Accidental Love-struck

  Kira sat in class, absentmindedly tracing her lips with the tip of her pencil while her Spanish teacher droned on. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t shake the memory of that moment.

That stupid moment.

"Ugh." Her grip on the pencil tightened.

Behind her, Vanessa leaned in and poked her back. "Hey, are you still thinking about earlier?" she whispered.

Kira exhaled sharply. "Still thinking about it? I can’t stop thinking about it. The humiliation, Nessa! I want to die."

She groaned, pressing her forehead against her desk as flashes of The Incident replayed in her mind like a horror movie she couldn’t turn off.

"Señorita Kira, ¿cuál parece ser el problema?" Her teacher’s voice rang out. (Miss Kira, what seems to be the problem?)

Kira sat up straight, pasting on an innocent smile. "Nada, señorita Cara." (Nothing, Miss Cara.)

The teacher eyed her for a moment before nodding and turning back to the lesson.

"It’ll be okay," Nessa tried to assure her.

"No, it won’t." Kira huffed, crossing her arms. "He ruined my last first day back at school. I will never forgive him."

Just then, a figure appeared at the doorway.

Aksel Estridsen.

Kira’s spine went rigid.

There he was, standing there like he hadn’t just single-handedly destroyed her life. His hand clutched the strap of his backpack, and his posture screamed new kid energy.

"Oh! Debe ser el señor Estridsen. Bueno, pase." (Oh! You must be Mr. Estridsen. Well, come in!) Miss Cara greeted him warmly, her eyes practically twinkling. She turned to the class. "Clase, este es Aksel Estridsen, un nuevo estudiante transferido que se unirá a nosotros." (Class, this is Aksel Estridsen, a new transfer student who will be joining us.)

  Then, back to Aksel: "Es bueno tenerte con nosotros." (Good to have you with us.)

"Gracias, señora." Aksel smiled politely.

Kira, however, was not smiling.

Her icy-blue gaze was locked onto him, burning holes into his very existence.

And then—

"Oh, perfect!" Miss Cara’s eyes lit up as she scanned the room. "You can take the seat right beside Kira." She gestured at the only empty desk.

Kira’s face dropped.

Aksel noticed the intensity of her glare but chose to ignore it, walking toward his assigned seat. As the lesson resumed, he could feel her eyes boring into him. It was suffocating.

Why was she still staring?

By the time the bell rang, Aksel felt like he had survived a battlefield.

Miss Cara approached him before he could escape. "I usually don’t use English in my class, but since you’re new, I’ll make an exception."

"I understand," Aksel nodded.

Then—

"Kira."

Kira, who was already halfway out the door with Vanessa, paused and turned.

"Miss Cara?" she responded sweetly, her voice dripping with fake politeness.

"I’m sure you wouldn’t mind helping Aksel find his way around the school?"