Chapter 15 - beyond the boundary

"Tristin, may I have a word with you?" Miss Megan asked just before the bell signaled the end of the school day. The last class for Tristin was math, taught by Miss Megan.

"Of course, Miss Megan," Tristin replied, following her outside the classroom.

"Tristin, I've already talked to Thomas. I'm positive he won't cause trouble for you after today," Miss Megan said, looking at Tristin with a hint of shyness.

"Thanks, Miss Megan, and sorry to trouble you," Tristin said gratefully. He knew Thomas wasn't a real threat and that he'd be a fool to cause trouble for any student now. Thomas's days of glory were over, but he didn't mention that to Miss Megan.

"It's what I should do," Miss Megan said with a smile. "Tristin, I have to go now. I'll be supervising the student representative committee's meeting to remove Thomas from his position as president."

"Alright, Miss Megan. Enjoy the show. Oh, by the way, Miss Megan… you look beautiful today," Tristin said, looking into her eyes.

Tristin wasn't lying. Her casual skinny jeans, torn just a little above the knee, teased the smooth yellow skin of her thigh. The stylish white short-sleeve shirt and high heels gave Miss Megan a youthful yet adult charm that was truly intoxicating for a 17-year-old.

Miss Megan's face turned red. She looked down, trying to hide her shyness. She had dressed up specially for Tristin but didn't expect him to have the courage to compliment her. The age difference might not be an issue, but the boundary between a teacher and a student was huge.

When a student is beautiful, the teacher won't say that out loud. It might affect the student negatively. The same goes for teachers. Students can't just compliment teachers; it might disturb the student-teacher relationship, but Tristin didn't care about that. He felt he had to compliment her.

"Thank you, Tristin," Miss Megan said while still looking down, then turned and left. She was happy her efforts weren't pointless, but she couldn't stay and talk more. She might say something inappropriate.

Tristin didn't linger; he headed straight back to the classroom. His mind was racing, barely registering the noise of students packing up around him. The school drama was entertaining, sure, but it paled in comparison to the questions gnawing at him.

As he approached Zinhle, his thoughts swirled with confusion and urgency. Why did that old homeless man ask me about the leviathan? His brow furrowed, the memory of the man's piercing gaze making his stomach churn. What did he know? And then that dream... sinking into darkness... Could the storm really be caused by a leviathan? The vivid images of the dream flashed through his mind, making him shiver.

His eyes darted around, searching for Zinhle. He needed answers, and he hoped her grandmother could provide them. But why me? Why now? He clenched his fists, trying to steady himself. The mysterious connection between the old man's question, his dream, and the storm felt too real to ignore.

Lerato and Zinhle were busy packing their things. Lerato had returned to her cheerful self. As they talked, Tristin appeared.

"Lerato, I'm glad to see you smile again. It suits you," Tristin said as he arrived, then looked at Zinhle and continued, "Zinhle, did you manage to ask your grandma?"

Tristin saw that Lerato wanted to say something, probably ask if he had helped her, but he didn't give her a chance. It wasn't necessary to explain to Lerato right now.

"Yeah, I did ask, and she agreed to see you. We can go now if you don't have other plans," Zinhle said, excited but a bit nervous. It would be her first time bringing a boy home. Knowing her cousins, she might be teased for the rest of the week.

"Great, I don't have any plans today. Let's go then," Tristin said with anticipation before he went to get his things.

Lerato was a bit confused by the two. "When did they become so close?" she asked herself.

"Lead the way, Zinhle," Tristin said, gesturing to the door.

As the two were about to leave, Lerato felt compelled to ask, "Zinhle, what's going on?"

"Tristin needed help with something, and I promised to help him," Zinhle said, feeling a little guilty. She could tell that Lerato might be interested in Tristin. During lunch, a lot of students said bad things about her, and she didn't care, but she cared about how Tristin thought of her.

Without enough reasons to stop them, Lerato didn't insist anymore.

As the two left, Lerato headed to the student committee meeting. On the way, she bumped into Ella, who was also headed there.

"I didn't think you would grace us with your presence, Madam Lerato," Ella said with a smile.

"I couldn't let you hog all the fun, could I, Madam Ella? Or should I say President Ella?" Lerato teased.

Ella chuckled. "Don't count your chickens before they hatch. Thomas is still a huge force. Don't underestimate him."

"Yeah, you're right. Anyway, thanks for what you did for me during lunchtime," Lerato said gratefully.

"Sure, but you can thank Tristin for that. I didn't do much," Ella said, then sighed. "Where is Tristin anyway? We're in this mess because of him."

Lerato finally relaxed a bit. After analyzing the comments and hearing Ella confirm it, she breathed easy knowing she didn't owe Ella too much.

"He left with Zinhle," Lerato said, looking a bit troubled.

"Huh? You don't say. Since when could Zinhle talk to strangers?" Ella asked, surprised.

"I was as shocked as you are. But since she had an intense talk with Tristin this morning, she's been like a different person. She even chewed out David during lunch when he came to inform me about the meeting," Lerato said.

"Well, Tristin does have that effect on people. It's easier to talk to him," Ella said, unbothered by the fact Tristin had left with Zinhle.

"Aren't you a bit jealous, or do you underestimate Zinhle?" Lerato asked, raising her eyebrows.

"It's not that I underestimate Zinhle or you, even. It's more that I trust Tristin. After all, there's no one who knows Tristin better than I do at this school," Ella said confidently.

Lerato was amazed by Ella's trust in Tristin.

Soon, the two arrived at the student committee office. Almost all members were present except for Thomas. Miss Megan also arrived, but Thomas was still nowhere near the meeting. With Miss Megan's arrival, the students had no choice but to start the meeting.