Chapter 6 ۵ Sydney

YARA'S POV

The days passed in a tense routine. I would attend Mr Moreno's lectures, resolutely ignoring his gaze, and then spend my evenings with Max, going over the material until my head hurt. Mr Moreno's eyes seemed to follow me more closely with each passing day, his cold stare burning into me as I took notes. But I never looked up. I never acknowledged him. It was my small act of defiance, and I clung to it like a lifeline. He didn't question it maybe he knew what he did was wrong or he just didn't care. Something tells me it was the second option.

Max, true to his word, was a patient tutor. He'd often stay with me late into the night, his explanations clear and his demeanor gentle. It was such a stark contrast to Moreno's brutal teaching style that I began to relax, even enjoy the work again. But the tension at the edges of my life never quite dissipated. It was as if Professor Alejandro Moreno was waiting for something, but I didn't know what. The absence of his usual cruelty made me feel like a storm was coming, and I wasn't sure how long I could avoid it.

One afternoon, after another grueling session in the library, Max and I decided to take a break. We wandered outside, the cool breeze a welcome change from the stuffy indoors.

"You've been doing really well, Yara" Max said, his tone encouraging. "You're getting the hang of it" I smiled, though it felt a little forced "Thanks, Max. You're way better than stupid Mr Moreno" He shrugged, giving me a sideways glance. "You know you can't avoid him forever, right?" Why did Max have to say that I was perfectly fine with ignoring the fact that I'd have to face him at some point.

The next day, I arrived at the lecture hall, feeling the usual mix of dread and determination. I took my seat next to Max, preparing myself for another hour of tense silence. But as Moreno entered the room, I could sense something was different. There was a tightness in his expression, a barely-contained fury that made the air around him feel electric.

He began the lecture as he always did, but there was an edge to his voice that hadn't been there before. It was sharper, colder, each word laced with a contempt that made my skin crawl. The lecture felt like a personal attack, every example he gave, every question he asked, seemed designed to prove a point, that my absence from his office hadn't gone unnoticed.

At one point, he paused in his explanation, his dark blue eyes scanning the room until they landed on me. "Miss Malik," he said, his tone as piercing as ever, "perhaps you could explain this theorem to the class? You seem to have been spending so much time with your 'friend' that surely you must be able to understand it by now" My heart pounded in my chest, how did he know I was spending time with Max. He must've spotted us somewhere. I could feel Max tense beside me, ready to jump in if needed, but I couldn't let Moreno win. I looked up "um Green's Theorem connects the circulation of a vector field around a simple, closed curve to the total curl of the field" (A/N - idk wtf any of this means I just searched it up online lmao) I spoke with confidence by the end of my sentence. A sense of victory spread over me. He looked at me for a second before finding something wrong with my explanation.

"Correct, but you only explained half of it. It connect the curve to the total curl of the field over the region enclosed by the curve. The connection between the boundary and the area mimics the line integral around a simply closed plane curve C and a double integral" right of course he had to me one up on everything.

"You should write that down and so should your little friend" he looked at Max with mock.

"He really has it out for you what a dick" Connor who usually sat in the row behind spoke closely behind me. At least people were taking my side. "You know what Yara I would never treat a petty girl like you like that" he smirked at me....okay what the fuck.

"Um thanks Connor....." I think.

The rest of the class shifted uncomfortably, the tension palpable, but I didn't react. Moreno continued the lecture, his tone harsher than before, as if punishing the entire room for my wrong answer. When it was over, I packed up quickly, eager to escape. Max was already waiting at the door, but just as I stood to leave, Mr Moreno's voice lashed out.

"Malik" The room fell silent, the few remaining students quickly left. My breath hitched, and I forced myself to turn around slowly. His eyes locked onto mine, cold and unforgiving.

"Stay behind" The command was curt, leaving no room for argument.

Max looked like he wanted to intervene, but I gave him a quick shake of my head. Reluctantly, he left, throwing one last worried glance over his shoulder as he disappeared out the door. The room emptied out, the sound of footsteps and murmurs fading until it was just the two of us.

Mr Moreno stepped away from the podium, moving towards me with a predatory grace. He was tall, his presence overwhelming, and I had to tilt my head back to meet his calculating stare "You think ignoring me is a smart move?" His voice was hard, devoid of any warmth. "Skipping your tutoring sessions, acting like you're too good to listen in my lectures" his dark blue eyes studied my behaviour.

I straightened my spine, trying to stand my ground. "I've been studying with Max. I'm managing fine" I spoke.

"Managing fine? Not knowing the other half to Green's Theorem isn't managing fine" He spat the words with contempt, his expression twisting into something sinister "And you think that justifies your pathetic little rebellion?"

The venom in his tone was clear but I refused to back down "I'm not rebelling. I'm just.....finding another way a better way"

His eyes narrowed and he took a step closer, his presence dominating the space between us. "Let's get something straight, Malik. You don't get to decide how you learn in my class. You don't get to ignore me and expect there to be no consequences" his menacing gaze was evident. My heart pounded in my chest, the intensity making me feel small, insignificant "I don't need your tutoring"

"Need?" He barked out a humorless laugh "You don't even know what you need. You're too stupid to figure that out on your own" The words hit me like a slap, and I felt my eyes sting with the threat of tears. I blinked them away, refusing to let him see how much he was getting to me. "You will show up to those sessions, or I will make sure you fail this course" His voice was low, dangerous. "Is that clear?"

I swallowed hard, my throat tight. "You can't do that" I protested. He took another step forward, his towering figure making me feel trapped. "Can't I?" He reached out, grabbing my wrist with a grip that was rough and painful. I flinched, a small gasp escaping me before failing to yank my hand from his grip.

"You have no idea what I'm capable of, Yara" His voice was a cold whisper, full of menace.

He released me with a sharp shove, and I stumbled back, the force of his words leaving me shaken. I wanted to argue, to defend myself, but the icy fury in his eyes left me speechless.

"Now get out" He spat, turning his back on me as if I were nothing.

I didn't need to be told twice. I bolted from the room, my heart racing, his threats echoing in my mind. The hallway felt suffocating, the walls closing in as I tried to steady my breathing. He had made his point. This wasn't a game I could win. But as much as his words terrified me, they also sparked something else inside—a defiance that burned beneath the fear.

As we left the hall, Max was fuming. "He's really pushing it, Yara. Are you sure you don't want to do something about this?"

"No," I said firmly, though my hands were still shaking. "He's just trying to get a reaction out of me"

Max looked unconvinced, but he didn't argue. Instead, he suggested we get some fresh air, and we walked around the campus, trying to shake off the lingering tension. But I couldn't stop thinking about what had happened in the lecture hall, the way Professor Moreno had singled me out in front of everyone. It was clear that my absence from the tutoring sessions hadn't gone unnoticed, and he was determined to make me pay for it in his own, twisted way.

Later that evening, as I sat in my room, trying to focus on the problems Max had given me to work on, there was a knock at the door. My heart leapt into my throat, and for a moment, I was paralyzed with fear, wondering if it was Moreno coming to confront me.

But when I opened the door, it was only Heidi, her expression one of concern. "Hey, Yara. I just heard.....well, Max told me. Are you okay?"

I nodded, though my voice felt shaky. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just... trying to keep my head down. I just don't get it why is he going out of his way to get me to attend his tutor sessions when he clearly hates me" I huffed.

Heidi sighed, stepping into the room and closing the door behind her. "You know that's true if I hated someone I would try get as far away from them as possible but who knows Mr Perfect probably has a different through process" she agreed with my point. "But you're doing the right thing by not interacting with him"

"Thanks, Heidi"

Heidi gave me a supportive smile.

Her words were comforting, but as she left and I returned to my work, I couldn't help but feel the weight of Moreno's presence looming over me.

🎀🎀🎀

The clock hit 6pm. Instead of going down to Mr Alejandro Moreno's office I stayed put in my room as a way to protest.

The next day I was called to the receptionist.

"Hi Mrs Eaton, you called me down" I smiled at the woman sat at the desk.

"Yes my love I wanted to ask a favour of you" she got off her seat.

"This is Sydney, she's a transfer student from another university. I would love for you to introduce her to this university considering she's doing the same course as you and will be staying in the dorm next door" I looked to my left to see the most drop dead gorgeous girl I had laid my eyes on.

I gave her a welcoming smile "Of course I can introduce her" this would take my mind off things.

"Her stuff is already in her room" Mrs Eaton informed.

Her blonde her was tied up in a sleek bun, she wore a cute tank top and a short white skirt. Her makeup was perfect and rosy. She looked ethereal.

"So Sydney you're studying Mathematics?" I smiled "yeah" she replied not giving me much to go off.

"And how do you think you'll do" I asked nicely.

"Good, I mean I'm great at Maths" she gave a confident reply. I mean fair enough then.

"I'm quite the opposite" I laughed but got no response....well this was slightly awkward.

"Um so there's toilets in almost every block....this our block. We have all our lectures in our room, taught by Mr Moreno"

"I already know all this could you show me something more important" she looked annoyed. Right......

Just then Heidi came to my rescue "Heyyyyy Yara!" She shimmied towards me before looking at Sydney "and who's this?" She asked with a smile.

"This is S-" she cut me off.

"I can introduce myself. I'm Sydney Carter" she spoke rolling her eyes causing me and Heidi to share a look.

"Um and this is Heidi" I said.

"I can't believe you're wearing a pair of joggers and shirt at university. I would never wear that. I actually care about my appearance" gosh her attitude was something else as she spoke about Heidi's clothes.

"I don't see anything wrong with what she's wearing" I came to her defence.

"Okay" she laughed, folding her arms.

"She's a bit feisty" Heidi whispered in my ear.

"More than a bit" I whispered back.

"The library is on left....." I continued with the tour, she looked so displeased.

"Our first lecture is in a few hours. We can go together if you would like" I suggested. She chewed her gum for a few seconds before replying "sure" Great! This was going to be fun!

The lecture hall was as dead as always. "Why is anyone so quiet" Sydney asked loudly causing everyone to turn "our Professor's a dick" I spoke.

"Yeh he literally goes out of his way to humiliate Yara" spoke Selena. "Well if he's hot then I wouldn't mind" she replied earning a judgmental stare from the people around her.

"He literally kicked someone out of the course on the first day for speaking" replied Connor. Sydney's smile only grew larger, so that was her type in men then.

When Professor Moreno entered, his presence was as imposing as ever. His gaze swept across the room with an almost surgical precision, landing on Sydney without any sign of special recognition. His treatment of her was as cold and impersonal as it was for everyone else. She took this as an attack I could tell she was annoyed with the lack of attention "he's hot" she stated ignoring all the hate everyone had previously been giving him.

"Let's begin," Moreno said with a tone that left no room for pleasantries. "We have a full agenda today"

Throughout the lecture, Sydney made her attempts to capture Moreno's attention. She leaned forward, her gestures deliberate as she chewed her pen and played with her hair, clearly trying to seduce him. Whenever she answered a question correctly, she would glance at Moreno, her smile hopeful and inviting.

Despite her efforts, Moreno remained unresponsive. There was no softening in his demeanor, no hint of warmth or recognition. He treated her with the same stern professionalism, clearly unmoved by her attempts to flirt. He gave her no attention until he asked her about Green's Theorem. She answered and explained the theorem with ease, this made him glance at me "Well done Sydney some people aren't capable of answering with that much information" she was pleased with his response.

After the lecture, Sydney approached Moreno's desk, her posture casual but her tone laced with flirtation.

"Professor Moreno, I was hoping we could go over some of the concepts from today's lecture. I'm very interested in your perspective" she spoke smiling at him intently.

Moreno looked up from his desk, his expression as cold and unyielding as ever. "I'm busy right now" Sydney's smile faltered, but she quickly regained her composure. "Of course. Thanks Professor " she  was about to leave, her fake smile disappearing off her lips as she made eye contact with me. Despite my frustration, there was a strange satisfaction in seeing her fail to capture Moreno's attention. He looked up from his papers at me "Actually Sydney" he started, not breaking eye contact with me. "Come sit down I'll answer all of your questions right now" Sydney's smile settled on her face again. I watched as she sat down opposite Mr Moreno. She crossed her arms making her bust look bigger in her tank top.

He broke down the equations for her, reminding me of the tutoring sessions I had with him, just minus the hatred. Then unexpectedly he laughed at her joke which most definitely wasn't funny. He was trying to act.....nice? I couldn't help but feel jealous.

Why did he hate me and then treat her so nicely?

He then gently grabbed the pen from her hand, nothing like the rough snatch he'd do to me. And with a smile he carried on. Once Sydney was satisfied she got up from her chair, thanking Mr Moreno. She walked out of the class completely walking past me as if I wasn't even there. Well this is what I get for trying to make new friends then.

With that I left.

A/N

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