𝗦𝗧𝗨𝗗𝗬 𝗕𝗨𝗗𝗗𝗜𝗘𝗦 ... Miles Morales

iii

EDITED; 11th Aug, 2024

...

"Solve for x," the teacher instructed, his voice echoing through the classroom.

The room immediately fell into a tense silence as every student buried their heads in their books, scribbling furiously in an attempt to crack the seemingly impossible equation on the board. Minutes ticked by, and the frustration in the room grew palpable-twelve minutes passed, and still, no one had found the correct answer.

Miles stared intently at his book, his mind racing through every possible method to solve the problem. He tried to focus, blocking out the rustling of papers and the occasional sighs of his classmates. Then, as if a light bulb had gone off in his mind, a solution popped into his head. "Oh, I know!" he whispered to himself, grabbing his pencil with renewed energy.

He began to scribble down his calculations, his mind working at full speed as he mumbled the steps to himself. With each line, his confidence grew, his heart pounding in anticipation as the numbers on his page started to make sense, inching closer to the potential answers they had been given.

And... done! He smiled victoriously, feeling a surge of pride as he looked down at his completed work. But then, his smile faltered as he realized his calculations had taken up an entire page. Shocked but still proud, he reassured himself, "This page was worth it..." He shifted his gaze to the multiple-choice answers on the board.

The answer is choice...

How did he even manage this?

The choices were:
A) 2.3
B) 3.2
C) 1.8
D) 6.0

Miles' eyes widened as he glanced back at his answer. According to his calculations, the exact number staring back at him was...

'4637890.'

Panic set in. You know what? It's not too late to drop out of school, he thought, trying to calm himself. Besides, I could always work at Foam Party. Wait... that's actually a win-win for him! He won't have to do math anymore, and he'll have all the time in the world to admire the waitress... Maybe she's working there because she's also bad at ma-

"The answer is choice C," a sudden voice spoke up, cutting through his thoughts and grabbing everyone's attention. Heads turned to face the girl sitting at the back of the class.

"Correct, Ms. (L.name). Would you like to explain your method and enlighten the rest of the class?" the teacher suggested, holding out a piece of chalk.

The girl stood up gracefully and made her way to the front, taking the chalk from the teacher with a confident smile. She began to explain, her voice clear and composed.

"You see, the equation may look complex, but in reality, it's one of the simplest ones out there. First, you-"

Miles' mind began to drift as she spoke, her voice fading into the background as his focus shifted entirely to her. It was the same girl he had admired at the café, the same one who had completely disarmed him with her beauty and presence.

...

He was in a daze, lost in the way her lips moved as she spoke. They looked so soft, slightly pink, and utterly mesmerizing. Her voice, though he couldn't quite hear the words, was sweet and soothing, a melody that seemed to calm his nerves. She really did seem like she had dropped straight from heaven.

"-ir?"

Her presence was so enchanting, so intoxicating, that it made the world around him blur into nothingness.

"He-o?"

But something was off. Her lips were moving, but he couldn't hear her voice.

"Y- oka-?"

Miles blinked, trying to shake himself out of his trance, but it was only when he heard a sudden, sharp yell that he snapped back to reality.

"Hey!"

He jolted in surprise, turning back to the girl, who was now looking at him with a mix of amusement and mild concern. "Y-yeah! Yeah... uhm," he stammered, clearing his throat as he tried to regain his composure.

"Yeah...?" He attempted to tilt his head and narrow his eyes in a way he thought might make him look 'cool,' but it only resulted in an awkward, forced expression.

The girl raised an eyebrow, clearly taken aback by his odd behavior. "Did you really just try to-nevermind-yes, anything else?"

There was an awkward pause as Miles internally berated himself. YOU STUPID! he thought, mentally smacking himself.

"Uh... no, I'm fine with what I ordered," he finally managed to say, his voice trailing off in embarrassment.

She nodded, trying her best to maintain a polite smile as she walked away, leaving Miles slumped in his chair, feeling utterly defeated. "What a great first impression..." he muttered under his breath.

...

How had he failed to notice her sooner? She was literally in the same school, in the same math class. You have no game, Miles, absolutely no ga-

"MR. MORALES!"

"H-HUH?"

Miles was startled out of his thoughts as the teacher suddenly appeared in front of him, slamming his hands down on the desk, causing him to jolt and nearly fall out of his chair. Quiet giggles rippled through the classroom as he scrambled to his feet.

"Y-yes, sir!" he stammered, standing at attention.

The teacher stared at him for a long moment before turning to the girl at the front. "Ms. (L.name), please give Mr. Morales the chalk. I'd like him to demonstrate for us how to work out the equation."

With a nod, (Y.name) walked over and handed the chalk to Miles. As their fingers brushed, he felt his cheeks heat up, the brief contact sending a rush of warmth through him. As she walked past him, he caught a faint whiff of oranges, the scent lingering in the air.

But his moment of distraction was short-lived as the teacher cleared his throat, looking at him expectantly. "Well? Get on with it," he said, nodding toward the board.

Miles gulped, stepping up to the board, and tried to focus on the problem. But as expected, he struggled, the numbers blurring together as his anxiety mounted. The snickering from his classmates only made it worse, his mind racing as he fumbled through another failed attempt.

"Heard you're supposed to tutor someone. Pray that it's not Morales," Beth, one of the girls in the classroom, whispered to (Y.name), her voice dripping with sarcasm as she giggled at her own 'joke.'

(Y.name) simply rolled her eyes, "Shove off, Beth. Not everyone can be good at everything."

Beth sighed dramatically before turning back to her friends, repeating the joke and eliciting more laughter from the group.

(Y.name) rested her head on her palm, her eyes narrowing as she watched Miles struggle at the board. Bethany's words echoed in her mind, making her wonder if there was some truth to them. She sighed and shook her head, dismissing the thought. No time to think about that-I have to study.

In the end, expectations met expectations. Miles floundered under the pressure, and (Y.name) was left pondering what her role in all this might be.