overly-awkward

chapter 9

"Guess who it is this time?" A boy in braces laughed while looking at the girl next to him.

"Ooh, interesting. Well who could it be but our class nerd? The one who sits there all day long without a word, acting like a mute," The girl said, her voice laced with malice.

The girl sitting on her desk gritted her teeth. The fists holding the large, thick book tightened. She looked further down into her book, not looking up. She tried to brush their remarks away, but part of her knew that she couldn't. Their words would just haunt her at night.

Like they have always did.

She wished that her glares would drive them away. She tried it once, and it failed miserably. They teased her for her 'ugly' face.

From that incident onwards, she concluded it was impossible. She could only resign to her miserable fate. But it was unfair.

She knew she didn't do anything wrong to deserve something like this.

If so, why were they doing this?

Why?

"Hey you, don't tell me you're too deaf from reading? Respond, you idiot. You are already mute, please don't be deaf too. Otherwise, how can you even function in society?" The same boy kicked her chair, causing her to stumble and crash onto the ground.

"And not to mention you are just downright weak too," he coupled.

The girl winced in pain. If not for the long fringe or spectacles that shielded her eyes, they would have seen her pain.

Then, like adding salt to her wound, like her battered heart, they would just continue poking and punching out her broken heart till it has bled dry.

She didn't want them to do that.

She adjusted her black spectacles, a habit she had picked up when she didn't know how to react or during awkward situations.

Just ignore them, she thought. Don't give them the satisfaction, no.

The boy, now standing right beside her, scoffed. The girl leant in, examining her book.

"Wow nerd, how could you be this lame? A book on newts?" She took the extra effort to emphasize on the last word.

Newts.

Is reading a book on newts a bad thing? What have they even done against you? What have I even done against you?

The million questions darted around in the girl's head. She wanted to stand up to herself, but just couldn't seem to open that ugly mouth of hers. She was so pathetic.

She just sat on the dusty grey tiled floor and looked down on her book in silence. If only thoughts were tangible, she thought, they would pay the price.

Her tears were welling up, but she chose to ignore the pricking sensation in her eye.

She needed to get stronger, so that Mum wouldn't see her pain, Mum wouldn't suspect... But how? Where is the magic potion for this?