"You know you're in love when you can't fall asleep because reality is finally better than your dreams."

- Dr. Seuss

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It was Friday, and I couldn't wait for the weekend, even if it was just two days of freedom from this hellhole.

My fourth period of the day was over, and it was finally lunchtime. I slung my guitar case over my shoulder and ambled my way out of the guitar room. All the performing arts classes I had were sort of my stress relievers, and guitar was one of my favorites. The people in my class were not as stuck up as the orchestra and theatre kids. The choir kids were pretty decent, and the band kids were... somewhat strange, even though I used to be one of them.

As I left the guitar room, someone bumped my shoulder, almost making me fall over. I turned my head to face my traducer, my eyebrows furrowed in annoyance.

"Hey, watch where you're going, shortstack," a gruff, masculine voice barked.

The one who bumped into me was someone that I rather disliked, and unfortunately, he sat right behind me in guitar class.

Kalei Alohilani. An infamous, brooding playboy that stalked the halls of Desert View International Academy like a lion searching for its prey. I've known him ever since he was a freshman, but I never bothered to talk to that manwhore, until this year, that is.

Adjusting my guitar strap, I glared at him and muttered foully, "Someone must've rejected your offer to sleep with you..."

That Hawaiian prick snapped his head at me, scowling, his amber eyes seething like fire. When I thought he was going to make a move on me, he turned away, stuffing his hands into his pockets and muttering, "Tch. Girls like you drive me nuts."

I rolled my eyes at his comment and proceeded to walk away, saying, "And men like you aren't any better." I didn't look back to see his reaction because I was sure he was still mad at me. I quickened my pace to the orchestra room, which was all the way at the other side of the performing arts hall. I had to snag the keys to a practice room before they were all occupied, but knowing those choir and band students, they were definitely going to claim them before I did.

It was worth a shot to see if any of the rooms were still open.

I maneuvered through the crowds of students as fast as possible, careful not to knock anyone down. To my disappointment, when I reached the practice rooms, they were all taken. I sighed in defeat. Where was I gonna go now?

I scanned the orchestra and band room for any empty spots where no one would bother me, but they were all filled to the brim with students. I placed my hands on my hips, pondering on where I'd go to relax for lunch. Then, an idea hit me.

The Japanese room was always open. How did I not think of that before?

Not wasting a second, I fast-walked out of the performing arts hall, now entering the cafeteria and quad. It was a hassle having to avoid not running into anyone on the way to the Japanese room. I was getting strange, unwelcoming looks from many students as I sauntered the halls. I didn't care what they thought of me. I just wanted some alone time to myself. Is it really that hard for people to respect my wishes?

Finally reaching the Japanese room, I swung open the door and bowed as I entered. "Konnichiwa, Sensei."

"Bellona-san! Can you come here for a moment?" My Sensei motioned for me to come over, and I shuffled forward to her desk.

"Mondai ga arimasu ka?" I was worried that I must've done something wrong with my recent homework sheet, but thankfully, by the tone of her voice, it wasn't that.

"Mondai nai. I'm actually offering you to become a temporary mentor for Japanese for extra credit! Are you up for it?" She smiled at me kindly, and I felt my spirits brighten. I never really considered myself good at Japanese, but the fact that my teacher considered me as a candidate for mentorship lifted some of my self-esteem.

"S-Sure, demo... Watashi ni amari kitai shinaide kudasai!" I bowed my head. I was a little nervous about this mentorship thing, especially since it meant having to interact with someone. I wasn't sure who I was going to tutor in Japanese, and I was hoping it wasn't an underclassman. They were always lazy with their work and never bothered to study. Even if they did, I saw no point in teaching someone who didn't fully commit to their studies.

Sensei nodded her head in understanding. "Anata ni shinji te imasu."

"Who am I mentoring?"

Sensei put on her thinking face, staring blankly past my shoulder. "I told him to come in during lunch today. I think he should be— Ah! There you are!" She sat up in her chair and waved a hand. I turned around to see who she was talking about, and my eyes widened in surprise.

There was no mistaking those grey eyes and blond hair.

It was Cyrus.

And I was his mentor.

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The final bell rang to dismiss the last classes.

People fell in line to exit the Japanese room, and I sat awkwardly in my seat as I watched Cyrus open his textbook. I pulled my sleeves up to coat my hands, a habit I had when I was nervous or embarrassed. My eyes wandered to the blond beside me. His hand was propped up to support his chin as he flipped to a certain page in the textbook. The expression on his face was something I couldn't exactly describe. He looked bored, but the way his eyebrows furrowed and the way his eyes examined the material in front of him told me he was probably thinking of something and that something wasn't the textbook.

I felt my cheeks heat up, and I covered them with my clothed hands. I wanted to slap myself for my uncharacteristic behavior. I sighed faintly.

"Bellona? Are you alright? You look sick." Cyrus' deep voice shook me alive. His head was slightly tilted in my direction, his chin still balanced on his hand and his grey orbs watching me with profound apprehension and curiosity.

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I lowered my hands from my face and stared down at my hands, not bothering to look at him. "I'm not sick. I just feel strange, that's all." I was technically telling the truth.

I could feel his gaze still on me, and I shifted uncomfortably in my seat.

"You can tutor me some other time, you know? You're probably tired. I don't want you to feel overworked." He closed his textbook and leaned back in his seat.

I shook my head and looked up at him. "No, I'm not tired! It's my responsibility to be a mentor to you. I can't just pussy out of your first day with me!"

The grey-eyed blond simply stared at me. There was a small moment of silence, and I could feel the awkwardness build up in the air until he started laughing. I gawked at his sudden reaction, not understanding why he was laughing. I felt my cheeks heat up again.

"W-What's so funny?"

His laugh slowly died down, and he covered his mouth with his hand. "I just think you're interesting..."

I let out an inaudible gasp, not believing the shit that just came out of his pretty mouth. I turned my head away, grabbed my belongings, got up from my seat, and stormed my way out of the classroom. I could hear him call out to me, but I ignored him.

Interesting, my ass! He's probably just flirting with me!

I walked as quickly as I could out of the academy. For a second, a wave of shame rushed over me. I realized that I got out of the Japanese room, knowing full well that I just abandoned the guy that I agreed to mentor. The thought of my Sensei losing trust in me all because I got worked up over that blond idiot was horrifying to me.

I stopped in my tracks, my eyes staring blankly at the concrete floor.

Why are you acting like this? Especially to someone you just met!

I let out a frustrated sigh, taking off my glasses and throwing my head back to look up at the sky. I heard the sound of footsteps approaching me from behind, and I put my glasses back on. There was no way in hell I'd let anyone see me without my nerd specs. I whirled around to see Cyrus advancing towards me in a light jog. I simply watched him make his way to me and stopped a few feet in front of me. He bent over, breathing heavily.

"Bellona... I-I wanted to apologize for laughing at you..." He was saying this between breaths, and I looked at him plainly. "I didn't mean... to hurt... your feelings..." He took one last deep breath and stood up straight. It was my first time seeing him stand in front of me, and it took time for me to realize how ridiculously tall he was, or maybe it seemed that way because I was ridiculously short. If I wasn't annoyed right now, I'd find his height and figure utterly imposing.

"Why are you breathing so hard? I thought you were physically fit," I pointed out flatly.

"I am. I'm just... A bit rusty."

I felt multiple eyes burning into my skin. There were a couple students outside with us, and they were watching our little altercation. I rolled my eyes and turned around, no longer concerning myself with him.

"Bellona, wait!"

I stopped but didn't look back.

"Are you still going to mentor me?" He asked, his voice filled with an almost forlorn concern. Before I could respond, a loud feminine voice assaulted my ears. Something prompted me to look back, and as I expected, it was a girl, one that I was vaguely familiar with.

"Hi, Drake~! Are you free tomorrow weekend?" Her arms were snaked possessively around his arm, and he looked a bit startled by her abrupt appearance.

He peered down at her with pseudo kind eyes. "Actually, I had something in mind with—"

"Aw... But everyone wants to see you at the party tomorrow!" She pouted her rose-red lips at him. Cyrus glanced at me, clearly not knowing what to say in response. The girl's bratty gaze shifted in my direction and then back at him. "Oh, you had plans with her?" Her tone was almost accusatory, but it seemed like I was the only one who caught the inflection in her voice.

He opened his mouth, but the girl opened her loud mouth first. "That's okay! She can come with us then!"

That. I did not expect whatsoever.

"I... Uh..." I honestly didn't know what to say.

"I guess I'll go to the party tomorrow," Cyrus said, rubbing the back of his neck. The girl threw her arms around him, squealing.

"Oh my gosh, yes!" She pulled out of the hug and batted her false lashes at him. "I can't wait to see you tomorrow!"

"Yeah..." He gave her an easy smile. I couldn't tell if he was uncomfortable, but I sure as hell was. I fiddled with my guitar case strap. I spun on my heel to leave those two be. Clearly, that girl, despite saying that I could come to the party, absolutely did not want me to be there. Parties were never my thing in the first place, so this wasn't really a problem.

"Anyway, Drake... I better get going! See you tomorrow!"

"See ya, Song."

Their voices, bit by bit, began to deteriorate from my hearing, and just when I thought that it all vanished, that damned British boy decided to speak up.

"Bellona, before you leave..." I turned to face him, and I lowered my eyes to see his outstretched hand, holding out a slip of paper.

"If you ever need to get in contact with me, my number's there." He smiled at me, but there was something about that smile of his that seemed off.

I took the piece of paper but did not look at it. "Thanks, but I won't be needing it."

Cyrus gave me a troubled look, but that quickly vanished when I said, "But I'll keep it anyway so you won't have to make that face at me ever again."

The face of that girl named Song appeared in my thoughts. She was that girl in my English class that sat on the other side of the room from me who always talked and never stopped. She didn't have a filter whatsoever. She flirted with all the good-looking guys, and they never seemed to mind. Song looked like a doll. She had pale skin, monolid eyes, a prominent jawline, high cheekbones, and cherry lips. She had the ideal idol face that many Asian women strive for.

I didn't know her full name but assuming by her sense of style and makeup, she was Korean. From the way she interacted with Cyrus, I guessed that she was his girlfriend or probably a "beneficial friend."

I could only wonder why he had given me his number. From what I knew, people who asked or gave their numbers away meant that they were interested in you in some romantic way.

Romantic? I thought. There's no way in hell. He's out of my league. I doubt I'd even be remotely good for him. Besides, Song is a way better pick for him. She's so pretty, and he's handsome. They're a good match!

"Thanks, Bellona..." I heard him say, my metal walls melting away.

I rolled my eyes and turned away, "You say my name too much."

"The more I say it, the less I'll forget about it."

He wasn't wrong, but part of me wished that he would forget; forget about me; forget that I ever existed and yet...

It felt so nice having someone want to remember me, but for it to be someone like Cyrus, it was unbelievable. That grey-eyed giant seemed like he had better things to do than find a mentor or even hand over his phone number to someone as insignificant as me. I glanced back at Cyrus' retreating figure one last time, and the same voice that would wake me up every night echoed in my head.

You'll never be good enough...

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Translations

Demo... Watashi ni amari kitai shinaide kudasai - But... don't expect too much from me

Anata ni shinji te imasu - I believe in you

Mondai ga arimasu ka - Is there are problem

Mondai nai - No problem/There's no problem