III - I only know 'some' history
Felicia happened to be better company that one would expect from a beautiful blonde. The short time we spent talking I found out she had a deep taste for the fine arts in all of its forms and shapes, from music to poetry, going through sculpting and painting. I found a middle ground with her when talking about tales, mythology and history in general, but also when talking about regular life and teenager problems.
"Well, it was very nice talking to you. See you during break?" I asked, setting up the foundations for what would, at some point, turn into me asking her for a date. She smiled and I just had to smile back. I was having a deja vu from the previous day, but this time I actually took action on my testosterone talking.
"Sure, I'm glad I have someone to talk to on my first day." She said, her smile widening. Our day though, in spite of our ignorance at that moment, was just beginning. After guiding Felicia to the teacher's lounge so she could get acquainted with the homeroom teacher, I headed back to the class and sat down on the penultimate row, by the window. Five minutes later, lo and behold, the teacher arrived to the classroom with Felicia in tow.
"Good morning class. Today this class will have some novelty, besides reviewing the Celts." He said, and I already knew what he meant by that. After all, we had a new classmate.
"This one here is your new classmate starting today. Please introduce yourself and go sit... there, the empty seat beside Alan." The teacher continued without missing a beat. An instant later he was setting up his papers for the class while Felicia was left standing there, quite baffled by the teacher's attitude. Thankfully it wasn't that long of an awkward silence before she regained her bearings and started talking.
"Hello everyone, I'm Felicia Hardy and I hope we can get along for the rest of the year!" She introduced herself energetically. One would expect that, after the events of the morning, she would be scared or lacking in desire to meet new people. I really wanted to think that it was dure to our short conversation while I guided her through the school. By the time I finished thinking, she was already sitting beside me.
"Well, I guess destiny wants us to talk more often, don't you think?" I asked her jokingly, to which she chuckled softly and began asking me a few things about school and related stuff. I had to admit, talking so familiarly to the school's –probably– most beautiful girl on her first day was a nice feeling. And it also helped that our classmates were looking at me with envy.
"Ok everyone, let's begin today's History lesson!" Unfortunately, the teacher interrupted our small talk with the class. I really wanted to continue talking to Felicia, but I could do that during the break or even after school, so I wasn't that bothered by it.
The class was, as the teacher had said, about the Celts. Now, I certainly wasn't an expert on history, but I knew quite a lot about Celts, Egyptians, Greeks and Nordics, followed closely by Japanese, Chinese and Koreans –Chinese and Korean being basically the same myths– thanks to my obsession with mythology. There were also native american mythologies which I had studied for a bit, but not as in depth as those. Basically, I knew about any society before Christianity took over.
"Alan, in what period did the Celts live?" The teacher asked me, bringing me out of my thoughts. From the look on his face I could tell he wasn't that happy about me not paying attention. To the side, I could see Felicia smirking at me, thinking I was surely in trouble.
"The Celts lived during the late Bronze Age and the Iron Age, around the years 600 B.C to 43 A.D, give or take." I answered confidently, shocking not only the teacher and Felicia, but the entire class. I was known for being good at mythological quizzes and stuff, but knowing history was a completely different thing. But I disagreed; to know the Gods you need to know their people. And as such, I studied just a bit of history.
"Then please, can you tell me a few things about the Celts?" The teacher asked, his original surprise turning into pure joy. And I was more than happy to answer, I really liked talking about this kind of thing.
"Let's see, the Celts were nomadic people originally, until they began settling in tribes. Matter-of-factly, the Gaels, Gauls, Brittons, Irish and Galatians were all originally Celtic tribes. It is a known fact that Celts were warriors, as they beat the Romans in battle many times, but they also enjoyed the fine arts, passing their stories and tales from mouth to mouth and even writing much of it. Another less known fact to the populace is that they were Polytheists, but their mythology is less known than that of the Greek or Nordic. And finally, the Celts are though to have been well-groomed and quite clean, something many people nowadays should learn." I said slowly but clearly, earning a chuckle from most of the girls at my last joke –and groans from the boys. It was a weird flex, but one I enjoyed flexing.
"Well I didn't know you knew some history, Alan, but I am gladly surprised by this." The teacher said before continuing the class. I had made the class laugh, earned some cookie points with the History teacher and Felicia was looking quite impressed, so the outcome of me nerding out had been very positive.
*
After History class ended we had Math, something I loathed –much to Felicia's entertainment. And after that was the break, finally. I had been eagerly waiting to get back to my conversation with Felicia about why cats were the mightiest of pets, even though I really wanted an otter.
"This might sound rash, but seeing you nerd out about the Celts was actully hot." Was the first thing I heard after the bell rang. I was flabbergasted by the courage Felicia had to say that but, honestly, it just made me smug.
"Hey Felicia, why don't you stop wasting your time on the nerd and come with us to get lunch?" A guy who looked like the classical football team chad and, at the same time, like every douchebag I knew about before. I saw Felicia was about to cross him, but she didn't need to do anything. And surprisingly, neither did I.
One of the dudes I had beat up that same morning entered our classroom, so I simply stood up in front of the chad, whose name I didn't bother remembering. The goon, as soon as he saw me staring down the other guy, rushed towards him. Apparently, he was the actual ringleader among the schools delinquents.
"Don't mess with that girl or that guy. He beat seven of us up in the morning without breaking a sweat." The goon whispered, hoping no one heard him. Unluckily for him, my new powers came with a better hearing. Not even close to Daredevil's, but pretty close. The chad looked surprised when he heard that and looked at me in a new light. Then he turned around and ordered his other goons to leave.
"Let's go guys... she already has company." He said before leaving the classroom with haste. I looked at Felicia and smirked, doing my damn best to look smug.
"Ok, now you are much hotter, but drop the smug look, it doesn't suit you." She said honestly. I just chuckled, before smiling widely.
"Well, I only know 'some' history, so why don't we try and make history in the cafeteria?" I asked, clearly inviting her to have lunch with me. Felicia laughed out loud at that, and I didn't understand why until she finally calmed down.
"That was the weirdest invitation for lunch I have ever heard. It was funny, but I liked it." She said, making me seriously want to laugh too after I thought over what I had said. Afer that, we left the classroom and went to the cafeteria. The rest is history.