Expect the Unexpected (CHISCARA Highschool AU)

Young and Hopelessly Smitten

I'm inches away from fortune. I can feel it. The golden-rimmed chest glows with an intensity of a thousand suns and all I want is that rich, honey mora buried within its depths. My trusty pirate crew cheers me on as I reach with an outstretched arm. Finally grasping my hand over the rusted latch, my parrot familiar angles its head slowly toward my ear. It opens its beak wide and takes a deep breath.

BEEP. BEEP. BEEP.

My entire body jolts in a panic. I wrestle the blankets and scramble to my feet, nearly suffocating myself in the process. Shit. It's half past seven. I was supposed to be up thirty minutes ago. Jumping over the side of my bed, I hit the alarm a little harder than I intended to and start examining a suspiciously large pile of clothes on the floor.

I pick up a pair of wrinkled jeans and hold it to my nose. Smells fine. I think. It doesn't matter. I just need to find something to wear— anything. Sliding on the jeans, I aggressively zip my fly and proceed to fish out a pair of clean socks from my dresser (probably the only clean clothes I have). There's a math test today and I can't afford to miss it. This will count as 60% of my grade and if my parents found out I failed.. I mean, they'd kill me. Wouldn't they?

I throw on my favorite varsity hoodie and catch a glimpse of myself in the mirror. Running a brisk hand through my hair, I contemplate on brushing it in an attempt to look like I didn't sleep through my alarm today. I pick up a flat brush and begin to comb it through the messy nest of orange hair. My cowlick stays put, almost as if the universe were holding it in place. I don't have time for this .

Aggressively jamming my feet into dingy red converse and tying them tight, I shove a piece of bread into my mouth and dash through the door. I managed to catch the bus by a millisecond; any longer and I would've been walking. I ascend the aluminum stairs and grab an empty seat by the window, discarding my backpack beside me. This is going to be a long ride.

"Alright, clear your desks ! phones away or else your test won't count. If I see any phones out, I'm confiscating them."

Miss Leverson scaled the room, placing a test packet on each desk. She was a short woman with dark auburn hair and a keen sense of sight; much like a hawk. Leverson could tell if you were cheating or passing notes from the other side of the classroom. Some even say she has eyes on the back of her head, but personally, I think the Akademiya drove her mad. The way some people can subject themselves to such suffering is beyond me. She loves to boast about her years in Sumeru and how dearly she misses her studies, so why not go back? I don't need calculus.

Finally, Miss Leverson reaches my desk in the far back of the room as she gingerly places a packet in front of me. Flipping through page after page, I can already feel a deep dread pooling at the bottom of my stomach. It feels like the questions never end .

Okay. You can do this, Ajax.

I let out a sharp sigh through my nose and pick up a pencil. Surprisingly, I actually remembered most of the questions. I'm not someone who usually studies; I only try my best to pay attention during class and pray to the archons I'll remember it all. Though, the further I progressed, my beginner's luck ran scarce. I couldn't for the life of me remember what the law of cosines was. Desperately, I rummaged through the corners of my mind for an answer, but I received none.

The clock ticks, and time is growing thin. I'm deep within the depths of numeral sequences and equations when a knock at the door yanks into reality.

Miss Leverson sighs and scoots herself off of the desk she's been sitting on. She opens the door as it creaks uncomfortably loud in contrast to the distilled classroom.

"Good morning, Kokomi. Do you have a late pass? I thought I told you all there would be an exam today.." There was a hint of disappointment in her tone.

My breath hitched in my throat, my body becoming stiff as a board. I felt clammy all over and all I could do was wish I hadn't left the house without combing my hair. I tried my best to keep my eyes on the paper, but nevertheless, I failed. Through the corner of my eye I caught a glimpse of periwinkle hair and black mary-janes standing in the doorway— and god, I thought I was going to pass out.

"No, my bus arrived late. I apologize."

"Well, that's what the front office is for..." Miss Leverson mumbled under her breath, before making her way to the desk to fetch Kokomi a fresh test packet.

"Here. Class is almost over but you can start it now if you'd like. I don't want to see your phone out, understand?"

"Yes, of course." Kokomi eyed the packet for a moment before taking it with both hands. She strolled over to the desk beside me and set her bag down on the ground, passing me a small glance. She smiled.

"Hi." Her words were soft and barely audible, and yet it was enough to send a wave of chills down my spine.

"...Hey." My throat was dry and tasted like tart. She could have picked any seat. Any seat at all. And she chose this one. I flipped the page, anything to distract my mind. The words and numbers collided and intermingled into one, horrible mess. Reading felt hopeless, as if each letter only graced across my eyes and failed to reach my brain.

After what felt like an eternity, the bell rang at last. I hadn't gotten to finish the test, but that's okay. All that mattered was that I was free to leave. That's all I wanted. I grabbed my bag and hurled it onto my shoulders, speeding through the door without even giving Kokomi a passing glance.