Status: Active
Never Talk to Strangers
Second Chapter - The Buzz in My Ear
I remember how, one day, to my biology class were added a few people. It was in ninth grade. I was sitting at the very back of the room, and there were a few seats open, so two of the guys who were added to us sat left to me. I never knew it was going to be such a hell with them. Those two were so noisy, I just couldn’t take it. But the worst thing about it was that one of them had a really, really low voice. His voice irritated me the most. It was like a bug inside my ear, buzzing non-stop when he tried to whisper to his friend. I didn’t know his name, and I didn’t even care. All I knew was that I really want to hit this buzzing guy with something hard. If I were told, back then, that he would have such an impact on my life, I would have never believed it.
It was in tenth grade that our classes were shuffled. I remember how on the first day of tenth grade I realized Bianca was in the same class with me, again. She was in the same class with me for three years and now once again. We always sat next to each other, but we were never really friends. We never really liked each other, not really. We kind of irritated each other; we were just too different, that’s all. I wonder why we chose to continue sitting with each other, again. I remember the talk we had then.
“Oh, I’m stuck with you again?” I said to her.
“No. I’m the one stuck with you,” she replied. “So, where do you want to sit?”
And so we sat together at the back of the classroom. We’re kind of like an old couple, an old couple that doesn’t like each other anymore, but stays together just because it’s comfortable. We most likely stayed together because we already knew each other, already been then and done that, and were already used to it.
What I was not used to and was definitely not comfortable to me, was the buzzing guy, which happened to be in the same class as I. He also sat at the back of the room, with some other friend of his who I didn’t know. They were two tables away from Bianca and I. The girls who sat between us seemed to be friends with them, and one of those girls was nicknamed Nell. He name was actually Chanel, but everyone called her Nell, even the teachers. I always hated sharing my name with others. I always hated hearing about someone else by that name. I hated getting comments like “Really? Your name is Nelly? My cousin is named that!”
As for the buzzing guy, I got to know his name, after hearing it times and times when the teachers read his name from the attendance list. Somehow, back when we were in the same Biology class, I didn’t catch his name. His name was Blake, apparently. How did I get so lucky to have him in all of my classes? Every day, all day, or at least the days when he actually came to school, I was hearing his low voice whispering to his friends. It was catching my attention. He was always sitting someplace near, always somewhere I could see and hear him. Sometimes, I just really wished I’d get the courage to throw something at him.
I was not interested in Blake at all. I never looked his way twice, never tried to be friends with him or at least talk to him. At my school, we have French class, and we all have to attend it. At my French class, one day, I met September. September is the guy’s name, seriously. Since it’s too long to pronounce, when people say it quickly, it just sounds like Sptember. I don’t remember what the teacher asked him, but he mentioned that he likes the Japanese culture. So did I, and Bianca was quick to tell him that he and Nelly, I, had stuff in common. And so it happened that we started talking, and quickly became friends. We actually had a lot more than that in common, and we enjoyed each other’s company. What I couldn’t help but notice was, he was friends with the buzzing Blake. Best friends.
September was so outstanding, so fun for me to be around, and became important to me, yet, I was not attracted to September at all; He was overweight, his skin condition was pretty bad, he had black circles under his eyes, and, as funny as it may sound, his hair was too curly for me. I actually thought I might fall for him despite those “attraction flaws”, and I was afraid of that. Not only that I did not want to be in a relationship at the time, but I also could not imagine hugging and kissing someone who is unattractive to me. It was a stupid thing to fear, and because of it I oblivious to the fact I was falling for someone else.
This was also the time I realized Adelyn and I lost contact. We used to talk so much, but then she started going out more. I remember how she told me she had a crush on some other guy, she was over Kevin, and then she even started going out with the guy. She practically became a different person from that point. It was fine by me, she was happy, she was living her life. People change, after all. But it was depressing to see her online on my contact list and not be able to talk to her. When I tried to start a conversation, it would usually be very dry and short, straight to the point and goodbye quickly. After some time she just started ignoring my messages and not answer at all. So I decided to delete her from my contact list. No point in having someone you never talk to on your list.
The tenth grade was full of changes for me, and one of them was that my mom finally took me to a doctor to check my health. With a simple urine test, the doctor found that I had a virus in my kidneys. For two years my body’s immune system was fighting this virus. Starting then, for a few months I had to swallow three pills a day. I hated those pills, I didn’t believe they could help me, and they were so big that almost every time I had to swallow one, it hurt. My mom became very worried about my condition and always reminded me to take my pills. When I was finished with the pack of pills I had, she bought more. I still think the pills did not help. Even though I was taking them daily, I was still feeling unwell, I still looked like a zombie, my hair and skin looked dead, and my weight was still not the right weight for me. I didn’t find myself even one bit attractive.
My condition also affected me mentally; Most of the time, I was depressed and had no motivation to do anything. I didn’t want to get up for school in the morning, but since in those two years I felt ill most of the time and skipped school many times, I decided to do my best in tenth grade and never skip school. Though, I was so tired every day, and I had almost no friends at all to be with in the breaks between classes, so I didn’t stroll around school much. From time to time I would be with Bianca and her friends, but they were her friends, not mine, and I didn’t enjoy being with them very much.
Most frequently I would stay in my classroom and rest my head on a table while waiting for the next class. Usually, the room was empty, but sometimes Blake would be there. He skipped school a lot, more than I did in the last two grades. There were times he wouldn’t come to school for weeks. I thought this was just dumb, he wasn’t doing a favor for himself by skipping school so much. When he was sitting in class like this, it was always after some time he skipped school and now had to copy his homework from his friends. We would just sit there, mind our own business and never talk to each other. Awkward silence was always in the air. I always thought this was strange.
It was in tenth grade that our classes were shuffled. I remember how on the first day of tenth grade I realized Bianca was in the same class with me, again. She was in the same class with me for three years and now once again. We always sat next to each other, but we were never really friends. We never really liked each other, not really. We kind of irritated each other; we were just too different, that’s all. I wonder why we chose to continue sitting with each other, again. I remember the talk we had then.
“Oh, I’m stuck with you again?” I said to her.
“No. I’m the one stuck with you,” she replied. “So, where do you want to sit?”
And so we sat together at the back of the classroom. We’re kind of like an old couple, an old couple that doesn’t like each other anymore, but stays together just because it’s comfortable. We most likely stayed together because we already knew each other, already been then and done that, and were already used to it.
What I was not used to and was definitely not comfortable to me, was the buzzing guy, which happened to be in the same class as I. He also sat at the back of the room, with some other friend of his who I didn’t know. They were two tables away from Bianca and I. The girls who sat between us seemed to be friends with them, and one of those girls was nicknamed Nell. He name was actually Chanel, but everyone called her Nell, even the teachers. I always hated sharing my name with others. I always hated hearing about someone else by that name. I hated getting comments like “Really? Your name is Nelly? My cousin is named that!”
As for the buzzing guy, I got to know his name, after hearing it times and times when the teachers read his name from the attendance list. Somehow, back when we were in the same Biology class, I didn’t catch his name. His name was Blake, apparently. How did I get so lucky to have him in all of my classes? Every day, all day, or at least the days when he actually came to school, I was hearing his low voice whispering to his friends. It was catching my attention. He was always sitting someplace near, always somewhere I could see and hear him. Sometimes, I just really wished I’d get the courage to throw something at him.
I was not interested in Blake at all. I never looked his way twice, never tried to be friends with him or at least talk to him. At my school, we have French class, and we all have to attend it. At my French class, one day, I met September. September is the guy’s name, seriously. Since it’s too long to pronounce, when people say it quickly, it just sounds like Sptember. I don’t remember what the teacher asked him, but he mentioned that he likes the Japanese culture. So did I, and Bianca was quick to tell him that he and Nelly, I, had stuff in common. And so it happened that we started talking, and quickly became friends. We actually had a lot more than that in common, and we enjoyed each other’s company. What I couldn’t help but notice was, he was friends with the buzzing Blake. Best friends.
September was so outstanding, so fun for me to be around, and became important to me, yet, I was not attracted to September at all; He was overweight, his skin condition was pretty bad, he had black circles under his eyes, and, as funny as it may sound, his hair was too curly for me. I actually thought I might fall for him despite those “attraction flaws”, and I was afraid of that. Not only that I did not want to be in a relationship at the time, but I also could not imagine hugging and kissing someone who is unattractive to me. It was a stupid thing to fear, and because of it I oblivious to the fact I was falling for someone else.
This was also the time I realized Adelyn and I lost contact. We used to talk so much, but then she started going out more. I remember how she told me she had a crush on some other guy, she was over Kevin, and then she even started going out with the guy. She practically became a different person from that point. It was fine by me, she was happy, she was living her life. People change, after all. But it was depressing to see her online on my contact list and not be able to talk to her. When I tried to start a conversation, it would usually be very dry and short, straight to the point and goodbye quickly. After some time she just started ignoring my messages and not answer at all. So I decided to delete her from my contact list. No point in having someone you never talk to on your list.
The tenth grade was full of changes for me, and one of them was that my mom finally took me to a doctor to check my health. With a simple urine test, the doctor found that I had a virus in my kidneys. For two years my body’s immune system was fighting this virus. Starting then, for a few months I had to swallow three pills a day. I hated those pills, I didn’t believe they could help me, and they were so big that almost every time I had to swallow one, it hurt. My mom became very worried about my condition and always reminded me to take my pills. When I was finished with the pack of pills I had, she bought more. I still think the pills did not help. Even though I was taking them daily, I was still feeling unwell, I still looked like a zombie, my hair and skin looked dead, and my weight was still not the right weight for me. I didn’t find myself even one bit attractive.
My condition also affected me mentally; Most of the time, I was depressed and had no motivation to do anything. I didn’t want to get up for school in the morning, but since in those two years I felt ill most of the time and skipped school many times, I decided to do my best in tenth grade and never skip school. Though, I was so tired every day, and I had almost no friends at all to be with in the breaks between classes, so I didn’t stroll around school much. From time to time I would be with Bianca and her friends, but they were her friends, not mine, and I didn’t enjoy being with them very much.
Most frequently I would stay in my classroom and rest my head on a table while waiting for the next class. Usually, the room was empty, but sometimes Blake would be there. He skipped school a lot, more than I did in the last two grades. There were times he wouldn’t come to school for weeks. I thought this was just dumb, he wasn’t doing a favor for himself by skipping school so much. When he was sitting in class like this, it was always after some time he skipped school and now had to copy his homework from his friends. We would just sit there, mind our own business and never talk to each other. Awkward silence was always in the air. I always thought this was strange.