FIXated

Predators: Distracted

Raphael sat in his seat, listening closely to the two companions, who had been hanging out on his desk, casually teasing each other about their silly dances and embarrassing confessions. Their Laughter burst into the room, recalling these scenarios from the weekend night.

Alexis crossed his arms over his chest as he remarked. “What’s more embarrassing than passing out at two cans of beer and getting dragged on the floor to your room?”

“What?! I wasn’t that drunk!”

“Uh-huh. In your dreams, perhaps.”

A smile appeared on Raphael’s face as he continued to watch the two of them argue while resting his chin on his arm. It was a refreshing sight as all the worries from last week had vanished from his mind. Admittedly, he’d prefer this over a class discussion at any given time.

“And… Raphael.” Antonio inched closer, nudging his sides with his arm. “Out of curiosity, is anyone here in class your type?”

“Are we doing that again?” Raphael’s eyes squinted after being questioned all of a sudden. Antonio didn’t care and nudged him once again, pestering him.

“Come on, man. Just a hint.”

“N-no.”

He bluntly refused before turning his face away, hiding the building redness on his cheeks. His eyes wandered off to the sides, looking by the window away from Antonio’s gaze, whose face had leaned in closer to his with his signature wiggling brows on his forehead, still trying to annoy him into confession.

Not that silly face again.

Raphael heaved a deep sigh while pushing his face away. “Stop it.”

“Hmm… is it, Feyline?” Alexis asked out of the blue with his hand rubbing over his chin.

“F-Feyline?!” Antonio exclaimed, clutching his hair with eyes widened and mouth agape. “No way…. She’s gonna gut-punch you if she finds out.”

Alexis nodded. “She does give off a dangerous vibe with her rebellious look.”

“Of course not. She’s more like a friend.” Raphael denied without hesitation, shaking his head. She never came across to him as someone who would send flutters in his chest, unlike Elena.

“If it’s not Feyline…. Then…is she even in this class?” Alexis wondered. Then, Antonio gasped as something came to mind, leaning in closer to whisper. His words stumbled all over the place as if afraid to slip out of his tongue.

“What if… dangerous… You mean the crazier kind…?”

“What do you mean by that?” Raphael tilted his head to the side, watching as Antonio’s fingers pointed discreetly at the seat right behind him with a nervous smile on his face.

“Like her?”

A surge of burning sensation arose from his neck to his cheeks upon realizing who he was talking about. The words forming at the end of his tongue betrayed him as they came in stutters.

“H-hey. She’s not—”

The scraping sound of metal dragged against the tiled floors disturbed them, cutting him off mid-conversation. A figure had arrived, announcing her presence. She stood in front of them with her back turned, pulling out the chair from behind the desk. Her bright orange locks fluttered against the wind blowing past her. When she took a seat, her back leaned against the chair’s rest with her legs crossed, sitting comfortably.

It’s her, Sylvia. Coming out of nowhere just as they began talking about her.

His shoulders tensed up, holding his breath as he swallowed a hard lump down his throat. The memories from last week came rushing in, plaguing his thoughts once again like a reminder upon laying his eyes on her.

Alexis and Antonio exchanged glances with each other, caught by surprise.

“So…catch you later, man,” Antonio spoke up, standing up from his desk before giving him a quick dab on his shoulder to comfort, while Alexis nervously chuckled as he slowly stepped away, pulling his friend along with him to return to their seats.

Raphael sighed, waving his hand at the two, who went back to their respective seats. Meanwhile, he was stuck sitting behind her, leaving him no other choice but to stare outside the window to distract himself from her. While watching the birds flutter in the sky beneath the scorching sun and the trees around the courtyard rustled against the soft breeze, he had calmed down, slumping hard against the backrest.

For a moment, he caught a glimpse of Sylvia’s green irises looking intently at him with her head turned slightly to the side.

There she goes again with her sneaking glances.

He thought to himself quietly, rubbing the back of his neck. Usually, she would look away if he noticed her staring, but this time, her eyes lingered longer on him, carefully studying every inch of him. Raphael’s gaze returned to hers, confronting it.

She didn’t look away.

Their eyes locked onto each other.

A small smile slowly formed on her lips, her eyes glinting against the glare of the sun, brimming with anticipation as she shifted, fully turning in his direction, her arms perched on the back of her seat.

“Morning, Raphael.” She greeted softly, tilting her head to one side as her orange locks fell over her shoulder. The smile on her face turned sweet and innocent as she continued with a playful tone. “How’s your weekend? Were you thinking hard about last time?”

His stomach dropped as he quickly lowered his gaze to his desk with his ears burning red. Did she just read right through him?

“Hmmm…You look tense. Did that give you a little trouble?” She purred, dropping her voice low before letting out a playful chuckle. “…Or are you waiting for it?”

Raphael felt the burning sensation on his face intensify. He wanted to bury himself in the palm of his hands, trying to hide his embarrassment as his eyes remained fixated on the table, still avoiding her eye contact.

“N-no... It’s nothing.” He muttered under his breath. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Liar.”

That word echoed at the back of his mind, being called out like last time. Slowly, Raphael glanced up with brows furrowed, staring once more into her eyes and face, noticing that dangerous smile curving out of her lips. She was mocking him.

Then, he turned his gaze away, huffing his breath, deciding to ignore her.

There’s no point in arguing with her.

Footsteps pitter-pattered from the halls as students rushed into the classroom, scrambling back to their seats. The room was filled with a cacophony of chairs grating on the floor and voices chattering and whispering about gossip. As Ms. Alvarez walked down the hallway, the heels of her shoes clicked hard against the floor tiles. She arrived at classroom 2-C. stepping inside as her strides reached the front of the board, placing her belongings onto the teacher’s desk.

Her fingers snapped, capturing everyone’s attention.

“Alright, please settle down, now.” She announced, clearing her throat. “Let’s continue where we left off from the last discussion.”

As soon as the biology lecture began, Raphael grabbed a pen and notebook from beneath his desk to jot down notes, shifting his attention to the front, focusing on Ms. Alvarez, who began talking about Genetics.

He could see Sylvia had positioned herself back facing the board, listening attentively to the discussion, glancing up and down at her desk while she took some notes.

He breathed a sigh of relief. Finally....

The discussion continued, now projected as a slideshow presentation. Ms. Alvarez began reading a passage from the book called On the Origin of Species, examining the core principles of Darwin’s Theory.

As her voice droned for some time, Raphael felt bored, his mind drifting away from the board, looking over the rows of students, then to the window beside him. From the corner of his eye, Sylvia turned her head to the side, not at him but towards the corridor outside the classroom as if something had caught her attention.

It was his first time seeing her completely distracted. Out of curiosity, he glanced over his shoulder, taking a glimpse in the same direction, seeing nothing but the empty halls.

Hm?... There’s nothing over there.

What is she even looking at?

He looked back at her, quietly judging her from behind as her gaze kept staring over there. Then, he shook his head, dismissing his thoughts as he tried to listen to the discussion once more.