I was in 5th grade, and I still didn't know how to walk. I was so weak that a normal fall caused such a bad injury. It is embarrassing.
Also, before finding out what had actually happened, I was also hoping for it to turn to be a simple ankle sprain. Not because of pain or because it would have been better for me and my foot. I hoped for it because I didn't want to limp in front of the whole school and become a walking, no, limping laughingstock. A light ankle sprain would have meant quick recovery. At worst, I would have been humiliated for only a couple of weeks. However, even though it wasn't what I had expected, even after I found out the severity of my injury, I was still very happy.
… I was very happy because I thought that I wouldn't have to go to school, but my mom shattered my dreams. She didn't let me stay at home for more than few days. She really could be too cruel sometimes. She knew I was in pain and yet, she didn't let me stay at home and watch cartoons even after my grandmother asked her. She wanted me to study every time, even when I was injured. I wished I had broken a bone instead. Walking to school and climbing the stairs wasn't easy but thankfully, my cousin and sister would carry my bag. While students stared at me for a few days after I went back to school, it became an old news quickly. I was worried about nothing once again. I should have expected it given that no one cared about me. How could I forget it. In a place like a school, there is no shortage of gossips. Even my own classmates didn't have time to worry about me.
However, my injury actually turned out to be blessing in disguise. Whenever other students would have to sit on the floor for whatever reason, I didn't have to. I didn't even need to even stand to greet the teachers. I didn't have to go to the morning assembly or participate in sports as well. Anything that required even a little of physical activity, I was exempted from that. At home as well, I didn't need to do anything. I got a lot of attention, care and sympathy from everyone… because of that, I did a lot of stupid things. It was not my fault. I was addicted to receiving special treatment. What do I mean? Let's just say that even though I made full recovery after a couple of months, I wasn't at all happy about that. It's not something I wanted to admit, but I wished to never recover. Attention is a scary drug.
At least, because of that injury, I got to make one friend. I didn't have to sit alone during the lunch break anymore. I could talk to someone without the fear of getting judged and made fun of.
During 5th grade, a lot of things of happened, some I liked while some I regret which you may have guessed but I will save you from knowing about all of them. I can't bring myself to talk about them. I have learned my lessons and I stopped doing those things long ago. Yet it eats me away whenever I remember doing those things. I can't even call them mistakes because I was fully aware of the fact that what I was doing was wrong. The only one I hurt by doing them was no one else but me.
Also, that year, I met a teacher whom I truly respect even now. She taught us a language object and she is one of the nicest people I know. During exams, she would go as far as to help students who struggled to even pass and even me when I couldn't remember something. Also, she had lost her husband few years before and she was raising her children on her own. She reminded me of my mom to be honest. She was also the one who organized many skits and plays for our class, and I was the main character in many of them. But I couldn't even participate in some of them because of my foot. Later, when she no longer taught us, I made sure to greet her whenever I saw her.
For comparison, I don't even remember the names or faces of most of my teachers from that time. That should be enough to tell you that I really care for her.
Around the end of the year, our class was relocated to another classroom but it was still on the 2nd floor. Sometimes, I can't think of the reasoning behind some of the things my school did. That year, I didn't participate in the annual function which took place near the end of the year. Not participating meant you could stay at home, and nothing was better than that. I wasn't the only one who thought like that. Just like that, the whole year passed, and in final exams, I scored the highest marks in my class again. That year didn't go as bad as I thought it would go in the beginning.
Looking back at everything, it all started in the 5th grade. If my section was not changed, nothing would have happened. Butterfly effect.