Sweet Devil [BL]

Chapter 57. She Shouldn't Be Here

Misha intently stared at the transfer student, his eyes about to fall off their sockets, and his mouth had also dropped open, making him look utterly foolish. He didn't even notice the strange and mocking gazes his classmates threw at him, all his attention focused on the girl before him.

Vanessa shouldn't be here. She honestly shouldn't be!

At this point in time, she should be studying in America, living with her father in Buffalo, and she should have returned to Canada only after becoming an adult to attend university in Ontario. Then, they should have met at a bar while playing a game of pool with happy-go-lucky strangers; they should have drank until their brains turned into mush, and that evening should have become a memorable souvenir that neither of them would ever be able to forget.

Their first meeting was supposed to be just like this. So why did they first cross paths at the hospital a few months ago before meeting again in elementary school? Come on! How could the timeline turn into such a terrible mess just because of a fever...?

It didn't make any sense!

Could it be that he had mistaken the new transfer student for Vanessa? No, he couldn't have. Her appearance was striking, having a little something that no one else had, making it hard to mistake a stranger for her. And Misha had met her not too long ago, so that cute little face of hers was still fresh in his memory. But... something seemed amiss.

The shining light in her eyes had dimmed, dulling her gaze. No sweet smile remained on her lips, and Vanessa kept her head lowered, staring at her feet. The atmosphere surrounding her was a lot gloomier than when they had seen each other at the hospital.

'Did something happen?' he thought with a frown. 'She looks exhausted and ill at ease.'

The teacher loudly clapped her hands, successfully grabbing her students' attention, including Misha's. "This is Vanessa, your new classmate. She had a car accident a few weeks ago, and her wounds are slowly healing. She will probably have to miss a few classes, so I'm counting on you to take care of her and help her with her studies."

The teacher went on, but Misha wasn't listening anymore.

In their past life, Vanessa was never in a car accident. Or, at the very least, she never brought it up.

All of a sudden, Misha felt short of breath, and his face grew deadly pale. A sense of foreboding soon roamed about in the pit of his stomach.

The gears in Misha's brain started to turn. Previously, he was hospitalized for a few weeks because of a fever. There, he had met the young Vanessa, who had come to visit her great-grandmother with her father. The little girl was bored to death and dragged him to the playground, where they played together for a while.

And that was probably the only difference between this life and their past one. They should never have met as kids. But how could an earlier meeting lead to a car accident? And why would she then go to his school? His gut feeling told him that he didn't want to hear the answer, yet he still had to know.

"Ha! You're that girly boy from before!" The lovely but loud voice snapped him out of his thoughts, making Misha blink a few times.

"I'm not girly!" Misha grunted after realizing Vanessa was talking to him. "You're the girly one!"

"Well, of course! I am a girl!"

These words, which were said with a light chuckle, left Misha speechless. He opened and closed his mouth several times as if trying to find a comeback, but ultimately, nothing came out of his mouth. So, he chose to pinch his lips into a pout, wearing a wronged expression on his face.

Why couldn't she pass a day without bullying him?!

"You know each other?" the teacher asked, a stiff smile stretching her lips.

"Yes, we met at the hospital a while ago," Vanessa nodded before shyly asking, "Since he is the only one I know here, can I sit next to him? Please?"

The teacher seemed to hesitate a second before eventually nodding and asking a student to move his seat. Yesterday, the director had taken her aside to explain the little girl's situation, and she knew that Vanessa had been going through a lot lately.

Although she wasn't the best teacher, she wasn't heartless either. She didn't like Misha because he was a problem child, but if he could bring Vanessa the peace of mind she needed at school, she could put aside her misgivings and allow them to sit beside each other—albeit a tad reluctantly.

"Thank you, teacher," Vanessa smiled sweetly before walking to her new desk. She also didn't forget to thank the boy who moved aside for her, saying she would return the favor later. Her polite behavior greatly pleased the teacher, making her smile wider and nod approvingly.

Looking at the little act his friend put on, Misha couldn't help but roll his eyes.

Young or not, that girl just knew how to please others. She had always been good at handling people, which made her an excellent waitress in her past life.

Now that Misha thought about it, it seemed that that skill of hers was innate. She had displayed it at the hospital, convincing her father to let her go to the playground with strangers. Vanessa had a knack for bewitching people since childhood and carefully cultivated that skill as she grew up. Right now, she was only showing polite and cute smiles, but later, Misha knew she would be able to adapt her behavior to suit her interlocutor's tastes, making them fall into a honey trap.

Because of this, whenever Vanessa pulled pranks, no one suspected her, meaning that Misha was the one who had to deal with the aftermath. And when he was finally able to clear up the misunderstanding, she had already slipped away.

That girl was a devil disguised as an angel, honestly.

Misha didn't need to be a genius to predict that he would become her scapegoat, especially after seeing that mischievous light glint in her eyes when their gazes met. He knew that expression of hers too well, but what could he do? He had a soft spot for that troublesome friend of his.

'Oh well, the school already deemed me to be a lost cause, anyway,' Misha inwardly smiled as he took out his schoolbooks, gesturing for the girl to bring her desk closer to his to read the books together.

Although Vanessa had her shortcomings, Misha knew she had always been serious about school. She was a year younger than him, but she was much more thoughtful.

"Thank you," the girl whispered as she tilted her head to look at one of the schoolbooks, dutifully reading its content.

Misha glanced at her from the corner of his eyes before turning his head and gazing out the window. Then, after a short second, he hummed a small "You're welcome".

He had so much more he wanted to say, many questions he wanted to ask, yet he knew he couldn't. For Vanessa, he was merely a boy she had met once. They weren't familiar enough. So, for now, Misha had no other choice but to swallow back his questions and uncertainties, hoping that the ominous feeling twisting his stomach was only due to nervousness and nothing more.

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Chapter revised on 2022-05-20

Edited by Clozed! ♥

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