School morning. Thaddeus woke up, feeling for the first time ever, excited about going to school. A place he thought of as an unfair society full of the mean and ambitious, the arrogant and selfish, the self-depreciating and bullied, and the drifting misfits.
Thaddeus saw no need to mingle around such people.
He went about his morning ritual, picking out varying shades of monochrome for his wardrobe that day; gray tee shirt, dark coloured jeans and a black hoodie to top it off. To some, his choice of clothing would have been labelled basic, but in reality it was because Thaddeus wanted nothing more than to blend in, be unnoticed and left alone. He never quite noticed how girls stared at him longingly as he walked by the hallways; how they whispered amongst themselves that the "guy from Art class has a really nice jawline, long legs and piercing eyes" and never quite realised that he was left alone because he had an aura of sadness that no one dared to penetrate.
He was not a part of "the bullied" because no one dared to bully a boy with cold brown eyes that seemed to stare at your soul once he actually lifted his head to acknowledge you. He was part of the drifting misfits no one went near to as no one could quite relate to his being to include him in anything.
He walked to school, bag slung on one shoulder, earpiece plugged in as always. He arrived earlier than usual.
The Art Museum. Thaddeus could feel his heart beat warmly at the thought of going there. It was his haven, his escape, his bridge to Teribithia. It was his world.
Unfortunately, there was a catch to his happiness.
He had to go there with his classmates, blithering idiots with hardly an ability to pick up a pencil to draw a stick man. Although he was in a special arts programme, half his classmates were in this programme because they had to pick an elective and had no idea what to choose. (Thaddeus thought they were so much like Ron Weasley and Harry Potter when they had to choose subjects at the end of their second year in Hogwarts: pointing at the list of subjects with the tip of their wands, eyes shut, then opening them and taking whatever they pointed to.)
It was obvious they regretted signing up: their constant snoring in class and the stricken looks of boredom on their faces as their art teacher lectured on about art strokes was proof enough. Those who joined due to interest, well, sucked as artists. Thus Thaddeus constantly felt that the programme, which was extended to only two classes, had a strong attraction towards utter morons, compelling them to join it. Thaddeus considered himself lucky to not have struck an acquaintance with any one of them; at least he could roam freely in the museum without any pesky classmate tagging along.
Thaddeus walked over to the bus waiting area. His teacher was there, waiting for the other classmates to arrive. Slowly, they all strolled in, and the teacher said to them,"Class, Emma from the other art class will be joining us today. She missed her trip last week." The teacher gestured to the quirky-looking girl beside her. The girl, clad in a bright pink shirt and flowery-patterned jeans, smiled and waved cheerily. It was too early for prompt replies. Thaddeus' classmates answered with unharmonious grunts of acknowledgment. Thaddeus, who was too immersed in his own thoughts, did not even hear the girl's name. Thaddeus and his classmates began to board the bus. He chose a seat by the window and plugged in his earpiece, choosing another melancholy song in his playlist. Everyone else had a seat mate except him.
A figure sat down beside him-Emma.
Thaddeus raised his eyebrows and stood up. He saw that the rest of the seats were filled. He sighed, annoyed, sat back down and continued to stare out of the window. He knew the girl was trying to catch his attention; he pretended not to hear. She tapped his shoulder. Once, twice, three times. His mouth twisted in further irritation.
"What do you want?!" Thaddeus snapped, pulling out his earpiece. The girl seemed unfazed by his hostility, and smiled brightly back at him.
"What's your name?"the girl asked, with roughly the amount of cheeriness of a bobbing sunflower.
"Thaddeus." The reply was curt.
"Hello! I'm Emma and-" Emma was interrupted mid-sentence.
"Now that you know who I am, shut up and leave me alone," Thaddeus cut in icily.
"There's no need to be rude, I just-"
"I said, leave me alone," Thaddeus reinforced. Emma looked away, eyebrows furrowed in disappointment. Thaddeus continued to stare out the window, glaring at the view as the memories returned to him. He lightly mouthed the lyrics as Troye Sivan blasted in his ears.
YOU ARE READING
Forgetting Me
Romance{take a pill or swallow three; darling speak numb for me this aching p a i n won't go, darling oh to live and breathe I need you so. } -------------------- Angst and bitterness mixed well, that was Thaddeus. He despised everything in his life. Now...
