Chapter 2: My Name

Many weeks had gone by since the hallway fiasco. It's now October, the month of tricks and treats, and I'm in AP Biology trying to finish a problem about cell division while listening to music that's failing to block out the chatter around Jordan's desk. After finally finishing the problem set, I listened to my BTS music and thought about some developments in school. For instance, the "Holy Trio". The "Holy Trio" consisted of Jordan and his two friends, Kai Williams (the guy with the glasses who turns out to be a music-loving half-British, half-Japanese guy) and Leon Fournier (the blonde person known by many as a baker, a basketball player, and an American born from French parents). Their great looks and skills immediately gained much attention from the school. After the first month of school, the trio became a pentad as two other boys, Sky Navarro (a transfer student from Spain with sandy-brown hair, dark-chocolate brown eyes, and a height of 5'9-ish) and Oliver Amisi (6'0 tall with black hair, olive-green eyes, and half-Australian, half-Congolese) became friends with them. At lunch, you see a table in the middle of the school courtyard with all five boys and a crowd forming around them from a distance, gossiping about their great looks and any news concerning them. The hallways were filled with sighs and screams of admiration whenever any of the boys passed by. Classes with them were noisy almost all the time, causing me lots of headaches and sore ears. The worst part was, I had at least one class with each of them (three with Jordan and one each for the rest of the four boys).

Overall, during the first two months of school, my eardrums have only been spared from all the racket I'm in front of thanks to my precious earbuds and music.

As I thought about everything and frowned from the annoying voices of Jordan's admirers, my biology teacher called for attention.

"Alright class, please pass forward your problem sets and I'll grade them. When I have all of yours, I'm going to give you all details about your upcoming assignment that will be due next week," said Mrs. Tora.

Some students groaned as they passed up their sets, others panicked as they didn't even finish theirs, and some chattered excitedly about the new assignment. I did none of these actions. I instead calmly passed up my set, placed my head on the table, and closed my eyes, my sleep deprivation causing me to ignore a pair of eyes watching me. Slowly I drifted off to sleep.

"BRRRRRIIIIIINNNNGGGGGG" went the school bell.

I immediately shot up from my desk, rubbing my tired eyes. Slowly, they widened, and I covered my mouth in shock.

I, Seraphina, a responsible and good student, slept in class. I took a tentative glance at my teacher, but she didn't seem to mind. Sighing with relief, I started to pack up my stuff but paused when I felt a tap on my shoulder. I turned around, to face Jordan Min. Confused but curious, I smiled and asked, "What's up?"

He cleared his throat, handing me a slim packet of papers. "Hey, Seraphina, this is our assignment. We're partners. I wrote my number on the front so just let me know when you want to work on it and stuff."

I looked at him with an appreciative face and said, "Thanks for letting me know!" He nodded and walked out of the classroom, saying bye to Mrs. Tora. I hurriedly packed the rest of my things and rushed out the door, apologizing to my teacher as I went out. I ran up the packed stairs and barely made it to my next class on time. Breathless, I laid out my class materials, tidied up my hair, and focused on the whiteboard.

However, deep inside my chest, there was a warm feeling.

Jordan Min knows my name.