Anyway, now that I'd been released I finally had a chance to breathe. I assessed my current condition and realized just how bad it really was. My body was already burning up, I felt sluggish, rather lethargic. This was the price I'd pay for exerting myself so much without any food.
I was starving now as well, but even if I did eat something it wouldn't change my condition much.
I exhaustedly stood up and lamented the fact that I still had to work after this. The only saving grace for me being, it was Friday. I could relax without worry if I just made it through the rest of the day without incident.
There were still four periods and lunch remaining today. I could take the chance to sleep and recover in class and then hopefully have enough energy to make it through a shift at work.
With such thoughts in mind, I returned to the change room and parted ways with Rosa. When I entered the room I stumbled across the group of guys in class who'd made things difficult for me today. I had little to no energy as it was, so I kept my distance and moved to a corner where I was out of the way.
I sloppily changed back into my uniform not caring much for my appearance with how drained I was. I was much faster at changing than everyone else who changed at a leisurely pace while making sure they looked presentable. Just when I thought I was in the clear, the boys who seemed to have it out for me stood by the exit while half changed to block me off.
I immediately frowned when I saw them.
"Can you get out of the way? You're blocking the exit." I told them bluntly.
"Haha, you think you're so good, don't you?" The kid who'd been in my heat for the 100-meter dash currently among the group blocking the exit confronted me directly.
"Kid, can you just shut your fucking mouth and move the fuck out of the way? I don't know who shoved a pipe up your ass, but it's got nothing to do with me." I wasn't in the mood at all. This was what happened when I was tired, I'd lose all courtesy. I was like a grumpy old man who just wanted to go to bed.
"Who are you calling a kid, you piece of shit! You want to fucking start something?" He grabbed my shirt with a nasty enraged glare.
Well, what do I do now? I sure as hell don't have the energy to get into a fight now. I'd just become a punching bag with how badly I was outnumbered. There were eight of them and one of me. But I couldn't exactly back down either. If you showed a sign of weakness in the jungle known as high school, you'd be trampled in no time.
The best option I had was to not throw the first punch. There were many other students here as well that would act as witnesses. These kids probably didn't want to get in trouble, they just wanted to display their dominance or something. In the end, as long as we continued this angry glaring contest, one side would eventually back off. At least, that was how I hoped the situation would play out.
With my lack of response, the kid in front of me angrily asked, "Hey bastard, what exactly is your relationship with Rosa?"
If I said it was nothing I was pretty sure they wouldn't believe me. As such, I knew I had to spin a convenient lie. If possible I'd rather not make enemies as I wanted a peaceful school life. That being the case, with the way things were presently developing that wouldn't be easy.
I thought things over a bit in my head on how I should respond. What I said here was critical. Slowly I saw a path forward opening up in my mind. A lie that could potentially resolve this more civilly.
I took a deep breath in then slowly exhaled out while slackening all the muscles in my body.
"So that's why you've been so uptight? Honestly, it isn't really anything much. We're actually just childhood friends, that's all. It's actually quite troublesome for me. This sort of thing always seems to happen. Look, I wasn't trying so hard today to make anyone look bad or anything. It's obvious you guys were trying that much. It's just that the two of us were having a little competition. If you thought I was trying to make myself look good to her and you guys look bad to her, you're greatly mistaken. Do you remember what I said at the beginning of the year for my self-introduction?"
"Something about enjoying your alone time and not bothering you?"
"Yes. That was more specifically directed toward her. Not to anyone else. You see, because of her, I'm never able to make friends with other guys in the class. It's been that way for years now. Honestly, to her, I'm nothing more than a pet she feels like she has the responsibility to look after just because we're childhood friends. It's as you said earlier today, the only thing she feels toward me is nothing more than pity. She just pities me who cannot make any friends. But the entire reason I can't make friends is ironically because she's always glued to me. Because guys in the class tend to like her a lot, they single me out and isolate me from the rest of the class, this simply results in a positive feedback loop where I can never befriend anyone."
The boy holding me by my collar loosened his grip and looked at me with a raised brow clearly confused.
"The competition I proposed to her was if I beat her in one of the categories in the fitness tests she would leave me to my own devices from now on. Sadly, because of the obstruction from your group, it seems I failed miserably. Sorry for what I said just now, I was just irritated that I couldn't get her to leave me alone."
It seems my 180 in attitude had completely caught the boys in the group off guard. I'd successfully made them fall under the impression that what they'd done was counterproductive to achieving their own goal.
"T-There's no way you're telling the truth, right?"
"It is the truth though. I simply wanted a peaceful, quiet life in high school is all. I would be more than happy if one of you guys would put in the effort to win her over so she can preoccupy herself with a boyfriend rather than bothering me. Well, I suppose I'll be rooting for you guys from here on out. Good luck."
With them bamboozled, still trying to pick apart any flaws in the lie I just told them, I took the opportunity to make my escape from the change room.
Now that I was outside the changeroom, I let out a small sigh of relief. I was thankful for how gullible high school boys truly were. If it was a perceptive adult, I'm sure they would have immediately seen through all of my half-baked lies.
But luckily for me, these were just idiot teens in puberty, hormones running wild, who only thought with their dicks. As long as you told them what they wanted to hear in a convincing enough manner they'd believe it to be the truth.
Using my brain and talking so much on an already empty tank had depleted even more of my oh-so-limited energy reserves.
I somehow dragged my weary body back to the classroom without collapsing on the spot. As soon as I reached my desk, the strength in my knees gave out as I plopped down into my seat and slumped forward over my desk. I felt dizzy, lightheaded, and my body was burning up. My nose was runny and it was hard to breathe. I didn't have any tissue to blow my nose with so I was forced to remain like this for the rest of the day. I lacked the energy to go to the front of the class to get a tissue from the box on the teacher's desk.
Eventually, I blacked out on top of my desk with my body in such a mess.
I only woke up at the end of the third period when the bell rang for lunch. I was starving but I couldn't move. If I didn't have the energy to get a tissue to blow my nose then I definitely didn't have the energy to go to the cafeteria.
As such I just sat there starving in silence. It seemed my nosy neighbor was at least holding up to the agreement we made for her to leave me alone for the next three days so I could sleep in peace during class.
She didn't spare me a single glance and ate her lunch. It seems the boys had taken notice of this occurrence and viewed it as a rare opportunity. They took this chance to surround her desk and strike up a conversation with her. From the corner of my eye, I watched as they all ate their lunch and got along together.
Eventually, I fell asleep again.