Lonely Eyes | (Xiaoxfem!Reader)

Long days and crossed paths

"Girl, guess who was looking for you two days ago?"
Hu asks me with a mischievous smirk.

"I don't know, one of my simps?"
I reply casually. The smirk on Hu's face completely fades.

"Woman, be fucking for real. Your simps are annoying and good for nothing."
She rolls her eyes.

"Fine, who is it?"
I ask, now genuinely curious.

"It was your Mr. Grumpy Pants, Xiao."

"Really?"

"Yeah, I was surprised as much as you."

"And you teased him about it, right?"

"Ding ding ding! 100 points to Fujiwara."
Letting out an exasperated sigh, I don't say anything.
If I were in her shoes, I would've done the same.

We enter the history classroom, and I notice the boy we just mentioned sitting next to my seat.
My heart does a little flip, Hu's elbow jabs me sharply.

"What?"
I whisper-yell at her.

Without saying a word, she just wiggles her eyebrows before heading to her seat, leaving me standing at the entrance like an idiot.

Sitting down, I pull out my textbook and glance out the window, just like I usually do.
The trees outside are turning all shades of orange, yellow, and red, leaves flutter to the ground as if they have no care in the world.
I watch them for a while, but soon I was lost in thought again, the world outside seeming as far away as anything could be right now.

"Miss Fujiwara?"

"Huh? Uh, yes ma'am?"
I reply, my mind snapping back to the present as if it had been on autopilot for the past few minutes.

"Hopefully, you were paying attention. Can you tell me the superpowers that fought in the Cold War and their ideologies?"

Great.

I've been daydreaming for God knows how long, and now I'm being asked about something I actually know.

Figures.

Activating my 'erm actually' mode, I dive in.

"The Cold War was fought between America and Russia, which at the time was called the USSR or Soviet Union. These were the two main 'superpowers' coming out victorious from World War II, and they were the top two countries in terms of military, economy, and technology. Their ideologies couldn't have been more different. The Soviet Union followed Communist principles, a theory formed by thinkers like Marx and Trotsky. On the other side, the USA was capitalist, and that system is still very much alive today."

The teacher nods approvingly, but I keep going, feeling the rush of adrenaline that comes with speaking about something I know inside and out.

"The Cold War wasn't fought with actual weapons because both countries had nuclear weapons—after the USA developed the first atomic bomb with the Manhattan Project in 1945, and the USSR followed soon after. By the time the Cold War heated up, both sides knew that a direct war meant nuclear destruction. It was a forced truce, really—two nations at a standoff, each knowing the other could end the world if things went too far."

"...Excellent, Miss Fujiwara. Keep up the good work."

Fucking hell, I got lucky

I know this topic by heart

If it was anything else, I would've embarrassed myself so hard.
I let out a quiet sigh of relief, feeling the weight of the situation lift off my shoulders, and I turn my attention back to the window, zoning out again as the conversation fades into the background.