Esme the Quiet One

CH. 5

Tap tap tap tap tap...

The sound of pencil tapping against one of the reference books Esme borrowed from the school library. With her chin resting against her left palm, Esme, as usual, was lost in her thoughts.

Sigh. The discussion did not go well. Maybe I should go and ask Ms. J again to change partners. Esme said as she recalls the instruction ms. J gave when she first delivered the assignment.

" ... so those are the assigned partners and groupmates. I give you free will to choose your science project. There are two parts to this project. The Report and The Presentation. A template for the report will be provided. As for the project, you will have to discuss among yourselves how to divide and calculate the cost. I advise each group to choose a low-cost budget but at the same time interesting. Every science class starting next week will be the consultation session with me. I expect everyone to sit with their respective groupmates and discuss while I do my rounds of consultation with each group. If and only if, you have unsolvable issues with your groupmate, please come and see me privately in my office. I wish everyone all the best and  I hope there will be no private consultation."

Sigh. Since that day, Esme has met Ms. Jade twice. Once, right after that class and the second time was a few days ago. Esme buried her face on the desk, her forehead resting on an arm. The sound of pencil tapping long stopped when she was considering to privately meet up with Ms. Jade again.

Inhale. Exhale. Inhale. Exhale. Ahhhhh, damn that ugly boat. I'll go talk to her one more time and just be done with it. Esme quickly collected her things and headed out towards Ms. Jade's office.

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"Esme Tan. I'm starting to have the idea that you like me. What is the matter this time? I saw your meeting with Kayden yesterday at the canteen. How was it?" Ms. Jade Williams started the conversation with a pen still in her right hand and rim round glasses perched at the bridge of her nose.

Esme cleared her throat and squared her shoulders. 

"The same matter as before, ms. J. I would like to request a change of partner. The discussion did not go well. The girl-I mean, the people at the canteen were... distracting." Esme struggled to find the right word to describe yesterday's discussion that did not go smoothly. "And we were continually interrupted by every person passing by our table. It was impossible to even complete a sentence." The student continued with her argument for a new partner.

"Well, Kayden Woong is the type to attract attention wherever he is. He is, after all, voted as one of the attractive males in Toshiko High. I think he is either the third or second-most attractive male student ..." Ms. Jade said, softly tapping her chin with the pen she was holding while turning her chair left to right in a wondering manner. "...he does have that certain quality. I certainly would look twice if he was not a high schooler. I mean, look at him; tall, broad shoulders, good skin complexion, I can say he falls in the handsome category but with an air of adorable and..." Ms. Jade was slowly fading into her thoughts. 

"Uh, ms. J..?" Esme tried.

"... and him being in the star basketball team is a super bonus. Girls always go crazy over boys who play sports..."

"Ms. Jade...?" Esme tried, a little bit louder.

"...but he is as clueless as a boat. How could..."

"EHEM, Miss Jade Yu-Jin Williams!" 

"Oh, gosh. Sorry, Esme. I mean you have good qualities too. You are very pretty if you just loosen your bun a bit. And your attitude. Maybe we can do something with the thing you are wearing. It's awful. Do you like blue?" Ms. Jade snapping out of her thoughts and continued with another train of thinking.