Chapter 3

My name is Kylo Ren, and I am your new psychology teacher. I am way more qualified than a normal teacher, therefore the only way you're obliged to address me is as Professor Ren. Think of it as a preparation for your future if you think you have what it takes to attend a university.

"Psychology is one of your major subjects. I suggest you study hard because I will not make it easy for you. I hope you're smart enough to understand how important this year is. Some of you will cry for hours, not handling the stress, and eventually give up. If you don't want to have a future, then you might as well leave my class.

"Regularly, you will see me two times a week. One double lesson on Monday morning and the other double lesson on Wednesday afternoon. It's going to be a long and stressful year. I expect a lot from you, and I hope you will not disappoint me.

"In conclusion, let your final year begin."

And the Oscar for the best speech goes to...

For starters. Who the hell thought it was a good idea to name their child Kylo?

If you knew the tall man from the Cafe was about to be your psychology teacher before you entered the classroom, you would guess he teaches math or physics like Mr. Hux. Subjects that you hate with a passion. If you met him outside of school, you would think he's a lawyer or a business manager, but no. He had to be your psychology teacher. Or as he would prefer 'professor.'

Without a break, his speech bored itself into your memory. His deep voice showed no emotion... and that smirk. That goddamn smirk Professor Ren wore on his face like a false snake. He knew full well that in the end, no student in the class would make it out alive because of his poison that was spreading all over the air.

Professor Ren presented passionately for two hours straight through the frightening Stanford experiment and did not once take a break to sit down. He was dead serious when he said he wouldn't make it easy for you. He talked so fast that it was hard to listen to him and write notes at the same time.

After two unforgettable hours of psychology and two hours of English, it was finally lunchtime. The large dining hall resembled the interior of a church. The high stained windows filled the hall with bright colors. When you look up at the rounded roof with ribbed vaulting, you could feel getting lost in them.

You narrowed your gaze at your yellowish-green plate full of pasta, some peas, and chopped cucumber salad. "What do you know about Professor Ren except that he's new here?" you asked Rose, who was sitting across from you.

Every time the exit door opened, the chilly breeze filled the room and made her body shiver from time to time, yet she didn't pay attention. Instead of eating her cold soup that lay lonely on her plate, her eyes glued to the pages of a thick book with the title Dance of Thieves by Mary E. Pearson.

"Well," — she slammed her book with her eyes directed at you — "while I was in the restroom, I overheard a couple of girls giggling and talking about how a new tall, handsome teacher arrived from the United States. I assume the entire school talks now about Professor Ren. Oh, and I think they said something about him having taught at Stanford University or something like that. And as far as I have seen his hands, he's unmarried. Why are you asking?"

It didn't surprise you that a professor who thought so highly of himself switched from one private school to another. "I simply wonder what on earth he's doing here?" You leaned back and folded your arms over your chest. "You rarely see a two-meter-tall fridge walking through a school."

Rose's wrinkles appeared at the corners of her eyes, and she burst out laughing. From a distance, you noticed Finn approaching your table with his plate and another fellow behind him.

"There you are. Everyone, this is Poe Dameron, my new seat neighbor," Finn announced proudly, and took his seat next to Rose.

Poe sat next to you with a plate of roasted chicken and mushrooms. His nut-brown eyes matched his thick eyebrows, and with his three-day beard, it was easier to misinterpret him as an attractive young teacher.

"I didn't expect our English teacher to let us call her by her first name," Poe started the conversation with a husky and hypnotic voice.

"Yeah, a teacher rarely does that," you replied. "Sometimes, I forget that Ms. Rey is a teacher and not a student." A broad smile appeared on your face as your mind switched to her.

Ms. Rey was a young and lovely human being. Although she had only been teaching for five years, she knew her field. Nobody cared more about the student's mental health than her. Her British accent sounded much more pleasant than Mr. Hux's. The second he opened his mouth, only those who knew how to speak his language in mathematics and physics could catch up with his lesson. The only one in class who paid attention to Mr. Hux's lesson was Rose, whose biggest dream was to become a mechanic.

"Hey, isn't that our psycho teacher?" Poe claimed, looking behind his back with his face pointed towards the front door. "What's his name again, Raynal? Looks like he found himself a friend."

"It's Ren," Rose corrected. "The man next to him is Mr. Hux, our math teacher. Maybe you'll like him." Her tone was full of hope, trying to get Poe on the side of science.

You took a big sip of your glass when you heard Professor Ren's surname.

"Okay, they are on their way to the exit door," Finn muttered, and narrowed his head. "Don't draw attention."

You told yourself not to look at your psychology teacher, which you also didn't when Poe called him by the wrong name. The least you wanted was for him to see you, but your mind lost control over your body.

You tried to resist, but your gaze fell backward when you saw him coming towards you like the sea about to touch the land. All the students stared at him as if he were Superman, who crossed the path through the cameras. Only a cape was missing. Compared to him, Mr. Hux looked like a tiny insect who had nothing on the man next to him.

Professor Ren's wavy hair flew back when someone opened the exit door and the wind flew in. The timing was like in the movies.

It was just like in Pride & Prejudice when Mr. Darcy approached Miss Bennet in the cold, misty dawn. In other modern romantic movies, everything would spin in slow motion. The people around would disappear, and the camera would zoom at Person A, who had a relaxed face that didn't express any emotions, so it was impossible to read what they were thinking. Nobody knew if they were angry or happy as they got closer to Person B. Then there was Person B, who gazed at Person A just like you always did in the restaurant when you saw the server arriving with your food.

While you were still observing Professor Ren, you put your fork with the chopped cucumber salad in your mouth. As you tried to swallow, you felt the urge to grab your neck. The metal fork fell on the ground, and you felt a fullness in your ears. Your eyes popped out, and your loud coughing brought attention to Mr. Hux and Professor Ren, which made them stop right next to your table with a questionable look at you as you watched your life pass before your eyes.

Your eyes filled up with tears, feeling the discomfort in your sorrowful throat. Poe tried to slap your back with all his strength, which was a sympathetic gesture, yet only made it worse. When you coughed with full force one last time, you felt a relief finally being able to swallow it correctly.

Rose held your glass of water in front of you, which you kindly accepted, and took a large sip of. Your dry mouth needed the fresh water to calm yourself down, as you slowly found the correct rhythm to breathe.

"Miss [Y/Surname]," Mr. Hux said with an amused tone and an evil sneer. "You aren't seriously trying to choke on your vegetables just so I will let you go to the nurse during my lesson, are you?"

"No, Sir, how could I," you responded mockingly and looked up in his forest-green eyes. "I would rather die from it, then enter your class."

There was a reason Mr. Hux was one of the most disliked teachers at school. With his orange hair, pale skin color, and style of clothes, students compared him with a blood-sucking creature. Not only was he bad at teaching, but in communicating as well. He used to yell at students who struggled to understand and embarrassed them in front of the entire class by calling them many hurtful words.

Professor Ren turned his face to Mr. Hux's right side, trying to hide a smirk so Mr. Hux wouldn't notice.

Hux returned his gaze to Professor Ren with a dubious look, as if he hoped support would come from him, yet Professor Ren turned his expressionless face back to you and did nothing. His moist eyes peered at you as he nodded in encouragement, which gave you the impression that he had corresponded with your comeback.

"Careful, [Y/Surname]," Mr. Hux warned, looking at you with a stony gaze. "Not that one day, your mouth is going to be the reason you get thrown out of this school before you graduate."

"Don't worry, Mr. Hux." You crossed your legs, looking up at him with a fake smile and your glass of water in your right hand. "I'm pretty sure you're not the only one who thinks that way."

When the water touched your lips again, you licked them slowly, enjoying every drop as your eyes turned to Professor Ren, who had both hands stuck in his pockets. Mr. Hux faked a broad smile and glanced at you with a long, sharp look before he disappeared through the exit door with your psychology teacher behind.

You thanked Poe and looked at Finn, who had a long face and one raised eyebrow. "What did I say about not drawing attention, Chipmunk?"

"Oh right, I'm so sorry, Finn," you grumbled. "Next time, when I choke on something, I'll try to do it in silence."

"I wonder what conditioner Professor Ren uses to make his hair so shiny," Rose remarked out of nowhere.

You all laughed, forgetting Mr. Hux's welcoming 'Back to School' greetings. Poe renewed the conversation by encouraging each member of the table to tell a funny story from their summer adventures until the bell rang once again to recall you to your last lesson.