The Magus and His Alpha

First Impressions

"Hey, I'm Justin! Nice to meet you dude!" Justin eyed the guy next to him, whose face showed a tanned complexion but with a pair of bright, attractive eyes. 'This guy's eyes are bewitching.' Justin thought.

They shared the first class of their first year in college. Each of them had a certain impression of the other. As for Roseller's further impression of Justin, he came to a reckoning when the latter made his introduction to the class on their first day, as the professor settled herself, amicably observing her students right on time to the class schedule.

She seemed prompt in taking her class and able as a professor. Roseller observed her first impression of the professor.

"Heya classmate! I'm Justin Roque. I am from Cebu. You may call me Jus." He didn't fail to end his introduction with a smile bordering on a slightly arrogant grin.

The professor, a lady in her 50's, seemed to scan Justin observantly, noting his tall stature, 'hmm… a tall guy.' She silently remarked.

She could not help but ask, "How old are you, Justin?"

Justin seemed to startle but then did not fail to politely reply, "I'm 16 ma'am!"

"Oh, really?!?' she could not help but commit an inward sneer. She continued to ask, as if curious, "Are you a basketball player?"

Justin denied. But yet he shared,"I love volleyball though. But right now, I prefer online gaming ."

Professor Violet, the English teacher of their class, did not mask her surprise, "Hmm… really?!?"

Her remark seemed to connote a shade of sarcasm. However, the rest of the class had a similar reaction.

As for the Professor's reaction, it was something that Justin did not mind much. Nevertheless, the professor did not fail to remind the whole class when Justin was about to take his seat.

"Class, make sure that you study well and do not become addicted to online games. I don't care if you play online games or any activities as long as you attend my class promptly. You must not be late and give me an excuse that you've slept late because of your late-night online gaming.

I also have grandsons that seem to have been getting addicted to this online craze you call DOTA. I'm very concerned about it but it seems it has become a trend. I am waiting for it to die down.

This is a reminder for you as you're going to enter the rites of adulthood by enrolling in college. So, you must have a sense of responsibility.

And you must take your studies as a priority above all else— of course, aside from eating, sleeping and proper hygiene."

The professor started her monologue with advice that turned into a mild scolding. That could not be helped though, as she wanted to project a matriarchal impression on her students.

Despite listening to the progressively harsh remark of the professor— which seemed to target him— Justin's attention swayed when it was Roseller's turn to make his introduction to the class.

"Hello, I'm Roseller Estrella. I am from a town south of Cebu where you can find Osmena Peak. Yes, I am from Dalaguete. I am 16 years old. As to why I chose this course, it's my dream to become a writer someday."

Professor Violet glanced at her student favorably as if she felt the vibe of ambition from the young teen, whose stature seemed a bit impressive.

'Not so tall, around 175 cm. He's moreno, tanned face, but a bit of a boyish handsome with bright eyes. But his body is sturdy. He seems to have been working in the mountains at a young age with his build and complexion.' The professor made a silent evaluation of the young man who donned casual attire with a blue polo shirt and a pair of khaki pants.

"Oh, you may call me Rosler for short… hehe". Rosler added, which managed to startle her professor.

But instead of getting annoyed, Professor Violet was amused and gave a surprised laugh which also reverberated to the rest of the class.

"An ambitious budding writer. I like it." Professor Violet grimaced and she continued, "Why were you named Roseller?"

"My parents were flower farmers. When I asked my mama about my name, she told me that she wanted to name me Rose if I was a girl. But it turned out otherwise, which they only found out during my birth. So my parents named me Roseller as it seemed to be the name of a boy." The young man paused as he tried to eradicate the embarrassment of revealing more about his life.

After putting his shyness away, he continued, "Why is my name Roseller? It was a name they wanted for the child after the gains from growing and selling roses in my hometown. But I think there is more to it than what my parents revealed."

Roseller blushed as he repositioned on the chair. He did not want to see his professor's reaction after stating his answer about the origin of his name.

Professor Violet never made another inquiry after listening to Roseller's brief account. She thought the young man made quite a good impression.

As the class almost ended, the school bell began to ring and then reverberated to the rest of the campus, prompting new students, including the regular ones, to move to their next schedule or to take a lunch break.

Prior to letting the students depart from the classroom, the professor informed them that they had to prepare for the next class schedule where she would hand down their syllabus for their course.

That ended their first class on the morning of their first year in college.

Before Roseller took his exit from the class, he was bumped amiably by Justin, who invited him for lunch, which the former agreed to.

Though their first class would take 1 hour and 30 minutes, it was already noon when they got out of it.

Right after their first meeting, they hit it off immediately as if they were long-time friends.