beaming | keith kogane

XVII | soon

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SOON ENOUGH, the Halloween spirit was gone and the spooky season that everyone had loved was gone. However, part of me was glad it was over. It meant another year until I wore those dreaded fangs again; I don't think any of the girls planned to leave me alone after just one year of participation, to them it was an annual tradition.

I sat in class, twirling my pencil boredly. It occasionally dropped, clicking against the desk before I picked it up again and continued my action. Our teacher, Mrs. Guinevere, looked up at us expectantly. "Anyway, now that all of you have had your fair share of scares, it's only fair that I give you an academic one," She whacked a roll of newspaper into her opposing hand. 

I swear I could see an evil gleam in her eye from here. I glanced at her, confused as other students looked onwards as well. The rest of my friend group was either disturbed out of their sleep or had been genuinely awake the entire time; Lance was the only one that didn't belong in the latter. "You all have a project," Her heels clicked and students groaned.

She glanced at us, "Don't worry. It's an easy one, well, I think it is," The lady took in a deep breath, her markings suddenly becoming more visible to me. It was only after I blinked and it felt odd that I realized my sprite had unintentionally activated to let me focus better. "I want you to write a letter to the Universe." Instantly, the class started talking.

As soon as her newspaper smacked a desk, the class was silent again. She cleared her throat, "I want you to write a letter to the Universe; your frustrations, expectations, loves, hates, everything. This isn't supposed to be some sappy thing, but you all will be facing the world soon and I hate to be that teacher that gives you assignments for the grade, not the knowledge."

It seems that righteousness really ran in the Altean family. "I want to know how you view the world and how it impacted you, maybe even how you plan to change it. No, you can't get away with page limits. There's a minimum of five pages and you have assigned partners. It'd be easier that way and it'd be interesting to discuss with people who have conflicting views."

She winked. She definitely planned this, maybe even since the beginning of the year. I didn't bother paying attention. Hopefully, my partner found me. If they didn't, I wasn't all that concerned since I could easily do the project on my own. I let my head drop to my arms, my eyes closing as my sprite deactivated.

A tap on my arm was the next sensation I felt, followed by multiple gradually annoying taps. I tilted my head up, groggily blinking as my eyes got used to the light. "Looks like we're partners, pardner." I locked eyes with the h/c haired girl that had a bright smile on her lips. "I'm just glad I'm paired up with someone that'll do the work," I sighed in relief. 

She blinked incredulously. Sometimes I forgot that she had just joined recently and hadn't gotten the most informative feel about the people in our class. I sighed and pulled her down to sit in the empty seat on my left; Hunk had moved to sit by his partner, probably. "See that guy?" I pointed at a brunette a few rows ahead as she nodded.

"He acts all tough and mighty because he's hooked up with a bunch of girls before, but the man can't even go to the back of the school without shaking in his boots," I moved my finger to another girl. "She was one of his pawns, but moved on. She's doing better now, but she did have a huge pregnancy scare, so her reputation isn't the best."

I glanced at another girl, "Rumor has it that she almost sabotaged one of our sports games about a year ago. No one knows how true it is, but people assume so since she randomly got suspended from school for two weeks around that time too." I sat back in my chair, glancing at her from the corner of my eye.

"And what kind of person do you think you are, Keith?" The quiet question left her mouth, shocking me slightly. I expected her to just nod and move onto the project, but instead she questioned me. "You can't read a person that easily; it's not like that," She fidgeted and I could tell I struck a nerve. Did I have to apologize to someone else so soon?

Y/n looked at the people I pointed out, "Some of them may or may not stand up for the rumors that circulate in this academy, but that doesn't carry them as a person. Everyone's different and as cliché, as it is, you can't judge a book by its cover. If I were to judge you, Keith," Her voice grew silent as she thought it over.

"I'd say you're selfish. You're arrogant, self-centered, defensive, aggressive, and overall bad news." I'd be lying if I said that didn't hurt at all. "But," She continued suddenly, looking down at her lap as her hands curled up into fists on top of her uniform skirt. "You're actually a really, really good person and you have an amazing heart."

"You wish nothing, but the best for people and try not to get so involved to the point where you can actually scar the person. You're considerate, kind, introverted, clever, and thoughtful. You're always one step ahead and you try not to make it seem like you are. You keep yourself hidden because you hate being in the spotlight, but can handle it well when you are."

My jaw went slack as I stared at her. Her ramble continued on for a minute or two more. "You're protective of your friends because you're afraid that you'll leave them, but it's always difficult to apologize because you believe that it won't be enough. You think of others before you put yourself and you are incredibly brave."

Mrs. Guinevere wasn't lying when she said it'd be interesting to talk to someone with conflicting views.