Book of Fate

William glanced at her briefly but walked straight through the gate without responding.

Daniella’s smile faded instantly.

“Maybe it’s just too early… maybe he’s not in the mood yet,” she whispered to herself, forcing a smile again as she headed inside the school.

When she got to the classroom, she quickly took her seat. Only a few students were there—William among them—and Bree hadn’t arrived yet. Since it was still early, Daniella rested her head on her arms while secretly watching William, who was busy reading a book.

It was as if William sensed her stare. He turned and caught her looking—but instead of looking away, Daniella smiled at him.

“Do you need something?” William asked lazily.

Daniella shook her head, still smiling.

William was about to go back to reading when he suddenly spoke again. “By the way, our tutoring starts during break later. We’ll do it in the garden—there are tables and benches there.”

Daniella nodded in agreement, her smile never fading.

---

Moments later, the bell rang. Students began pouring into the classroom. When their teacher entered, Daniella’s eyes widened in alarm.

“Second day of school and it’s already Sir Salvador?” she muttered, quickly grabbing a book and pretending to read, covering her face.

“Good morning, class!” the teacher greeted, scanning the room. He paused when he saw a student hiding behind a book.

“Excuse me! Can you put that book down? I haven’t even instructed you to use it yet,” he said sternly.

Daniella closed her eyes and sighed. She had no choice—she slowly lowered the book. The teacher squinted, recognizing her.

“So it’s you, Ms. Daniella Sanchez. I didn’t expect to be teaching you again in your final year.”

Daniella forced an awkward smile. She glanced at William, who was also looking at her.

“Nice seeing you again, sir,” she greeted with a strained smile.

“I thought you’d forgotten about me. There’ll be a quiz next week. I want to see if you still remember last year’s formulas. For now, pass your index cards with your name and section.”

He took his seat while the class murmured among themselves. Daniella frowned as she wrote on her card, sneaking a glance at William.

---

The class with Sir Salvador ended after introductions.

“Alright class, wait here for your next teacher. And Daniella, don’t forget about that quiz next week,” he reminded, looking directly at her before leaving the room.

Bree immediately rushed to Daniella’s side.

“Looks like you’ll be grilled by Sir Salvador again, Dan! You couldn’t escape him—he followed you all the way to senior year.”

“Exactly! And there’s already a quiz next week. And of all subjects, it had to be Math—the one I suck at. How am I supposed to pass?” Daniella groaned, clutching her head.

Bree leaned in and whispered, “Girl, are you serious? You have a tutor now—William! You should be thankful he drew your name. If he didn’t, graduation might be the last time you’d see him.”

Daniella smiled. “You’re right… Thank goodness. I forgot.”

Bree shook her head. “Dan, that was just yesterday! How could you forget so quickly? I seriously can’t deal with you.”

“Is it my fault I thought it was just a dream?” Daniella muttered.

---

When break time came, William headed to the garden first. Daniella followed quietly and sat across from him. She didn’t say anything as William was still focused on his book.

Suddenly, William shut his book loudly, making Daniella flinch.

“What’s wrong?” she asked, startled.

“What were your grades in Sir Salvador’s class?”

Daniella bit her lip and forced a laugh. “Why do you even need to know?”

“Because I’m your tutor. And based on what Sir said earlier, you barely passed his class.”

Daniella scowled.

“Excuse me? And you? What did you get in Math?”

Arms crossed, William stared at her seriously. “Ninety-nine.”

“What?!” Daniella almost yelled. “That’s insanely high—just one point shy of perfect!”

“You?”

Daniella fell silent. She fidgeted with her fingers before whispering,

“Seventy-five…”

“Can’t hear you.”

“I said seventy-five!” Daniella snapped in frustration.

William shook his head. “Good thing we have a tutoring program. Otherwise, you might not even graduate.”

“You really don’t hold back, do you?” she mumbled to herself.

“Did you say something?” William asked.

“Nope!” she answered with a forced smile.

Of all subjects, Math was the one Daniella feared the most. She did fine in others—not great, but passing.

William started organizing his materials. “Since Math is your weakness, we’ll focus on that first. Tomorrow, I’ll give you some sample problems from last year’s lessons. Try to understand them. I’ll prepare a short quiz afterward.”

Daniella’s eyes widened.

“A quiz? Are you serious? Maybe you should rethink that. Don’t rush into things.”

William shook his head, clearly disappointed.

“If you want to pass, you need to take this seriously. This isn’t for me—it’s for you. If I’d known you were like this, I wouldn’t have agreed to be your tutor.”

He stood and walked away, leaving Daniella speechless.

His words hit her hard. She just sat there, silently watching him walk off.

---

The next scene was just about to unfold when Lexie, Alexa’s best friend, suddenly appeared.

“Hey, Alexa! Are you even planning to eat today? You’re always locked up in your room, writing non-stop. You’re always late for meals!” Lexie scolded her, hands firmly planted on her hips.

Alexa set down her pen and stretched. “Sorry! The scene I’m writing is just too exciting—I couldn’t stop myself,” she replied with a smile, noticing Lexie’s gaze now fixed on the book she had been writing in.

“Why are you writing in that thing? You usually write in a notebook or on bond paper. Where’d you get it? It looks... old,” Lexie remarked, studying the book, though she didn’t touch it.

“I found it outside the church. It looked like someone had dropped it, so I picked it up. It’s too good to just leave lying around—it’s perfect for writing.”