From Yaguar [BL]

0.1 · Party By McFonald's

"HOW LONG COULD YOU HOLD your breath underwater?"

An hour, Valentina thought.

The gentle breeze from the metal fan on top of the ceiling filtered into the gym, providing relief to students stretching in the centre while the other students closer to the wall remained trapped in heat. Valentina sat on the corner bleachers closest to the gym's entrance.

He disliked interacting with his classmates, especially when they sweated from playing basketball—they gave off a musky odour. The rancid smell made him squirm, and his short, black sports vest did little to block the stench.

His pores rose as he felt eyes on him.

It was Mr. Glyn. He was staring at him with an unreadable expression on his face.

A peaceful silence fell over the entire gymnasium.

"Mr. Yaguar," Mr. Glyn began, "do you have anything to add?"

Valentina squinted at his teacher, his hands clenching slightly.

He took a quick glance at the blank page in front of him and slowly capped his black ballpoint pen. When he closed his textbook, he tugged at the orange sports band on his wrist with a jaguar logo on it that had been digging into his wrist.

The gaze of his physical education teacher and his classmates dug into his skin, scorching him with open curiosity that never failed to make him feel on edge.

Valentina felt an instinctive desire to claw their faces. However, he couldn't afford to have negative attention directed at him.

No, a night spent in prison isn't what he needed. Not right now.

"Not particularly," Valentina said.

He wondered if he could slip and hide underneath the bleachers. He wondered if, if he did, they would all forget he was here.

Unlikely.

"Mr. Yaguar." Mr. Glyn's lips twitched as he playfully wagged his finger. "I require 100 percent participation from every student in my class, and that includes you."

"I could give you my 100 percent, but I promise you wouldn't like it." Valentina shrugged, and his blue eyes shone as everyone turned away.

"I hope you're able to keep up that vibrant attitude in detention tomorrow, Mr. Yaguar." Mr. Glyn drawled, and his lips twitched as if he were about to sneer. "Class dismissed."

Valentina quickly packed his textbook in his book bag and followed his fellow classmates out of the gym.

Detention on the first day of school for the new year wasn't ideal, but it brought his classmates attention off of him. So that's a plus.

Everyone pays attention to the smart kid. No one bothers to pay attention to the troublemaker.

Upon arriving at the closest bathroom, he went towards the cleanest sink he could find and washed his face. The cold water from the rusty sink crawled into his skin.

Valentina gazed at his reflection in the mirror. For a brief moment, a creature's cold blue eyes reflected in front of his eyes, triggering an intense feeling of coldness to spread up his back, causing a shiver to run through his entire body.

The door swung open and then closed abruptly. A group of students entered the cramped bathroom, causing a slight spasm to ripple along his tightly clenched jaw, as if he had just received a shock of electricity through his body, prompting his blood to boil.

After finishing his business in the toilet, he took steps towards the door when a sultry voice called from behind him.

"Valentina."