Other people.

The bell signaling the end of the second period made everyone in the classroom finally relax. Science class was always more difficult like the others. But now that it was over and the teacher was gone, people got loud again.

“Uuugh, I don’t get it! Chemistry is too hard.”

The one complaining was one of the girls who had been talking with Mila, Grace and Sarah last recess. She and her other two friends approached the girls again.

“It shouldn’t be hard if you can at least memorize the periodic table,” Grace told her.

“We’re not all smart like you,” Mila groaned as well. “When we go to the lab I’ll probably blow something up by mistake.”

“I hope we go there soon,” said the only guy among them. “At least watching the chemicals react is more fun than reading about them.”

“That’s true,” Grace admitted, chuckling.

I was ready to take my leave again, but Sarah looked my way and waved. “Hey Oliver, what are you doing there alone? Come here.”

“Eh?” I saw her friends flinch. The people I didn’t know looked at me with uncertainty.

My body froze for a moment. I didn’t want to go. No scenario playing in my mind showed this going well in any way. I didn’t know them, they didn’t know me, and it didn’t look like they were looking forward to me meddling in their conversation.

But Sarah was calling me. It would be rude to walk away. And more than that, I knew I had to step away from my comfort zone. I wanted to change, but change wouldn’t come on its own. I had to work for it, and that meant trying to meet new people. The girls I trusted would be there, so it wasn’t AS terrifying as it could be.

I nodded, and my body felt stiff with every step I took. Did I look awkward even walking? I made my way from my seat to theirs, standing next to Mila.

“So yeah, this is Oliver,” Mila introduced me, smiling at me and her friends. “Oliver, these are Lena, Amanda, and Mark.”

All three of them were taller than me, and the girls were about as tall as Sarah. Lena had dark brown hair and kept it in something like a bob cut. She was something on the chubby side. Amanda had very short blonde hair that looked dyed, and an athletic body that made me think she was in one of the sports clubs. Finally, there was Mark, who was somehow even taller than Thomas, had short, dirty blonde hair and a small scar under his chin.

I swallowed, but tried to make it subtle. “H-Hello,” I said, nodding to them.

“So you’re the guy, huh?” Lena said. “Now that I see you up close, I can understand why these three are interested.” She laughed while Mila, Grace and Sarah shook their heads in resignation.

“No kidding. He’s pretty handsome,” Amanda said, eyeing me up and down.

I felt my cheeks heating up. I looked away in embarrassment, but I ended up meeting Mark’s scowl. With him being about two heads taller than me, I couldn’t help but flinch and tense up.

“Say, so you guys are friends, then?” Lena asked me, glancing from me to the three girls. “They haven’t been annoying, have they?”

I shook my head to answer, but immediately chided myself. Speak, dammit! Speak! “T-They’ve been… very nice.”

Amanda snickered, and with a teasing smirk, asked. “Just nice? I heard you and Mila kissed at Thomas’ party. Are you two going out?”

My face burned even more. My heart was pumping painfully, and I instinctively looked at Mila for help. However, she wasn’t faring any better than me, and was looking down at her own knees.

I wasn’t sure how to answer, and I was staying quiet for way too long. No, we weren’t going out, but there was something happening between us. Between Mila, Grace, Sarah and me. How was I supposed to answer? I supposed I would just have to deny it like Grace had done, but I’ve always been a terrible liar. On top of that, Grace and Sarah were simply observing, perhaps curious about how I’d handle things on my own.

I shook my head again. “W-W-We’re n-not.”

“Mmm. Is that so?” Amanda asked. “Took you a long time to answer, and you don’t sound all too convinced. Oh well, then that means you’re single, huh?”

She looked at me with a hungry smirk. My sixth sense wasn’t telling me anything, so I didn’t know if she was serious or just playing with me. Once more, I didn’t know how to answer. If I said yes, would the girls be mad at me? They probably would be. But at the same time, saying I wasn’t would reveal that there really was something happening. My lips quivered, and indecision and fear froze me in place. The mere possibility of something I said screwing things up somehow had me terrified.

And then it happened.

“For fuck’s sake! Speak properly!” Mark shouted, his deep voice booming in the classroom and shaking me to my core. “How fucking hard can it be to answer? Why don’t you say anything, you creepy fuck! Holy shit! You think it’s cool to be all silent and mysterious? I have news for you, buddy. It’s fucking not! Everyone thinks you’re a creepy fuck and that you’ll end up doing something like…!”

Grace stood up violently from her seat, her chair dragging before falling back. She slammed her hands on her desk and stopped Mark before he could say another word. She shot him an ice cold glare that made the huge guy take a step back. “Mark? What the FUCK?”

I was shaking. My chest felt cold and my face and fingers felt numb. I thought I could feel my brain throbbing in my head. A single step back woke up my body, enough for me to turn around and walk out of the classroom with quick steps. My vision was blurry as I ran away on autopilot.

I couldn’t hear anything but Mark’s words replaying in my head over and over until I realized I was back at the old music room. I locked the door behind me and my legs gave in. My back dragged against the door until I was sitting on the floor, panting and holding my aching chest. I felt sick, and that guy’s words wouldn’t stop ringing in my ears.

That was how everyone saw me. That was what everyone wanted to tell me. That guy finally had enough and yelled it at my face.

I felt weak, afraid and utterly pathetic. More voices joined that of Mark’s, calling me a coward, a loser, creepy. And they were right. I hugged one of my knees, trying to hide, but the voices didn’t stop.

What made them stop was hearing a soft knock on the door. I could only think of four people who would come here, and I didn’t dare face any of them. I ignored the knocks, but then the person at the other side tried to open the door and realized it was closed.

My phone buzzed, and I had to muster all my courage to even look at it.

-Sarah: It’s me, Oliver. I know you’re in there, so open the door. I’m alone.

-Sarah: Please.