Chapter 2

Chapter 2 Aahhh… I Hate Him

The first period had just ended, and we had barely finished our Chemistry class when our principal suddenly walked into the classroom.

Everyone immediately became quiet.

He stood in front of the class, adjusted his glasses, and looked at us with his usual serious expression.

“Students, I have something to tell you,” he announced. “Your new Mathematics teacher will be joining you today. We have selected him, but we also want to know your opinion.”

A few students exchanged curious glances.

Our previous Mathematics teacher had recently left the school after receiving an offer from another prestigious school. We were all still getting used to the idea of having someone new teach us.

The principal continued, “He will be taking your class shortly. Please cooperate with him.”

Then he left.

The moment the door closed, the classroom exploded with whispers.

“Who do you think he is?”

“Is he young?”

“Maybe he's strict.”

“I just hope he can actually teach Maths.”

Ten minutes later, the door opened again.

A man walked in carrying a few books.

He introduced himself briefly and began teaching integration.

I tried to pay attention, but honestly, I was more interested in figuring out whether he was actually good enough to replace our old teacher.

After the lecture, he left.

A few minutes later, our principal returned.

“So?” he asked. “What do you think of him?”

We looked at one another.

“He's good,” someone said.

“Not that good,” another student whispered.

I almost laughed.

But we didn't exactly have enough time to search for another Mathematics teacher, so most of us simply nodded.

The principal smiled.

“Then, as you wish. He will be teaching you from tomorrow.”

And with that, he left.

The bell rang.

Finally.

It was lunchtime.

By then, I had made quite a few friends in my class. Lia was one of them. She was sweet, cheerful, and had been my best friend since seventh grade. She had transferred to our city when her father, who is  a doctor, was transferred here.

Then there was Nina.

Nina mostly lived in her own little dream world with her boyfriend. I didn't particularly like him. There was something about him that felt slightly toxic, although Nina never seemed to notice.

Lily was different.

She was sweet and shy, and despite being extremely introverted, she had a surprisingly sarcastic sense of humor. Her father and James's father were business partners, but somehow, Lily barely spoke to James.

And honestly, I understood why.

James was annoying enough even from a distance.

We were having lunch when Nick and James joined us.

Nina didn't like James very much, so the two of them often ended up fighting sarcastically.

That day, however, James decided to sit beside my desk.

I immediately knew something terrible was about to happen.

He looked at my lunch box.

Then he looked at me.

Then he smiled.

That smile.

I hated that smile.

Before I could react, he reached into my lunch box and stole a piece of my food.

“Hey!”

He ignored me.

Then he looked at my plate and said, “Oh, look at you, Yuri. You're getting fatter every day.”

My eyes widened.

“What?”

“You don't need that pork belly,” he continued casually. “It'll make you even fatter. You should eat some salad instead.”

I stared at him in disbelief.

Then, before I could stop him, he grabbed some pork belly from my plate and stuffed it into his mouth.

He chewed slowly.

Smiling.

My face became hot.

Everyone around us started laughing.

“James!” I shouted.

He raised an eyebrow innocently.

“What?”

“You—”

I stopped myself.

I didn't want to give him the satisfaction of seeing me completely lose my temper.

So I took a deep breath and tried to calm down.

He just sat there, waiting for my reaction.

I could feel my face getting hotter and hotter.

Eventually, I turned away from him and continued eating.

I had saved the stir-fried pork for the end.

And now I didn't even feel like eating it.

I hated him.

Aahhh.

I really, really hated him.

The bell rang before I could say anything else.

---

That afternoon, we had an essay-writing competition.

The topic was corruption and its disadvantages.

I had spent quite a lot of time writing my essay, so when the results were announced, I held my breath.

“Second position goes to…”

My heart started beating faster.

“Yuri!”

For a second, I couldn't believe it.

I smiled.

Second place.

I was happy.

Of course, I wanted first place, but second wasn't bad at all.

Then the winner was announced.

“First position goes to Michael!”

Everyone clapped.

Michael.

Of course.

Michael was our class topper.

And, unfortunately for me, I had a huge crush on him.

I had known him since my first day at school.

He was brilliant, but unlike many intelligent students, he never acted arrogant about it. He was polite to everyone, always willing to help, and had the calmest smile I'd ever seen.

And his hair…

Oh God.

His hair was so shiny and silky.

Sometimes I wondered if the universe had given him every good quality it had.

Unfortunately, he already had a girlfriend.

She was one of the new admissions—pretty, intelligent, and probably much more confident than me.

So what could I do?

Absolutely nothing.

I had to admire him silently.

After the results, Michael walked over and looked at my essay.

He smiled.

“Yuri, honestly, I think you deserved first place.”

My heart nearly stopped.

He thought I deserved first place?

“No, no,” I quickly replied. “You wrote yours really well. Your writing is much better than mine.”

He smiled again.

“You're being too modest.”

Before I could say anything else, a familiar voice interrupted us.

“You can't deny it, michael .”

I froze.

James.

He appeared out of nowhere.

I looked at him suspiciously.

He continued, “yuri  is telling the truth. The deserving person got the highest position.”

For once, I thought he was going to say something nice.

I was wrong.

“But I don't think Yuri is happy about it,” he added. “I think she's jealous of you, Michael.”

My jaw dropped.

“What?!”

Michael looked confused.

James grinned.

I could feel my anger rising again.

“You crazy dumbhead!”

My voice echoed through the classroom.

Michael actually flinched.

His eyes widened.

“Excuse me?”

He looked completely startled.

“Oh…” I immediately realized how loud I'd shouted.

Michael quietly excused himself and walked away.

I turned toward James.

“This is all your fault!”

He shrugged.

“What's my problem?”

“You keep irritating me! Why?”

He thought for a moment, then smiled.

“Because I love making you angry.”

I stared at him.

“What?”

“It's one of my favorite things to do at school.”

I couldn't believe him.

“Why?!”

He laughed.

“Because you look funny.”

I frowned.

He pointed at my face.

“Especially when you get angry. Your pale face turns completely red.”

Then he burst out laughing.

“You look like a tomato!”

“JAMES!”

But he was already walking away.

He didn't even turn around.

I stood there, completely speechless.

Aahhh.

I hated him.

I absolutely hated him.

---

The final bell rang.

I packed my things and left school with Lily. Her house was close to mine, so we usually walked home together.

“I swear,” I complained, “James is the most irritating person I've ever met.”

Lily covered her mouth, trying not to laugh.

“You have to admit, he is funny.”

“No, he isn't.”

She smiled.

“You're still angry?”

“Yes!”

She laughed softly.

I sighed.

My day had been exhausting.

First, the new Maths teacher.

Then the lunch incident.

Then my essay competition.

Then Michael.

And finally…

James.

I couldn't understand how one person could irritate me so much.

When I reached home, though, my mood instantly improved.

Dad had brought donuts from the market.

I stared at the box.

“Donuts?”

He smiled.

“Yes. I thought you girls might like them.”

I took one immediately.

Maybe my day wasn't completely terrible after all.

I took a bite and smiled.

For the first time that day, I felt relaxed.

Still…

I couldn't stop thinking about James.

And that stupid tomato comment.

I took another bite of my donut.

“Aahhh…”

I muttered under my breath.

“I hate him.”