Sho and Valentin became official friends 3 days later. It had taken a little longer for Valentin's group of friends, but after a few weeks, things got settled.
Valentin had 3 other friends who were also in the class.
Damien, which Sho took 2 weeks to become friends with. He was the most humorous guy in the group, charismatic, good-looking, and extroverted; he had a nice heart and seemed to be quite mysterious. A guise of great maturity emanated from him.
Lukas, which Sho took 2 months to tame. He's kind of the nerd in the group, outstanding in every subject, and gets crazy good marks at every control even if he doesn't work. He's also more silent, mature-like, and calm. On the other side, he had quite a bad sense of humor but a good heart. He is also more introverted, but not as much as Sho.
Jake, the lawless dude, who was also very humorous, even more outgoing than Damien, and by far wilder in mind and body than all the others. Jake was a bit of a jerk to Sho at first; although he didn't really bully him, for the first few weeks he had acted annoyingly with him.
Perhaps it was hazing, a hint before glazing, chilling revelations. Sho and him both recognized each other as friends after 30 days.
In the end, things were all colorful. No dark tainted wills, but a peaceful, enjoyable life remained.
The quill of the world peered brighter than before. Its black ink fading to the blues of the sky. A sign of a breakthrough to a higher state, to a new home, fleeing away from the corrupted one at bay.
But the arch had yet to be filled; the departure could not happen for so little. And life couldn't be restored to the true hues of humanity on such fragile waves.
And even if the arch filled up, the rife of gigantic waves would form a dome of dread that would stain Sho's life in black.
Sinking the arch, it would all be in vain.
It was kind of poetic; the way he viewed the world now, even in his writing and words, things turned deeper than they should have.
So deep that it caused him to stir unwanted attention among his educators. In the third month of his second high school year, his English teacher gave the students work to do and a poem to write, and the theme was related to philosophy.
-------- Madness—failure—despair—Growth. --------
Sho didn't know why the teachers even agreed on such a difficult subject for the kids, as philosophy was a subject that only third-year students would be able to learn due to its difficulty. However, it made him quite happy instead.
'Finally an opportunity to express myself a little more'. He said it out loud without realizing. He was reassured that no one heard him.
Sho also thought relentlessly about what to write. He understood madness since he has lived with it. He has experienced failure countless times, so he knew how to portray it poetically. Despair, he had felt it to the point where it had even engraved itself on his body, like an emblem. But growth was a distinct story. A story so distinguishably indistinguishable from commonplace.
He had grown; he had matured and achieved more and more wisdom and knowledge. As well as acquired many deeds worth of value for his age. He definitely was not stagnant; growth was also part of his common life. So why couldn't he picture it in his mind? Was it really that hard to imagine growth, or just represent it? Of course not, but for Sho Growth was such an important matter and subject that it seemed he had no capability in materializing his insight about it on a piece of paper. Could the average human- being even comprehend it?
Growth was always a part of humans, be it their bodies and lives.
But the mind of the mortal could never fathom its true meaning.
Sho was still a mortal, nor had he the skills and profoundness of wisdom to carry out the terrific mission that is writing a poem about growth, nor could he yet do this in his current state. As Sho has not attained the realm of a perfect being, writing about growth was absolutely impossible.
Hence he calmed his mind and remembered he could simply forget about the ''growth'' theme and just do the other three instead of thinking hard like a dead-rock dumbstruck on how to find a solution to a non-existent problem.
-Ms. Bradgette (kindly hated English teacher)
''Take a piece of paper; it doesn't matter which type, but just remember you have only 30 minutes to write at least 2 paragraphs; 3 is better. All in all, the more you write, the better it is. Of course, going for the greater number of lines is not advised if you're not going to write proper sentences with rhymes and figures of speech regarding the given word-associated themes.''
As the teacher finished explaining the conditions of the work, a rumbling of dissatisfied voices could be heard. Asking questions in confusion.
''Teacher, isn't 30 minutes too little?''
''Yeah, that's right, how are we supposed to get a good grade on such a hard test?''
''I agree, and with no preparations, no less! Please, teacher, at least reconsider the amount of time allocated.''
''So freaking unfair; it's too hard, Ms. Bradgette. What about the kids with philosophy class and superior writing theory? They'd have too much of an advantage over the rest of the students too.''
And it was not the end...
''I agree with Sebastien's statement regarding the unfairness of such a hard test, especially with superior writing theory students; that's just too unfair.''
''Yeah right''
''Please change the conditions''
''Give us more times, please.''
''Reconsider the themes''
. . .
Students were getting bolder as they stopped being polite and were just getting angry; clearly they could have done the work as per those conditions. Laziness just overtook their minds.
''Alright, alright, please calm down everybody. Quiet now.'' Ms. Bradgette said in a weary and frustrated tone.
''I will give you 15 more minutes, that's all! And also, you are not forced to use all 4 themed words; you can just use one if you want; I forgot to announce that.''
In contrast with her previous statement, this time the kids' reaction was much more positive. So they immediately got to work as Ms. Bradgette signaled it was time to start.
'How petty, what 50% more time will do to counterbalance the advantage that those ''advantageous students'' hold'. Thought Sho, once more disappointed in teens' maturity and actions.
'I'll write mine in 30 minutes as per Ms. Bradgette's former instructions.'
'And about the themes, I'll do 3 of them.'
After 29 minutes, 45 seconds, 197 milliseconds. Here was Sho's very undeniable masterpiece.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Everything I touch withers in the mist.
Amidst the bliss, my grasp desists.
Each contact made another void I find,
A maze of mental crisis, endless, unkind.
Bottomless, wall-less, floor-less, all I see.
In this abyss, I'm lost, without reprieve.
Standing atop the Nil, my body remains,
while my mind sinks deep, in relentless chains.
Grasping for shards of distant memories,
In the abyss of the floor-less Nil, I plea.
Life down here is lifeless, devoid of light.
I cling to broken souvenirs, desperate to fight.
But tears fall heavy; each shard weighs me down.
My end feels near; I'm bound to drown.
Anvils of sorrow, crushing me in their wake.
I try to shield myself, but it's more than I can take.
As the cold iron clunks, my body recoils,
dying again amidst endless toils.
My heart clutches for hope to escape this grave,
but the dead crave for my soul, and I'm their slave.
The mightiest heroes, burdened by despair,
In their suffering, life seems so unfair.
How long since night stole sight and touch?
In darkness, I wept, without tears as such.
I wanted to live, to be part of the light.
But I've joined the graves, lost in the night.
A fool I've been, to shun my desires,
Bound to an eternal slumber, my soul withers.
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Although the structure of the poem didn't make sense, like the stanzas and rymes were weirdly positionned. But the quality of the poem itself gave it a 22/20 in this test. The greatest mark by 6.5 points of advance.
Sho was satisfied, but was he happy? He questioned himself.
Was this happiness, the feeling he was feeling right now?
What was it exactly?