Freshman

Chapter 6: The Senescence

It took Hasha almost five hundred twenty five thousand six hundred minutes– and counting, to finish powdering her nose in the ladies' comfort room right by the corridor.

"When the hell is this woman ever gonna finish?" I asked myself with an exasperated sigh, holding both our heavy backpacks was no easy work.

Earlier with break time today hadn't gone so awfully cool, as you may have judged from the last chapter, I talked to my rival for the first time. She wasn't in any way crude, vile, or in any bad attitude, but it was easy to hate her. Maybe hate is such a strong word, so let's go with jealous. She was pretty and by far the most eye catching thing in this school. From what I heard, she was pretty smart too. It didn't hurt to know that I found out she ran for Grade Seven Representative too. Wow, talk about flawless. Leader-figure, beautiful, and smart? Don't tell me she's gonna become president of the Philippines next!

Hasha, being such a sympathetic and supporting friend, had comforted me.

"Don't worry Ari," Hasha told. "She has nothing you haven't got."

"Except for maybe, uh– everything!" I exaggerated.

"Except for one," she sighed. "What makes you you is your naturality. Flourdes wears makeup, dude. Makeup. And at her age too...."

"So?" I crossed my arms. "What's your point?"

"Just be you and everything will go just the way you want it to be."

I snapped back to reality, where I was waiting for Hasha in dismissal outside the comfort room. I sighed at my sudden flashback outside the women's comfort room. Even outside the comfort room is a place for me to reminisce about myself.

Out of the blue, someone had tapped my shoulder. I turned, only to see a tall woman who was about as tall as Big Ben. You see, she was tall, and my height was no exception.

She had very pale skin, her hair tied up in a messy bun, and her eyes sparkled in such a gorgeous chocolatey brown. She gave me an authentic looking smile.

"Hey," she spoke. "You're a Freshman, right?"

She asked in a very kind tone, but I couldn't help but feel nervous all of a sudden. Is it the fact that she's a complete stranger and that she's older? Probably.

"Wh-who wants to know?" I stuttered. Damn, my confidence lowered in such a bad timing.

She snickered. "You may not know Hasha Galleon by any chance now, do you?"

I raised a brow. "The question still stands ma'am, who wants to know?"

"I–"

"Jane!" Hasha tackled the woman from behind. With such a terrible fate, the reaction wasn't any better. They both stumbled on the sturdy floor, crashing harshly.

"Ouch! You big ball of fat." She rubbed her head. "Get off me!"

"Haha," Hasha laughed. "Sorry, didn't mean to squish you there."

"Apology accepted," she stood and cleaned herself from dust particles.

"Lend me a hand here, girl." Hasha asked for my hand, and I gladly gave it.