ODOR
What could be the odds? Knives high must have been that small there's only one section of senior class*. Eduard Coolen was in the class. Bella was pleased. The Jean girl was also there. Bella wasn't pleased. Jean was busy chatting surrounded by girls giggling as they occasionally peeked at Eduard Coolen sitting alone on the last desk at the far end corner of the room.
Shyly, Bella looked for an empty seat.
"Hi there," the boy on the second row greeted her. "Bella right?" Bella figured Jean must've talked about her. Bella smiled and settled herself next to the friendly boy.
"I'm Mick**, by the way", the boy told her. "You can call me, Mick. Yeah, Mick. That's me. Mick." Then laughed nervously as he realized he was stalling.
Bella merely looked up at him disinterestedly.
"So have you checked out Knives?" Mick asked trying his very hard for a small talk. "I'd be glad to be your tour guide."
"My father could do that. With his mobile and all."
"Yeah," Mick embarrassedly laughed. "Chief Swine."
"Stop flirting Mickey," intercepted Jean. She was just with the girls at the other side in the room, and next thing she was standing by Bella's desk. "You're not her type."
"I am NOT!" Mick exclaimed, defensively arguing that he wasn't flirting with Bella and expressing his surprise that she's not her type. "And stop calling me Mickey." Then he turned to smile at Bella as if apologizing on behalf of scoffed. "What are you doing on my seat Bella?"
As faith would call it, the only vacant seat on the room was next to Eduard Coolen. After Bella's awkward introduction, the Bio teacher directed her to sit next to Eduard Coolen. Girls scowling at her, she felt eyes following her as she made her way. Eduard Coolen must've been really that cold to have no love partner, lab partner rather, until came Bella.
Eduard Coolen's squared and rested his hands on the table and buried his face on them, his hair guarding his face from everyone's curious eyes. He looked like a third grader silently crying.
"Go ahead Miss Swine," the Bio teacher said, his hands motioning her. "Sit next to our sleeping beauty." Bella looked at the teacher, not believing what she just heard from him. The teacher's tone was surprisingly not mocking, but suddenly warm and appreciative. Bella figured Eduard Coolen has that effect too to teachers—this Bio teacher, at least. Even when he was sleeping.
"Careful," some guy in the class suddenly snapped upon meaningfully. "You might disturb his beauty rest." And the rest of the boys roared in laughter.
"DETENTION!" the teacher bellowed at the guy. Then the class immediately silenced. Eduard Coolen remained asleep, oblivious of what just happened. But then again, it's much harder to wake someone who pretends to be sleeping, isn't it?
Bella slowly took her seat as the teacher started his lecture. Then suddenly Eduard Coolen woke up. He turned to his side and saw Bella who tensely smiled. But Eduard, instead, looked like he saw something horrible. He was clenching his fist and was making a funny face as if he was constipated. He must've have eaten something bad that'd upset his stomach. Or he must've not eaten anything that his tummy gone crazy. He sniffed the air around him and looked like he smelled something really bad. It must've been a fart, it must have been Bella's. Bella noticed him kind of acting weird. She also tried to sniff herself, afraid to know if it's she who stank. She had actually not taken a bath earlier that day 'cause she felt too cold—the freezing weather was new to her. She was cussing herself silently, for this was not the first impression she wanted at her first meeting with Eduard Coolen.
Then swiftly, Eduard Coolen stood from his seat and sped away to get out from the room. Probably on his way to the nearest bathroom.
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*in the book, they were still juniors. But I meant them to be seniors in my fiction. It's all part of my plot. You'll see.
**Mick= based on Mike and Eric...or not...
