For 6th grade, our classrooms were still the same. So, I had to go through same hell every day for another year. It was the last time I saw Victor because after that year, he left the school. Although, I didn't care that much. That was the year when I was kicked out of class for first and last time every because of Victor. I remember it even now. We used to sit together for quite some time. It was mathematics' period. Our teacher used to be our class in charge. That day, victor was drinking water from his water bottle, and he said something which I don't remember. But it was very happy because we both started laughing and he spit the water on the guy sitting in front of us. We had laughed a little too loudly. Teacher saw us and told us to stand outside the class. And strangely enough, while I was sad because I was punished in front of everyone, I was also happy.
Austin. the class clown was sent to section C again. So, it felt a little quiet in the class. David was also sent to section B. Paul had started talking to me more. Before, he used to be a part of Bob's group but now, he was a part of Dirk's group. It suited his personality. He didn't seem to like or dislike anyone. He was what you call a free spirit because no chains could hold him down… I didn't say anything about his weight.
Prat came to section A as well during that year. You know, among friends, there is always a guy who has the worst… and for us, he was that guy. His dad was a street vendor which was still better because mine didn't even exist. But he used to stutter, his glasses looked weird, his uniform was rarely clean and so on. Still, he was a good guy who was quite smart. Many times, he was called to Principal's office because of unpaid fees. We used to feel bad for him. We couldn't even imagine how horrible he must have felt. In fact, he had been very close to leaving the school many times because of the fees. Our school fees were the lowest, but only among private schools. Compared to a public school, it was still unreasonably high. For comparison, even someone like me who had it worse than most people used to feel bad for him.
I also met a new guy. His name was Steve. When I came to section A in 5th grade, he was sent to section B. But then in 6th grade, he came back to section A. Whoever was making school decisions didn't think too much before making them. He isn't an important part of this story for now because I didn't talk with him a lot in 6th grade, so you can forget about him.
Maybe it was because I had been in that place for more than a year, but I became good friends with other kids as well. In fact, for the first time ever, I went to a friend's house. It was Dirk's home. And that was when I realized how rich he actually was. His house was like a mansion. Unlike him, his mother was a really nice person. She treated me very kindly. Also, there was a reason why we became friends. Not because I wanted to be friends with someone rich who could help me if I needed money. During that year, few students were picked from our class to perform a small skit. Me and Dirk were the only boys that were picked because we were good at studies. We performed that skit multiple times at multiple places during the whole year. Our skit was well liked… I wonder why.
Not only that skit, but I took part in several other plays. Most of them were organized by the teacher I talked about before. Honestly, I didn't want to participate because I had stage fright. But she would force me against my will. She liked me and wanted me to do something other than studies. I am glad she did it because I did enjoy participating in those plays.
One weird happened during that year. No one knew the origin of it, but students had started playing a new sport. Well, calling it a sport is an exaggeration when it was just a modified version of rock paper scissors. One of the pioneers of that sport was Gary and he was quite good at it. Every morning, all boys would gather, make their teams, and play it until the bell rang. I was no exemption. While I was not good at it, I did like playing it. Mainly because it made me believe I was like others.
Because of it, I also became good friends with Gary that year. I had many friends now. However, it wasn't enough. It wasn't something I was looking for. What I wanted was someone special, a best friend. You see, on their birthdays, students would go through the whole school distributing candies. They would get gifts from their friends. Everyone had someone they would go with and almost everyone would get gifts, but once again, I was an exemption. No one picked me to go with them. I used to believe it was because my birthday came during the winter vacation, and they wouldn't get a chance to go with me. The reason students liked to go was because it let them miss the class. Any chance to not attend the periods and we would take it. Even though Dirk didn't pick me to go with him, I still picked him to go with me on my birthday that year… I was naïve and stupid.
What about Kevin? Since I had become good friends with others, I didn't talk with him that much during that year. Not the worst I had done. Also, his birthday usually came during the final exams. So, he couldn't celebrate it during the 6th grade as well.
Once again, I didn't participate in the annual function which took place near the end of the year. It wasn't because I couldn't afford to pay the participation fees but because I hated those things. I had severe stage fright and to perform in a big event like a school function was beyond my capabilities. And there was nothing for me to gain if I did participate. If anything, it was more beneficial for to not participate. While others would waste their time preparing for the function, I could stay at home. Just like it was in 5th grade.
But unlike in 5th grade, I participated in the sports day. I won a gold medal in a race. Well, it wasn't actually made of gold. No one measured the distance we ran but who cared. I wasn't the most physically gifted or even the tallest kid in my own section, let alone the whole class. But I still won. I beat all the other boys in a race... it was an amazing feeling. It was one of those rare times when I was proud of myself and truly happy. I may not have been the strongest, but I was still the fastest. Okay, I will be honest, even I had not expected that to happen. I wasn't too fast, others were just too slow, literally.
I didn't let this achievement get to my head, not at all. I didn't believe that I was like Usain Bolt, not even for a moment… It's not like I had started thinking about becoming a track and field athlete and representing my country in Olympics. While it did give me a confidence boost, it wasn't something that could change my DNA. I was still the same. A socially awkward and an introverted kid. Not even a nerd, because at least nerds have something they are interested in. Well, I still had friends.