The Nerd in the Corner

Chapter 12: Rain After Sunshine

Dear Diary,

It has been months since I have written to you. The past few days have been a wild ride — and to add salt to the already bleeding wound, it didn't have any kind of opt-out button either. Apparently, after losing consciousness, they brought me to the hospital. A course of action that was certainly not appreciated. There were a lot of places that my peasant being cannot afford to be in; one of those being the hospital.

Upon my wake, the doctor told me that my condition was brought about by both stress and fatigue. My consistent sleep deprivation didn't help either. Molly, who was present at that moment, surely did not admire my life choices. In fact, she went as far as forcing me to surrender most of my obligations and leave the rest of our shared academic work to her. In her eyes, I might have been a friend. To me though, she was never more than an acquaintance.

For a very strange reason life had, Molly had been especially fond of me ever since our first encounter. It was baffling since usually, the most famous bad girl on the campus wouldn't even bat the nerd an eye. Or if they would, they'd torture her for the rest of the school year.

At least, that's what the media led me to believe.

Thanks to her existence, the tragedies of my elementary days weren't reenacted. Something that I'm truly grateful for from the bottom of my heart.

On the other hand, the brother — err, Ken — was also there in my wake. On behalf of his sister, he continuously expressed his apologies. However, I knew that there were victims of her far more deserving of that.

Just as Diane's brother didn't approve of her behavior, neither did the head of their family. Therefore, the matters with the infamous bully of Celestial North Academy were quickly dealt with, and she was pulled out instantly; way before the doctors even allowed me to take my leave. Although it caused a dent in their reputation, the family did not hide anything. As a matter of fact, they publicly acknowledged all of her wrongdoings.

There were rumors that only her father's wealth and fame kept her where she stood. And considering that the paparazzi constantly flocked to their side, these rumors would be credible enough to acknowledge. Besides, it would not be the first time in history that lineage induced discrimination nor would it be the last.

In that respect, perhaps the principal overlooked all her transgressions in hopes of having Mr. Andrada fund more of their beloved institution's activities. Just goes to show how rotten the system already is.

In an attempt to further extend their sincerest apologies to one of their kin's victims, the Andrada family decided to shoulder all my medical expenses. It would have been discourteous to decline; so naturally, accepting was the viable option.

A few days were only necessary for me to get back on my feet. Molly insisted on prolonging my break. Needless to say, it would be suspicious if academic work would wait until I was fully ready. Upon my return, a massive pile greeted me. Although it took a while to catch up with everyone else, three days were more than sufficient for me to do so. Had it been longer, the difficulty would only increase going forward.

Now, what stands before our long-awaited vacation is every student's worst nightmare. Exams.

Still, my concerns are far different from most students. After all, these examinations would be the last chance to surpass the Highest Celestial of this Academy. A name awarded to the highest achiever of our institution — with the owner being none other than person Cassandra Verlice herself. Over the course of my stay here, never once have I been able to present greater marks than her. It has even come to the point that my presence had been dubbed as her shadow. How aggravating.