Chapter 6: First Impressions
The first school bell rang just as Noir spotted a group of students near the front steps. Their chatter filled the air, a strange mix of excitement and grogginess.
" Ok....let's get this over with." He took a deep breath, willing himself to be brave. This was it, his first real chance to talk to someone his age.
With that in mind, He approached a boy wearing a hoodie and glasses, his voice hesitant but eager. "Hey! Uh, I'm Noir. I—"
Before he could finish, the morning bell rang louder than he expected, cutting through the noise. Like clockwork, the students turned and hurried inside, their conversations already shifting to the first period, including the boy Noir was about to talk to.
Noir stood frozen, watching them disappear into the massive building.
"…Uh" he mumbled.
Left alone in the rapidly emptying courtyard. " I guess I should head in too, wouldn't want sis nagging me about being late for the first day of school..." he sighed and followed the last few stragglers inside.
---
East Ridge's high school building was like a maze. Long, sterile hallways stretched in multiple directions, filled with lockers, posters, and the occasional janitor cart.
Noir walked with his schedule gripped tightly in one hand, his eyes scanning every room he passed.
9th grade Music class…
10th grade Arts and Craft class…
Guidance counselors office…
"Where is it?" he muttered, wishing he could just sniff out his classroom.
After what felt like ages of walking up, down, forward and backward, he finally stopped in front of 11th grade class 2B. He took a deep breath, adjusted his collar, and stepped inside.
The moment he entered, thirty pairs of eyes turned toward him.
He hesitated but remembered what his mother told him " Just have fun ok."
"Ah, you must be the new student," the teacher, an older man with graying hair and glasses." I'm mister Garcia, Your homeroom teacher, Welcome to East Ridge High." He then gestured toward Noir. "And you are?."
"N-Noir...my name's Noir" Noir found himself stuttering due to nervousness.
A smile tugged at Mister Garcia's lips.
"Well Noir, Care to introduce yourself to the rest of the class."
Noir nodded and stepped forward, turning to face the rest of the clas. He then cleared his throat.
' Mom said I should always try to make a good first impression.' he thought, suprisenly his expression suddenly straightened out, his golden eyes looking calm yet mesmerizing, his back standing straight while his school uniform suddenly rubbed against his skin, showing off his detailed stunning physique beneath his clothing as he stared calmly at the rest of the class.
The rest of the class were a bit stunned to see such a sudden change, some of them even felt as if the nervous student before them was now covered in an air of nobility for some reason.
" My name is Noir Freeman and I look forward to studying with all of you." he said with a stiff yet charming smile.
Murmurs spread through the class almost immediately.
"He's so tall…"
"Whoa, he's kinda hot." A few of the class girls felt completely smitten.
"Did he just say Noir?, What kind of name is that?" A class boy who's eyes were filled with envy muttered to his seat mate.
' I've introduced myself so now I should find a seat right?.' Noir ignored the whispers and glanced around for an empty seat. He spotted one near the front and made his way toward it.
' finally...' he let out a breath, relieved to finally sit down.
The moment he did, to his confusion, the murmurs grew louder.
" Did he just?.'
"Does he not know?"
"Oh man, he's in trouble."
"Didn't anyone tell him that's Harley's seat!"
' Huh?, what are they talking about?.' Though they were whispering amongst themselves, to Noir who's senses were hundreds of times greater than a humans, it felt as if they were all talking directly into his ears.
" Ok, I think that's about enough excitement everyone...settle down."
Before Noir could ask what they meant, the teacher clapped his hands, signaling the start of class.
Yet the very next moment, The class door slammed open, and in strolled a girl with wild red hair tied in a loose ponytail. A pair of ripped jeans and a leather jacket that completed her rebellious look.
She had an air of confidence or to be specific, no ownership, as if the classroom belonged to her, strolling in without even glancing at Mister Who now had a scowl on his face as soon as his eyes landed on her.
" Look who finally decided to join us..." Mister Garcia's said with obvious sarcasm yet the girl still didn't spare him a glance which irritated him further, instead she glanced round the class only for her eyes to squint in surprise which soon turned to annoyance when it landed on Noir.
"The hell do you think you're doing?" she snapped.
Noir blinked. "Um… sitting?" he replied, wondering whether it was rule that new students had to stand during class.
The class tensed. Some students turned away, pretending not to notice. Others leaned in, eager for drama.
" Miss Quinn, please take your seat and stop disrupting the class!." Mister García suddenly raised his voice a little, seemingly nearing his tipping point.
"That's my seat," Harley continued to ignore García as she said, stepping closer to Noir.
Noir shifted, about to stand, but the teacher cut in. "Harley, take a seat at the back. We've discussed this already before your arrival." his voice a bit hurried as if he wanted to see the ever unruly Harley bend to his will for once in her life.
Harley's glare turned toward the teacher. "What?"
Seeing her obvious enraged look aimed at him, a visible grin creeped onto mister Garcia's face as he said. "You're sitting in the back from now on. Your behavior last semester left me no choice, I can't afford to waist my time on you since it's obvious your unwilling to learn, so why not give it to someone more eager." he said glancing at Noir who retained his blank look, still wondering what was actually going on.
A tense silence followed, similar to a grave yards pin drop silence.
Harley clenched her jaw. Her fists curled at her sides. But then she scoffed and turned on her heel, marching toward the back row.
Seeing her take her seat, Noir unconsciously exhaled. 'That was...weird, is school usually like this?.' he wondered.
_________________________________________
Moments later, Class commenced, in the blink of an eye, Mister Garcia had thought several subjects.
Scene: The Literature Challenge
The classroom was filled with the rhythmic scratching of pencils against paper as the teacher droned on about literary themes. Noir was focused, absorbing every word, when suddenly, the teacher stopped speaking and turned to the class.
"Alright," the teacher said, tapping his fingers against the desk. "Let's see who's been paying attention. Someone tell me—what is the central theme of 'The Hollow Crown' by William Spencer?"
A hush fell over the room. A few students lowered their heads, pretending to take notes. Others exchanged nervous glances.
Unlike everyone else, Harley saw this an opportunity.
"Why don't we have see if the new guy can handle this," she said, feigning innocence. "Hey New kid, why don't you answer, I'm sure someone deserving of dear old mister Garcia's attention should be able to answer something as easy as this?"
The teacher glared at Harley but still turned to Noir, curious as to whether this new student of his could actually solve this question of his. "Well, Noir?, Care to give it a try?"
Noir blinked, then looked at the board. The question was about literature, something he had studied thoroughly at home, plus, unlike the others, he was actually paying serious attention earlier.
At first he just didn't want the chance his parents and sister had given him to study, but the more Mister Garcia taught, the more he found himself sucking in all the knowledge, his beast brain didn't feel like a massive sponge but a little black hole that devoured all the info without rest!.
He actually enjoyed the feeling of learning.
Noir straightened in his seat. Taking a deep breath, he began.
"The Hollow Crown explores the illusion of power," Noir said, his voice steady.
" Correct , looks like you were–" Mister Garcia was in the midst of congratulating him when Noir cut him off and continued, clearly not done with his explanation.
"The books tells about King Aldred, a ruler who appears strong but is actually controlled by the nobles around him. The book shows that power isn't just about having a crown, it's about who actually holds influence."
" The title itself is symbolic. The 'crown' is hollow because it has no real substance. Aldred wears it, but he doesn't own his authority. His decisions are shaped by those manipulating him from behind the scenes which is why my answer was the illusion of power." Noir ended his explanation and took his seat.
The room was suddenly thrown into silence.
Seeing this, Noir glanced around, confused by the lack of response. Had he said something wrong again?, he wondered.
' I actually struck a gold mine this time around!!!!, Who knew I'd get such a brilliant student at the start of the session hahahaha!!!.' Mister Garcia celebrated inwardly.
The teacher cleared his throat, nodding slowly. "That… was an excellent answer." He adjusted his glasses causing them to gleam slightly. "Not only did you capture the book's theme, but you also analyzed the title's symbolism. Good job." Mister Garcia wasn't one to be stingy with praise.
' Yes I got a good job!!!!, I gotta tell mom when I get home!!!' Noir was all smiles which seamed to compliment his teachers gaze of approval.
Murmurs rippled through the class.
"Damn, that was kinda impressive."
"I didn't even read the book, but now I get it."
Harley, who had been expecting Noir to embarrass himself, scowled.
A chuckle sounded from behind Noir. "Damn, dude. Where'd you learn all that?"
Noir turned to see an Asian boy with spiky black hair, glasses, and a wide grin.
"Oh, I was homeschooled," Noir said, straightening in his seat. "My parents are amazing teachers." he said with a beaming smile at the thought of Gregory and Anna.
The boy smiled wryly seeing Hours blinding smile, feeling awkward he cleared his throat and said. "Name's Jerry. It's really cool to have someone smart around."
Noir grinned. " Thanks, My names Noir, it's a pleasure to meet you." He replied back.
---
The Class soon commenced like before but Noir continued to impress in every class, much to Harley's increasing frustration.
But then came Biology.
The teacher posed a complex question about genetics, something Noir was only vaguely familiar with. He hesitated yet Before he could even attempt to answer, Harley spoke up, much to his surprise.
Even more shocking , her answer was flawless.
Going as far as to explaine the concept with ease, breaking it down in a way that even some students struggled to follow.
' Woah... she's so smart.'
Noir stared backwards, stunned. The class, however, remained unfazed as if this was a normal occurrence.
"Of course, Harley nailed it," someone whispered.
"She's scary good at biology," another added.
" I heard she actually has her own lab at home and some say she's mostly late to class because she stays up all night conducting weird experiments."
" That would explain the dark eyes and her crazy personality." A few students took their time to gossip during class.
Noir innocently took some of their words to heart yet the more he knew, the more he found her pleasing to the eye, it was his first time seeing someone else as dedicated to learning as him.
' Idiots, every single one of them...' Harley grumbled inwardly at their undisguised words yet when she noticed Noirs admiration filled gaze. ' What's his problem, why's he staring at me like that...' she frowned not knowing how to react.
For the first time that day, Noir was the one left speechless.
---
During lunch break, Noir decided to make amends.
He left his class and found Harley in the hallway, walking alone.
"Hey!" he called, jogging up to her.
She turned, already frowning. "What do you want?"
"I just wanted to say sorry for, uh, taking your seat," he said, rubbing the back of his head. "I didn't know—"
Harley rolled her eyes. "Whatever, it's yours now so get lost already." She moved to walk past him, but Noir instinctively stepped in her path.
The moment was too sudden. Harley tried to shove him aside but lost her footing.
Everything slowed.
Her arms flailed. Her foot caught against the tiled floor. Then, she fell.
A loud thud echoed through the hall.
The next moment, Laughter quickly erupted as the other students laughed at the scene.
Harley's face turned bright red from embarrassment as she hurried to get back on her feet.
Noir's eyes widened. "Oh no! I—I didn't mean—"
" Just stay away from me ok!." She yelled as she shot up, fists clenched, eyes burning with fury.
" Dam@#"*'$##" He barely caught her muttered curse before she stormed away, shoving past onlookers.
Noir groaned. ' That didn't go well…'
---
' I might as well just enjoy my lunch ' Noir thought as he returned to the classroom, exhausted.
He pulled out his lunch, a homemade meal Molly had packed, and sighed.
Maybe he wasn't cut out for this school thing after all he mumbled to himself.
"Mind if I sit here?"
Noir looked up to see Jerry, already sitting down beside him with his own lunch.
The boy grinned, popping open a packet of Pocky. "So, what's your deal?, You some kinda genius or something?"
Noir shook his head, chuckling. "Not really...if I had to say anything I think I was just… well-taught."
Jerry nodded. "Cool, cool. Hey, you play video games?"
Noir blinked. " No not really, why'd you ask?"
Jerry gasped dramatically. "Dude you can't be serious, Who doesn't play video games!."
" Are you sure your alive?!"
" This can't be happening, your telling me you've never played God of War, Mario, Sonic the hedgehog, Summer time saga?, Subway surfers?!...."
Watching Jerry go on and on about games, For the first time that day, Noir laughed. Thinking to himself that Maybe high school wasn't all bad after all.