No, this story isn't about a nerd falling in love with a bad boy who's made her high school life hell for years.
This is the story of an AroAce nerd who conveniently fits the stereotypes. A+ grades, glasses, books, and the most despicable of all, pi...
"What are you doing? Didn't you hear me?! I said give me your lunch money!"
The leader sought to grab my collar, but I was quick to evade her grasp. Even without facing their way, I knew I had angered those whom "I shouldn't be opposing". With screams filled with fury and resentment, all of them charged toward me.
Screw them, I just want to eat my bread in peace.
However, as a person who grew up in the ruthless slums for most of her life, I was used to such things. Therefore, I learned to deal with the matter before things got out of hand. A method that knocks out your opponent in one strike by quickly punching them in the jaw. Years of experience have taught me the right amount of pressure to make sure that they'd never awaken while I'm in the vicinity and at the same time, leave no fatal injuries. Surely, having someone sue me would thwart my plans for a successful future.
One by one, they each met their doom.
At last, I can finally eat my bread in peace.
Not like there's any lunch money I can give to them anyway.
Once I finished, I headed back to class. Everyone was starting to fix the desks in a previously disarrayed state, and in their attempts did the noise temporarily surged. Mine had little to no fixing required; it was intended where it was formerly left so all I had to do was sit down. Unlike the others, I didn't have a lunch box to pack so that saved me quite some time to daydream before the next subject starts.
Yet, the short question of one of my seatmates put a halt to my plans.
"Did you finish the Calculus assignment?"
Oh, shoot.
"Yeah, it was really hard— it took me hours to finish!"
"Lucky you, I can't even get past the first question."
"Really? What about the other four?"
"Guess I'll just bet everything on my one and only answer."
My mind entered a blank state. A state in which I could neither move, speak, or think.
My arrogance in handling the affairs of yesterday has brought forth this situation. I got ahead of myself and spent the whole evening reading A Long Way Gone, by Ishmael Beah. It shrouded my mind so much that I had forgotten about such a deadly assignment that was due in a few minutes.
Thank God for the extra time.
Thank God for my skills in Math.
Thank God for the seatmates who implicitly reminded me.
Were it not for you all, I wouldn't have finished my Calculus assignment in a short period of time. Every question was completed. All except the last one. It would have been finished as well, had it not been for our Math teacher entering the room right before I even could start.
***
Tsk. 20/25.
I could have done better if it hadn't slipped my mind. Of all the things to forget, it just had to be Calculus.
One question would amount to five points. Thus, failing even one would cause you some real damage. In short, this would leave a dent in the overall score.
As I contemplated today's tragedy while staring at the final outcome, I sat down on a bench in the park. A heavy sigh escaped my lips. There's nothing else I can do right now but accept this fate and move forward. Lesson learned.
Next time, I'll be extra careful.
Upon coming to the conclusion that enough regrets have filled my heart, I set my sights on going back home.
Although it's been a hundred times that I've been greeted with the same scenery, it never fails to soothe my heart. As the saying goes, "There's no place like home." After settling down my shoes on the rack, I sat on the couch and closed my eyes. A bundle of papers on the coffee table greeted me upon my wake. It was the bills — a despicable entity that keeps devouring my income.
Nonetheless, not dealing with these would mean I was homeless. So, I guess, it's still one of those things to be grateful for.
Ugh, my savings are running out.
Quitting the last job was probably a bad move. But it was taking a toll on my mental and physical health that it essentially forced me to this conclusion. Not to mention, keeping up with my academics was proving to be difficult going forward, which was my utmost priority since I also have a scholarship to maintain.
Oh, well, it looks like I have no choice.
Let's go get another job.
One that's probably less heavy than the former, even if it means my typical salary would be reduced. Oh wait, does that mean I should say goodbye to this apartment? No, I like the view of the night sky here! Downsizing is definitely a no-no! Alright, maybe not too much of a regress now.
What job should I get though?
Hmm, my skills involve deep cleaning, writing fanfics on Tumblr, writing fiction on Wattpad, browsing the internet for memes, reading a book a day, and then proceeding to review them on Goodreads and StoryGraph, cooking, Math, tutoring, and probably organization.
Guess I should be a maid.
Not a bad idea. I hope regrets won't come to visit me later though.
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Q: Even though it wasn't largely hinted at, it was still mentioned in the last few paragraphs of Chapter 2 that she was reading. Were you able to guess the correct reason for her tears? xD
