Chapter 88 - THE TRANSFER STUDENT
Mr. Archie Levine coughed, which drew Han Luo's attention. He didn't seem to react to Ms. Emily Moore's attitude. He was used to it, so after she left, he went back to the business. "There are some forms you have to fill up. Your compulsory subjects are Mathematics, English – both Language and Literature – and Science. You can choose another four subjects. If you think you can handle it, you can choose Triple Science, that is Biology, Chemistry, and Physics. Since you are a foreign student, you are yet to get used to our educational system. You can attend all the lessons of all the subjects for a week and then choose which ones you wish to study."
He handed her a blue file and continued, "You will find your class routine and necessary documents here. Once you are done filling the form, submit it to me and I'll give you permission to access the classes you want to study."
"Thank you very much, Mr. Levine." Han Luo realized that despite his gloomy expression, he was a helpful teacher. She was relieved to have a teacher like that.
When the bell rang, Mr. Archie Levine took her to the class. He entered the room first and said, "Good morning students, I hope you enjoyed your time at home. We have a transfer student. Let's welcome her."
The students went crazy after hearing that there was a transfer student. The boys were praying for a beautiful girl, while the girls were praying for a handsome boy. They held their breaths.
Han Luo entered the room and looked around the classroom. It was a spacious room, with the tables, set out in rows. The windows on one side of the wall were large but forced to stay shut. At the front of the room was an interactive screen, and to the right, there was a whiteboard. The teacher's desk was next to it, and one computer was there.
The boys were happy to have a beautiful Chinese doll in their class, while the girls sighed in disappointment, as it wasn't a boy. Still, everyone was curious about the new girl. They already heard the news that the Three Musketeers had brought a girl with them; they didn't think that girl would end up in their class.
"Introduce yourself," Mr. Archie Levine declared.
"Yes," she nodded. "Hello everyone, I'm Luo Han from China. I was the top student in my class. I like animals… my hobby is dancing and singing. I also love… traveling! From now on, I'll be your classmate. I hope we can become good friends."
Everyone clapped and welcomed her. Han Luo was glad that till now everything went well. Mr. Archie pointed at the middle seat of the last row and said, "Sit on that empty seat."
"All right, thank you, sir." Han Luo strode to her seat and sat down. The class started. Since it was the first day of the new academic year, everyone seemed excited and teachers also got to know the new students. After the second period, they had a break and the students who were interested in Han Luo all gathered around her. Han Luo was going to leave her seat, but this sudden influx of students prevented her from leaving.
A girl spoke first, "Your name is Luo, right?"
Han Luo replied, "Yes."
"You're kinda good looking, you know." This comment was from a boy. He looked like he was teasing her.
Han Luo didn't take it to heart. She answered, "Thank you… I think you all are very pretty." The boy's expression changed and the boys around him snickered. The boy got annoyed and looked at her but she had no malice in her face, only innocence. He didn't say anything anymore and clicked his tongue.
A girl said, "I have a hard time recognizing Chinese, Korean and Japanese people. I can't seem to tell who is who. How can you tell? Don't your parents, relatives and friends look all the same?"
Han Luo shook her head. "Not at all. Everyone is different. If you look closely, you will understand."
Another girl asked, "You said you can dance. What type of dancing did you do in China?"
Han Luo spoke truthfully, "I learned ballet and I was the runner-up in the Junior Dancing Competition last year."
"Wow! You must be good!" the girl said, and the others agreed.
A boy asked, "What about your family members?"
Han Luo calmly replied, "My mother died in a car accident and my father is in the coma. When I came here, I brought my father with me. I grew up with my cousins."
The students suddenly all froze. The last thing they expected was for this new transfer student to have a difficult upbringing. They were even more surprised about how bluntly Han Luo had explained it.
"I… I am sorry to hear that." The boy got nervous. He didn't think her lifestyle was hard.
"It's okay. I was only two when the accident happened. I don't particularly remember anything," Han Luo lied. She could remember every single detail of that accident because that event haunted her almost every night. It was a recurring nightmare.
A girl covered her mouth. "Oh gosh! You were so young."
The girl beside her remarked, "It must be hard on you."
Han Luo saw their gazes looking at her pitifully. It wasn't the first time she saw these gazes. She wasn't offended because she knew that they meant well. She uttered, "I'm doing well. My father is still alive. I have faith in God. He didn't take my father from me, so it means that my father has a chance."
A boy said, "I'm sure your father has a chance."
"Thank you." Han Luo smiled.
A girl asked, "So, where do you live?"
"Ah, I live in Hackney," Han Luo lied. Tang Yujin told her not to enclose where she lived because she lived in the wealthiest place in London.. If people knew she was from a wealthy family, it would bring unnecessary attention.