Love and Latin

CHAPTER 1

The air around Alora smelled expensive.

Dusted with the lavish scents of million dollar cars and wealth. All around her, rich kids who didn't have to worry about a scholarship sat.

Latin class was her least favourite. Her tumbling grades had nothing to do with her inability to understand the language but had everything to do with her lack of interest for it. Rich people and their dead languages.

When the clock struck 4:34pm, a boy walked in without so much as a knock first, and went straight to the empty seat behind her.

"Silas, so nice of you to join us. You are aware you've missed half the class, yes?" The teacher, Mrs. Porter, chastened. She was one of those tight hair, tight skirt, put together type of teachers. Alora's favourite past time in this class was trying to guess her age which seemed to change every day. Today she looked 40, yesterday was 26.

"Noli me prohibere te." Silas responds. Don't let me stop you. The smirk on his face lets the teacher know he'll do it again and there are two reasons he gets away with it. One: he's the best in the class, always, and two: he's Silas Lane. His last name is reason enough to let him do what he wants.

Rumour is his father bought the school, or the principal, or the whole state of North Carolina before he died, or was killed, or killed himself.

"Don't be late again." She says, because she has to not because she means it.

Class persists and for the remaining minutes, Alora recalls the little interactions she's had with Silas all throughout high school. Once, he asked her for a pen in this very class. She remembered thinking about how handsome he was. Tall, ink black hair and his eyes a dark blue. He wore his uniform with useless care and smelled like gasoline and high-priced cologne.

Alora promised herself that she would stay away from all boys at Abarcy Academy and that rule was especially meant for this type of boy. The boy with too many rumours to his name and a smile made for war.

When class was done and as she was packing up, Mrs. Porter says, "Alora, a moment."

Her heart sinks. She's never been told to stay behind by a teacher before, she kept her head down and followed the rules to avoid this exact situation.

"Yes, madam?" She asks, approaching the teacher's desk up front. There were a lot of curious glances as students exited the class which made Alora even more nervous.

"Alora, to cut it short, your grades are slipping dramatically in my class." Mrs. Porter cut it short.

Alora felt relief at this. She was expecting the news to be something terrible, like someone dying. She didn't much care for her Latin grades, after all, she was top student in all her other classes. "Is that all?"

"No." Mrs. Porter replies. Of course not. When it came to her life, there was always more bad news to be shared. "If you fail to maintain a B+ average this year, your scholarship will be revoked."

And there it was. Colour drained from her face as she recalled all the Ds and Fs on her report card among all the A+'s. If she fails this class, all that work would have been for nothing.

"The good news is I've assigned you a tutor." She goes on, much to Alora's surprise. "The details of your tutoring sessions are with the guidance counsellor."

With that said, Mrs. Porter exits the class, leaving Alora in the empty space, helpless and annoyed.

~*•~*•

The guidance counsellor was a bald man with a serial killer's face. Alora had been to his office before to discuss the future and finance. It was always the future and finance.

"Mr. Ross." Alora says by way of a greeting as she takes one of the seats in front of him. She had no time for pleasantries and he didn't seem to mind. "Mrs. Porter told me you were expecting me."

"Ah, yes, yes, Alora. Here." He hands her a single sheet of paper. "It contains your tutors name and contact information, as well as the times he's available to teach you."

The first thing Alora notices is the timetable itself, trying to figure out how she can squeeze these dreadful lessons into her already packed routine. The second thing she notices is his name.

Silas Lane.