Unspoken Norms | Levi Ackerman ✔️

Chp 26 ~ Forget It... Or Not

Fun Fact: Levi remembers Isabel through Eren. 

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Levi's POV

Friday.

Usually, this day was relaxed, bringing school to an end for another week. Teachers would explain simpler content, with hopefully less homework. I would've been able to wake up on a Friday morning knowing little stress bordered the horizon.

But the English exam had to make everything worse.

I slammed the door to my locker compartment, feeling my heartbeat race with the impending doom. Even with the help of (Y/N)'s tutoring, I still wasn't that confident.

The library's chandelier cast shards of light over the paper, mosaicking the laptop with a countdown timer on its screen. Only a minute left to finish my conclusion. Twenty seconds. Five. One.

A succession of beeping erupted through the device, cut short when (Y/N) tapped it. I launched back from the desk, flinging away my pen.

"Wow, you've improved. A lot," (Y/N) commended, eyes running across the four pages of writing. We'd come up with a few essay questions to answer, mostly related to the topic we studied for Term 4. Today I'd finished the last one.

"What else is there left to do?" I inquired, flexing my aching wrist. Hours of merciless writing without a decent break. (Y/N) had given me three questions to answer this afternoon, demanding me to read them once and construct a full essay. Two minute break, and onto the next question.

"That's pretty much it." (Y/N) got up from her seat beside me, stretching her arms luxuriously. I quickly averted my gaze, a strange tide of emotion flooding down my body. "Just practice again when you get back home."

I rose to my feet and began assembling pages of written work. "Thank you, (Y/N)."

Another pair of hands helped me gather my items, neatly returning pens and highlighters into its container. Once the sheets were safely stowed inside my folder, I glanced up to see (Y/N) hold a silver-threaded case. "I-I've loved it, really," she said. "All of this time."

(Y/N) handed the pencil case back, our fingers brushing, and I could've sworn colour rose to my cheeks. Stop it, I thought to myself, you have an exam tomorrow. There's no time for you to think about such things.

I swung my bag over a shoulder, straightening as my coldness returned. "Well, see you tomorrow."

"You'll do fine," (Y/N) reassured as her way of farewell. The smile she gave me was sweet. Too fucking sweet.

For that night, I cursed my mind for replaying that smile over and over again.

I freed a shuddering breath as the memory resurfaced. I had been so adamant in ignoring my feelings—in forgetting them—that I hadn't let myself linger around it.

Every time I'd stolen a glance at her, whether it be during lessons or breaktimes, my feelings would gradually jump to the conclusion of what I truly felt. Yet every time my mind would cut it off, cut off that slow realisation, afraid that such a discovery could impact how I acted. And how I acted could determine how others saw me.

But now—

"Levi-broooooo!" came Isabel's unmistakable whine. Every thought I had dissipated the moment that brat's voice reached my ears.

"What?" I sighed, moving away from my locker. Isabel ran towards me, her short pigtails bouncing with enthusiasm. Steadily advancing behind her, Furlan grinned at the sight of me.

That clumsy redhead tripped over a person's leg, ending in a tangled mess at my feet—her chin a few inches from my shoe tips. Isabel looked up defiantly, an indignant expression on her face. "I forgot to study for English! And now," she mumbled, eyes shifting to the right, "I'm going to fail."

Lowering to my knees, I ruffled her hair with a hand. "Your memory is little more than a rat's, dummy. How could you forget?"

While I stood back up, Isabel pushed herself off the floor, revealing a slightly bruised chin. "Huh? Is my memory that bad?" she asked, taking my criticism rather seriously. But then again, everything I said to her she took to heart.

Furlan stopped beside her, shaking his head in disapproval. "Maybe this pea-brain should move down a class."

"Who're you calling a pea-brain?!" Isabel shouted, turning her attention to the blonde boy. "I'm doing just fine in my class!"

"Says the one who's about to fail their English exam."

Isabel rose to her feet, pointing a finger at Furlan. "I'm not the only one who's going to fail though!"

"Really? Well, let's see."

I tsked as they worked to invade each other's space, faces threateningly close. Before anything could happen, I stepped in between them. "Cut it out now, you two. We have an exam in a few minutes." I glanced to the hallway's clock, ticking fast toward Period 1.

My own heart thudded in time to its constant tick tock, tick tock. I just hoped I wouldn't fail this exam. I couldn't.

You'll do fine. (Y/N)'s last words clanged through my mind. If she had faith in me... then surely I could instil that same confidence.