From unknown to unknown- Mixte 1963

Chapter 3-Gym class

The day begins with history class. Mrs. Giraud keeps on blabbering about different wars and asking questions to the class. Edith knew the answer, but others didn't know about that.

"The one to give me the exact dates of the Battle of Marathon for our class this afternoon will be class chief ", decided Mrs. Giraud, since everything in her class must be earned. Edith hadn't raised her hand because she didn't want the position; it only meant more responsibilities, more work, and less time to read. If she couldn't read anymore, she would kill somebody today.

Toward the entirety of the class, Joseph had been looking at her. At this point, she couldn't even figure out what emotions lay behind that emotionless eye, nor did she want to know. But the constant tingling of her skin was numbing her senses. If only he would stop looking at her so intensely.

During recess, she read. However, she noticed little detail and wasn't as absorbed as she usually was. Simone kept talking about a bruise she had this morning, while Jean-Pierre kept on pacing. Annick went to talk to Pichon. Edith was sure she had found the date of the battle. It was rather easy to find it, but that didn't seem to be the case for Felbec who kept rummaging through the pages of the poor encyclopedia. He wouldn't find it there anyway. She only knew about it from the time Greece had piqued her interest and she had read every book her library had about it.

She decided to go change beforehand since the girls could only use the teachers' toilet. However, she noticed Joseph's attention shift from her to the bathrooms after Jean-Pierre had gone inside. She became suspicious but shut her mind and walked back inside the school.

. . .

She was sitting down on one of the benches, reading yet again her book. Romance books weren't so bad after all.

Simone and Michèle came in. The shorts the girls were wearing didn't leave much for the imagination. Edith, who had always been conscious of her thick thighs squeezed them together. When the boys entered, with their marine blue shorts and their white shirts, Edith almost laughed out loud. It was catastrophic.

They were followed by Joseph, who would be sitting this class out.

Then Annick came in, with her smooth skin, and got remarks from which she flinched. Edith couldn't help but be pleased she wasn't receiving this kind of attention. When she closed her book and stood up with the girls, she was taller than them. It would only make climbing the rope easier. The guys had to play handball, lucky them.

Annick went first. " This girl is not normal. She's good in class and sports. She must be the secret child of Marylin Monroe. Have you seen her skin, it's perfect!! That's Hollywood level, she is not like us. " Simone said, in jealousy but also admiration. " And you too, Edith! You are tall, curvy with big boobs, yet you're discreet and sharp-tongued. You don't need to stay in here or become a simple teacher, you could be a mannequin or become an actress with your looks! You are so lucky! "

Edith smiled. " You are also pretty, don't degrade yourself. " She looked at the bench where sat Joseph. " I'll be right back, cover for me," she said before walking to him.

He looked up when he saw her approaching, and a smirk appeared on his face. She turned around to see an anxious Jean-Pierre talking with Michèle. He was supposed to be pleading his case at the disciplinary council, and with his disheveled look, she knew something must have happened.

"What have you done? " she asked, without an ounce of doubt.

" Why do you think I did something? " he retorted in a rough voice. All his non-verbal gestures told her he didn't feel the least bit threatened by her. She sat down next to him, determined to get her answers.

"So you haven't done anything? Are you trying to fool me or yourself?" She didn't want an answer, didn't want to admit that she had noticed something off about him because she had been looking at him. He had been doing the same, so it wasn't that bad. He chuckled and crossed his legs.

" Is it for revenge? Because he made you blind? " she didn't expect him to smirk. " Am I not allowed to? He ruined my life. " He said it with such casualness, you would think he was happy about it. Edith couldn't tolerate herself to showcase empathy toward the man.

"You ruined it yourself. " Edith stood up, not having to say anything more.

" You act haughty, pretending you don't see anything while you read your book, but you're just antisocial. It must be boring to be alone, always in your space, as if you were afraid of something... " he said before standing up, and going out of the gym while the teacher shouted behind him.

She was shocked and pissed. She went back to the girls and helped Simone hold the rope while Annick was climbing.

"Hey, Simone, what do you think of me? " she asked. She knew she was brutally honest all the time, and that was what she needed right now.

"You're really beautiful, and even if you don't show it, I feel like you're really smart too. And you're brave, I saw you talk with Descamps. What did he say before he rushed out like that?"

"No, not, physically. I mean, how do you see me, frankly? "

"Well, you're kind of never here. I mean, yes, physically, you attend class, but you're not with the class. You are always in your book and never pay attention to anything else. It's like you are disinterested in everything. It's kind of sad. " She rushed out.

Edith gawked. "I look sad?! " Is that how others viewed her?

"Are you sad?" Simone asked. The rope was moving more than needed, so she looked up to see Michèle struggling. She pondered a bit before having to admit that, maybe the others weren't wrong.

"I'm not happy, I guess. " They didn't say another word, as Michèle came down, and Edith began ascending. Maybe the book wasn't the only reason she didn't like Joseph, but because she saw a bit of herself in him. Maybe she didn't like the reflection she saw in the glass.

.  .  .

When they came back to class, Edith sat down and looked to the front. Weirdly enough, Pride and Prejudice didn't interpell her that much. She wrote on a piece of paper the dates of the Battle of Marathon, where she found it, the actors present, the trigger, and the settlement. She folded it in 4 and asked the boys at the table nearby to pass it to Joseph.

To her surprise, at the instant the paper finally reached him, he stood to answer Mrs. Giraud. " 490 before Christ, " he said. However, when Mrs. Giraud asked the provenance of the answer, he seemed lost.

She tried to signal him to open the paper he was holding in his palm. Through whatever miracle, Mrs. Giraud who had the back turned didn't notice him scanning through Edith's note. He answered flawlessly and gave even more information than necessary. Mrs. Giraud told him to stop and he sat down. He was made class chief and everybody applauded reluctantly. Edith didn't, you couldn't expect her to become all mushy and kind in the expand of 2 hours. Rome wasn't built in a day.

Joseph stared at her throughout the class, but his gaze held less venom than before, and that would just have to suffice.

As she walked out of the gates, she made a point of saying goodbye to every girl. She waved at Annick who rode away and turned to unlock her 2 wheel and caught a look at Joseph, smoking with his friends. He breathed out the smoke that spiraled into the air before disappearing. He didn't laugh that often, didn't smile often, and always did adult things, like smoking.

She understood better, how boys worked. They didn't like tackles either, but took them and did them because they had strong bodies and were always showing off how strong and sturdy they were. Tackles were painful, and pain proved their worth because men had to endure pain without flinching. But truthfully, they probably didn't like tackles either after a certain point.