One More Life

The Girl in Hallway

I sat in my classroom, bored out of my mind as the substitute teacher droned on about some topic I couldn't care less about. The clock ticked slowly on the wall, each second felt like an eternity. I glanced around the room, seeing the same faces I'd seen every day.

Suddenly, substitute teacher announced a new assignment that our teacher had left. Pairs. I sighed, waiting to learn who my partner would be.

My  substitute teacher looked through the roster, calling out pairs, until finally it was my turn.

"Melody, you'll be partnering with Luka."

I looked up, surprised. Of all the people, I was paired with Luka, the quiet guy from across the room. He was often seen with his hood up, headphones in.

I sighed, not knowing much about Luka beyond what I'd observed. He never seemed to talk to anyone or acknowledge their existence, so I was curious as to how working together on an assignment would turn out.

The teacher gave us a nod, signaling that it was time to move to our assigned seats. I hesitantly gathered my things and walked over to Luka's desk. He didn't look up from his phone, seemingly indifferent to my presence.

I forced a small smile, trying to break the ice."Hey, I'm Melody. We're partners for this assignment, right?"

I tried to keep a friendly demeanor, but I couldn't help feeling a bit annoyed. I mean, why did I have to be paired with the one guy in class who didn't talk to anyone?

Luka leaned back in his chair, his eyes still studying me. He gave a shrug and a nod. "Yeah, we're partners. I'm Luka."

His voice was low and somewhat monotone, not very enthusiastic about the situation. I couldn't help but wonder what he made of me. We fell into an awkward silence, neither of us sure how to start the assignment.

With nothing to say, I decided to focus on the task at hand. I pulled out my notebook and textbook, ready to begin working on the assignment. I glanced at Luka, wondering if he had done the same. He, too, had taken out his materials, but he was still eyeing me with that same unreadable expression.

While working on the assignment, my wrist started to ache from all the writing. I let go of the pencil for a moment, only for it to roll off the desk. Before I could lean down to pick it up, Luka reached out and grabbed it. He placed the pencil back in my hand, his fingers briefly brushing mine. I looked up, surprised by the unexpected gesture.

I managed a small "thanks" as I took the pencil back, my heart beating a bit faster than it should. Why did his touch make me feel strangely nervous? I quickly regained my composure and returned to my work, trying to focus on the assignment rather than the boy sitting across from me.

I had been deeply engrossed in my work, only to look up and notice that Luka was standing, indicating that he had finished his part of the assignment. I was taken aback. How had he done all of it so quickly? I glanced discreetly at his paper, eyes widening at the neatly written and accurate work. He had completed everything we were supposed to do for the assignment already. I was both impressed and dumbfounded.

As the bell rang, signaling the end of class, I quickly started to pack up my belongings. I looked around, only to realize that Luka was nowhere in sight. He must have snuck out when I wasn't paying attention. I shrugged it off, reminding myself that I had more important things to worry about, like my next class 

As I made my way to gym class, I was interrupted by a voice behind me."Excuse me, could you help me find my class?"I turned to see a girl I didn't recognize. She had a friendly smile and a clueless look on her face, clearly new to the school. I stopped and faced her."Sure, what class are you looking for?"