Ch 8: Only one day

'This feels uncomfortable. I don't know what I did to attract the transfer student's attention, but I can tell that others don't like me being so close to her. Should I try to ditch her somehow?'

Lisa's smile felt stiff when she looked at her deskmate.

Emma Rose had yet to move her eyes away from Lisa's figure, and the undivided attention Lisa got made her body shiver.

She needed to devise an excuse, but the more she tried to think, the blanker her brain felt. Maybe that was why Lisa ended up speaking nonsense.

"I need to get to the cafeteria! I forgot my lunch, so I want to buy something. Please give me some space."

Lisa's body moved on autopilot to escape the danger it was sensing. But little did she know that the new transfer would follow after her.

Emma Rose did not even waste a second before she stood up to follow after Lisa. 

She was not that much taller than Lisa, but the new transfer had an aura that made it difficult to say anything to her. All Lisa could only sigh and allow herself to be followed to the cafeteria.

However, the real problem started when Lisa reached where she wanted to go.

'I don't have any money! Shit! I would not have lied like this if I knew I would be followed. What do I do now?'

Lisa awkwardly looked back at the transfer student, waiting for the other female to make any comment.

But Emma continued to look at Lisa calmly. The older female did not seem curious to see what Lisa was doing.

When Lisa sat at a table without food, Emma followed with an amused look. The silence felt calm and nonjudgmental, and this peace made Lisa relax.

Maybe that was why she forgot that the girl beside her was someone who tingled her senses about the incoming danger.

"Do you want me to buy you something from the cafeteria? What do you prefer to eat? What is your favorite food?"

A gentle hand rested on Lisa's own, and the hand's owner grabbed Lisa's attention instantly.

Emma Rose's voice was enchanting. It was pleasant enough to make Lisa let her guard down for just long enough to give a positive reaction.

Lisa did not mean to do that, but the damage had already been done. Emma had already gotten up to grab some food for Lisa.

'Shit! I must grab the transfer before rumors about me spread around the school.'

Lisa had worked hard to go unnoticed so far, but the transfer student had the potential to throw her into the limelight.

But it was too late by the time Lisa decided to act. The transfer student was already gone from her line of sight.

Lisa's only viable option was to run and hide until the end of the day. It would send the message she wanted to give loud and clear- to leave her alone.

Or…at least, that was what Lisa tried to do. But she did not even leave her seat before someone sat beside her and reached out to grab her hand.

Lisa had never seen the guy sitting across from her before, but he was too handsome to go unnoticed. That only meant that this guy was new, as well.

'Another transfer student in the middle of the academic year in our small academy? I have a bad feeling about this….'

"Excuse me, but I would like to ask you out."

Those were the first words the stranger spoke to Lisa. He sat down casually and even reached out to grasp Lisa's hand.

"Ah, I forgot to introduce myself! Let me fix that mistake. My name is Nice Lawrence, and I am new here. The second I saw you, I fell for you, so I would like to ask you out."

'What bullshit is this guy sprouting?'

Those were the first thoughts that sprung inside Lisa's mind when she saw that 100% fake smile plastered on Nick's face.

Lisa was not nearly attractive enough to make anyone fall for her at first glance. And even if she were, she would be unable to retain that attention for more than a few days.

'Besides, I don't think I am ready for a relationship this fast. What is the best way to reject someone leagues above you and not look like a jerk?'

No matter how much Lisa thought about it, she could not come up with an answer to her problem.

Moreover, those red eyes (probably fake lenses) looked at Lisa in a way that made her shiver. Being asked out had never felt this intense before.

"I…the thing is-"

Lisa looked for an excellent excuse, but before *she* could answer being asked out, someone else rejected the offer on Lisa's behalf.

"You're making my friend uncomfortable. Please leave, or I will be forced to remove you by force."

The female transfer student was back, and she had her hand placed on Lisa's suitor's shoulder. The dining hall went quite at this confrontation.

Everyone looked excited to see what would happen between the transfer students next, but Lisa felt uncomfortable sitting beside them.

The air felt cold, and maybe it was Lisa's imagination acting up, but she could swear that the two transfer students' eyes were glowing unnaturally. 

Lisa's body felt stiff, afraid, and cold. Her limbs refused to cooperate with her when she tried to move them.

Her condition was bad enough that she missed Nick's question.

"Is that so? Shall we ask Lisa if she feels uncomfortable when I ask her out? If she agrees to go out with me, you won't have any room to interfere, right? Lisa, what do you think-"

Nick's cold hand touched Lisa's face, but she could not even bring herself in a flinch.

That red glow helped Lisa stay in place and enchanted her at the same time. She could feel her mind slipping away, and that hand kept reaching closer to her face.

It was seconds away from touching her face when-