The Disease Called Men

Great minds think alike. Simple minds differ little.

Cerise’s borderline list of the difference between smart people and idiotic people:
1. Studies suggest that people who talk to themselves is often a sign of a healthy mind.
2. Additionally, talking to yourself is one of the common symptoms of mental instability.
3. Talking to yourself may also mean you’re extremely lonely and have no friends.
4. …Wait, what?



There is something wrong with me.

Like, as in something wrong that is medically and certified proven – type of wrong. I have now decided I was verging on the side of possibly mentally unstable. Could there be a part inside of me that I don’t know?! What made me think it would be okay to offer spending more time with Nikko – a male BBC student?! I’m getting myself into all shits.

Lunch had ended and Nikko and I had hurried our way back to the student council room since he needed his books for next class and I simply forgot my bag there.

As we entered the room I noticed all of the student council members were there.

I guess it’s because we’re members of the student councils we’re excluded from punishments of being late to class because of ‘student council duties’. As a result, some members tend to abuse that privilege (definitely not me, of course). Meaning, because of that, no one really bothered about punctuality these days.

“Oh, hey Nikko.” Miller nodded at Nikko. He looked slightly confused when he saw me follow Nikko behind. “Hey Cerise.”

I grunted in response. Great. I could feel Julia stare in my direction. I could tell she was strangely suspicious.

“You know,” began Miller as he packed up his bag, “I’ve been thinking… Like, we should really start being serious and work harder as the student council.”

“You don’t say…” I heard Nikko murmur rather bitterly.

“Maybe we should have a group meeting,” Miller continued. He obviously didn’t hear Nikko. “Like a serious meeting and finish the plans. You know, we can, I don’t know, like meet up after school?”

I froze. “What?”

“Actually, that might be a good idea…” Julia spoke up.

Yasmin frowned. “Why?”

“Miller does have a point.” Kyles shrugged. “We have been a bit behind schedule, to be honest…”

“Then is it decided that we meet up after school tomorrow around four in the student council room?” Miller looked around the room. Everyone seemed to be nodding in agreement.

I sighed. “Oh man…”

“If you had been doing your work properly,” Nikko began organising the papers, “you wouldn’t be complaining in the first place.”

“This is so annoying.” I muttered.

“Aren’t you the female president?” Nikko asked. Ohhh, I can feel the condescendence ooze out of him. “Why can’t you do your work properly?”

“Sh-shut up!” I felt my cheeks heat up. “Things happened…” I mumbled as I looked away.

“So? Things happen all the time.” Nikko frowned and folded his arms. He reminded me of a disapproving parent in that pose. “You need to learn to how prioritise and manage your time properly. If you can do that, then there wouldn’t be a problem.”

Was he telling me off? He sounded like a frustrated mother. “You don’t get it…” I sighed and shook my head. “That’s… That’s not the problem.”

“Of course!” Nikko cried in a mocking tone. Jerk. “You have a problem. I bet it’s something hard to pronounce.”

Was he questioning my mental stability? Really, this kid was so annoying! “Yes, you are the problem!”

“Enough you two!” Miller cried exasperatedly, “I’m so over this sexual tension and flirtatious bickering!”

Nikko spluttered and choked. Even the thought seemed so ridiculous to him!

I turned around and gave Miller the deadliest glare I could ever muster. “Excuse me?” How the hell did he think we were… ‘flirting’? What’s wrong with him?

“Come on Cerise, it’s been like, a week since our schools combined. Shouldn’t you be over this ‘I hate Brookfield’ crap?”

I glanced over at Yasmin. She shrugged. I thought she hated the co-ed thing too! Why was I the only one getting all the crap!

“I…” I really did not know what to say. Yes, it has been a while since the two schools combined, but that didn’t change how I was feeling!

Miller continued, “I don’t honestly get it. Like, what do you have against boys, Cerise? Did we do something to you? If we did, let us know, so you know…”

Nikko frowned and looked right at me. “I bet you don’t even have a real reason in the first place.”

I stared back at him. Who was he to judge?! I… I had nothing to say. No comeback, no retort. Not even a snarky insult!

But honestly? I do have a real reason! I did have something against them! I just didn’t know how to word it out. Just for some reason… I don’t know. I don’t know how to explain it. Maybe I didn’t like how the boys invaded my heavenly sanctuary? I didn’t like the change? I grew up thinking boys were annoying and disgusting? Boys had traumatised me when I was little? No, that wasn’t it. I just don’t like them being here. They’re different, they don’t belong here. They’re ruining everything. They’re ruining my heavenly sanctuary. I didn’t know what to say or how to word my thoughts.

So instead, I just left the room in a huff.

Slamming the door behind me, I could hear Yasmin mutter ‘real mature’.

Yeah, I’m that mature.



Just beyond Aldenbury’s famous oak tree, turn left and you can find it. It may look suspicious and seedy, screaming ‘dangerous alleyway’, but this was my ultimate favourite spot in all Aldenbury. It was my secret spot where I could really think, and if needed, cool down.

Which I needed to really do right now: cool down and think.

But right now, I didn’t really ‘cool down’ per say. Right now, this was a spot where I could openly vent about crap and release my hidden inner wrath.

Directing all my frustrations onto a random bag of papers, I was violently kicking and snapping all sorts of abuse.

“Stupid co-ed! Stupid, stupid student council! And stupid Nikko! Nikko, he just thinks he knows everything!”

I made a face at the thought! Just who did he think he was?! Ugh.

Ignoring that inner nagging feeling of guilt, I paused. Deep down, I know I shouldn’t be blaming anyone. Not even Nikko, that jerk. What was I doing? Really? This was not how it was supposed to be.

Taking a deep breath, I slowly surveyed the scene. My favourite place had been neglected. It was a secret spot so hidden, that even the cleaners and maintenance didn’t know about this area. Even I, founder of this amazing place had been neglecting it. It was a total mess. Papers were scattered everywhere.

“It wasn’t supposed to be like this…”

My shoulders slumped. I slowly began to collapse into the foetal position, hugging my legs and slowly rocking myself.

Why?

It was not supposed to be like this. Why couldn’t anyone else understand that? Why couldn’t anyone else understand why I hated co-ed so much? Wasn’t everything so perfectly fine before those annoying boys came along and ruined everything? Why was it so bad to try and change things back to how it originally was? Everyone was so happy back then.

I stopped and looked up. Maybe I was wrong. Maybe I was in the wrong – if not for what I was thinking, but how I carried things out. Maybe I shouldn’t be so… so negative? Maybe I should start accepting –

WHAM!

Suddenly, a stray piece of paper whacked me in the face. Shaking my head in annoyance, I grabbed the rubbish. Huh. With bright, vibrant colours and shameless puns I recognised it immediately. It was a flyer from Aldenbury. I read it.

‘Did you hear about the new piñata? It’s a huge hit! Ha-Ha! Love fun?! Excitement?! Come to Aldenbury’s annual fete! Now co-ed! Loads of fun to be had! Everyone welcome!’

Immediately I threw the paper down and trampled it. Just seeing the word ‘Co-Ed’ and ‘fun’ together triggered my blood pressure to rise.

“Disgusting!”

I didn’t know what part offended me more – the shameless pun or the fact that it was advertising co-ed.

“I can’t believe it! How did I let things end up like this?!”

“End up like what?”

I spluttered and immediately spun around. “W-w-w-wha?!” What the heck?! How did people find this place?!

I froze. I realised who it was.

It was Travis.

My mouth dropped. Crap, crap, crap! Did he hear what I had been saying?! I began to panic inside.

But in the end, it didn’t really matter. He didn’t even bother acknowledging me. He could care so less, that he sat next to me. A bit too close, at that.

“This sucks.”

I glanced at him. Was he trying to create a conversation? Oh god, please no. Let me be. Please leave me alone so I can wallow in my self-pity.

But, sometimes I just can’t refrain my mouth from talking. “Co-ed sucks.”

“Co-ed sucks balls.”

“Co-ed sucks soggy grandpa balls.”

Travis laughed. I turned to him. Travis was laughing. I just stared, slightly shocked. What a rare sight!

He must’ve noticed my staring, since he immediately stopped laughing and turned it into a cough. “W-whatever. You hate co-ed too?”

“No shit, Sherlock.”

“You?” Travis chuckled and shook his head. His voice was filled with disbelief. “Then why the hell are you president?”

What is he, dense? On a scale to one to dense, he would be dense. I sighed. “I was president before the co-ed crap. I didn’t want to lose my place.”

“Hmph. Pride was it?”

“More like duty.”

“Ah, duty…” Travis nodded. “It’s good that there’s people that still have a sense of duty.” I stared at him. What the hell was he going on about?

“If you hate co-ed so much, as the president, can’t you do something about it?”

This guy was probably the densest person of them all. At this rate, he’ll probably beat Nikko on the dense scale. “Don’t you think I’ve already tried that?”

Travis shrugged. “Why hasn’t it worked?”

“Why would it work in the first place? There are reasons why our schools combined. It’s the higher ups! There’s nothing that can be done.”

Travis frowned. “Then…” He smiled, but for some reason I couldn’t help but think of it evilly, “How about we change that?”

I slowly turned to Travis.

Then suddenly I remembered Nikko’s words and warning: ‘I wouldn’t like it if you hung around that guy’. I looked at Travis. As in, I looked at him properly. I really, really looked at him. Why didn’t Nikko like him? Nikko wouldn’t just warn me about nothing, would he? Maybe it’s best if I had nothing to do with this guy.

Then I remembered Nikko, his face and what he had said before.

What did Nikko know or care?

“And how do we do that?”