CLAIRE AND DIANA

The Geography Class.

CHAPTER FOUR

Claire grasped her coffee cup and said, "You saw the new guy, right? That brat was in the same middle school as me." She took a sip, clearly irritated.

I responded, "Oh, so he's your old classmate? Believe me, that's a good thing." I smiled at her and took a sip of my own drink.

She glared and said, "No, it's not. He was a bully. He and his girlfriend, along with her friends, bullied almost everyone."

Her expression was one of irritation, as though just talking about it made her mad. I said, "Oh, well, screw him. Have you finished the geography homework? I don't get topography! What's the point of studying it anyway? You know, at this point, becoming a housewife doesn't seem like a bad choice." I chuckled, trying to lighten the mood.

Claire laughed softly, "Oh yes, I've completed it. Focus on your studies, though. You won't be getting married anytime soon—you're only fifteen." She reached into her bag and pulled out her geography notes. "Here, take these and copy the homework before the bell rings, or he'll make you clean the class as a penalty." She handed me the notes with a sweet smile.

As I started copying the homework, Brad, the new guy, approached our table. "Hello, ladies, I'm Brad. Oh, well, you both know me. How are you, Claire? Damn, you've grown tall, and gotten ever prettier" he said with an accent that grated on my nerves.

I glanced at Claire, and she looked equally displeased. She stood up and said, "Diana, I was supposed to meet the homeroom teacher by eleven. Bring my notes to class; I'll catch up with you later." Before I could respond, Brad reached out and grabbed her hand, trying to stop her. "I-I'm sorry, Claire, please give me a second—"

Claire slapped his hand away and said firmly, "You disgust me." She then turned and walked away. Brad, looking uncomfortable, gulped and left as well. I was left bewildered, wondering what on earth was happening.

I hit my head lightly on the table, deep in thought. Claire was supposed to meet the teacher, but she did yesterday. Oh my goodness! I packed my bag and hurried to find Claire. I must have looked like a complete idiot. I rushed up to the roof, panting.

Claire was already there, standing with the wind blowing through her brunette hair. Her eyes, the color of honey, met mine. She noticed me and waved. I ran towards her, out of breath. "Huff-huff, what's the matter? Why did you lie to me?" I asked, shielding my eyes from the sun with my hand.

Her cheeks turned a light pink as she smiled. "I lied because I felt like lying to myself all these years, so I lied to someone today. Also, I knew you'd find me anyway. Let's just attend our lecture before you get lost in geography. I'll tell you everything in detail when we walk home."

I felt a mix of relief and confusion. Why was Claire homeschooled? Why did she have trust issues? Why was Brad apologizing to Claire out of the blue? These questions swirled in my mind.

Lost in thought, I heard someone calling my name. It was Claire saying something, but I zoned out. My teacher was calling me to answer a question. "Could you repeat the question?" I asked.

The teacher's response was sharp "WHAT A DISRUPTIVE CLASS. FIRST, YOU DON'T PAY ATTENTION, AND THEN YOU ASK WHAT THE QUESTION WAS? YOU GUYS ARE NOT CAPABLE OF STUDYING IN A PRESTIGIOUS SCHOOL. FIND ANOTHER SCHOOL OR TEACHER!"

I thought he was done, so I replied, "No, sir, actually, I couldn't hear yo—"

"AGAIN?! YOU DARED TO TALK WHILE YOUR TEACHER WAS SPEAKING? FIRST, YOU DIDN'T REPLY TO ME, AND NOW YOU WILL ANSWER THE PRINCIPAL FOR YOUR NON-SERIOUS BEHAVIOR. IN MY TWENTY-NINE YEARS OF TEACHING, NONE OF THE CLASSES HAVE BEEN LIKE THIS. NON-SERIOUSNESS AT ITS PEAK. ONE IS CHANGING SCHOOLS MID-YEAR, AND ONE IS IGNORING WHAT THE TEACHER IS SAYING—"

I had never liked my mathematics teacher, but this outburst made me reconsider how unfair I had been for disliking her just because she taught math. Meanwhile, the geography teacher had switched to a sweet tone: "Oh, Miss. Lancer, how are you? Is my class over?" He continued chatting with the math teacher for the next five minutes, and then the next class started. I was relieved.

As the class representative, I had to stay late for the festival preparations. I told Claire she should leave because it was getting late and rain was expected, but she insisted on helping. The other representative was incredibly helpful, and we finished packing up sooner than anticipated. As we left school, it started to rain, which I found comforting.

Walking to the bus station under our umbrellas, Claire said, "Brad was in the same school but in a different class." I stayed quiet as she continued, "I liked him, but I didn't know he had a girlfriend. The weather feels comforting, like the sky is crying." I nodded in agreement, loving the rain.

Claire smiled and continued, "One day, when I was heading to the cafeteria, he appeared and confessed that he liked me. I believed him because I knew I was pretty enough. I was thrilled and went home to tell my mom and dad. They were happy too. I even tried baking a cupcake for him, but I failed and had to ask my mom for help."

I smiled and asked, "So you dated Brad the brat?" chuckling a little.

She gulped and said, "No."

"Huh? What happened the next day?" I asked.

Claire took a deep breath and said, "It was a prank." Her calm demeanor made my heart skip a beat. "What kind of prank? It was disgusting! What did you do afterward?"

Claire replied with a pleasant smile, "Nothing. I just left school. We're here."

I was stunned by her story. "Go now, or you'll miss your bus," Claire said, her smile unwavering. I dropped my umbrella and rushed to hug her. Her hazel eyes widened in surprise as I embraced her.

Claire smiled softly/

I replied, "Ease up, Claire. I'm always here for you. I know you'll find a gentleman, not just a green flag but a green field."

She smiled through her tears and said, "Go home, idiot. Your bus—"

I smirked and said, "Yes, boss!" I took the bus home, glancing back to see Claire walking towards her house. I was relieved she had taken a stand for herself today. What Brad did wasn't a prank; it was humiliation. He deserved all the consequences that came his way.

"Well you guys are so innocent, what you have to do is cough". Said Diana with a wide evil smile on her cheeks. Both Claire and Luan looked at Diana and then looked at each other in disbelief.

"Come on guy, luan all you have to do is cough accordingly". She turned her seat backward so that she is facing luan eye to eye. "You just have to cough so that we will know the answer, for example if the answer of question number 1 is A, so cough once, if option B is correct answer cough twice, if C so co-". "Okay.okay! but what if I don't know any answer?". Said luan with a slight smile. Diana answered "then drop your pen, drink water or just kick Claire's seat. Easyyyy we are settled now, rest assured Claire". Claire glared at Diana with her lips opened. Diana winked showing her thumb up. The teacher entered the classroom with a pile of question papers.