CHAPTER 10

The ghost of Oikawa's lips linger all over your neck and shoulders. The traces of him on your skin are oddly comforting — especially when you were alone. Last night was, to put it simply, a night to remember.

Even as you sit in your class, waiting for your next lesson to start, you become clouded with distractions that feel too real. Images of Oikawa flash in your mind, vivid memories of his face and voice making your heart race.

You awkwardly press your thighs together, hoping no one could read your thoughts — or see them written all over your face. But your peace is interrupted by a clearing throat, and when you look up to see who it is, you find your teacher flipping through a stack of marked tests.

A paper flops in his hand. "This is your test from last week," he says, placing it on your desk faced down, "I thought you would've done better."

The teacher waits for you to flip the paper over, knowing that you wouldn't like the results written on the front. You feel your heart drop into the deepest pit in your stomach when you see the grade. Barely a pass.

"Be honest with me," the teacher keeps his voice low, though the other students in the class are too busy bickering to listen, "Did you study for this test?"

You swallow the feeling of guilt brewing up. "No," you say with a bit of shame, "I haven't had the time to do anything recently."

"You used to be the top of my class," the teacher looks up and scans the class, watching the rest of his students conversing with one another. He's always known you as his quietest student, maybe even antisocial. But that has never affected your grades. If anything, it helped by cutting out distractions — and it was hard for you to admit that being alone hadn't been your most favourite thing in the world. "Is something happening that I should be aware of?"

"No. Please, don't worry about me," you smile despite the pain you feel in your chest. The corner of your mouth twitches slightly, and the teacher lean down on your desk, meeting you at eye level.

He holds your eyes for a moment that stretches too long for your comfort. "You sure?"

You swallow again, only this time it's from anxiety. "Yeah."

He nods his head, knowing that no matter how hard he tried to get you to explain yourself, you simply wouldn't. "I never see you talking to any of your classmates. Is someone here bothering you in any way?"

You fight the urge to roll your eyes. "No."

"You sure?"

Not in this class anyway, you think. "No one."

"Okay," he pushes off your desk and stands straight. "Meet me at my desk after our lesson. I think this conversation could be easier without the distraction of a loud classroom, right?"

Already having lost all of your patience, you look up at him and nod your head. "Yeah, okay."

Even as the teacher finished distributing the tests and resumed his scheduled lesson, the reality of nearly failing a test keeps you distracted. You want to blame Oikawa, since he was the one who kept calling and texting for you to spend time with him, and ultimately, taking away the time you would normally use for your studies.

It's my fault, you remind yourself while reading the meaningless words written on the blackboard. I need to do better.

Keeping your relationship — or whatever it was — with Oikawa a secret was easy. No one would suspect that you, a quiet student who only mingled with Oikawa behind the scenes, would actually be hooking up with him.

Maybe that was what Oikawa liked about you — the fact that no one would ever guess that you and him would be together.

You were his secret, and he was yours.

Once the bell rings for lunch hour, the students pack their belongings and take out their lunch boxes. Some leave, going to their lockers or joining a friend in another classroom, and before you can set foot out into the hallway, you remember what your teacher had said.

You turn around and stand at the corner of his desk, watching him stuff loose papers into an already overflowing binder. "You wanted to talk to me after class."

"Yes, yes," he flips the cover over, barely securing the papers inside. "I just wanna know what's been happening with you and your life."

He seems sincere, his soft grin was enough to even make some girls giggle and bat their eyelashes. It made hiding the truth a little harder.

You shrug your shoulders. "There's nothing interesting to know."

"But I'm curious." He leans back in his seat and crosses his arms, "You don't talk to anyone in our class, and you've been one of my smartest students, but lately, I've noticed a drop in your marks." he waits for you to respond. All you do is blink. "Fine. I think it's best if you stay here after school and join my study group."

"No," you say instinctively. The last thing you wanted was to spend even more time at school. You had other priorities and preferences — taking care of Niko, studying in the comfort of your own home... spending nights with Oikawa.

He raises a brow. "Why not? I think it could be good for you, not just for studying, but you could maybe make a few friends."

"No thanks."

"Listen," he sits up straight and takes the subject a little more seriously, "I run the study group at Aoba Johsai with a group of student volunteers and tutors. Just a few people come to this classroom after school to study for a bit. There are big groups, small groups, and one-to-one sessions. You can stop by for a little bit and see if you like it."

"And if I don't like it?"

"Then you can leave," he watches you nod in response. "So, are you interested?"

"Does your study group help with physics?"

"Any and all subjects of study at Seijoh are welcome," then, a thought revisits him, "We actually have a student who excels in year three physics. I can ask and see if he's willing to form a small group of students so you and him can—"

"I'd rather not form a small group," you interrupt, "Just one-to-one would be fine."

Seeing that you have grown interested, your teacher smiles widely. "That's great!" you watch him grab a sticky note and jot your name down with physics written beside it. "The student who helps with physics is actually really smart," he writes the student's name beside yours. You angle your head to see the name, but he takes the note and places it inside his agenda. "He actually reminds me of you in a way."

You arch a brow. "Hm?"

"He's a bit quiet, only when he's not around his friend. I think his name is Oikawa."

Your heart seizes. "What?"

"Oikawa is his name."

"The name of the physics tutor?"

"No, the name of the tutor's friend," the teacher laughs, "I don't think you'd like Oikawa very much. I believe he's the captain of the volleyball team or soccer team, one of those two."

You force a smile onto your face, hiding the fact that you actually did know him. "Hm. Interesting."

"Well then," the teacher looks at his half-empty classroom, "I'll leave you so you can have your lunch now. If you ever need anything, just ask me."

"Thank you."

"It's no problem," he says, swinging his bag over his shoulder and heading for the door. "I'll see you here after school."

· • —– ٠ ✤ ٠ —– • ·

You follow the sound of chatter and laughter back to the classroom where your day started. Peeking inside, you find a group of students at the board, writing numbers in a sequence that was too complex for you to understand. Not physics, you think as you continue looking around the class.

A few small groups are seen, most of them too busy on their phones and not studying at all. And in the back of the room, a few one-to-one sessions where more quiet discussions were being held.

"Y/n, you actually came!" you find your teacher at his desk, waving for you to step inside. "Come in, we don't bite."

A few students watch you walk to the teacher's desk. They lose interest quickly and go back to minding their own business. "You said that you would have a physics tutor?"

"Yes, a one-to-one," he repositions his glasses and nods his head to a student sitting in the back, "He got here a few minutes ago. Said that he's only able to stay for an hour because he's gotta practice for some volleyball tournament or something like that."

"Oh, I don't wanna bother him if he's got other responsibilities."

"It's fine. He's been helping students since the start of the year," the teacher reassures. "Well, go on. And have fun."

You return his smile before making your way to the back of the class. The tutor's back is facing the front of the class, giving you a view of his white and teal jacket, a signature look that only the volleyball team wears. He hangs his head, peering down at the organized notes that he's been preparing over the past months.

Quietly, you take the seat on the other side of the desk. "Hello," your voice brings him back to reality, "I'm Y/n."

You recognize his face from somewhere, then remember that he's played on the same court as Oikawa. You've never seen him up close like this before, his olive eyes were enough to send your heart into a small frenzy.

"Oh, hi there," he says, raking his spiky hair with a hand. "I'm Iwaizumi. You here for physics?"