Paradise

♤7♤

"I believe that 13 Reasons Why over-glamorises suicide. It makes it's readers think that it's okay to do what Hannah did - and that is to take you own life without context. It makes people believe that it's okay to give up. On life. And that is not something that should be portrayed especially since most of Asher's readers are young adults. Young adults who could be very easily swayed by such opinions. But this is my sole view. Any views opposing to mine are also to be respected of course."

His eyes shoot to mine as an emotion that I can't decipher swirls through his orbs. I read his microexpression and realize that he's provoking me.

He's provoking me? To oppose him?

Gladly.

When the professor asks for additional input, I raise my hand immediately. Her perfectly, obviously drawn eyebrow arches up at this gesture and she motions for Mr. Kim to sit down and for me to continue.

I rise from my seat and everyone's eyes fall on me. Contrary to the respect their eyes held when they stared at Mr. Kim, their eyes change into something more predatory now. Something more evil. Their orbs swirl with disgust at the thought of me opposing their king.

I smirk.

"I strongly disagree with Mr. Kim's views. 13 Reasons Why does not over-glamorise suicide, of course. Although Mr. Kim's previous statement had a lot of good points that I must say were very impressive, a lot of it was still wrong." I pause and shoot him a kind smile, and from my peripheral vision, I see him stare back at me with intrigue.

I continue.

"I recall Mr. Kim stating something about 'Hannah taking her own life without context'. What exactly do you mean by without context, Mr. Kim? I don't exactly know what your definition of 'without context' means; but one thing I can assure you is that, our definitions most definitely do not align. She had a reason to do what she did. Hannah witnessed rape and was a victim of the crime herself, she was thrown under the bus multiple times throughout the book, she drowned herself in guilt by feeling like she comitted second-hand murder and she was continuously made to feel like she was worthless as people only saw her worth for what she looked like instead of paying attention to who she really was. She was wrongfully accused of doing things that she didn't even do. The list goes on. If even just one of these were to happen to anyone here, I'm sure they'd end up in a situation even worse than Hannah's."

I stop to take a breathe and continue afterwards.

"Also, I don't agree with Hannah's ways of executing things of course. Suicide should never be an option to be considered. But at the time, she was lost. It was understandable how she felt, really. And if you read carefully and actually took your time to analyze the book, you'd also realize that Hannah was given very little time to recover from one traumatizing event before being launched into another. This could lead the victim to have tunnel vision which is exactly what had lead Hannah to do what she did in the first place. And for those of you who aren't aware, tunnel vision is a term used in psychology to refer to a narrow or exclusive focus on a particular emotion or thought. In Hannah's case, suicide was the only way she saw out. She never saw the light at the end of the tunnel given that she was never given proper recovery time so she chose the only option that was plausible to her at that time. And that was - to take her own life." I let out a breathe as soon as I finish the sentence.

Everyone, including the purple haired guy stares at me in awe. Mr. Kim recovers from his dazed stare and poises himself.

"But what about the people who cared about Hannah? What about them? She should've thought about the pain and misery that her death would've brought them. Her parents. Her friends. Clay. Yes. There were a lot of people who did her dirty but there must've been a fair amount who cared too." He declares.

I smile at him.

"You're right, Mr. Kim. There were a lot of people who cared about her. A lot of people who would've been hit hard by her death. But that's also exactly why I don't think the story over glamorises suicide. I believe that it prevents it. The book showed how the actions of others towards anyone can affect them greatly. That; what means nothing to you, could mean the whole world to them. It teaches it's readers that you should be more sensitive towards what others feel and that you should be more conscious of what you're about to do to someone else because it could ruin their lives. As for your argument, this could show the reader who is contemplating their life to think twice about it once more. Because there's someone there who will cry for them. Someone there who will despise themselves for what happened to you. Someone who will wish they treated you better. Someone who will wish that they had more time with you. It shows the reader the negative effect of their decision. And that is - after your death, there will be so many who did care about you, who will blame themselves, feel the guilt and maybe even do the same thing you did. It shows people that suicide is never the answer. And that everything...affects everything."

I sit down, indicating that I am done and will no longer speak on the matter as I'm confident that I've said enough to even sway opposing views.

Professor Frangipane stares at me with awe in her eyes and claps. The class follows her and their slow, unsure claps ring out through the room.

I stay silent and unmoving.

"Thank you, Ms. Yoon. That was a beautiful speech. It was truly eye-opening. I hope that more students can be as open-minded as you are." She states with finality.

I simply nod and look down at my empty notebook, bored out of my mind.

The bell rings after Professor Frangipane gives us our homework and I write it down, carefully packing my bag until I'm the last one left in the classroom.

I head out once I'm done and crash into a hard chest, eliciting a gasp from my pinkish lips.

I look up to see the purple haired boy, face inches from mine and eyes shining with intrigue.

I narrow my eyes at him and push him off me. "Is there something I can help you with, Mr. Kim?"

He shakes his head. "I just wanted to make sure that you understand that everything I said in class to oppose your arguments were purely from my experience and that I spoke solely based on my own opinion. I didn't want you to think that I was purposely contradicting your opinion and I simply wanted you to know that I respect yours. Your argument was definitely firm and eye-opening. I'm gonna re-read that novel and try to see it from your point of view this time."  He explains, leaving me temporarily stunned.

I search his face for any signs of fakeness but I don't find any, even when I read his microexpression.

I let my guard down and shoot him a kind smile. "You need not to explain yourself, Mr. Kim. It's not everyday that I can find anyone who can actually keep up with my feisty debates. It's actually refreshing."

He smiles sheepishly, rubbing his nape, dimples popping. "So. No hard feelings?" He asks and extends his hand for me to shake as a truce.

I shake my head and take his hand. "No hard feelings."

He sighs in relief and his sheepish smile morphs into one that's more relaxed. "That's good. Hey. You should join us for lunch. I'm sure my friends would be delighted to meet you."

I raise my eyebrow at him but reply nonetheless. "I'm gonna have to pass you up on that offer, Mr. Kim. Me and the girls talked and we agreed to have lunch off campus today."

He waves his hand in dismissal. "It's fine, love. Maybe next time?" He says hopefully.

I smile back at him.

"Maybe next time, Namjoon."

●●●

I hope you enjoyed this chapter, Krowns.
And for those of you who are struggling with something right now, I'd like you all to know that it's okay to feel that way. There's nothing wrong with you. You're not alone. And please. Don't ever choose the path that Hannah chose to take. It's okay to reach out and get help. Suicide is never an option. Your life matters.

Love you, Krowns <3