So Udo, what are you thinking about doing for your birthday?" Udo's mom asked.
Udo looked up from the manga he was reading. "Thats right, I turn 15 in a few days" he thought.
"So maybe a party or a birthday dinner? What are you birthday wishes"
"I can think of one" he mumbled.
"What was that?", his mom asked.
"Probably just have a few friends over or something, biggest thing is getting my learners permit" Udo said.
"Of course, we will go to the DMV after school on Thursday, dinner will be ready soon", his mom said heading back to the kitchen.
"Maybe a learners permit will improve my social status, catch her attention" he thought hopefully.
Since that day Udo broke his arm, he was never lucky enough to be in a class with Zofia. But that didn't stop the summer play dates, watching TMNT together, jumping on her trampoline, and family hikes.
Then middle school hit. The most socially awkward time for any 12 year old. It was then that cliques started to form and a social hierarchy began to emerge.
Six grade the two remind friends but when 7th grade hit things changed.
Zofia was immediately well liked. She was a volleyball player, basketball cheerleader, played in the orchestra, honors student, and was elected to student council.
Udo never really got his footing. He was in the band, on the academic team, and in the manga/anime club. His only claim to popularity was he was on the soccer team.
The two would hangout after school but as time passed Zofia soon became busy with her friends, the "cool kids".
It's not like she just told him to get lost, but he knew that her friends pressured her, and well high school social standing was important.
When 8th grade was coming to a close, Udo had worked up the nerve to ask her to the 8 grade formal. With a lot of encouragement from his best friend Falco, he approached her lunch table.
Her friends looked at him with a mixture of confusion and annoyance.
"Um, Zofia.....Would you like go to the 8th grade dance with me?" He blurted out.
Zofia blushed as was about to open her mouth to answer before Gabi butted in.
She started laughing, "Oh come on Udo, you think she would go with someone from your crowd, she's already got a date, someone who isn't in love with 2-D characters"
The table and some of the surrounding tables started to laugh. Zofia just looked down. Udo fely his face go hot. He had faked sick and gone home that day.
He skipped the dance and he and Falco hung out instead playing Smash Bros. But he did remember seeing a picture of her on Instagram, she look so pretty in her light blue dress, which brought out her eyes.
Now they were all in their first year of high school. He still got teased for the incident, but for the most part he just stayed in his lane. But the snide comments were occasionally. Being an Otaku in high school didn't score you a lot of popularity points. But he had his friend from middle school and a few new ones from the other middle schools.
One of his friends Kaya had an older sister who was on the volleyball team. So it gave Udo and excuse to go to the volleyball matches.
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"So any thoughts on what you want for your birthday?" Falco asked as they walked towards their 2nd period algebra class.
"You guys don't have to get me anything", Udo said.
