The bell rang just as Liewen slumped into his seat, feeling the weight of the world press against him. High school was a maze he didn't want to be in, and yet, here he was again, surrounded by kids who thrived on the drama that always seemed to come with it.
It wasn't so much the work that drained him. The classes, the teachers, the mundane subjects—they were easy enough to tune out. What wore him down was the constant pressure of being seen, of needing to fit into this strange system. The world outside was full of labels and categories, as if people couldn't function without compartmentalizing everything. He never understood it.
People were always either "popular" or "weird." The ones who smiled at you one moment would ignore you the next. The ones who noticed you would quickly turn away when things weren't going their way. Liewen wasn't an expert on social rules, but he understood enough to know that survival didn't come from being genuine. It came from wearing masks.
The chairs creaked as more students settled in. A few glanced at him from across the room. He didn't pay attention. He never did. It wasn't that he didn't want to be left alone; it was just that he wasn't sure what to do with people. The world didn't make sense to him.
A shadow loomed next to his desk, followed by the sound of a laugh.
"Hey, loser."
Liewen didn't look up. He already knew who it was. Jason. Big guy, thick neck, a regular in the school's pecking order. It was always the same. The same routine of insults, the same familiar faces that thought they could get away with anything.
"You're gonna ignore me now?" Jason's voice cut through his thoughts. The class started to quiet, waiting for the drama to unfold.
Liewen's gaze flickered upward, the momentary eye contact feeling like a betrayal. It was enough to trigger something in the air—a ripple that couldn't be undone. People expected him to react, to defend himself, to stand up and make a scene. But that was never his style.
"You know, you've got that look," Jason continued, bending down slightly to peer at Liewen from above. "Like you're the walking dead or something. What's your deal, huh? Can't even hold eye contact."
Liewen's heart skipped, but he didn't move. His hands were clasped tightly on the desk, and his mind screamed for him to do something, say something. But the words got caught somewhere deep, somewhere he couldn't reach.
Jason was always here—at least, it felt like it. He'd been a part of this routine for as long as Liewen could remember. The one who had always been a part of the hierarchy that made Liewen feel small, like a shadow against the bright lights of the school.
"What's wrong? Can't hear me?" Jason's voice turned mocking, and the others in the class chuckled. "Guess you're just too busy being a freak."
Liewen stayed still, his throat dry, his mind cloudy. A part of him wanted to shrink away, to escape this confrontation, but his feet were anchored to the floor. This was his world, wasn't it? A world where people like him didn't matter, where nothing he did could make any difference.
There was a low chuckle, one that came from behind Jason.
"Why don't you leave him alone, man?" A voice broke through the tension.
Liewen's eyes darted toward the door, where he saw his friend, Kian, standing. He was tall, with messy hair and an easy smile. Kian wasn't the type to fight. In fact, he didn't like conflict at all, but when Jason had gone too far, he didn't hesitate to intervene.
"Yeah, Jason. I'm sure you've got better things to do."
Jason scoffed, turning toward Kian. "What, you want to be next?" He pushed his chest forward. "You think I care about your little sidekick?"
Kian didn't flinch. He just shook his head, his eyes hardening. "Just leave him alone."
Liewen's mind went blank. He didn't want to be the center of attention, not now, not ever. He could feel the eyes of everyone in the class on him, could hear the whispers just below the surface of Jason and Kian's banter. But no matter how much he wanted to melt into the background, he knew it was impossible. The world here wasn't a place where he could simply be invisible.
"I'm not scared of you," Jason grumbled. But after a beat, he gave Kian a hard look, then turned back to Liewen. "Whatever. Don't say I didn't warn you."
With that, Jason walked away, leaving the class to resume its usual rhythm.
Liewen let out a breath he didn't know he'd been holding. His heart still raced, his hands clammy, but the feeling in his chest—strange, empty—was worse than anything Jason could throw at him.
"You alright, man?" Kian's voice brought him back to reality.
Liewen nodded stiffly, not trusting himself to speak. There was something about Kian's constant kindness that made Liewen feel both grateful and uncomfortable. It was like Kian was trying to push him into a world he didn't belong to.
"Yeah," he muttered. "I'm fine."
Kian gave him a skeptical look but didn't press it. "You sure? Because it's not like you to freeze up like that."
Liewen turned his head toward the window, avoiding Kian's probing eyes. "Just... not in the mood."
There was a long pause before Kian said anything. "You know, people around here don't care that much. They pick on you because they want to see you react, but most of the time, it's just noise."
"Yeah," Liewen replied softly, "just noise."
But there was something gnawing at him. Something more than the bullying. It wasn't just Jason; it wasn't just the taunts. There was something deeper. The feeling of always being outside of it all. The feeling that no matter how much he tried to act like he belonged, he never would. The world around him—the one that everyone else seemed so comfortable in—didn't feel like it was meant for him.
As the class went on, Liewen couldn't shake the feeling that he was missing something. Something vital. There was more to the world than just surviving. He had to find it, but he didn't know how.
The bell rang for the next class. Liewen stood, grabbed his books, and walked out of the room, his footsteps echoing in the silent hallway.
His life was still a maze. But somehow, he thought, maybe one day, he'd find the way out.