D

I. The Nerd

She strode inside the room in a mint-colored turtle neck, a black pencil skirt, and knee-high boots. She looks like your typical rich girl that lives in manors which irks Victoria in her pathetic state.

Victoria was already making faces at her beside me. "Ugh, Harry look at her."

I pretended to not hear because I don't want to get in her teenage dramas anymore. Last time I did that, I became the target of the bullies in high school. I shouldn't be hanging out with Victoria after that incident, but it just so happens that she's also enrolled in Western University for college. Coincidentally, in an engineering major like me.

My life is so unfortunate.

The new girl, let's just call her that for now, just came in three days after the fall semester classes began. We already started last Thursday, August 25, and she only walked in the classes today which is already August 29. We haven't really discussed anything on the 25th, just the usual teacher-student introduction, but there are already lectures during the Friday and Saturday. It was just basic math but I know attendance play a large role in our grades. I feel pity for her only coming in the class today.

"Right, Harry?"

I looked up at Victoria from my book. Oh, she was talking to me? "Maybe," I replied. It was the safest answer I could think of.

"Who is she to just show up on Monday? I didn't even see her during the convocation."

"Mhm," I nodded. I don't get why Victoria makes backbiting a hobby. I glanced at the girl reading an e-book in her iPad. She's just two seats in front of Victoria and we're the only ones inside the room, the girl can definitely hear her bitching out. Unlike Cassidy though, she hasn't said a word nor does she show us that she's affected of any sort. Kudos to her, I guess. Too bad she'll be classmates with Victoria for the rest of the semester.

"Right, Harry?"

I shot my glance back to the ginger, "M-maybe?" Then back to the book. I pushed my glasses on the bridge of my nose to let her see that I really need to study. Sometimes I wonder why her talkative mouth got her an academic award back in high school. That's no competition for me though, I was valedictorian, she's just an honorable mention. Didn't matter anyway, we're now both academic scholars of this university and grades are everything to us -maybe only me- now.

The school bell rang. The noisy students of Physics Lecture 1 barged in the doors. I hate distractions. But a familiar manly pat was felt on my back. I looked at my right and Michael's dimples were the first thing I saw. Distractions, except this.

I've always got suspicious about my gender when I was still in high school. Whenever I see my male classmates change in the gym's locker room showing off their packs and muscles, I'd always feel my body heating up. I thought it was normal. I thought every guy feels the same when they see a masterpiece of their own species. I was wrong because it was only me who felt that way.

That's why I hang out with Victoria instead of the guys. It's because I didn't want to feel weird about myself. But it was too late. They already started calling me Gay Harry or Gary because I'm spending too much time with girls. It was humiliating. Senior year was the worst. I cringe remembering that.

When I stepped in college, I promised myself that that will never happen again. I will act more boyish, smart, cool, and not the wimp everyone had made fun of in high school. I did my best flirting with other women at the freshman orientation. However, their overly-expensive lipstick and silicone boobs just don't get to me like normal men do. And with Victoria here, she's more clingy to me than ever before. It's basically impossible to move. At least, when Cassidy and Tiana saw me at the convocation, they gave me proper attention. They welcomed me like a student, and not a sex image. But they brought with them a pack of men. Basing from their muscle built and size, the four guys might be in an athletic scholarship. Then, there was Michael.