𝐇𝐄'𝐒 𝐃𝐄𝐂𝐄𝐏𝐓𝐈𝐕𝐄

ᴇɴᴛʀʏ #11 | ꜰʟᴀʀᴇ

011 | Flare

(Y/N) almost dropped out of her seat when Mrs. Young decided to assign people to groups for the in-class writing that they would be doing, gritting her teeth when hearing that Jian would be paired with her along with someone else. That someone else being the guy who so rudely tried to kick her out of her seat that one time.

Ah... so that's his name...

Nicolai Orval...

Why did I get stuck with these two!?

Trying to hide her growing displeasure behind a facade of ease, she turned back to Mrs. Young after she had listed the groups and tried to further pay attention to what the assignment was, wishing that she were anywhere but there at that moment.

"Okay, class," Mrs. Young clasped her hands together, a small smile on her lips. "You understand what to do? Alright then, please slide your desks together to make groups and pull out your computers."

Letting out a long and rather dramatic sigh, (Y/N) begrudgingly walked away from the window with her desk to push it into a group that already contained Nicolai' sand Jian's, the latter giving her a knowing smile while the former merely glared at her, his amber eyes as sharp and as cold as they were when she had met him.

Well...

This sucks.

Tugging her school-issued computer out of her backpack, flipping it open and typing in the password, she quickly scanned over the document that Mrs. Young had posted before reading, "Okay... first question is: How does Raskolnikov separate himself from his society? Through what other means does he show this?"

"That's easy," Nicolai scoffed, running a hand through his unkempt hair, the strands only falling back across his forehead when he took his fingers away. "It's his damn pride."

"Couldn't it also be guilt and delirium from after he committed murder?" Jian then declared, the two scowling at each other after he did.

(Y/N) furrowed her brows at that.

Do they... know each other?

Agh! Whatever!

"Let's just write down that it's both," she suggested, trying to alleviate the tension in between them. "How about we say: At first, Raskolnikov's pride separates him from society because he believed he was superior, and then after committing murder, he further alienated himself due to the crushing guilt and delirium that said guilt pushed him into?"

"Fine," Nicolai scoffed, already annoyed enough by the situation.

"Nice work, (Y/N)," Jian complimented her, his dark eyes crinkling as he gave a wry smile, then leaning closer to whisper to her. "So glad you're okay with working with an 'asshole.' How kind are you."

Grimacing at how he brought up their last conversation, she ignored his provocations and read the next question, "How does Sonya represent religious morality?" Her eyes lit up, flipping through her copy of the book and finding the several quotes she needed to explain, "Oh! I know this one! She's like a... moral conscious to Raskolnikov in a way. She's strongly religious, and uses God to help guide him back toward a path of light, if you know what I mean, and what's more, at the end of the book, she was also his purpose."

"Hah? What corny love story were you reading?" Nicolai sneered, leaning back in his seat with one arm draped over the head.

"Raskolnikov loved Sonya, remember? And they promised to wait out his seven year prison sentence?" She exhaled, trying to ignore his laughter as she typed out her answer. "Have you even read the book? Last I checked, you barely ever came to class, and when you do, it's hardly on time."

His mood instantly soured, glaring at her hatefully and with a sneer painting his expression.

"Yeah... I believe (Y/N)'s right," Jian smirked as she folded his arms over the desk, leaning forward as an air of superiority buzzed around him. "Wasn't it just yesterday when you skipped class just to beat me up? I mean, how do you explain the bruises both of us have?"

(Y/N)'s eyes widened, her fingers halting over her keyboard as her gaze flit back and forth between the two, uneasy.

They... fought?

No wonder they look messed up...

"Shut the fuck up," Nicolai growled, slamming a hand down on the table and making every other person in the room jump from the loud sound.

"Mr. Orval," Mrs. Young snapped, closing her book and glaring at the boy. "How many times must I tell you not to interrupt class? And now even cursing so loudly?"

"These bitches started it," he declared lowly, pointing a finger at (Y/n) and Jian.

"I don't care who started it, all I'm wondering about is why you haven't stepped outside yet to think about your actions today," Mrs. Young proclaimed, lifting her chin and gesturing with her head for him to leave. "If you can't do that, and if you continue to use such vulgar language, then you might as well go to the Headmaster's office."

"What's my old man gonna do about it?" Nicolai laughed, shoving his hands in his pockets and walking out the door. "Fucking hell."

(Y/N) blinked after him, momentarily stunned from how hectic only the first class of the day was, turning back to Jian who still had that same smirk on his expression, fingers drumming against the wood of the desk and looking quite pleased with himself.

"You started that on purpose, didn't you?" She narrowed her eyes at him.

"So what if I did?" He shrugged, slipping his hands into his pockets and leaning back, his attention now focused on her. "He deserved it after almost killing me."

"Almost... killing you?"

"He's a prideful guy. So am I. We don't back down from a fight, even if we know we might lose," he explained, rubbing his fingers on the back of his head—his undercut feeling soft and prickly underneath his skin. "And that day, I lost. So, what though? At least I was able to get back at him through this. Can't say I'm sorry, especially if Mrs. Young already dislikes him."

"Uh huh..." she trailed off, the two then working on their assignment until the bell rang.

Both are... dangerous.

Possibly unhinged.

Let's at least not get on their bad side.

Besides, it's not as if I'm gonna talk to them again unless I have to.

Humming to herself in agreement, she walked down the hall to Japanese, her resolve however dissipating when noticing that Jian was following her. Confused, she quickened her pace, flinching when he wrapped his hand around her backpack's strap and pulled her back, smiling down at her.

"Wha—? What are you doing?" She tried to wiggle out of his hold.

"What do you mean? We have the same class," he released her, pointing his head down the hall. "Let's walk together."

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To be continued...