Chapter 4 Crushing On The King Of The School

• "Who is that?" Clara asked, practically drooling with admiration in her voice.
• "That's Adam Bright. He's super cute, Great Hill's best basketball player and quarterback on the football team..." Anna described Adam's awesomeness in a tone filled with excitement, while Clara just kept staring dreamily at him. He was more handsome than she thought; beautiful was a more appropriate word, with his lovely long hair, blue eyes, perfect nose, and killer lips. She was simply caught up in her daydream.
• "Hey Clara, Clara...Clara," Anna kept calling out, but Clara was lost in her thoughts. Anna had to shake her out of it roughly to get her attention.
• "What is it?" Clara asked, still dazed from her daydream.
• "What were you thinking about?" Anna asked, looking at Clara intently with a hint of suspicion in her voice.
• "...nothing," she lied, trying to hide her feelings. However, Anna seemed to sense that something was off and gave Clara a suspicious stare.
• "Why are you staring at me like that?" Clara asked, feeling uncomfortable and uneasy.
• "It's nothing, but just in case you're thinking about anything stupid, do you see that girl next to him?" Anna warned, her voice tinged with concern.
• Clara followed Anna's gaze to the girl next to Adam. She was a stunning cheerleader with long dark hair and a gorgeous body shape. Her skirt was short, barely covering her knees, and she looked like a true queen, just like Anna had warned.
• "What about her?" Clara asked, intrigued by the girl's beauty.
• "Her name is Ella, the cheerleader, and most importantly, Adam's girlfriend. So if Adam is the King, then she is the Queen, and you don't want to mess with the Queen or anything that belongs to her. So I suggest you forget about him this instant," Anna advised, her tone filled with caution.
• "I wasn't thinking about him..." Clara denied, but Anna stared at her for a while, clearly not believing her.
• "Better then, because she can make your life a living hell in this school," Anna warned, making Clara gulp with fear.
• As Clara glanced in Adam's direction for one last glimpse of his cuteness, their eyes met. She quickly turned her face away, hoping Anna didn't see the way her heart beat faster at the sight of him.
• "Let's get to English class. Trust me, you don't want to come late to Mrs. Henry's class. That lady is a tiger," Anna said, not noticing anything out of the ordinary.
• Clara locked her locker and followed Anna, trying to shake off her feelings as they walked to class.
• Several hours passed, and finally, it was lunch break. Inside the cafeteria, Clara was already seated at a table, her tray of food placed on top of the table. Seated with her at the table was Anna, Caleb Osborn, a nerdy guy with glasses, Patricia Kelvin, a beautiful but shy girl who didn't talk much, and lastly, Ken Quentin, a joker who enjoyed making jokes that were not always funny.
• "...So Clara, sorry for asking, but why did you change schools? Didn't you like your former one?" Caleb asked, his voice laced with curiosity and a genuine desire to know. After they had introduced themselves to her.
• "Well, I had to change schools because we moved from where we lived. Mom got a new job in another state, and I didn't have any choice but to go with her," Clara said with a hint of sadness in her voice. She continued, "And for your other question, I do love my former school, everything about it. My friends, my teachers, the weather...every single thing about it," Clara spoke with a smile as she remembered her former school, but then the sadness returned when she finished speaking.
• "Well, we will try our best so you won't miss your friends and school that much. Okay?" Anna said with a warm smile, trying to cheer Clara up.
• Clara managed a brief smile, and they continued eating their meal. But then, Clara noticed a table completely empty except for one person seated at it. It was the same guy from history class.
• "Hey, isn't that Matthew?" Clara said unintentionally, mispronouncing his name.
• "Mathias," Anna corrected.
• "Oh yes, Mathias. Why is he sitting all alone?" Clara asked.
• "That's because he is weird. Didn't you hear him earlier, speaking about vampires and werewolves?" Anna said in a whispering tone, a hint of disdain in her voice.
• "I did, but he was only trying to answer a question. That doesn't mean people should avoid him," Clara said, feeling pity for him.
• "I am telling you, that guy is weird. He has been in this school for a year now and still has no friends. He's a foreign exchange student from Mexico. He always loves speaking about witches, wizards, vampires, and all other creepy stuff. Trust me, you don't want to go near him," Anna warned, her voice full of judgment.
• Clara stared at him as he ate alone at the table, and she knew that no matter how weird a person may seem, they deserve to have friends, even if it's just one. Life without friends can be hard and worthless. However, something caught her attention: someone else.
• "Oh, Clara, I have a joke I need to tell you. Just promise me you won't laugh your pants off... Well actually, you can laugh them off; I won't mind," Ken said, raising his eyebrows with a mischievous glint in his eyes.
• "O..Kay, I'm listening, but I am definitely keeping my pants on," Clara clarified, feeling slightly uneasy.
• "Alright, we will see about that," Ken said smirkingly.
• "Here we go. Just pretend not to be disappointed," Caleb whispered to Clara, making her release a confused look.
• Ken began his jokes: "You see two jobless friends were walking aimlessly on the road, and then they stumbled upon two items. A ring which looked precious, so they reasoned they would sell it to their king, and he would give them a fortune for it. They got to the palace, and upon arriving, they discovered that the palace was in disarray. From one of the servants, they found out that the king was very angry, as something very precious to him had been stolen. It was reported that two men had stolen this precious thing from the palace the previous night, but even with this information, the two friends were still very much determined to see the king. Despite the tension that was going on in the palace, they managed to get an audience with the king, and one of the men addressed the king, 'My king, we have traveled round the world, and we came across these precious items, and we said to ourselves, 'This would look good on our king.' He then showed the king the rings in their possession. The king smiled at them and proceeded to speak, 'Two thieves broke into my palace in the cover of night and stole my two most precious rings, and I vowed to the gods I would have both their heads if I ever caught them, but since they have brought back what they stole themselves, I am going to show mercy. I will be demanding for only one of their heads. So, which of you fools will I take his head today?' The king said to them," with that Ken ended his joke,
• "It's actually funny," she said, sincerely.
• Really? Thank you! Thank you! I told you guys I'm good at telling jokes. Finally, someone appreciates my talents... Let me tell you another joke," he said excitedly and they all chit chatted
• However Clara's eyes occasionally wandered to where Mathias sat. She felt a sense of realness and empathy for him. She doesn't like the fact that he is alone and excluded and wants to make him feel better but she didn't know how to.
• The next day at school.
• Clara was in a chemistry lab, conducting a titration experiment. Her new friends were not with her, but she saw Adams, the super cute boy, and his girlfriend Ella, who was constantly standing by his side like she was glued to him. Mathias was also there, as usual, deserted by all his peers. Once again, Clara found herself feeling sorry for him. Then she determined within herself to make him her friend.
• As she approached him with a friendly smile, Clara said, "Hey, Mathias, right?"
• He looked around to see if she was addressing someone else before realizing she was talking to him as there was nobody beside him. "M..Me?" he stuttered in reply.
• "Yes, you. I'm new here. My name is Clara Jackson, and we were in the same history class yesterday, remember?" Clara introduced herself with a heartfelt smile.
• "Oh...so you heard all that stuff I said yesterday and want to make fun of me, right?" Mathias was fast to assume the worst.
• "No, no, no, don't get me wrong. I'm not here for that. I kind of find the story interesting, and if you don't mind, I want to be your friend," Clara clarified her intentions.
• "Really?" He said excitedly, feeling happy that someone actually wants to be friends with him but still very cautious. For all he knows, this could just be some sick prank. Not the first time something like this has happened to him. Someone pretending to be his friend, only to end up making a total fool of him.
• "Why? Why do you want to be my friend?" He asked, staring at her intently, trying to understand her motive.
• "Like I said, I'm new here, and I want to make new friends, and I guess you kind of stand out," she said warmly, and Mathias became a little bit relaxed.
• "Alright."
• "So, can you please finish telling me about the stuff you were saying in history class? I was really fascinated by it and would love to know what happened," Clara said, making puppy eyes at him.
• "Sure, I can. You see, during the El que es LUNA festival, a grieving mother used the magic to lay a great curse on a man..." Mathias began narrating what happened that very night, the day Man Eric Damian became a vampire.