When You Are Just a Memory

Chapter 1

Namida's POV

"You're too early for the next subject."

Even before I could enter the classroom, our teacher's face greeted me. Whispers began to fill the room again.

I looked down in embarrassment. This wasn't the first time I was late. Not just once, twice, but almost always. Every day seemed unlucky for me. Well, I’m used to it.

“S-sorry, ma'am.”

Instead of saying anything, she just turned her back on me. “Make sure, Ms. Navarro, that you won't be late for my class again, or I won't let you in anymore. Take your seat.”

“Y-yes, ma'am,” I responded with my head down and started walking toward my seat.

I hadn’t even made it there when I suddenly tripped and fell to the floor.

Loud laughter erupted around me.

I expected this. Not a day goes by when they don’t gang up on me.

“Serves you right! You're such an idiot!” I heard someone say.

I bit my lower lip as I felt the pain in my body. They always hurt me both physically and emotionally. Well, I'm used to it. Hearing their laughter while suffering in pain, I'm used to it.

"Silence!" our teacher scolded them, but they didn't care and continued laughing.

I quickly stood up and faced the guy who tripped me. Jerome Lee Chavez—one of the bullies on this campus.

I walked toward him. Instead of retaliating, I just smiled, which made him stop laughing.

“Sorry, I won't be so clumsy next time,” I said with a smile.

But as I turned away, my smile quickly faded and was replaced by a bitter one. I'm used to this.

I could still feel their disgusted looks as I sat down, but I ignored them and pretended to write something. Pretending not to care, but inside, I was hurting. This is me, good at pretending. I’ve learned to pretend that nothing happened every time they make fun of me.

Crying in front of them, in front of bullies, is something I’ve never done. It’s just that... I don't want to show or let them know how weak I am.

“Excuse me, is Namida Sloane Navarro here?” I looked up when I heard my name from outside.

I saw a guy standing there. Ethan James Jimenez—the SSG president.

I stood up, and he immediately noticed me.

He stared at me for a few seconds before speaking. “Ah, the Dean wants to talk to you,” he then turned to our teacher, “may I excuse her for a while, ma'am?”

“Okay, go ahead.”

I started walking out, but before I reached the door, the whispers inside the room began again.

“Maybe the Dean wants to get rid of trash in this school. HAHA!”

“For sure, she's going to get scolded again.”

“Argh! I really hate her!”

“She should be expelled from this school!”

“Yeah, I agree, she doesn’t belong here!”

I just bowed my head because of what I heard and continued walking.

“Don’t mind them,” I heard Ethan say.

This was the first time he had spoken to me, and I could see the pity in his eyes. He’s the SSG president, but he can’t do anything to stop them, even the teachers are afraid to scold any of them. They just pretend not to care because, like me, they are powerless. Sometimes, I can’t help but regret why I even enrolled in this school.

“Don’t worry, the Dean just wants to talk to you. He won’t harm you,” he said after a while as we neared the Dean’s office.

I just nodded. Maybe the Dean knows everything, but like them, he did nothing.

“We’re here. I’m sorry, but I can’t accompany you inside.” His eyes were filled with sadness as he looked at me.

I wanted to tell him that it was ‘okay,’ but I chose not to say anything. Instead, I just smiled at him, assuring him that it's fine.

He smiled back. “Okay then, see you around, Nami,” he said and started to walk away.

He seems kind, but I can’t trust him. I trust no one on this campus but myself.