Between Silence and Spotlight

“Class keep quiet and listen to what this new girl has to say,” Mr Wilson announced as he walked into the classroom with a girl beside him. The noise immediately died down. He was the homeroom teacher of the Year 12 students. The new girl has her face covered with a pitta mask, and a baseball cap—only her eyes are revealed, making it impossible for anyone to know what she looks like. “Hello everyone, I'm Johnson Grace,” she said softly. “And I look forward to spending time together and creating lovely memories,” Then, a round of applause followed. “You're welcome… but why are you covering your face though?” a guy named Hudson asked from the back. “Yeah, are you hiding from us?” a girl with a ponytail hair added. “Are you afraid of us?” another girl asked in a mockery tone. Her seatmate whispered something in her ear and they both burst out laughing. They were twin sisters. “The DDs are at it again,” a girl said from the middle row. The twins shot her a deadly glare, and with a huff, she turned back to face the front. The questions kept coming and Grace was getting uncomfortable already. “Okay that's enough ladies and gents. It's not compulsory for any of you to see her face,” Mr Wilson said, and silence erupted the classroom. He scanned the classroom for an empty seat and spotted one beside a guy in the middle row. “Go seat beside Jack,” he instructed “Thank you sir,” Grace bowed a bit before heading to the seat. “That's Matilda's seat!” a girl on the next seat pointed out. “Matilda's not coming back. Stop living in the past!” someone snapped from the back. “Quiet!” Mr Wilson barked, and silence fell instantly. “Grace have your seat. The lecture will begin soon.” She sat down beside Jack. “Hi,” she said softly. He had an earbud in, listening to music. He glanced at her briefly and gave a small nod, his expression blank. Grace released a silent scoff and she focused on the books she was arranging in the locker. “Alright guys, all set. Have a nice day y'all,” Mr Wilson said, and he left. “Hey anonymous girl,” Harper called out. “Would you remove the mask and let's see your face?” Grace ignored her as she continued unpacking her bags. Harper rolled her eyes in disgust, and just then, the English teacher came in. “Good morning class,” Miss Charlotte, the English teacher greeted. “Good morning Miss Charlotte,” the students responded. “Okay, let's continue from where we stopped—” she took a quick glance at her laptop. “Actually, I was supposed to send this to the you guys but the principal asked me to come here in person, so here we go. In our last class…” Grace turned her head slowly to take a close look at Jack, and she gasped silently. She hadn't noticed him properly, and now that she had, it was impossible not to. No wonder the girls were throwing daggers at her. He was so handsome. Effortlessly cool. She noticed his physique, the quiet confidence he carried, the faint scent of his cologne, his sharp jawline. ‘Isn't this too fast?’ she thought She was still absentmindedly drooling when her pen fell. The moment she bent to pick it up, Jack also did the same, and so their heads collided. “Ouch!” she winced softly “Sorry—I wanted to help you pick it up,” Jack said. His voice sounded so calm as if he was choosing his words. “Thank you,” she found herself muttering, slowly sitting back. Jack nodded twice before handing the pen to her. The class continued. 45 minutes later, a blaring sound came from the upper side of the electronic board, signalling the end of the class. “Alright guys, have a wonderful day,” Miss Charlotte said before leaving the class. The classroom started to get noisy, until the electronic board came on and a male teacher appeared on the screen. The lecture started shortly. Everything was going smoothly until the teacher sighted Grace. “Are you new here?” he asked “Yes sir,” Grace replied respectfully “Oh,” he paused for a moment, and his gaze shifted to Jack, then back to Grace. “Matilda's seat is finally occupied after a long time,” he finally said. Jack's eyes suddenly flicked to the seat. A shadow of memory crossed his expression, unmistakable. Matilda's seat. —At the prime minister's residence— The house is literally the biggest in the neighborhood. Its intricate architecture, elegant chandeliers, and ornate furnitures gave out an air of sophistication that left visitors in awe. The workers were doing their business, and the guards were taking turns in patrol. Inside the house, the prime minister, Lachlan Smith was in his study, going through some documents. He literally spends most of his time in the study. He was so engrossed in the work that he didn't notice his phone ringing. The ringtone became louder which jolted him back to reality. It was his son's therapist. “Hello Minister,” the therapist called from the other end of the call. “What's up Isla?” “I'm fine sir—” she paused, and there was utmost silence “Talk to me Isla, what's the problem?” Lachlan said, when he sensed her restlessness. “Okay, so Minister the thing is,” she cleared her throat, “Jack has not been coming for his therapy session,” “What?!” Lachlan exclaimed. He was so shocked. “Yes sir,” “How long has this been going on?” Lachlan found himself asking. “It's been a month now,” Isla replied in a shaky voice. “My God!” a few seconds silence followed. “Why are you just telling me?” he finally asked “I'm sorry sir, I didn't know how to tell you,” “You know what, I'll talk to you later,” and with that, Lachlan ended the call. He angrily threw his phone and it landed on the sofa. He ran his fingers through his black hair in frustration. “F*ck!” he cussed out loud, pacing back and forth. He seemed extremely restless. —Back at the school— The alarm for break came few minutes ago, and almost all the students were out of the class already. Grace was going through a notebook, when the DDs came to her. “Hey anonymous,” Harper called with a smirk on her face. Hazel was standing beside her, with her arms folded like she came to fight. Grace closed the book and threw it in the locker. “Hi—and you are?” she asked, while gazing directly into Harper's eyes. Harper took a quick glance at her sister and they both snickered. “What's that for?” “It's the guts for me.” Grace kept looking at them. “Anyways,” Harper muttered, leaning on Grace's locker. She looked straight into Grace's eyes, and when she noticed that Grace was unshaken, she stood straight. “Nevermind. And listen, let me promise you one thing… you'll not last long here with your face covered. It's either you reveal your identity now or—” “Or what?” Grace barked as she stood up. “Or I'll rip that stupid mask off your face,” “You won't try such,” they heard a voice said. It was Jack. He had a novel he was reading from, and he wasn't even looking at them.