It was a classroom. It was rather modest in size, being used for the new middle school students. Desks were arranged traditionally, in rows of 3 stretching to the back. There was nothing eccentric or even arcane about the room- it was just a classroom.
The sounds of crickets could be heard throughout. The hot, sweltering summer sun was fixed above and cranked to the maximum, just like a heating unit in an oven. The air was humid and stuffy, and the school kids were barely keeping tabs on their environs or even the details of their lesson.
Even though the school year had just started, the children inside the room couldn't be any less involved in their duties as students. It seemed like the day would continue and end in the same manner that all the other stagnant days prior did.
However, the teacher had been gone for a while. She had said she needed to go sort out something important. Therefore, the lesson had to be put on hold for a while. Of course, as they were 12-year-olds, they were hoping they could mess around and prance about doing silly tricks like quoting songs or flipping bottles. But there was a strict substitute watching them, obviously wary of their intentions. As such, the children sat, slumped over and barely awake.
Then, as if a lightning bolt, something new had struck the children. The teacher had clambered back to the room, out of breath, while ushering in what looked to be a new kid. The kid had neatly ordered brown hair; his eyes had a sharp shape, adorned with a deep brown hue to his irises, and his eyebrows were naturally curved. His school uniform was incredibly neat, so neat in fact that some students thought he was a model showcasing the uniform.
Finally, adorned across his black and blue blazer were several badges. Most of them appeared to have been won in sport, ranging from tennis all the way to karate. He also had an academic badge titled: 'Best Junior Scientist'. All of this was immediately taken in by the other children- inadvertently creating an air of majesty around him, garnering the class's attention in an instant.
However, the kid's expression betrayed the image of him almost certainly cemented in the other children's minds. His eyes were meek and avoidant; he was also hunched over slightly, and he was standing a decent distance behind the teacher. He never made eye contact.
"Allow me to welcome the new student. His name is Edgar Cross," bellowed the teacher, "He'll be joining us for the rest of the semester. All of you should put on your best behaviour and be kind to him. Edgar, do you want to say anything about yourself before class is resumed?"
Then, without his consent, the teacher had thrown him a daring challenge. He had to tell the class about himself. He could see the hordes of inquisitive stares, the demanding eyes telling him to unravel himself for the world to see. It was startling. Trying to muster confidence, he began to speak.
"My name is Edgar."
"We know," a blue-haired boy replied. A few snickered at that.
"Um… I'm sorry. I… like to read," he said, reaching for a bare-bones activity.
"What kind of books, Edgar?" said the teacher. Her laissez-faire attitude had begun to annoy him.
"Sci-fi novels," he answered immediately.
"I see. Do you have anything else to add?" she said.
"No."
"Alright… well, let's continue class. Be sure to help Edgar with the material," she continued.
Slowly, Edgar walked over to an empty seat. Coincidentally, it was right next to the blue-haired boy who had mocked him. He stared incredulously at Edgar for a second, scrutinising him as if he were picking apart a lock. Then, as if he had come to a conclusion, he kissed his teeth and then he hurriedly began to scribble notes into his textbook.
Edgar had noticed his harrowing gaze, but had decided to keep quiet and refrain from introducing himself. The reason being, the lessons in etiquette and people he had taken to learning extensively from his father- even if he sucked at applying them. One such lesson was to always make a decent first impression on someone, as the first impression will determine how they treat you for an incredibly long amount of time.
The reason Edgar had decided not to introduce himself was simply that he was not confident in his ability to be perceived as natural or authentic to the other students. To put it in easier terms, he was afraid of appearing like an outcast. However, unbeknownst to him, his lack of transparency and his frankness had already painted a poor picture of him in his classmates' minds. As such, the air of mystique surrounding him faded away rather quickly- within a week.
That, however, didn't mean that people had begun to approach him; rather, on the contrary, he became isolated. No one would go out of their way to talk to him in fear of their already established group dynamics being affected. It didn't help that he had several academic accolades, further serving to enhance the notion that he was elite to his classmates.
Therefore, the boy known as Edgar usually sat alone. During class, he'd be the most active voice in the room, but when class ended, he'd retreat into the endless, deep well of information that was the library. There, he would diligently study. However, studying wasn't the only thing he liked. He'd much prefer to be outside playing sports and talking to the other children in his year. But they didn't seem to want him or care about him.
Even if he ranked 1st on a test or earned full marks, the person in second and the person below him would be congratulated. They would be praised and given affirmations such as: 'That was a great effort' and 'You really are smart!' and then those said people giving affirmations with their barely concealed conceit would turn around and say: 'Edgar only studies, so it's only natural' as if they knew everything about him. How conceited.
It had been 3 weeks now of prolonged isolation and a despondent, book-filled school experience. Edgar didn't let his lack of companionship affect him nearly as much anymore, as he simply went to the maid for any sort of attention he craved. But it didn't help nearly as much as he hoped because a maid and a school child have far too many differences in responsibilities. In other words, it was the maid's job to act in Edgar's favour as much as possible.
Therefore, their relationship was one of one-sided development where Edgar learnt everything and the maid learnt nothing. Whereas, between a student and Edgar, it'd be one of mutual development as through each other, they'd be granted new perspectives, ideas and knowledge. That sort of exchange was something that Edgar desired greatly. But it wasn't possible now. For now, the class had already long settled into a dynamic without him.
It was unfortunate, but alas, he'd have to accept it now. As he thought this, he was carrying a stack of thick books that were to be his reading list for that week. Even for him, it was a great struggle to carry them. But he didn't need to walk a far distance. He only needed to walk to his bag that was sitting atop one of the tables in the library.
As he continued pondering about his lack of relationships within the school, he failed to pay any attention to his surroundings; he was getting lost in his insecurity and longing. Therefore-
Crash.
"Oof!"
He had collided with something, and he was sent tumbling down onto the floor. It clearly wasn't his day today, falling so easily. As he prepared to get up from his position, he noticed that his elbow was slightly wedged into something. So, he moved to remove it.
Clink.
It was a phone screen. He had somehow broken the screen of someone's phone. That wasn't good.
Finally, Edgar got a good view of the boy whose phone he had broken. He had short, blue hair and an unremarkable face- yet that unremarkable face was scrunched up into a very noticeable rage. He then locked eyes with Edgar.
"My phone," he said, "Give me my phone."
The sudden directness and venom in his voice frightened Edgar for a moment; for someone who had outright refused to interact with him for the better part of 3 weeks, this served as a shock to his established status quo.
"O-oh alright, but… I sort of broke it," he answered honestly. Edgar figured that if he did it, he might as well be transparent from the start.
"What?!" the boy shouted. He clenched his fists, his face tightening.
"I know… I know… I'm sorry," Edgar lifted the broken phone and pointed his finger at it, unknowingly pissing the blue-haired boy off even more.
Suddenly, a slightly calculating glare was present on the blue-haired boy's face. He stared deep into Edgar's eyes, as if trying to ascertain his true nature. He decided to stay silent and let Edgar continue rambling to glean more about his character.
"If you want…! I can buy you another phone!" Edgar said earnestly, "I can take it home, and I promise you'll have a better one by tomorrow!"
"Where would you even get the money from?" the blue-haired boy finally responded.
"I can always ask my father!" He exclaimed.
"Alright," he said, "Just know that if it isn't here by tomorrow, in pristine condition, with not a singular speck of dust… you'll be screwed."
Edgar's face went blue, and he nodded. He was still conflicted between maintaining his eternal status quo at school and receiving attention from others. He leaned more towards maintaining his status quo.