"Sexually… Do you actually like that kind of stuff?" she asked, a different kind of surprise slipping into her voice.
I nodded casually, like it was the most obvious thing in the world.
"Not many guys are that into it," Angie said.
"Really? Just yesterday I saw a guy and a girl making out in the hallway," I replied.
"Yeah, well, I said not many—not none," Angie shrugged. "Guess you're just one of them."
This felt like a good opportunity to understand just how different this world really was, so I kept going.
"Hm… what about kids? How do people have them?" I asked.
"Well, just because guys aren't that interested in sexual stuff doesn't mean they hate it," Angie said. "They still do it when they want to have kids."
Then she looked at me strangely.
"Why don't you know this? Are you an alien or something?" she added, half-joking.
"Hah, no… it's just that my parents were kinda strict about all this," I said, though even to me it didn't sound very convincing.
Surprisingly, she just nodded like that was enough.
"You've only been talking about guys… what about girls? Are they interested in that kind of stuff?" I asked.
"Hm…" Angie thought for a moment. "Girls do like it. But since most guys aren't that interested, girls don't really get that into it either. And even if a guy *is* interested—like the one you saw yesterday—a girl would probably snatch him up pretty fast."
She said it so casually, like it was just common sense.
Then her eyes shifted to my hands.
"You're not clapping anymore?" she asked. "Did you do twenty?"
I had already finished twenty, but I'd been distracted talking to her, so I just nodded.
"Then we should leave. Ms. Stevens might come here," Angie said.
I wanted to ask a few more questions, but…
"Yeah, let's go."
And with that, we left.
As we entered the classroom, Ms. Stevens looked at us.
The moment her gaze landed on Angie, a faint hint of satisfaction appeared in her eyes.
I followed her line of sight.
Angie's eyes were slightly watery, and she sniffed quietly, keeping her head down.
*What a shrewd girl.*
"You can go to your seats now," Miss Stevens said.
I walked back to my desk and sat down, glancing at Angie as she returned to hers. As she sat, her face twisted slightly, like she was in pain.
*Man… she's a good actress.*
And just like that, the class continued as normal.
Since it was still the beginning of the year, we were covering electrostatics. I understood almost everything she explained.
Not because I was particularly smart—
—but because she was actually good at explaining things.
Of course, that didn't make her a good teacher.
Her personality still sucked.
Soon enough, the class ended, and Miss Stevens reminded the four girls to submit their homework tomorrow before leaving.
After that, the rest of the day passed in a blur.
One lecture after another.
Just studying.
Mr. Eddie even went as far as taking twenty minutes from our recess, stretching his class longer than it should've been. By then, everyone was already tired, but he didn't seem to care.
So yeah…
All work. No play.
By the end of the day, my head felt heavy, packed with too much information, and my body just wanted to collapse somewhere and rest.
It had been exhausting.
But still…
I couldn't deny it.
Maybe it was because this was my second time living through all of this—my second chance.
Everything felt easier.
More familiar.
I wasn't lost like before.
And because of that…
…I kind of enjoyed it.
At the end of the day, with my bag hanging off one shoulder, I dragged my feet halfway home, completely exhausted.
"Fuck—"
*THUD.*
I tripped over something and fell straight to the ground. A dull pain shot through me as I tried to figure out what I'd stumbled on.
Then something black dropped onto my face.
Startled, I quickly grabbed it, thinking it might be some kind of animal.
It wasn't.
It was a piece of clothing.
"Here are your panties," Rachel said, standing over me.
She gave me a haughty smile before turning around and leaving, not even bothering to look back, leaving me sprawled in the dirt.
*Fuck… what is wrong with these girls?*
Well… I couldn't really blame her. I kind of deserved that.
Clutching the black thong in my hand, I slowly got up.
*I was pretty crazy, asking a girl for her panties like that.*
Shaking my head, I stuffed it into my pocket and continued walking home.
After getting home, I took a quick shower, grabbed some snacks, and finished my homework.
For dinner, I had spaghetti made with canned tomatoes. It wasn't anything special, but it did the job.
After eating, I felt like having something sweet.
Ice cream, maybe.
I checked the fridge.
Nothing.
*Tch…*
Guess I'd have to get it myself.
So I decided to head out to a nearby convenience store.
I headed to the convenience store where I used to work part-time.
As I walked, I glanced around at the shops and streets. Everything looked just like I remembered. It was getting late, so the only people around were those heading home after work.
Soon, I stopped in front of the store.
The bright advertisement lights flickered softly, bringing back memories of the nights I'd spent here… and the expired food I used to eat.
*Good old days.*
After a moment, I stepped inside.
I walked through the aisles, heading straight for the ice cream section. The familiar layout made it easy—I didn't even have to think.
Opening the freezer, I grabbed a vanilla ice cream.
Then I made my way to the checkout counter.
The checkout counter was attended by a girl.
She had dark black hair parted down the middle, falling neatly around her angular face. Her makeup was pale, contrasting with her rose-pink lips.
She was… very beautiful.
Her eyes were dark brown—almost black—framed by long, dark lashes that made her gaze feel heavier than it should've been.
She wore black clothes, layered with silver gothic jewelry that covered her hands and wrists.
Everything about her screamed goth.