One Semester

by ShizzySavage16

There was just something special about sitting next to Jeremy Jones that made her feel so tingly and warm inside, even if it was for less than an hour. She had no business with delinquent’s such as him, but there was something so attractive about him that she found herself falling for... and it wasn’t just his striking looks either.

Day 1

He was running late. He insisted to his older brother to stay in bed for just 5 more minutes.

What a load of crap.

That 5 minutes turned into a whole 2 hours thanks to the reliability of his brothers! And he didn't even know the first day of classes were today! When his brothers mentioned it to him, he assumed they were lying, because they loved joking around with him - the youngest brother in the family.

But the jokes were on him.

The first day of school was today.

What kind of school had the first day of classes on a Friday?

Preposterous!

As he bolted through the entrance doors, the hallways were empty, and classes were in session.

"Crap, I can't be that late."

Wrong.

He was 10 minutes late, and 10 minutes was a lot to the teachers of Sturmore High... or what he liked to call it as 'Study More' High.

The curriculum at this school has been crazy difficult for the past 2 grades he's barely completed. He was wondering how he could manage to complete this grade without failing at least 2 courses.

The boy sighed to himself, and kicked a nearby locker with irritation.

"Fuck!" He huffed out, "... If I'm already late, may as well take my time." He told himself, spotting a washroom to his left. He entered it and went straight for the mirror; checking himself out for any undesirables on his face.

He did have a tiny sign of eyebags underneath his eye, but his face was naturally smooth, so it wasn't noticeable at a first glance.

"Ahh man, you're looking clean, Jeremy..." the boy shot his reflection a smile, giving it a wink as well, "Oh Mother, oh mother that is one bad guy." He adjusted the hat on top of his head, making sure to show the little swipes of his brown hair.

He sported a plain look for today; a tight red t-shirt with dark brown joggers that hugged onto his waist. It felt comfortable for him to wear, and he'd need a lot of it for today.

The first day of classes was always a struggle for people like Jeremy. He didn't know why summer break couldn't just go on for 2 more months. What was the harm of it anyways?

A couple months missed off of school?

Who cares?!

Certainly not Jeremy Jones.

After checking himself in the mirror and stalling for 5 minutes, he decided that now was the time to make way for his class. With a disgruntled sigh, he left the washroom and muttered something to himself; a statement that he truly believed in.

"Same shit. Just a different day."

x

Jeremy kept on alternating stares with his timetable and the numbers that were placed above the classroom entrances.

"Room 127... room 129," he looked down at his timetable, spotting the number '111' near the top. All this time he's been heading the wrong way. He chuckled at himself and turned around, going towards said room number.

"Room 115... room 113... room 111..."

He stopped in his steps and peeked inside the room through the little glass pane. All of the students were seated, and the teacher was holding a yellow sheet in his hands.

Jeremy took a deep breath and slowly opened the door.

x

Jeremy walked inside the class, feeling the stare of almost every student inside - including the teacher's.

"And who do we have here, who just walked in late?" The teacher asked, an exquisite foreign accent accompanying his voice.

Jeremy gave out a deep sigh as he looked over the classroom.

"Name's Jeremy, you shmuck." He muttered in response.

It was clear that he did not want to be here. If it was a quick suspension he was looking for, he'd just have to keep saying things like those and he'd be well on his way to home.

But this teacher knew him.

A few gasps came out of the silent classmates, which revolved around the room quietly. Like a lot of things in life, Jeremy didn't pay any mind to it, and instead scouted over the room to find a suitable seat - preferably in the back.

"Ah, yes. I knew that as soon as I saw your face, Monsieur Jones."

Jeremy suddenly stopped scanning the room, and turned his attention towards the teacher.

Thankfully, Jeremy had sharp vision.

He narrowed his eyes at the man; Slicked back hair that was greying at the tips, but still remained a healthy jet of black at the roots. Sharp features, casual blue eyes, a 5 o'clock shadow adorning his jaw... his face was unmistakeable.

"Ess? Mister Ess?!" He asked, in disbelief, "Ain't this an 'English' class?! What're you doing here?"

"The name is 'Espion', Jeremy Jones. Learn to pronounce it correctly and you may find your English at a considerably higher level than what it is currently... and you also seem to forget that I have exceeded the qualifications for teaching 'English' at the facility of Sturmore... mèrde, what summer break does to your young mind is questionable."

The student rolled his eyes at him, groaning to himself.

"But you have caused enough of a distraction, Monsieur Jones. Please, take a seat."

Jeremy spotted an empty seat in the back corner of the classroom, and was about to make his way towards it... until the teacher told him otherwise.

Mister Espion cleared his throat, "Ahem. I see that the student is making way for the seat that is furthest from the teacher's desk."

All the eyes in the classroom were directed at Jeremy.

The student turned around to face him, "So?"

"... you will not be sitting there."

"What the-? Why?" Jeremy caught glimpse of an empty seat that was right beside another student, a girl specifically; all the way in the front, and the closest desk to the teacher's.

"Because, I am very aware of your tendency to drift away and remain unfocused on many lessons." Mister Espion answered, "Remember the 'solution' I proposed last year, Jeremy?"

"Yeah. I do, but don't remind me of it cause it didn't do any-"

"But it did." He interrupted, "Your grades made a big leap - from the thirties to the sixties, specifically. Magnefique performance, and I intend to do so again, so if you may come to the front and remain seated at the seat which I am pointing at, then the words will come to fruition."

Mister Espion pointed at the seat that Jeremy had just stared at.

Jeremy, finding no use in arguing with such a persistent teacher, followed without a question. But he did so with a severe lack of enthusiasm. He hated sitting in the front, and he hated being so close to the teacher's desk.

These factors greatly denied any chance of him not paying attention to the lessons, and almost always interrupted the small naps he would take.

As Jeremy made his way to his assigned seat, he looked around for anyone that he knew from the previous grades. After doing a quick roundabout of the class with his eyes, he came to the conclusion that none of these students looked familiar to him.

It wasn't a surprise though.

Jeremy, as recommended by his very patient counsellor, was put in the essential courses of lower levels which reached to a total of 3.

Mathematics, Religion and History.

He was put in the lowest levels of said courses, and lower levels tended to have people equivalent to Jeremy. The only course he's had that was on average level was English - which his counsellor urged him to take because he found it easy for the past 2 grades.

So Jeremy did, and now he's here - in an average level English class.

It wasn't a surprise that he didn't recognize any students in this class; these people weren't delinquents.

These were your average students; the type that Jeremy wasn't accustomed to.

He was quite disappointed to find that he had no one to talk to on his first day in class, but he decided that was what the 40 minute Lunch breaks were for.

He finally reached the empty seat and dropped his duffel bag onto the floor, sitting onto the chair with a bored look on his face.

Mister Espion loomed over Jeremy's desk, placing his slim-gloved hands on the fine wooden surface.

The student looked up at the teacher, a confused grin coming over his face, "What am I doing?"

"Petite garçon, wipe the grin off your face and understand that you haven't even made the effort to pull out the essential tools of knowledge." Mister Espion said.

Jeremy cocked a brow at his dialect, "What's that even mean, man?" He asked, already annoyed.

Mister Espion stood straight and looked over the room, "... Class? Would someone mind answering this student's question?"

A student, 2 rows behind Jeremy raised a hand.

"You. The boy beside Monsieur Mundy."

The boy in question gave him an answer, "It means that he's gotta have his pencil and his notebook ready - laid out on the desk, sir."

"Correct!" Mister Espion exclaimed. He looked down at Jeremy, "You have heard the man. Get on it."

Jeremy sighed and reached down inside of his duffel bag, scrounging around until his hands touched upon his black notebook. He pulled it out and tossed it on his desk, opening it with a glum flick of a finger.

Mister Espion cleared his throat, "Jeremy? Where is your pencil, if I may ask?"

"Forgot it." The student answered back.

As soon as he said those words, the girl beside him quickly reached into her backpack.

Mister Espion put a palm to his face, "Ugh, mèrde." He took the hand off his face and looked over the class once again, "Does anyone have a pencil that this student can-"

"I got one." A girl interrupted, her voice so quiet that many other classmates didn't hear her.

Jeremy looked towards the female student, a surprised look coming across his face when he saw 2 pencils in her hand as well. Her hand that held the pencils were extended towards him, a shy smile coming across her face when he nodded at her.

Jeremy took the pencils that the student was offering, "Thanks." He told her, giving her a small smile with sincere eye contact.

The girl gave a small smile in return, but was unable to meet his eyes, "You're welcome." She responded quietly.

Jeremy raised a brow at her obvious shyness, but paid no mind to it... for now.

Mister Espion observed the transaction with a smile, and thanked the female student right after.

He nodded at her, "Thank you, Madam." He then looked at Jeremy, "The polite woman has given you pencils to borrow, Jeremy. But do not think of it as an excuse to not bring ones of your own. Bring a pencil tomorrow. Understood?"

The student nodded, "Sure."

"Excellent, and before we continue," Mister Espion pointed at Jeremy's hat, "take the hat off. It's been a simple rule to follow since your freshman year, Jeremy. I expected you to take action upon it by now."

"Fine, fine, keep ya pants on, I'm doing it." Jeremy removed the hat off his head, placing it on his duffel bag.

"Same hair from freshman year as well?" Mister Espion noticed; short thick brown hair that was parted to the right, giving him a fairly modest look for a boy.

"Yeah. And I ain't ever gonna grow it out cause it'd look like a hippies cut, know what I'm saying?"

"Loud and clear." Mister Espion walked behind the teacher's desk and picked up a clipboard with a yellow sheet clipped onto it.

"Alphabetical attendance may now be commenced properly," he cleared his throat and began calling the names on the sheet, beginning with the first student on the list, "Allan?"

The student in question raised a hand, "Here."

"Leon?"

"Here."

"Dell..." Mister Espion's eyes furrowed at the name, "Dell Conagher?"

"Yeah. That's me right here." The student pointed at himself. It was the very student that indirectly answered Jeremy's question earlier.

"Hmm... your father and I were classmates once. A very brilliant mind, that man." Mister Espion complimented.

"Well, I'll be sure to tell 'em, sir." Dell said.

There was something about the boy's tone that made Jeremy want to laugh. His deep southern tone reminded Jeremy of this movie that revolved around a cowboy with a snake in his boot...

He almost chuckled at the memory, but willed it away for another moment.

Mister Espion cleared his throat and continued down the list, continuing to call out names.

Jeremy, with every class that he had, only kept an ear open for when his name would be called out, and this class was no exception from his yearly routine.

x

Mister Espion called out another student's name, "... Jeremy Jones?"

The student in question raised his hand, "Here, but I don't wanna be."

The teacher nodded and continued down the list, "Then perhaps you may find yourself more suitable seated in the hallways?"

"How about sending me home instead cause I don't wanna be 'here', as in, the whole school." Jeremy told him, gesturing at his surroundings.

"Later. But not on the first day, petite garçon..."

Jeremy rolled his eyes, and when he looked around, he happened to notice a small smile that was on the female student's face. It was clear that she was unknown of the fact that he caught her in the act, but he decided to ignore it.

"Heiler Ludwig?" Mister Espion called out.

"Hier, Herr Espion." The foreign student responded.

"Let us refrain from using foreign languages whenever possible, Mister Ludwig... Misha?" He called out.

"Misha is here. Mikhail is last name, good teacher sir." A thick Russian accent responded.

"Yes, yes, it appears to show on the list..." Mister Espion looked at the list, calling out the next student's name.

"Mundee Mundy?" Mister Espion called out.

Jeremy found himself wanting to laugh at this name as well. How rare was it to have a full name that was pronounced the same as the first and the last? Jeremy found it quite rare, and funny as well.

A student raised his hand, "Here."

Mister Espion nodded, "A fine day to you, past student of mine."

He called out the next name.

"Lena Oxton?"

The girl beside Jeremy raised her hand, "Here, sir."

Jeremy found himself paying attention to the girl's name.

"Ah, La Femme." Mister Espion realized, "Again, I thank you Madam Oxton for lending la garçon a pencil. I must let you know that kindness is valued, and will continue to remain valued for as long as decency roams the earth." He said.

Another small smile came across her face, "Much appreciated, sir."

Jeremy, after putting aside the information of the girl's name inside his head, stared around the classroom until the teacher would decide to start his lesson.

x

"... and with everyone's name called out, we have reached the end of our list, and have started the beginning of introductions, and most importantly - lessons, delivered in the form of assignments." Mister Espion said.

Jeremy started paying attention, despite him not wanting to.

"For today's assignment - a simple one, yet important. Introductions. I want to know you all a little better, so I will be handing you a sheet, a sheet on which you must summarize yourself. Feel welcome to write anything significant about yourself onto the lines provided. This applies to everyone excluding Jeremy, because I am still uncertain whether he knows where the lines are." Mister Espion mentioned.

"Are ya serious, Ess? I know where to write. I ain't stupid, ya shmuck." Jeremy shot back.

"Good. I hope your actions prove more valuable than words." Mister Espion took a stack of sheets in his hands, sliding two onto the connected desk of Jeremy and Lena.

He continued to do so with every desk until the last sheet.

"Answer the questions that are provided on the sheet, then feel free to hand it onto my desk once the tasks have been completed," Mister Espion looked at the clock, "... it is currently thirty minutes until nine, so let us see the results ten minutes before class ends. You may mingle and chat with peers, but do make sure to complete the task before deciding to do so," he cleared his throat and sat behind his desk, "Shall we?"

xoxoxo

Jeremy stared at the sheet in front of him with a rather lazy look, with no intentions of answering the straightforward questions.

'Write a minimum of two well-structured paragraphs about yourself.' The first task read.

Jeremy was already bored. Some people were chatting away, and some people weren't. Everywhere he looked there were people doing work, or at least had their pencil pointed at the paper, pretending to do work.

Speaking about pencils, he stared at the ones the lady lended to him. Holding the pencils in one hand and leaning on the other, he began to examine both, quickly how distinct the colours were.

Blue... a very bright blue.

And the other was a lively orange - almost sparkling in appearance.

"You got some cool pencils, Lena." Jeremy muttered, loud enough so that she could hear him.

The young lady stopped writing and gave him her attention.

"You like it?" She asked.

He nodded, "'Course. Wish I could keep it, but Mister Fancy Pants told me to bring my own one tomorrow, which means that I'd have three pencils, and when I have a lotta stuff on me, I always end up losing at least one..." he smiled at the orange pencil, "And I wouldn't wanna lose a cool pencil like this... that would suck."

"Don't worry, I have many spares... but, three pencil's not that much." Lena responded.

He raised his brow, "Really? Then what is?" He asked.

"64." She answered.

She wasn't lying. That was a lot.

Jeremy found the conversation interesting and decided to give full attention towards the lady he was speaking with, looking straight at her eyes.

"But who keeps 64 pencils on 'em?" He asked, "I ain't eva' heard of that."

"Well, uhm..." she twirled a tip of her short hair, another shy smile coming across her face, "m-my Dad, my Mum, and I... we umm, heh, don't laugh - but we always keep a pack of 64 pencils or pens nearby." She answered.

He smiled at her, "I ain't gonna laugh, but I gotta ask why; That's a lotta' pencils... like, a lot of pencils." He emphasized.

"Ehh... it's just in case we lose one, so we don't have to go bonkers over finding a spare, right?" She told him, "For example... haven't you ever wished that you had sixty pencils whenever one mysteriously vanished?"

She gave him an awkward smile, twirling the tip of her hair again.

Jeremy didn't know how to answer that.

"... uh, I, uh..." he shrugged uncertainly, "I... guess. Yeah."

"Oh." Her smile disappeared, "You don't sound very certain about it." She said, a slightly bummed tone accompanying her voice.

"Yeah. That's true." He admitted.

"Umm... maybe I can change that? Possibly?" She proposed.

"Keeping more than two pencils on me?" He asked, "Cause if that's what you're trying to change, then I don't think it's gonna do much." He told her.

"My Mum always told me that it's good to try something new, so... why not?" She told him.

"... you're right. Fine." He agreed, "My Ma told me that too, by the way. Small world, huh?"

"It is a small world until you're 18'000 feet above the ground." She blurted out.

"What?"

"Nothing." She let out a small cough and cleared her throat, biting her lips as she glanced everywhere but Jeremy's face.

Jeremy didn't catch on to her odd antics, as he was too busy examining the unique-coloured pencils in his hand, "So, I can keep the pencils you gave me, and I have to try to see if I can keep them with me for about...?"

"... how does a whole semester sound?" She proposed.

Jeremy raised his hands slightly, "Woah, woah, woah-! Hold on. That's tough." He said.

Lena objected, "Not really. If you manage to stay just a teensy bit organized, then-"

Her sentence was cut short by the teacher.

"Ahem. Madam Lena?" Mister Espion called out.

Jeremy looked on as Lena turned towards the teacher.

"It is good to see classmates conversing with one another, but please try to refrain from too much of it, especially when work remains incomplete." Mister Espion said.

"Right, s-sorry, sir." She stuttered, quickly going back to her work.

Jeremy felt bad for seeing Lena get the blunt of the blame. He felt even worse when he saw the look on her face... an expression he couldn't quite describe, but it was an expression that urged him to do something about it.

He stood up for her.

"Aw, c'mon, Ess. We both know it wasn't Lena's fault for talking too much. It's my fault. Me and my loudmouth." He told him, "So Mister Ess, you can tell Lena to take her apology back cause I'll be giving you one instead - I'm sorry."

Lena look surprised at the fact that Jeremy was standing up for her, and even if she was still doing her work, she kept her ears open for the words that he was exchanging with the teacher.

A coy smile came across Mister Espion's face, "Hmph. Stoic deed, Jeremy... very well, I place the blame on you instead of Lena. Now get back to work."

What Jeremy was unknown to was that an incredible idea was forming inside of Mister Espion's mind because of their quick conversation.

"Sure thing, Ess." Jeremy went back to his paper, still thinking on how to begin his sentence.

The whole classroom seemed to quiet down just a pinch after Jeremy's conversation with the teacher.

Lena smiled as she did her work. She opened her notebook and ripped out a small piece of paper, writing 2 small words upon it. She took a discreet look at the teacher and spotted him staring down at the attendance sheet.

Now was her time.

She slid the paper towards Jeremy, hoping that he'd notice it with his peripherals; and he did.

Jeremy looked at Lena (who was sporting a small smile), then returned his stare back to the small piece of paper that was handed to him.

The two words 'Thank you' was written on it. The words were beautifully written, and even seemed to appear cursive at first glance. What made it better was the fact that she had also drawn a small smiley face beside the words. It made Jeremy want to smile... so he did.

He folded the paper carefully and put it in his pockets. He looked back at her with a smile of his own.

"You're welcome." He said, catching the eyes of a few students because of how weird he sounded.

Who was the gesture pointed at?

Only Lena and Jeremy himself knew.

x

9:00 A.M.

A good chunk of time has passed by, and so did Jeremy's wants to attempt the task given on the sheet.

'Write a minimum of two well-structured paragraphs about yourself'

"But who wants to even do that crap?" He muttered to himself, scribbling a circle on the side of his paper. He continued on his scribble by scribbling even more, until it could be considered drawing.

The drawing of a student who did not want to work.

He drew a short thin line beneath the small circle and two other thin lines on either side of the first one, both shorter than it as well. He drew 2 more thin lines beneath the first one, each one protruding in different directions horizontally.

He just drew a stick man; a very plain one though.

Why not spruce it up?

Jeremy gave the scribbled figure 2 eyes and a mouth, scribbling hair on top too. He added a speech bubble above the figure, writing down a sentence that said, 'I am a stickman. Aren't I cool?'

For some reason, he chuckled at his own drawing. Was it because of the fact that he knew he could draw way better than that? Or was it because he just found the drawing funny?

Either way, his chuckle got the attention of Lena, who was almost done completing her work.

Instead of asking what he was laughing at, she took a discreet side glance at him, trying to find out what he was laughing at by the use of her eyes.

She saw an empty section of paper, her sparkly orange pencil, and a very crude drawing of a stickman on his paper.

And she never noticed it before, but wrapped around his wrists and his palm were plain white medical wraps - leaving his fingers visible to see. It was blindingly obvious too, she didn't know how she hasn't seen it yet.

She wondered what he must've done to get those put on him. If she had to take a smart guess, then she assumed it was most likely from a fight, because he gave off the persona of a scrappy student who wouldn't hesitate to throw fists at anyone (excluding a lady). And if she was right about that, the scars underneath must've been nasty!

As she stared at the bandaged hands, the wearer of it turned his eyes towards her.

He took a hold of his paper and presented it.

"Whaddya think?" He asked Lena with a smile.

Lena blinked her eyes and cleared her throat, looking around nervously for a second before answering him.

"Th-the little stickman on the left?" She asked, her throat feeling quite dry.

"Yeah. Doesn't he look cool? OH, and look what he's saying!" He pointed at the speech bubble.

Lena read the words that were inside, "'I am a stickman... aren't I cool'?" She let out a slight hum of confusion, "Umm... what's it supposed to mean?"

Jeremy shrugged, "Nothing much. Just proves that he's a cool little guy on some boring piece of paper..." he gasped, "Oh! I should give him a hat with flames around it! That would make him even more cooler!"

She found herself smiling at him. The reason for this was unknown... maybe it was because of his smile? A convenient tug at the corner of her lips was made apparent right after she's seen his toothy smile... maybe it was because of this.

Mister Espion however, was not smiling at all.

"Jeremy. May I ask what you are doing at this moment?" An annoyed Mister Espion asked.

"Drawing a cool stick dude," he showed off his drawing proudly to the irate teacher, "think ima name him 'Mister Unusual', or maybe 'Unusual stick', cause y'know, he ain't like the rest of them. Cause I'm gonna give him a hat with flames around it, or maybe even money trailing around it or stuff, and ima give him a baseball bat cause baseball is like, the best sport in the entire frickin' world... don't ya agree, Ess?" He finished.

A couple snickers were heard from some classmates.

Mister Espion rolled his eyes, "I care not for mundane topics such as baseball and your silly stick figure, Jeremy. What I do care for is that you resume to your task, and refrain from activities such as... 'drawing'." He said, "Complete at least one task before class is finished."

"Maybe I will, maybe I won't. Let's see if I will." Jeremy said.

But knowing Jeremy Jones, Mister Espion knew that he wasn't going to listen to his request. Still, it was worth a try.

x

Jeremy returned to his 'work', visibly focused on his creations so far.

Lena took a side glance at his paper and spotted more stick figures than earlier - 6, to be specific.

She spotted a rudely drawn warplane with 2 stick figures below, shooting at the hull with rifles. She also spotted a vehicle, with 1 stick figure on each side. 1 was equipped with a knife while the other was equipped with a bonesaw.

And the last 2 stick figures were located near the line of where his name should've been written. The both of the figures were equipped with scoped rifles, and judging from the thin lines that were leaving the slim barrel of the drawn rifle, she assumed that they were firing at something.

She didn't know what, though.

Lena finished her work, and found it safe to engage in a conversation with Jeremy - hopefully without stuttering or fumbling her words.

"Whatcha doing there, Jeremy?" She asked, with confidence as well!

"Drawing a cool scene from a movie I watched yesterday... or was it a month ago?" He shrugged, "Eh, it was probably a year ago, but I dunno." He looked at her, "Doesn't it look cool?"

Lena found herself surprised at how well he could draw the weapons and the stick figures... the only thing she found herself despising was how horrible he drew the plane.

"Not bad... though, maybe the plane could use a bit more detail." She suggested.

"Ahh, I know, I know. I always have a hard time drawing these friggin' things. That's why I just stick to the bread and butter of what I can draw - people, and stuff that can hurt." He explained.

"Planes can hurt too, especially when not operated right." She responded.

He snapped a finger at her, giving out a quiet gasp, "You're right! Maybe I should practice drawing planes 'n stuff!"

"That would be nice... and umm, maybe you can show me your drawings of it... if you want to, of course." She quietly added.

"Why wouldn't I?" He quickly responded, "You gave me the idea anyways. I'll draw a plane on the next worksheet Ess gives us, and maybe you can help me out with it."

"That would be nice." Lena agreed.

She took a look at the clock above the door.

9:15 A.M.

Mister Espion stood up from his table and projected his voice across the room, "Class! If you may put all pencils down and hand in whatever has been managed to finish, for the time to hand in the work is here." He announced.

He snuck a look at Jeremy's paper and was less than impressed at what was on it.

"... Jeremy, is this an art class?" He asked the student.

Jeremy shook his head, "Nope. It's an English class, Ess."

"Exactly my point... so please, tell me why there are more drawings of stickmen than there are of actual words of the English language?"

Jeremy shrugged, "Eh. Beats me."

Mister Espion groaned, "Ugh... Impossible." He picked up Jeremy's paper and began collecting the other student's sheets as well.

While he was doing so, Jeremy turned towards Lena.

"Hey. You even finish that stuff?" He asked her.

She nodded in response, "Mhm. All of the five questions... no offense, but it boggles me to know that you hadn't finished the first question. It seemed pretty easy. Nothing too rash." She said.

He rolled his eyes with a lazy smile, "Yeahhh, I guess..." he then looked at her, "but who wants to do work on the first day of school?" He asked, "Be honest, did ya even wanna do this?"

She shook her head, her eyes constantly darting away from, and onto his eyes, "Err- no... but I have to if I want a high average for my grades." She answered.

"Yikes! Sounds pretty painful." He said.

She shrugged, "Eh. It does hurt sometimes, but I get used to it."

"Damn. That couldn't be me." He said.

It didn't take a professional to see that Jeremy and Lena were two students that were completely different from one another.

One student was striving for high grades, while the other... not so much.

And one student had confidence, while the other one clearly lacked it.

Who was who?

Mister Espion, after finally collecting the last of the sheets, made one final announcement to his students.

"Class, you may mingle amongst yourselves until the bell rings. Do whatever you please with the last ten minutes on the first day of class, and always keep this in mind; Strive and prosper for maximum effort - always."

He sat back down on his chair and pulled a book from under his desk. He leaned back and flipped the page to where the bookmark was stuck in, reading where he last left off.

A disgruntled sigh came out of Jeremy, "Gnh... sucks that my people are in different classes. If they were all in this class, Mister Ess would be flipping on the spot!" He looked towards Mister Espion, "Ain't that right, Mister Ess?" He called out.

Mister Espion grumbled, "Oui, oui - you and your company of fellow delinquents: Memories of a posse I wish to subside." He responded, not taking his eyes off the book.

Jeremy laughed, "Hah!" He then turned towards Lena, "Trust me. Ess loved that class. We were the reason he was smiling every day!"

Lena gave him a doubtful smile, "Really? He doesn't seem very reminiscent about it."

"Don't fall for that. It's just his way of presentin' himself; all mysterious and low-key and all that crap that would probably make him a cool spy for a movie or something — it's just a front, y'know? He ain't what he seems like when you've been a student of his for two years, and trust me, I'd know."

Lena turned around to sneak a look at Mister Espion, and Jeremy was right. He did look like the type to play a role that involved incognito.

Lena agreed with a nod, "You're right. He looks suited for a movie role as a spy."

Jeremy didn't hear her, as he was busy taking looks at her apparel, and her accessories. Her notebook; It was coloured a navy blue and a solid red, with the Union Jack taking on the upper right of the cover. Her backpack was a navy blue colour as well, and there was a small Union Jack that could be seen on both sides.

"You aren't from around here... right?" He asked her.

"Boston?" She shook her head, "Nope. What gave it away?"

"Your bag. Your book... and you just sound like a Brit, y'know?"

"Yes. That I know. My accent's always gonna be a dead giveaway of my background," she sighed, "can't do anything about it unfortunately."

Jeremy raised a brow at a word, "'Unfortunately'?" He quoted, "Why'd ya include that word? There ain't anything bad about the way your voice sounds. Who told ya that?"

Lena couldn't help herself from being awkward.

"Oh. I-uh, I didn't say it was bad, it's just.." she pouted her lips as her brain jammed for a second, "... it's just that some people think I sound too young for my age, and- well, I'm 16, sooo..." she trailed off, unsure of how to end her sentence, and the fact that his eye contact was so strong with her's was definitely distracting.

Her eyes wandered everywhere but his face, "Umm.. people... tend to think that I'm... um."

Jeremy was smiling at how unsure she was.

"People think you sound like a baby?" He asked.

She snapped her finger, giving him an awkward smile, "Ye! Yes, yes, that. It's silly, I know, but..." she mustered enough strength to meet his eyes, do I sound like one though?"

He shrugged, "What if I said 'yes'?"

She giggled, casually putting her hands on her hip, "Hm. I'd say that you're lying because I don't sound like one at all."

He smiled at her, "There ya go."

Lena saw what he did there, and she was impressed to say the least.

"Oh... wow. Uhm, pardon my tone, but bloody hell - That was actually clever, luv'." She said, genuinely impressed at his little setup to dwindle her insecurity.

He accepted the praise and built up on it, "I'm smart, I know, I know. Just gotta know when to use it." He told her. He closed his notebook and gathered the two pencils, placing it inside of a small compartment inside his duffel bag, "Wellll... I guess I'll be seeing you tomorrow then."

Lena glanced at the clock.

9:20 A.M.

"It's early though. Ten minutes, actually... w-why?" She asked, a tinge of disappointment in her tone.

"Cause, the earlier the better, right?" He picked up his duffel bag and strapped it across his back, placing the hat firmly back onto his head.

The female student found herself in a dipped mood because of how sudden he was leaving the class.

She really wanted to talk more with him. She found him interesting and funny to talk to.

But for some reason, she had trouble asking him to stay; the words refusing to come out, and when she did decide to open her mouth just slightly to ask him - it was too late.

"Gotta see what my guys are up to, y'know?" He gave her a quick salute, "See ya, Lena..."

A pause from him, and a fake smile from her.

"... hey, whaddya know? That rhymes!" He stood up from his seat and turned for the door.

A very quiet, 'Bye' came out of her mouth. As she stared at him, she couldn't deny it.

She was attracted to him.

There was just something special about sitting next to Jeremy Jones that made her feel so tingly and warm inside, even if it was for less than an hour. She had no business with delinquent's such as him, but there was something so attractive about him that she found herself falling for... and it wasn't just his striking looks either.

The warmth on her cheeks was an obvious sign. There was something very, very enticing about him. He was a stupid goofball, yes, but he was tolerable and funny too, and his smile was amazing, and he stood up for her! His eyes were blue too - and blue was her favourite colour, which may or may not have been a factor of what urged her to shy away from eye contact...

Who knows? She was generally shy when communicating with boys, but for some reason, she was especially shy when communicating with him... so maybe it was this...

Mister Espion narrowed his eyes at Jeremy. He cleared his throat and put down the book he was reading, "And where is this one off to?" He called out.

Jeremy turned while still walking, "My second period, Ess. Where else?"

"You will not leave this class until 9:30, Jeremy." Mister Espion said.

"Ess, c'mon man - remember last year how ya let me and my boys leave early as long as we ain't make too much noise?"

Mister Espion rolled his eyes, "I was feeling generous that day." He defended.

"For a 'day'? Hah! More like a month!" Jeremy put his hand on the door handle, "Trust me, Ess. I ain't gonna make a sound. I-I'll be like a frickin' mouse, or- or a mice, or even a small mouse, riding on top of a small mice, riding on top of a-"

Mister Espion let out a heavy sigh, "Mèrde! Very well!" He interrupted, "Leave early, but do not make this a habit." He warned.

"Don't worry, Mister Ess," Jeremy opened the door and stepped out, "I'll try!"

He let the door close, and in an instant, the class seemed peaceful without the chatter of Jeremy.

Dell spoke up.

"Seems like a no good trouble-maker, sir." He commented.

"Interesting specimen. Very hyper." Heiler added.

Misha nodded, "Misha agrees with German boy."

"The boy's a bozo. Aren't I right, Mister Espion?" Mundy asked.

Mister Espion sighed, "Yes. He is. And yes, you are. It just disappoints me that students like him refuse to work towards their potential... excruciating to watch when one knows that he can do tremendous in life with the right mindset."

Lena quietly spoke up, "He can't be that bad..."

Mister Espion gave her his attention, "I am not saying the gentleman is bad." He stated, "Improvement however, is what he should be striving for, and he can very well do so given he exerts the effort... but alas, let us not gossip about the student. Let us talk about what you all will be expecting on the next day of class."

Mister Espion spoke to the class of what to expect on the next day of class - a lesson undoubtedly, and another assignment that would certainly hone their writing skills, as well as their presentation skills.

"And with that being said, there are now five minutes left until the period ends. Do whatever you may want with this time, but I do suggest making daily logs of what goes on within class... or if you want - a daily log of a whole day," he suggested, "small activities like those build writing skills tremendously, and can help boost marks in my class when applied correctly."

Lena took it upon herself to follow Mister Espion's suggestion, because she definitely had something worth writing about.

The beginning of a semester with a boy she had developed a deep crush on... Day 1, so far...

x

x

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Wrote this just because the start of my 2nd semester was literally 3 days ago (on a Friday for fuck sakes), and whaddya know? I also got English as my first period class, lol. So, my mind conveniently pranced on this idea on Scout and Tracer being seated together in a class. I had Scout play the role as an adorably stupid delinquent because it really suits his character, and I had Tracer play the role of shy schoolgirl, because it sorta matches with her character.

Yes, I know Tracer's as hyper, and if not, even more hyper than Scout, but I enjoy writing fluff, (actually adore it) so having Tracer play the role of a shy girl with goofball Scout unintentionally making her fall for him just really did it for me.

So I followed up with it and made a chapter about it.

I'm probably going to continue this... when? I don't know. It's random with me, unfortunately.

If you're following any of my other fics that I hadn't updated yet, you might wanna read what's below.

Life's really been hitting me. I'm gonna be honest, I'm starting to lose interest in writing because of how fast my minds working on what the hell im gonna do in the future; apprenticeship, future goals, life plans and all that adult shit.

With this small fic... I only decided to write this because I enjoy writing on new ideas I come up with for new fics.

I found out that I can't stay fully dedicated to one single thing after some time's passed (for ex. Mercenary), but I always get this random surge of motivation to continue it, and it sucks that it pops up at the most random times, because I know people are waiting for me to update it! I feel like a fucking idiot and a douche for making them wait because of my lack of interest. I feel like a hypocrite, honestly; Remembering the time I poured salt on fics that I wanted to be continued, only for me to be in the same exact situation as the authors that have written them...

I'm sorry for being like this, but hopefully I do get re-motivated to continue my major fic and my other smaller fics... just needed a change of scenery, I guess.

I don't know what I'm going to write next, but hopefully you guys will like it, and hopefully y'all enjoyed this :)