Memoirs of an Outstanding* Teen

Chapter 22: I Find Conversations a Chore

There was yet another boy who was kind enough to try to make me feel welcome in the class. Let's call him, Sean. Sean, as I later found out, was the life of the class. He was the one that would talk to everyone, make jokes with the teachers, and laugh so heartily, you couldn't help but laugh along. He saw me reading one morning and without much question, he went and grabbed this other girl, we'll call her Rachel, brought her up to my desk and said to her, "Please talk to Nelu. She's reading because none of you are talking to her. Don't make her hate our class and decide to go back." I was flattered. Rachel sat down, and this time, I was determined to keep the awkward silence at least a light year away.

As soon as she told me her name, I was determined to keep answering as conversationally as I could, and asking her questions back. That's how it works right? Honestly, I don't think I heard half of what she talked about. I could only think about what reply to give her to maintain that light year distance. In the end, the conversation felt like a chore and I started counting the minutes till the bell rings so I could just get it over with. There was no difference between staying in that conversation and going for a 10-kilometer run.

On the bright side, Rachel became my go to person in the class. A friend, you can say. Or at least a very close acquaintance.