"I know each and every student in this school and trust me they annoy the shit out of me"
"I came here to study, not to make friends but you can talk to me if you want to" Tal uttered.
"Sure man, all. for. your. trust" Arvin's expression made Tal's brows furrow in confusion.
He dared to sit right next to his obviously shy and introverted classmate and talk and talk.
"C..can you leave me for a while? I need to focus on my report" Talin requested while inhaling shakily, ready to get his freedom after his classmate's nonsense talk.
"Sure bro"
A lot could change if he tells his story to Arvin. His heart was already torn out. All he wanted was a peaceful and quiet life living alone. He was content although he always felt the emptiness inside him.
The fear of being lied to and being two-faced by the people that he trusts drains him. Some kids hurt him physically, threw eggs, and trashed papers around him. It created madness inside his head. They had done nothing but to make sure he was suffering.
He rested his head on his table. Biting his upper lip, remembering the most painful times of his life when he once thought of a person as his friend. Ves never really escaped bullying considering the fact that she was rich and respected by everyone around her. Talin, although he's a boy, nothing differentiates him from her. He was like the young Ves, weak and aloof.
Arvin's presence beside him distracted him. He took his phone and put his book on the desk. Right after turning the wifi on, the updates of his favorite webcomics and web novel popped up on the notification screen. He tapped the notification from the app and entered his passcode.
Not a week since he started to read the novel. He was amazed by the protagonist's character development. The author was Ves' best friend and secretary, Tara Tan. She dreamt of publishing her story inspired by her lady boss. Ves' missed her past life but she couldn't bring it back, she's a different person now and their lives were unalike in every way.
An hour and a half had passed and his classmates started coming. It's almost seven, time for his report in class. He felt his hand trembling as he took steps in front of everyone. Beads of sweat ran like rain on his forehead.
Smart, elegant, and the most famous students of the university, all of them were looking at him. Mr. Buenaventura came in, took a seat as well as turned his gaze to his front. Looking at their faces made his hand tremble faster. The pressure that he felt not a minute ago existed in his whole body. He greeted everyone and clicked the monitor to start.
"I-I can't hear you!" He heard a small voice coming from the last seat on his side. The woman seemed to be very strict based on her facial expression. He released a gulp and cleared his throat. He heard every slide click and he apprehensively tackled everyone about his study.
"Excuse me"
He turned his gaze and found the owner of the voice. An attractive woman with neck-length messed-up black hair, she wore eyeglasses. Her cheeks were colored pink because of raising her voice to catch the teacher's attention.
"Can I say my opinion about this guy's study? She said, pointing her hands quickly at Talin.
"You can! go ahead Yve"
"The content and his gathered data were good but his presentation was poor, he could have made the font size bigger and made it bold, in that way everyone can clearly see what he's been trying to point out. But if you're going to write another report for the exhibit, this must be the exact content."
After giving her critique, the girl sat down. She looked at Talin and blinked her eyes.
Talin just stared at the girl, mind blanked. His mind started to chant what the girl had just said and acted as his hands ran cold and his body started to shiver. An aftereffect of the criticism he received. He sighed.
"Alright, that's a good one, Mr. Cuevas! Please take your seat." Mr. Buenaventura uttered. He discussed Talin's reporting. He gave an A considering Talin's excellence in gathering the topic's data and its sources. The class gave applause but Talin only lowered his head as he tried to some himself from trembling.
Before he left, Mr. Buenaventura congratulated Talin and called him into his office. They entered his office together. He offered Talin a seat and told him he had a quick proposal to make.
"Are you interested in joining the debate club? I have seen your report and you have potential."
"Maybe it was because I sacrificed sleep to finish and study the topic deeply, I exercised what my brain could offer Sir" He spoked.
"C'mon! think about it within the week or next week, my offer's still on the table. The students in the debate team have their weekly allowance paid by the school, you only need to study three topics per week to debate. Think practical Mr. Cuevas, there are still four slots remaining before the offer to join my team closes ."
I'll think about it Sir, may I go now?" He asked.
"But of course," Mr. Buenaventura said, pointing his palm at the door.
Talin lowered his head and walked out of the school principal's office. As a minute passed, his anxiousness got lessened until he could no longer feel it.
"I wanted to become confident in front of people, why is it so hard?" he whispered to himself as he started walking again. He yawned. His eyes felt heavy due to his lack of sleep, it made his vision blurry until he reached his classroom and took a seat. "Just wait for the class to end and you'll finally take a nap, stop being so weak" he spoke to himself as he played spin with his pen. Still, he needs to pull an all-nighter to study for the weekly exams.