Matryo-ress (Volume 1)

Chapter 3 - Study Hall

After my classes were finished, I headed back to my dorm to finish up some assignments I had left over from a few classes. I was spacing out a lot today, which isn't something I normally do. Why do I feel like something bad will happen to me? Why can't I be a little more positive about this new life?

When I unlocked the door to my dorm, I saw King sitting on the couch drinking coffee. He wasn't doing anything, just sipping his coffee out of a basic white mug gripped firmly in his normal hand.

"Welcome back, Tycho. You actually went to all of your classes? Ha, how boring." King scoffed at me and took another sip of his coffee which was reflecting the look of disgust on his pierced face.

"Did you not go to any of your classes?"

"Of course not. I'm not going to dress up in some silly uniform and act all high and mighty just because I'm at a stuck up academy every rich kid's parents want them to get into."

I was shocked by his answer. How could he just brush off all of his school work and stay in his dorm all day?! He phrased it so arrogantly too, like he isn't taking this opportunity and turning it into something that can get him a job at some of the biggest companies on Earth.

"How could you say such a thing? Don't you think that's a little rude?"

King looked at me, puzzled, then laughed, "Do you really think this academy is special? Do you think your hard work passing each and every pointless exam meant something? You're just another sheep of this stupid world mindlessly working yourself to death just so you can feel good about yourself and in the end not even being remembered by your own family."

I was left speechless, I had no reply for his speech of anger and disgust for this academy. I didn't know whether to yell at him for not being grateful that he was accepted into such a famous academy or whether to give him the news that I never took any exams to get into this academy and that I am simply here by luck.

"...No response, huh? Well, that's just as I suspected--"

"It was never my decision to be here. I was chosen by a lottery. I'm only here by pure luck."

King looked down at me with an absolute look of confusion. I turned the tables and instead made him speechless. After a while, he regained his composure and replied.

"So we do have something in common after all. I was chosen by the lottery too."

"That doesn't really surprise me. I mean, no offense, but you don't look like someone who would put in all of that work to get accepted here."

"It's alright, I get that a lot."

Our eye contact slowly drifted away, creating an awkward tension in the dorm. I found myself getting attracted by his arm again. I don't really want to ask, but my curiosity got the best of me.

"Excuse me, King, I don't mean to seem weird but...what happened to your arm?"

With a look of fury in his eyes, worse than the first death glare he ever gave me, he shouted, "Don't you dare ever ask that question again!"

I saw his dark and mysterious arm launch towards me. Startled, I flinched back and tried shielding myself with my arms. But, I never was attacked. I looked back up at him, slowly putting my arms down to reveal his face filled with absolute terror.

Feeling immense amounts of guilt, I said, "...King, I'm so sorry--"

"Being overly apologetic is an annoying trait to have. I acted on instinct, I should be the one sorry for scaring you so much. Are you hurt at all?"

King wanted to inspect me for any injuries, but held himself back.

"I'm alright, don't worry. You didn't hurt me at all."

He looked relieved to know I was okay, and soon began to feel calm again. Even after the situation had been settled, I still felt so guilty. The look of rage on his face, the way his face scrunched up with fury, and the way he charged up his claw-like arm at me made me feel so awful, knowing I caused it with a question like that. To loosen up the tension, I looked up at King with a smile and made him an offer.

"Hey, King, do you want to go to the library to help me with some of my assignments? We can get something at the cafeteria too, my treat!"

"...Fine. Don't make me do all of the work, okay?"

"Got it!"

With determination and excitement, we headed to the cafeteria to get a quick drink before heading to the library with a stack of textbooks in my arms. King offered to carry some for me, but being the stubborn girl I am and still feeling bad after what happened earlier, I carried them all myself. He helped me get to the library since I had no clue where it was, but it was very obvious that it was a library once we arrived. Once inside, we found an empty table and I set the textbooks down.

"You could have found this place yourself. It's huge and can easily be identified as a library."

"I am terrible at finding places I haven't been to before, okay? I got lost on the first day of elementary school and cried for half an hour in the hallway because I didn't know where my classroom was!"

"Wow, that is...extremely embarrassing. You better hope no one heard that, or you'll get made fun of for sure."

"It's alright, I was always teased when I was younger for the littlest of things. I can handle anything."

King shook his head with a chuckle, and we began working on my assignments. Halfway through, he got up and sat beside me so that he could put things out better and not have to stretch across the table every time he was demonstrating something so I could comprehend it more easily. I would occasionally space out, but he would always snap me back to reality.

Maybe King isn't as scary as he looks.