BEL AND THE FOUR OF HEARTS

Five

Mr. Yudrov quickly gathered his things from the desk at the front of the classroom, his leather bag slung over his shoulder. The students in the class began to shuffle their papers and books, eagerly packing up their belongings as he exited the room.

Watching his back, I also stepped out of the room and followed behind him.

The hallway was bustling with students heading to their next classes, but I had my eyes set on Mr Yudrov. I walked fast, my heart pounding as I tried to catch up with him. I could see his figure in the distance, his long black jacket flowing behind him. I weaved in and out of people, my eyes focused on his back.

I quickened my pace, my feet tapping on the ground. He was the fastest walker ever, trust me.

"Mr Yudrov!" I called out, my voice echoing in the hallway. He turned around, a small smile on his lips.

"Why, hello there, Belinda," he said, his tone friendly.

I needed to get a clue if he sent me the post, but I had to choose my words carefully. After all, I had been specifically told to keep the matter of having received the post in the first place confidential. I didn't want to risk any potential trouble by revealing the information to the wrong person.

Mr Yudrov was just a staff member; didn't wield enough influence to prepare those documents and also influence the board.

But I had a feeling that Mr Yudrov was the kind of person who would send me the post. Of course, I couldn't be so sure, but I just couldn't completely rule him out.

"Wow, Mr Yudrov. You don't seem surprised to see me back. Not quite the expression I imagined on your face when your favorite student returns."

Yudrov smiled amusedly, still walking. "Favorite student?"

I rolled my eyes. "Duh, I know you're not going to admit it. But back to my question, why weren't you surprised to see me?"

He climbed up a short flight of stairs, and I followed quickly behind.

I stumbled and nearly fell, I felt a strong force holding me up. It was like an invisible hand pressing down on my chest, keeping me from hitting the ground. The sensation was both eerie and comforting at the same time.

I looked up at him, seeing how he held out his index and middle fingers towards me. Obviously the one who stopped me midway from hitting my face on the ground.

"Still as clumsy,” he commented, slowly releasing his hand.

The force holding me up gradually released its grip, and I took a step back, feeling a little unsteady on my feet.

I was grateful for his quick reflexes, but I couldn't help feeling a little embarrassed for almost tripping in front of him.

"Thanks" I said, brushing off my skirt, as I followed him.

"But how did you do that without a wand?"

He wiggled his fingers, revealing the wooden ring on his middle finger,

"It's made of Pognate wood. Just as good as a wand."

Pognate wood was commonly used to make wands. It was a type of wood that possessed magical properties and could channel magic more efficiently than other woods.

But wands could be made from absolutely anything, depending on the skill and preference of the wandmaker or user. Some other materials one might typically see being used to make wands included unicorn hair, phoenix feather, dragon heartstring, and various types of wood like oak, holly, and ebony.

“Mr Yudrov always with the coolest stuff," I smiled, impressed.

I also saw him smile at my comment.

He suddenly stopped walking and turned to me.

"Why are you still following me?" he asked, his expression now unreadable.

I quickly remembered why I was following him in the first place.

"Oh…yeah, I was asking why you didn't seem surprised to see me. It was almost as if you knew I'd be coming back," I explained, trying to keep my tone casual.

Yudrov's face softened slightly.

"The documents you submitted to the school reached the table of the staff board too, you know. I was quite surprised then, but now, should I act surprised again, maybe fly?" he added sarcastically before continuing to walk.

As he walked away, I couldn't help but think that maybe he wasn't the one.

"You should get back to your next class, Belinda. It should be starting any minute now. You don't want to be skipping classes on your first day back," he advised.

He was right.

I nodded and stopped following him, watching his calm strides as moved with such ease and confidence, like he had zero worries. His long jacket flayed gently behind him as he walked, almost like a cape.

I took a deep breath and turned to go my way too.

I bumped my head into someone's chest, stumbling backward and clutching my head in pain.

"Ow," I muttered, rubbing my forehead.

Looking up my eyes fell on the face of a tall, muscular guy. He had a chiseled jawline and piercing blue eyes that were staring back at me

I couldn't help but notice how hard, sturdy, and wide his chest was as I hit it. It was like hitting a wall.

"Watch where you're going," he said in a deep voice.

I felt his hands on my slender arms, holding me in place as he looked down at me. I felt a shiver run down my spine for a second at his touch, and I couldn't help but look up into his eyes. They were a deep, intense blue, and seemed to be looking right through me. I felt a flutter in my chest, my heart beating faster as I tried to gather my thoughts.

I could smell his cologne, a musky scent that was both intoxicating and familiar. As he held me, his eyes never left mine, and I couldn't help but feel like he was reading my thoughts.

"Sorry," I mumbled, still rubbing my forehead as I made my eyes trail slowly away from his face.

Down to his chest again. Haha! What are you doing, Belinda?

"You okay?" he asked, his voice softer this time.

I snapped out of my daze and nodded quickly.

"Yeah, I'm fine," she said, straightening up.

"Just wasn't paying attention."

As I stepped back from his grip, I took a closer look at his face. Recognition hit me like a ton of bricks - it was Keisha's boyfriend! The one I saw kissing her in the elevator.

I felt a sudden wave of irritation wash over me.

I took a step back, pulling my arms away from his grip. I gave him a cold stare.

My irritation didn't subside. I couldn't shake off the image of him kissing Keisha in the elevator, and now he was here, grabbing me like that?

Making my insides run different stunts like that?

I took a deep breath and looked at him again,

"You didn't have to grab me like that though," I said, my voice laced with annoyance.

"Oh…sorry. I just wanted to—”

What perfect timing.

I turned to see Keisha walking towards us, her expression furious. I could tell she was jealous just by the look on her face. It was obvious she was angry about the guy being here with me, but for some reason, I loved seeing her like that. It made her seem vulnerable, more human.

I couldn't explain why I felt that way, but I couldn't help it. Maybe it was because I was still angry with Keisha, or the fact she used to be one to never let anything get to her. But seeing her like this, with her emotions on full display, made me realize that she was just like everyone else.

She stopped in front of us and looked at the guy, then at me.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, her tone sharp.

I smirked and looked at her, enjoying the power I had over her at that moment.

"Oh, do you own the school now? That I have to give you an answer to why I'm standing in a random corridor of the school we BOTH attend?" I replied, my voice dripping with sarcasm.

Keisha scowled at me, then turned to the guy.

"Come on," she said, grabbing his arm and pulling him away.

As Keisha pulled the guy away, I quickly reached out and slapped his butt, wanting to gauge his reaction. To my surprise, he looked back at me with a glint of acceptance in his eyes. Keisha was too preoccupied with her anger to notice what I had done.

A mischievous thought crossed my mind as I realized— He could be the perfect ticket to getting under Keisha's skin. It was time to have a little fun.

I never took you to be a bad person, Belinda.