The moment Mrs cancelo left the class
Marco slammed both hands dramatically on a desk.
"…MAKE WAY!"
Students turned immediately.
"…THE TERMINATOR HAS RETURNED!"
Misheal rolled her eyes instantly.
"…Shut up."
But Marco wasn't stopping.
"…No seriously, this girl almost fought two hockey players and kicked their asses!"
Hugo burst into laughter.
"…I still can't believe you squared up against both of them."
Sonia nodded dramatically.
"…Not gonna lie, I thought blood was about to spill."
Misheal folded her arms proudly.
"…Well they got what they deserved."
Marco pointed immediately.
"…EXACTLY!"
Then Esmeralda stepped forward.
The playful atmosphere softened slightly.
She looked directly at Misheal.
"…Seriously though."
A pause.
"…Thank you."
Misheal blinked.
"…Huh?"
Esmeralda smiled faintly.
"…You stepped in when things could've gone bad."
A softer tone slipped into her voice.
"…You evened the odds."
The room grew quieter around them.
Because coming from Esmeralda
that actually meant something.
Misheal scratched the back of her neck awkwardly.
"…Well…"
A pause.
"…Nobody gangs up on my people."
That one line hit the whole group differently.
Warm.
Real.
Marco suddenly pointed dramatically between Andre and Misheal.
"…WAIT."
He narrowed his eyes.
"…Who's more badass?"
The group immediately reacted.
Hugo laughed.
"…Oh no."
Sonia covered her face already.
"…This idiot again."
Marco grinned wider.
"…Andre the silent menace?"
He pointed at Misheal.
"…Or Misheal the hockey assassin?"
The class started watching now.
Interested.
Even students nearby turned slightly.
Everyone expected Andre to ignore the question.
Instead
He leaned back casually.
Looked at Misheal.
Then said calmly:
"…She's more badass than me."
The entire group froze.
Andre continued with a completely straight face.
"…She's the complete package."
Misheal's eyes widened slightly.
"…Wait what?"
Then Andre leaned slightly toward Hugo and lowered his voice dramatically.
"…Get ready."
A pause.
"…You're definitely getting beaten whenever you mess up."
Silence.
Then.
The classroom exploded with laughter.
Marco literally pointed at Andre like he'd seen a ghost.
"…HE MADE A JOKE."
Sonia almost fell onto the desk laughing.
"…No way."
Even Hugo looked betrayed.
"…Bro used me as sacrifice for comedy."
Misheal tried hiding her smile.
Failed terribly.
"…As I should."
Andre smirked faintly.
And somehow
that made everyone laugh harder.
Because it was rare.
Esmeralda watched him carefully through the laughter.
Then slowly walked toward him.
The noise around them faded slightly.
She stepped directly into his space.
Placed both hands over his shoulders.
Facing him completely now.
Close.
Very close.
The classroom slowly quieted again.
She narrowed her eyes playfully.
"…You bad boy…"
A pause.
"…You're the cause of this whole trouble."
Andre looked directly at her.
Completely calm.
Then smiled slightly.
"…Am I?"
Before anyone expected it
Andre's hand moved.
Landing on her waist.
Firm.
Confident.
Then
he pulled her closer.
The classroom detonated instantly.
"…OOOOOOOOOH!"
Marco screamed louder than everyone.
Hugo nearly collapsed onto a chair.
Sonia covered her mouth in shock.
"…NAH!"
Even Misheal's eyes widened.
"…WAIT WHAT?!"
Even Esmeralda froze slightly.
Just for a second.
Because she didn't expect him to actually do it.
Not publicly.
Not in front of everyone.
Not Andre.
But his hand stayed there.
And his expression didn't change.
That somehow made it worse.
Or better.
Depending on who was watching.
At the back
Maria stood beside Rufus.
Her smile disappeared slowly.
Piece by piece.
Something painful crossed her face.
Not dramatic.
Not loud.
Just quiet disappointment.
Quiet heartbreak.
Beside her
Rufus's jaw tightened slightly.
His eyes narrowed.
Watching Andre carefully now.
Watching the way Esmeralda looked at him.
The way the class reacted to them.
The way they fit together too naturally.
And for the first time
real frustration entered his expression.
F
Meanwhile Marco was still losing his mind.
"…I am proud of you bro!"
The class laughed again.
Esmeralda finally recovered slightly and narrowed her eyes at Andre.
But her cheeks betrayed her completely.
"…You're enjoying this too much."
Andre leaned slightly toward her ear.
His voice low enough that only she could hear.
"…Don't get carried away."
A pause.
Then softly
"…Or are you falling for me?"
The words landed directly.
Esmeralda's eyes widened slightly.
And just like that
she snapped back to reality.
The classroom.
The people.
The attention.
Everything hit her at once.
Esmeralda Recovers
She narrowed her eyes immediately, trying to recover her composure.
"…Not even close."
Andre's lips curved slightly.
She continued quickly:
"…You'll have to do better than holding my waist."
The class behind them reacted instantly.
"…OOOOOOOOOH!"
Marco nearly climbed a desk.
"Feel the love in the air!"
Sonia was laughing uncontrollably now.
"…These two are actually insane."
Esmeralda looked around the classroom dramatically.
"…And I told you to keep this a secret."
She pointed lightly at the screaming students.
"…Now I have questions to answer from nearly everybody."
Andre chuckled softly.
Actually chuckled.
That alone shocked half the room again.
Then
his fingers moved gently through a strand of her hair.
Slow.
Careful.
The entire class froze.
Esmeralda stopped talking instantly.
For one rare moment
she genuinely lost her train of thought.
Andre brushed the strand behind her ear casually.
"…You talk too much."
Her heartbeat betrayed her immediately.
But instead of backing away
she stepped closer.
Even closer.
Esmeralda grabbed lightly onto his shirt and pulled him toward her.
Since he was taller
she had to rise slightly on her heels just to fully meet his eyes.
The tension in the classroom became unbearable.
Nobody breathed properly anymore.
Even Maria and Rufus looked completely locked onto them.
Esmeralda's voice softened slightly now.
Less teasing.
More curious.
"…What's this about, Andre?"
Silence.
Just staring.
The kind that made the world around them disappear for a second.
Andre looked at her for a long moment.
Then
without answering
he reached for her hand.
And held it.
Firmly.
The Classroom Detonates
"Ohhhhh!!!"
Marco lost his mind completely.
"…NAHHHHHH!"
Hugo grabbed Misheal dramatically.
"…THEY'RE EVOLVING!"
Students all over the classroom started yelling and laughing.
Even people who didn't know the situation were invested now.
Phones almost came out.
Sonia slammed the desk laughing.
"…Enough drama for a day!"
Andre calmly intertwined his fingers with Esmeralda's.
Then started walking toward the door.
Esmeralda blinked.
"…Wait—where are we going?"
Andre glanced at her.
Completely calm despite the chaos behind them.
"…Away from the noise."
That sentence alone nearly killed the class.
As they walked out together
hand in hand
the classroom erupted one final time.
Marco literally fell to his knees dramatically and looked at sonia
"… Sonia will you be my girlfriend!"
Sonia gave him a dead look
"Hell no."
The class erupted once again.
"Woahhhhhh!!."
Even the teacher passing outside looked confused by the screaming.
Outside
The noise from the classroom still echoed faintly behind them as Andre and Esmeralda walked down the hallway together.
Their hands had separated now.
But the tension remained.
Students passing by kept staring.
Whispering.
Looking back.
Esmeralda sighed dramatically.
"…Congratulations."
Andre glanced at her.
"…For what?"
"…Half the school probably thinks we're dating now."
Andre rubbed the back of his neck slightly.
"…About that…"
He exhaled.
"…Sorry."
Esmeralda blinked.
"…Sorry?"
Andre nodded.
"…I got carried away."
A pause.
"…I shouldn't have done all that without warning you first."
Esmeralda looked at him quietly for a second.
Then surprisingly
she smiled faintly.
"…It's okay."
Andre looked at her again.
And for once
she wasn't teasing.
"…Hugo met me before class."
Esmeralda frowned slightly.
"…About what?"
Andre's expression changed instantly.
The softness disappeared.
Now there was something colder there.
"…Rufus."
FLASHBACK : Earlier That Morning
Hallway.
Andre had been walking casually toward class.
Hands in pockets.
Mind elsewhere.
Then
he spotted Hugo.
And immediately knew something was wrong.
Hugo was furious.
Not annoyed.
Furious.
His jaw tight.
His fists clenched.
Walking like he wanted to punch through a wall.
Andre stopped him immediately.
"…What happened?"
Hugo didn't answer.
Didn't even slow down.
"…Follow me."
The Rooftop
A few minutes later
they stood alone on the rooftop section behind the science building.
Hugo finally turned around.
And Andre immediately noticed it.
He was really angry.
Andre narrowed his eyes.
"…Talk."
Hugo exhaled sharply.
"…I heard Rufus talking with Anastasia."
Andre stayed silent.
Then Hugo dropped it.
"…He's using Maria."
Silence.
Andre's expression hardened instantly.
"…Explain."
EARLIER
"…I was going downstairs when I heard them talking."
A pause.
"…Rufus said Maria was just bait."
Andre's eyes darkened immediately.
Hugo continued.
"…He said if pretending to be with Maria gets him closer to Esmeralda…"
A pause.
"…Then it's worth it."
Andre's fists slowly tightened.
But Hugo wasn't done.
"…And once he gets what he wants…"
His jaw clenched again.
"…He'll dump her."
FLASHBACK.
Rufus had just stepped away from Anastasia when
"You psychopath."
Rufus turned calmly.
And immediately saw the anger in Hugo's face.
"…Did you hear anything unpleasant."
Hugo walked straight toward him.
"…You think Maria is some toy?"
Rufus stayed calm.
Too calm.
"…Lower your voice."
Hugo grabbed his collar instantly.
"…You're using her!"
Students nearby immediately stopped walking.
Watching.
Rufus slowly removed Hugo's hand.
"Watch your manners."
Hugo starightned
"Else what."
Rufus walked toward him.
Now they were face to face.
"…Relax.....I'm doing what I need to do."
Hugo stepped forward again.
"…She actually trusts you."
Rufus' expression finally shifted slightly.
Not guilt.
Annoyance.
"…I don't really care."
That sentence nearly made Hugo swing.
"…You bastard."
Rufus' eyes narrowed slightly now.
"…Don't act emotional with me."
Hugo laughed angrily.
"…Maria isn't a toy she's human."
A pause.
"…Something you clearly forgot."
Rufus adjusted his collar calmly.
"…Maria isn't useful to me."
"She has her own part of the deal."
Silence.
That sentence landed like a slap.
Hugo stared at him in disbelief.
Rufus continued.
"…But Esmeralda is."
Then
he walked away.
Leaving Hugo standing there shaking with anger.
BACK TO PRESENT
Outside the Classroom
Esmeralda's expression changed slowly as Andre finished talking.
"…He said that?"
Andre nodded once.
"…Yeah."
She looked away slightly.
Her jaw tightening.
"…I knew something was off with those two."
Andre's eyes darkened slightly.
"…I didn't really notice it."
Esmeralda the looked at Andre
"And tell rest of the story because I know how hot headed you are."
Andre continued:
"…After Hugo told me…"
A pause.
"…I wanted to go break Rufus' face."
Esmeralda looked at him.
"…But?"
Andre exhaled softly.
"…Hugo stopped me."
FLASHBACK.
Hugo had grabbed Andre's shoulder before he could leave.
"…No."
Andre turned sharply.
"…Move."
Hugo shook his head.
"…That's what he wants."
Andre's voice lowered dangerously.
"…I don't care."
Hugo stepped directly in front of him.
"…Then care now."
Silence.
Then Hugo spoke carefully.
"…Guys like Rufus think they're smarter than everybody."
A pause.
"…They think emotions are weaknesses."
Andre stayed silent.
Hugo continued:
"…So don't fight him like an idiot."
A beat.
"…Beat him where it hurts."
Andre frowned slightly.
"…Meaning?"
Hugo smirked slightly despite his anger.
"…Esmeralda."
Andre blinked once.
Hugo folded his arms.
"…You want revenge?"
A pause.
"…Make him watch you get closer to the girl he wants."
Andre stared at him.
Hugo continued:
"…Smile with her."
"…Laugh with her."
"…Rub it on his face."
"…Confuse him."
"…Make him feel powerless."
A pause.
Then the final line:
"…Destroy him without throwing a single punch."
BACK TO PRESENT
Esmeralda stood quiet for a moment after hearing everything.
Then slowly looked at Andre.
"…So everything in class…"
Andre sighed slightly.
"…Started as revenge."
Silence.
Then softer:
"…But somewhere along the line…"
He stopped himself.
Esmeralda stared at him carefully.
"…What?"
Andre looked away slightly this time.
"…Forget it."
Esmeralda came closer with a smile.
"Comon... Say it."
"Say what."
Esmeralda chuckled
"You're falling for me aren't you?"
Andre immediately jerked away.
"No I'm not."
He turned and started walking back to class.
Esmeralda followed behind.
"Is that a blush."
Andre turned dramatically.
"Where do you see a blush."
Esmeralda came closer and drawed pattern on his chest with her fingers.
"Your eyes don't lie. I see how badly you want me"
"Whatever."
He walks away.
Esmeralda laughs loudly.
"Wait up."