I managed to do 50 push-ups within the first minute, so I was allowed to take my seat in the last row near the back window.
"Wow, that was amazing," the girl next to me, Kriss, commented as I sat down. "I can only do five push-ups. That's why I'm always on time," she added.
She's bright and bubbly, with a lot of friends, but she's never spoken to me before.
"It's not that amazing," I replied. What I saw earlier was amazing.
"It is! You never do much in P.E., so I thought you were just unathletic, but you're actually pretty strong!" she said while tucking a lock of platinum blonde hair behind her ear.
I smiled slightly."Well, thank you," I replied, not sure what else to say.
"So, what's your name?" she asked.
Even though we're in the same class, I must not stand out enough for her to already know it.
"Akina," I answered.
She snapped her fingers as if remembering something and said,"We have the same lunch period, right? Let's sit together today."
I'm used to just sitting with Nacina and her friends, so my immediate reaction was apprehension.
"Yeah, that sounds fine," I said.
Ms. Smith gave us a pointed look from the front of the room, silently urging us to end our conversation, and we complied. When class ended, Kriss asked me another question.
"So why were you late for class?"
How should I answer? Should I casually admit that I was caught in a life-or-death situation and got a little off track? Sigh. I guess I'll go with the truth.
"The Guardian's battle got close, and my walk to school was postponed."
"What?! You saw the Guardian up close?! That's amazing! So you were just skipping class to watch?! I'm so jealous."
I nodded weakly in agreement. She wasn't entirely right, but I didn't feel like correcting her.Maybe I should have just lied.
"Hey, Kriss," Will said, approaching us.
She waved and smiled."Hi!"
After exchanging greetings with her, Will turned to me.
"I didn't know you were friends with Akina," he said, tilting his head slightly.
All this attention was making my head spin—but at the same time, I felt a wave of relief.At least someone knows my name.
Will had never spoken to me before either. (He stands out—tall, with coal-black hair and light turquoise eyes. He has a slender frame and an approachable demeanor. Despite his height, he's not intimidating at all.)
"We're not friends yet..." Kriss mumbled. Then she leaned in to whisper something to him. "But I have a plan."
After that, she giggled maniacally to herself.
It's hard to explain how I felt—happy, amused, but also anxious and fidgety.I wonder if someone like me can mentally handle having more than one friend.
"I should hurry to my next class," I said. "It was nice talking to you." I grabbed my things to leave.
"Wait!" Will called after me and grabbed the back of my hood to stop me."We have the same class… I'll walk you."
My heart raced at the thought of more social interaction, but I just timidly said,
"All right."I waited as he grabbed his things, then rejoined me.
"I wish I was in class with you guys," Kriss said playfully. "But I guess I'll have to wait until lunch to seduce you into friending me."She nudged me lightly and winked before laughing and leaving the room."Bye!"
"It's weird… I've never seen you talk to anyone before today," Will commented once we were alone.
"Yeah… I'm kind of shy," I replied, pulling my hood over my head and hiding my face.When my hood is on, speaking feels easier.'Shy' might not even be the right word for what's wrong with me…
"Is that so? I think there's more to it than that," he said. "Anyway, let's head to class."
He started walking first, and I slowly followed behind.
My next class is Culinary. I chose it as an elective because cooking seems like a useful life skill. We have to pick partners for this class, and usually I just pair with whoever's left—but today, Will insisted on partnering with me.
"Today," Mr. Gregor began, "we'll be making Eggs Benedict. It's early, and I'm sure most of you skipped breakfast. I'll demonstrate each step—watch closely and do your best to replicate it."
He rolled up his sleeves while talking and began setting up ingredients on the counter. I watched him carefully and helped gather everything we'd need.
"So, did something good happen today?" Will asked while prepping.
"Why do you ask?" I replied, glancing between our table and the instructor.
"You seem happier than usual… that's all."
His observation struck me.Maybe he really does know more about me than just my name.I always assumed I was invisible during class.It's… nice to know I was wrong.
But happy? Am I happier than usual?
Maybe it's the adrenaline from nearly dying.Or maybe it's Nacina confirming that I matter to her.Maybe that's what's put me in a good mood.
We got to eat our finished product, and I'm glad it turned out well.Before we could eat, though, Mr. Gregor tasted it first to grade us.He gave us an A… minus.Specifically, an 89. Couldn't he spare one point?!89 isn't even a pretty number. It could at least be even.It irks me just to look at it.
As I was grumbling internally, Will walked with me to my next class—Calculus.
"I'll see you at lunch," he said with a smile.
I smiled back, but my social awkwardness stopped me from coming up with a reply.After waving goodbye, he left, and I entered the classroom, taking my seat beside Nacina—this is the only class we share.
"Hey, Aki! I missed you!" she cooed, leaning across my desk to hug me.
"Me too," I replied shyly.
From then on, she carried the conversation. Her smile never faded—as if she really enjoyed talking to me.I say "to" me because, if you haven't noticed, I don't do much talking.
Our teacher just told us to work on our online assignments, so we were allowed to talk quietly.
When lunchtime finally rolled around, my stomach was tied in knots.
Why, you ask? Simple.Because I made a promise to socialize with people I barely know!!What was I thinking??! I might die from panic!
Hopefully, it'll be like becoming friends with Nacina.That was easy. I remember it clearly:
(Flashback):
"Wow, your dress is so pretty," she said. (We were five.)
"Thank you… your bows are really cute," I replied.
"Wow, really? Thanks! My mom bought them for me when—"
And from then on, Nacina carried the conversation.Almost every day, she'd seek me out to chat or play together.She loved how our names rhymed, and she praised me for being a good listener.
Such a simple beginning...
Getting along with normal people might be hard.No offense to her, but she's… odd.
I sat with Nacina and her friends at our usual table, but today—breaking routine—Kriss and Will joined us.
I'm kind of the odd one out in this group of friends, so I hope no one's annoyed that new people joined the table because of me.
I took several deep breaths to steel myself for whatever happens.