When they reached their floor, Arthur parted ways with Herculia and Danny. This was the very first time they had been alone without Isla and Emmy around who seemed to have gone to buy some stuff.
Reaching the classroom, Arthur noticed that a good number of people were there. They looked rather tense with some looking very grim as they sat in their own chairs. Some of them were scrolling through their devices or admiring the scenery outside.
But, upon entering, everyone with no exceptions, stared up at Arthur. Their expressions were incomprehensible and it took Arthur aback.
‘What’s up with them?’ He asked himself as he stopped for a second, looked around and then slowly walked in.
They all followed him with their eyes as if they were staring at some kind of alien. Calling it uncomfortable was an understatement but Arthur was able to keep his face straight with sheer will. Reaching his seat, he sat down and tried to ignore the stares.
‘Why the hell are you guys looking at me? Do I have something on my face?’
Then, he started hearing their whispers between themselves.
“He’s 25th?”
“Yeah, that’s the guy Miss Isla is friends with.”
“He’s so mediocre.”
“He is getting into the red zone soon. So pathetic.”
“I’m sure he probably just tricked Miss Isla into becoming friends somehow. What’s his trick?”
Such comments spread across the entire classroom as everyone kept talking about Arthur, mostly with disdain and disappointment. They all shared almost the same sentiment. ‘How is this guy a friend with the most influential person on the campus?’
Ever since they discovered that the two were friends, they simply could not understand for the life of them why they were friends. He didn’t seem like he was even trying to approach Isla and talk with her.
They had tried that before, on every single opportunity they got and they failed miserably. And yet, this nobody who is seemingly average at everything, still somehow made it where he did. It made no sense and when that made no sense, their egos started thinking instead of their brains.
‘I can hear you, idiots. They really hate the fact that I’m friends with Isla.’ Arthur didn’t know whether to laugh or cry at this situation. He seemed to have become the most hated person in the class for no reason at all. It was all just their greedy ego-talking.
As he was like that, the students suddenly went silent all at the same time. Arthur opened his eyes and looked up, only to meet her eyes. Isla had arrived. She stopped at the door and looked around, sensing something very off about the atmosphere.
She had already seen the rankings upon getting off the elevator. But, she noticed that the atmosphere wasn’t that of confused or worried people. She also noticed that some eyes kept staring between her and Arthur.
After a few seconds, she walked inside as everyone watched every move she made. She headed straight toward her seat as if nothing happened and sat down.
Arthur watched her for a moment before he turned away with a small smile on his face. ‘The fact she understood the entire situation this quickly… Yeah, she’s in a different league of her own.’
As he said those words, he opened the app and looked at the number 1 rank in the entire class and perhaps the entire academy.
‘Isla Goldsmith.’
She was there, at the very top. Arthur had seen it the moment he opened the leaderboard and he wasn’t surprised. Isla was the most outstanding in everything among all the students he had seen.
‘I wonder what she thinks of me being this low in the rankings. Probably a little disappointed considering the fact that I’m still number one in the game’s leaderboard. She probably expected way more of me.’ He sighed inwardly as he tapped his finger on the glass table.
He would be lying if he said he didn’t feel ashamed of it but there was nothing that could be done. He simply must work harder to ensure that he doesn’t end up in the red zone. What Isla thought of it was… Was…
‘Yeah, I can’t really say it’s irrelevant. It is very annoying that I’m not up to her expectations.’ He clicked his tongue.
He wanted to pretend like it was no big deal, but deep down, he knew that it was. Isla was one of his friends and his rival and companion in the game. They had been secretly pushing each other higher and higher as they shared the first two positions solely for themselves.
They were above and beyond most other players and so Arthur naturally felt like he was truly rivaling someone outstanding. Now, reality had hit him hard and he had to somehow accept it.
As he was like that, the door opened and the professor walked in as usual. Stopping in front of his table he said.
“Good morning everyone. Let’s begin our lesson.”
***
The first two hours passed very peacefully. Even though the day started with explosive news, the lesson regained everyone’s focus and made them forget their worries. There was no time to waste on worries.
When the bell finally rang and the professor left the room, the first to stand up was Isla, catching everyone’s attention as she walked toward the exit.
Before leaving, and for a split second, she made eye contact with Arthur. Something that only he noticed and he understood the hint almost immediately. So, he also stood up and left the classroom after her.
Looking around, he noticed that Isla had stood in a corner away from the other students and waited for him.
‘Shit, here we go.’ Feeling worried, he took a deep breath and walked toward her. He tried to muster a smile as he greeted the girl.
“Hey! Isla! Didn’t see you since earlier this morning.” He said.
Isla stared at him for a second before she nodded. “I had to buy some things with Emmy. How are you?” She asked.
“Good, good, no complaints as you see.”
“No complaints, you say? What about the rankings?” She asked. “They have put you in a low position early on.”
“…”
‘Of course, she’s going straight to the topic.’ He screamed in his mind. “I know, right? But as I said, I’m nothing unique so it’s expected.”
Even as he was saying those words, he felt a little bitter. But, he kept his face straight not to look weird. He braced himself for the inevitable. Unbeknownst to him, Isla was about to completely shatter his expectations with one single sentence.
“Tomorrow. Let’s go to the library and study together.” She said.
“…” Arthur blinked in surprise, completely speechless. “Wait, what?”
“From now on, whenever we have free time, I will help you with anything you’re struggling with.”
“Hold on a second. Why? You would be wasting your time.”
“It’s my time and I know how to manage it. Besides, I’m studying daily, you aren’t hindering me at all.”
The way Isla was so casual about it made Arthur even more confused. She was probably aware that Arthur was considerably behind in terms of academics so it will take some work to put him up on pace with everyone else. Yet, she didn’t hesitate to give him a helping hand.
As if it was the most obvious thing to do.
A//N: Don’t forget to give the book some golden tickets for good luck! :3
