed, I grabbed my lip balm and rubbed it on my chapped lips.

Ran out of my room and forgetting to shut the door, I raced down the stairs, I swear I almost tripped, and to the door.

"Mom! I'm leaving, bye!" I screamed. We have an awkward habit of screaming in my family.

"Lisa dear, come take a bite before you leave." My mom stopped me, stretching a cookie to my mouth, holding it in between her thumb and index finger. Gosh she always does this. I don't think she understands the fact that I'm now a big girl, for crying out loud I'm 19.

"Urrgh" I complained as I look at the familiar but beautiful light black-skinned person, her thick brown eyes piercing through my face and her lips pouting.

Her face was smooth and not even swollen at all, considering the fact that she woke up very early to do her regular baking, but it had aged a little. She still has the look, that look, like she lost someone so dear to her. Dad.

After dad died, mom gave up on almost everything, her job, her friends, and most of all, her smiles. I am the reason why she's not dead now and why she still has a job. She couldn't leave me alone in this harsh world, as an only child.

She was wearing her nightgown and a purple apron over it, she tied the apron so tight that her perfect figure was blazing out into my eyes, no one would have thought that she was in her late 40s talkless of her being a mom. I shook myself from my thoughts and took a bite. I was already turning around to run out for school, only for her to drag me back to give me a glass of milk to gulp down.

"Mom, I'm running late for school," I whined

"Just take it." She ordered. I took it from her, gulped it down quickly, kissed her on the cheek, and ran out.

I love walking, so to me, my school was not far from home, only a street away. I was already close to school, because I walk very fast, just two blocks away. While I was walking, I saw a group of 4 people holding themselves arm in arm, just that sight reminded me of my friends in the country, my very good friends that actually made life seem too special.

I spent all of my life in the country, in short, the country was my life. After dad died 2 years ago, mom had to move because just the sight of the country reminded her of my dad and was bad for her health.

We moved here just after dad's funeral. Mum made me lose contact with my friends and everyone I knew in the country, because mixing up with them would bring back memories of the country, which will also bring back memories of dad. We mourned him for a whole year.

I couldn't go to school because mom had not yet sorted herself out, meaning I could not leave the house for a considerable amount of time, make friends and interact with people for a whole year. She didn't force me to do these things, I just have a very soft spot for my mum. She said she needed me around, that she could do nothing without me by her side, and I was willing to set everything aside for her.

The next year, she started getting better, because she knew I needed her too. She got a white-collar job in line with her profession that actually paid well, we got money to furnish the house and all, and soon she thought that I ought to have started school. So here I am, going to school.

In two minutes, I reached the school gates. I walked in after pushing the gate open and greeted the security guards, their faces so rigid, staring intensely at me, as if I was wanted for murder.

I walked through the doors leading to the school halls, because that's what I see people heading for.

School here is very different from the country's. I pushed it open and walked in. Again, just like others.

Groups of blue lockers, parallel to each other, stood erectly on both left and right of the halls. Classroom doors visible just after each group of blue lockers. Different students in different styles of dressing, each student had his/her own peculiar style. Suddenly, the bell rang and shook me out of my sightseeing, I had a class now, Math.

A year ago, if I knew I would be having math now I would have skipped it, but now, I need to go for this class because it helps with my grades. I have to make mom proud, I want to be less of a burden and more of the reason for most of her smiles.

Now, the problem was how to get to math class. I had to get to math class now. Time waits for no man. One saying that makes a lot of sense when an individual is running late. And the more time I spend here, the more reason why I'll be a teacher's enemy and also find my name in the school black book.

I was lost and people were already disappearing from the halls to get to their classes. I was getting extremely scared, almost wanting to cry. I know I should just ask for directions, but people are in a hurry to get to their classes. Approaching people hasn't always been my forte. Yeah, my social life is not something to write home about, including also, the fact that I even just got a phone.

Mom took my last one because I had my country friends' contacts, and it was bothering her. Their voices reminded her of the country, which again, also reminded her of dad.

She wanted us to forget everything about dad and everything that relates to him. It might seem selfish and not what a typical mom should do to her daughter, but I understood her. What she didn't understand was that dad was always with us, in our hearts, and getting away from our old friends would not help us get away from Dad. I childishly still believe dad is always with us whenever we're in trouble, to help us get away from it.

I whispered these things to myself for reassurance that I would get out of this mess. Then, I felt a warm hand on my shoulder, turned back and I saw a guy. His look was breathtaking, he was muscular, tall. I think he was 6.2 feet or something, explaining why I was looking up at him because I'm a 5.9. His eyes were light brown or hazel, then a string of green as a circumference around them. Dazzling. Kind of eyes you don't see everyday.

He had a very dark black skin tone, a tone so glorious, like royalty. His lips had a subtle bright pink look, and his face had a chiseled jawline. He even wore stud ear rings.

He kept his afro long and healthy, seeing as he braided it all to the back. His whole physique was out of this world. He was wearing a body hugged armless shirt, exposing his muscles and with black jeans. Something unknown about this guy looked very familiar. Yes, though the school was private, there wasn't a uniform wear. Students were allowed to be creative with their dressing just so far they weren't provocative and exposing wears.

"Hi, I'm Chase, Chase Nnamdi." His voice disrupted my thoughts. Woah...that's a deep voice, sounded like music in my ears. I was dazed.

"Looks like you need help getting around here." his voice shook me back to reality.

"O..oh y-yeah, I'm kinda l-lost" I stuttered. Shit, I really have to focus. Can't embarrass myself first day of resumption. I Shut my eyes for two seconds and opened them.

"I'm new here, just need to get to math class, um...because I have math now, obviously that's why I need to get to math class." I blabbed.

Urghhh! I was expecting him to run away from me, but when I looked up at him he gave me a strikingly attractive smile, that was when I noticed his cute dimples. I was stunned.

"Oh I see, you need to get to your math class. What grade are you?"

"Twelve...I'm in the twelfth grade" I managed to say trying not to look in his eyes.

"Twelfth? That's the exact grade I'm in." When he said that, I smiled at him, imagining if this was fate. He looked so beautiful.

"And, I'm having math now, so we are having the same class" I also smiled at that. This is when I mentally bless my mom for enrolling me into a private school, population's so small.

Class? Wait, I'm supposed to be having a class right now. I looked at my watch.

"Oh my gosh!!! I am already ten minutes late!" I was so pissed. I looked at Chase. "Please, could you tell me where our math class is?"

"Oh, it's right there" he pointed at a closed door in the corner.

"Thanks!" I replied and practically sprinted there. When I figured Chase wasn't following me to 'our' math class, I halted and turned to face him, because I was being cautious of where I was headed. Increasing my voice just to his hearing I said, "Aren't you coming for class?"

He looked at me warmly and smiled. "I have friends who asked me to wait for them, so I'm waiting till they arrive."

"Oh...okay then, see you in class." In confusion at what he said and fear of what I might meet, I rushed in the direction he pointed.

I opened the door, and all I got was a whole class gawking at me. I walked in and the teacher sized me up.

"Are you a student of this school?" The teacher, whose looks looked extremely questionable, asked me.

"Y-yes sir, I am. Ummm... I, uh, I'm new here, s-so while I w-was searching for t-this class, I got-t lost." The whole class was looking at me now, some girls at the side were giggling. While I just stood there looking like a complete fool.

"Tell me then, how did you find this class" he pouted. How exactly do I answer this question? Drama is one thing I don't roll properly with.

I was already pinching myself, I really did not want to have an attack in front of the entire class.

I was never used to getting so much attention, I never liked things like that. One thing I knew was that I had panic attacks when faced with a frightening situation. I could collapse if something happened to scare me so much. It happens when my heart starts to beat too fast, then my breathing ceases and I start desperately gasping for air.

These things I started suffering after my dad died. The doctor said that it was because of the shock from my dad's death, the therapist added that it was a mind thing and that it was only temporary, she said I'd grow out of it.

I couldn't handle this. I was going to cry, I could feel it.

"Aren't you going to ans..." Just right at that moment, a loud noise from outside the class, obviously in the halls, disrupted the teacher and I, the whole class in fact. Or the whole floor.

"Not again!" The teacher sighed in frustration. The noise sounded like people, girls, were screaming. It sounded like they were incredibly excited about the appearance and wanted to get the attention of a person. The noise was getting closer...and closer, closer, until the door behind me flung open. I turned back as a result of reflex.

Three boys of the same height entered. It was not just a person but three persons?

I looked from face to face, from the first boy, who actually looked very cute. He had a low hair cut, wide black eyes, which didn't look weird at all. A slender muscular bod, and beautiful ear rings. He wore a decent clothing that complemented his dark black skin. Everything about him screamed adorable.

The second guy. He was staying in the middle of the boys, with a nicely built body and very handsome face. From his glowing brown curly afro, to his brown eyes and his entirely pink lips, to his muscular bod, and his bright black skin. Just when I was checking him out, he caught me staring. While raising one eyebrow, he tilted his head to the right. Immediately, I bowed my head in embarrassment.

Recovering from the last embarrassment and also still curious about the identity of the boys, in my slowest and slyest motion, I tried looking at the third boy. Immediately I looked up, we made eye contact. Hmmm, that looks familiar, the light brown eyes with the green circumference.

Then it dawned on me, Chase.