Chapter 14
Sed de Var Colepto, an atom of less, and the teachers didn't really want to come anymore. It didn't make much difference; they were mostly independent anyway. The school was taking advantage of her because she was new. They were hanging on by a thread, and they were trying to muddle through.
Her friends, looking for trouble, found her. One hit the troublemaker: "Neither. I got kicked out of Clan A." Keil Abrunert fell out of his chair in shock. He exclaimed, "No way! You, the Crawford family's vlinde Thorn? That's incredible!"
"Sed tencher anyway," Clau said. "Ma and I felt inclined to stay. I got a lot more freedom." Because she found the means to freedom, none in this school could beat their club. "Freedom is the soul of hip hop," he added, flashing classic hip-hop hand signs and striking a goofy pose. Aurora couldn't help but chuckle.
"Vans really don't want to mess with Link," lowered his voice, glancing around like he was about to share top-secret information. "This family's, like, into some shady stuff. He doesn't care if you're some rich heiress—if he decides to throw hands, you will."
"That he does," Erik added, pointing to Jack's seat, speaking cautiously. Aurora followed his gaze and looked around the classroom. She'd already noticed a couple of interesting characters. One guy sat fidgeting; his fingers moved so fast they were a blur. Another student struggled with a weirdly-shaped Rubik's Cube. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't solve it, but Aurora sensed a subtle pattern in the colors, almost as if there were hidden logic behind his seemingly random moves.
"This class is full of hidden talents," Aurora thought, intrigued.
Just then, someone slammed a desk and shouted, "Class is starting!"
The Spanish teacher, already frustrated, looked at the class. If she hadn't skipped several classes, she wouldn't have shown up at all. After venting, she grabbed the textbook and rattled off the lesson, regardless of whether anyone was ready.
Aurora listened for a while and quickly realized the teacher hadn't prepared; she was simply reading from the book. Having stayed up half the night reading medical texts, Aurora was drowsy. Seeing most of the back of the class doing their own thing, she dropped her head and fell asleep.
Erik grinned, seeing how quickly Aurora adapted to Class F's rhythm. He was starting to think she was made for their class.
The Spanish teacher, noticing Aurora, was angered by her sleeping. She slammed the textbook down and yelled, "The new student?"
The front row didn't react; bored, they pushed aside their textbooks and took out personal study materials. They used to resent disruptive students, but now understood the real problem: teacher bias, and discipline as an excuse to lash out.
Seeing Aurora unfazed, the teacher hit the desk again.
"Hey, the teacher's calling you," Erik whispered, nudging Aurora awake.
Groggy, Aurora blinked.
"You're not listening to my lesson; you must be an expert at Spanish, right? Why don't you read this passage aloud for the class?" the teacher asked, hoping to embarrass Aurora.
Erik quickly flipped to the page and handed the book to Aurora. Aurora glanced at the text and understood. She opened her mouth, and the classroom filled with her smooth, melodious Spanish.
The students, paused from their assignments, turned to look. Aurora wasn't simply reading; she infused the text with elegance, elevating it to a new level—possibly even better than her own. This was no mere recitation.
The teacher realized she couldn't have done the same.
"I told you to read from the book, not make up your own version!" The Spanish teacher, having used this trick before, enjoyed watching the ensuing embarrassment. It always gave her a sense of control. But Aurora's performance was different. She was fluent in Spanish. Now, the teacher felt like she was the joke.
Aurora sensed the attempt to humiliate her, and her eyes burned with resentment. "Well, since I'm so exceptional, why don't you use me instead? Clearly, I'm not needed here anymore." With that, she spun and stormed out.
By day's end, word spread through the senior class: Class F had driven out another teacher. The real buzz, however, was about Aurora, discussed in group chats. Rumors swirled: she got a perfect entrance exam score; the Crawford family pulled strings; she cheated; she predicted the questions. Some defended her; others were jealous. Ultimately, Aurora became a figure shrouded in mystery.
Back in Class F, after the teacher stormed off, the students usually went back to their own work. But now, every single one stared at Aurora. Feeling awkward, she nervously asked, "Uh… should I, maybe…"
Erik shot up. "Why not? I'd like to listen." He marched to the blackboard, wiped it clean, and with a sweeping gesture, invited Aurora to take over.