I flinched slightly.
A few people around us turned to look, curious about what was going on.
"You look like you're about to fight someone in your head," Rick added, his tone casual, almost amused.
I leaned back in my chair a little and sighed.
"Can you please move a bit?" I said quietly.
The words came out blunter than I intended.
I didn't mean to sound rude, but the effect was instant.
A few murmurs spread across the classroom almost immediately.
"He's so arrogant," someone whispered.
"Exactly," another voice said. "Rick is just too kind. That's the only reason he even talks to him."
"What a prick," someone muttered under their breath.
I kept my eyes on my desk, pretending I couldn't hear any of it, though every word landed clearly.
Rick, on the other hand, didn't seem affected at all.
"…I'm your partner," he said with a wide smile. "How can I move somewhere else?"
I stared at him for a second.
Can he not hear what they're saying?
I couldn't tell if he was ignoring the comments or if he genuinely didn't notice them.
Either way, it was obvious that the more he talked to me, the more irritated everyone became.
Before I could respond, the classroom door opened.
"Everyone, settle down. Take your seats," a firm voice said.
The room quieted almost instantly.
Rick straightened and leaned closer to me again. "I think that's the new teacher everyone's been talking about," he whispered.
"What?" I muttered.
I turned my head toward the front of the classroom.
It was him.
The same slouched posture.
The same tired expression.
And standing just behind him, clinging to his back, was the Khumya with its curly green hair.
"Kekekekee."
The sound crawled into my ears, low and unpleasant.
I clenched my jaw.
"What's that man doing in our classroom?" someone whispered from the back.
Exactly my thought.
The man placed his bag down on the desk and adjusted his dress.
For a moment, he looked nervous.
Then he smiled, gentle but a little forced.
"From today onward," the principal's voice echoed inside the room, "Mr. Andrew will be your new homeroom teacher."
The man lifted his hand and gave a small wave. "I'll be in your care from now on," he said calmly.
Behind him, the Khumya's grin widened.
Its eyes moved slowly across the room, scanning each student one by one.
I followed its gaze unintentionally.
Then it stopped.
On Rick.
The snickering grew louder, more excited, like it had just found something interesting.
I glanced at Rick.
He was paying full attention to the announcement, nodding politely, completely unaware.
This was the problem with these evil ghosts.
They didn't go for miserable people.
They went for happy ones.
People with light in them.
People with energy.
People like Rick.
"Alright," the principal said, clapping his hands once. "That's all for today. Prepare for your first period."
With that, he left the room.
Now, it was just us and the new teacher.
"Good morning, everyone," Mr. Andrew said. "As you've heard, my name is Andrew Smith. I'm your new homeroom teacher. If you have any doubts about the subject, or any problems related to school life, you can come to me."
He paused for a second, then added, "Let's hang on there."
A few students exchanged looks.
He turned toward his bag and started pulling out books and papers.
A hand shot up.
"Sir," a boy from the middle row asked, "where is Mr. Rajan?"
Mr. Rajan was our previous homeroom teacher.
A complete weirdo.
Mr. Andrew didn't look up immediately.
"He met with a major accident," he said, still arranging his things. "He's on leave for now. That's why I'm here."
"Will you go back when he returns?" someone asked.
A few laughs broke out.
Mr. Andrew finally looked up. "Unfortunately, no, buddy," he replied with a smile.
But it didn't reach his eyes.
I could see the irritation beneath it.
The Khumya leaned closer to his ear, whispering something I couldn't fully catch.
His smile twitched.
He rubbed his temple slowly and walked between the desks.
"On that note," he said, "you'll all be giving a short test right now. I need to see how much of the topic has been covered and how well you understand it."
"No!"
Groans and protests filled the room.
"You can't be serious!"
"On the first day?"
Mr. Andrew ignored them and began handing out papers.
Did the Khumya give him that idea?
To torture students on the very first day.
Or was he just like this by nature?
When he reached my desk, his smile was completely gone.
He stopped.
For a second too long.
He looked at me carefully.
My heart started pounding.
'Is it the teacher I need to worry about, and not the Khumya?'
I kept my eyes fixed on the paper, doing my best not to look over his shoulder.
One wrong glance would make it obvious that I could see it.
The Khumya leaned forward slightly, its grin sharp, expectant.
Mr. Andrew didn't move.
"Sir?" Rick said beside me, holding out his hand.
Mr. Andrew blinked, then shifted his gaze toward Rick.
"Yes. Here."
He handed two sheets to Rick and moved on without another word.
"Kekeke..... looks delecious. He is making fun of you. That boy. kekeke"
I let out a breath I didn't realize I was holding.
"That was some pressure," Rick said quietly as he passed me one of the papers. "He looks strict."
"Yeah," I replied. "He does."
Rick smiled like he'd just received a compliment.
I looked down at the test paper.
And immediately wished, once again, for a bomb to fall on the school.
Nothing was going right.
The Khumya had set its eyes on Rick.
The teacher who for some reason was glaring at me.
And now there was a test I had absolutely no idea how to solve.
I gripped my pen.
'God, please.'
Just for today.
Let nothing else go wrong.