It was a normal day, heading to school, a morning around 7:30 a.m. I was wearing a big black coat because of how cold it was outside. I got to the classroom and saw that they weren't there—my best friends, the ones I smile with every morning during class.
"Damn, of all days, they had to miss today," I muttered. I didn't like being alone, because even though I get along with most people in that classroom, I don't consider them friends—just acquaintances, classmates.
I've been in that class for three years now. I came from a school where I spent 11, almost 12 years—where I cried, laughed, felt embarrassed, got angry, and so on. But I also fell in love there… although I never really paid much attention to it.
Since I was a kid, I've had the mindset that teenage love is a waste of time. But I'm not saying it's wrong—experiencing a relationship is a good thing because you learn how to love a partner. (Except for cheaters—those never learn.)
I came to this school with the same mindset, and to this day, I still think the same. But that doesn't mean I haven't fallen in love here—quite the opposite, I have. But I know how to forget my feelings, so every time I've "fallen in love," it only lasted a few days and that was it.
Among those times, there's a girl in my class, part of the girls' group. And my group doesn't talk to them. Not because we dislike them, but because we don't share the same interests or sense of humor—or at least I think that's the reason. They used to look at us like we were the "weirdos" of the class, or at least they did during first and second year. I don't know if they still think that way, because I've noticed their jokes about us have dropped a lot (or maybe I'm just the fool who believes that).
The girl I mentioned earlier is smart and attractive. I don't know if I fell in love with her, but at some point, I started to find her attractive—but that was it. Nothing more. Those feelings don't exist anymore. I saw her today, sitting behind the seat I usually take. I didn't pay her much attention; I walked past her and sat down.
I noticed her friends weren't there either. Her spot was taken, so it made sense for her to sit there, since the other seats were already "taken," so to speak. But that specific seat is rarely used, and when it is, it's usually for the same reason—because there are no other places available.
I turned my head forward and started focusing on my stuff. It was biology class—not hard. I wasn't the best, but I understood most of it, so doing the work wasn't a problem. I put on my headphones and got to it.
About an hour passed before someone started bothering me by throwing little paper balls at my head. I was used to it. I turned my head to see who it was—it was my classmate Mateo. He's usually annoying and doesn't pay attention in class, but I get along with him. Back in first year, I used to sit with him, and I was almost always by his side, so it doesn't really bother me when he does stuff like that. I mean, it's not that serious—just a few paper balls.
I didn't pay it much attention and kept going, but he kept doing it. Eventually, I stopped what I was doing and played along. I started throwing paper balls and bits of chalk at him, but at one point, I missed and hit *her*—Estefania, the girl I mentioned who had sat behind me.
"Oh, sorry, Estefi. I didn't mean to," I said. I was nervous, because in moments like that, I never know what to say, so that's what came out first.
"No, no, it's fine," she replied. Then she turned her head toward Mateo and said, "And you, stop messing around. Lucas was being quiet."
"…Huh?" I thought. *Why did she defend me?* I was the one who hit her by accident. Still, I felt kind of relieved—for a second I thought she was mad at me and was about to start cursing me out in every language possible.
After that, I stopped throwing things at Mateo, sat properly, turned my head forward, and got back to what I was doing—trying to hold in my laughter from the scolding Mateo just got.