First shot to death

"Ughh, hi-high sch-school s-sucks," I groaned as I dragged myself out of bed. Life was so much simpler when I was a kid. No worries, no stress, just pure, unadulterated fun.

But now? I'm trapped in this hellhole, surrounded by books and tables, with the looming threat of exams.

For your information, I'm Ren, a normal 17-year-old high schooler... or at least, I think I am. I'm not sure whether I'm normal, but I'm 17 for sure. All I know is that I'm not exactly looking forward to my second year of high school.

Last year was a disaster. I got labeled as the weird kid and was totally ignored, and I spent most of my time alone. Not like my classmates are going to be any different, but I'm hoping this year won't be the same as last year.

Through the dazzling daylight, while I was on my way to the school, I came across a face I had never seen before. She was cuter than anything. Her eyes were lined with precision, her hair cut in a stylish lob, and her face was a masterpiece that defied judgment.

But more importantly, SHE WAS WEARING THE SAME SCHOOL UNIFORM AS MINE!!! I was instantly smitten.

I knew I had to talk to her, but I was too nervous. I just stood there like an idiot, staring at her. As a person who knows a lot about my school, I cannot let this opportunity slide at any cost.

I went into the waiting shed and stood beside her. I have absolutely no clue on how to initiate a conversation with her. As I stood there awkwardly, I noticed that her face was turning all red. Maybe she realized how ugly I was. Wait, that won't work, don't tell me…. IS MY ZIPPER OPEN OR SOMETHING?

No, it's closed, uh... Never mind about that. Crap! I can't waste any more time.

I was starting to panic. I couldn't just stand there in silence forever. I had to say something, anything. Oh the pressure! I couldn't think of anything clever and at the same time I didn't want to sound like an old fart, so I decided to avoid talking about the weather. I'm not really experienced talking to any girls, I swear. I screwed up my courage and said what came into my mind first.

"Ugh, he-hey, it-it looks l-like-like we a-are in th-th-the same sch-school." I blurted out.

Still, she was blushing… And then there was an awkward silence between us.

Not over yet…

Yeah done!

Out of nowhere, "Y-y-yeah" she replied

Her eyes sparkling with... something. I couldn't quite place it, but it was definitely cute in a weird way.

I tried to keep the conversation going, but it was like trying to hold on to a greased pig. Before I knew she was all over the place, talking about everything and nothing at the same time.

"I-I'm Ren. S-s-so a-a-are you n-n-new to th-th-this s-s-school?" I finally managed to ask.

"Y-yeah" she said, taking a deep breath. "I'm n-n-new to this s-s-school and this a-a-area as well. I j-j-just m-m-moved here with my f-f-family."

And then she was off again, talking about her family, her hobbies, her favorite foods, etc. I swear, she could talk the hind legs off a donkey.

I listened as best I could, but my mind kept wandering. I felt as if she was mocking me at this point.

I don't know what she has against someone she just met; she was mocking the way I was talking. And as I listened to her talk more, I found myself hating her more than I can ever hate someone.

Finally, the bus arrived. I thought I was finally going to be free, but she decided to sit beside me and continued with her never-ending chatter. Good lord, I'm starting to regret this whole thing.

After what seemed like an eternity, we finally made it to school. The last thing I heard from her was that she didn't have many friends and asked if I could be hers. If I say no, it would be a total jerk move on my first day, so I said yes.

I feel like I just dug a grave for myself.

We parted ways, and I went to my class while she went to hers. She got to know my name, but after all this time, I still don't know hers. I'm such a goner.

I wonder when these two are gonna stop, those perverts are at it again. Kevin and William huddled together, ogling at a magazine filled with scantily clad women, that's what I saw the moment I walked into my class. "They haven't changed a bit."

Kevin and William—these two are my friends; their hobbies are quite... questionable. Their hobbies include: sneak peeking, taking lewd pictures, and of course! collecting magazines (great readers of pictures, if you know what I mean). They were basically walking encyclopedias of perversion.

I still didn't know the name of the girl I had met earlier. I could have found ways to not be found by her if I had gotten to know something about her, and I am starting to get a very bad feeling about today for some reason, something very horrible…. Will happen.

Maybe I have sixth sense; it is the same old math teacher as the class teacher. If only I had a grenade with me!

Later, she announced that there is a transfer student joining the class. I was about to say that I would be happy if it was a dude who's not into lewd stuff that much but yeah, god will never give you what you ask for.

I'M DONE.....

For damn sake, IT'S THAT WEIRD GIRL FROM THE MORNING. Imma try not to get noticed, cause if I ge-

Ugh, why did she have to shout my name? Now all the guys are going to be on my case. I can already feel the glares of the boys in my classroom. They're all jealous that I'm friends with the new girl I can clearly tell, I mean I would have acted the same if I hadn't known this girl. I don't even know her name yet, but she has already caused me a lot of trouble and only I know what I've gone through this morning.

Why do all of these bad things only happen to me?

Ugh, I don't know what to do anymore. All the boys are jealous and pissed at me for knowing one of the cutest girls in my class, externally. And for some unknown reason, I still don't know her name, even though the teacher said it out loud.

Two more periods were over, and now it was recess time. I was right from the very beginning; all the boys were approaching her. She was like a mermaid sitting on a rock, and the boys were like the waves hitting the rock. But in this case, the waves were so fierce that it seemed as though they would wash the mermaid and the rock away in no time.

The boys were pushing on me like there was no tomorrow, and I could not eat my lunch. I couldn't bear it anymore. I shouted out loud, "S-stop with th-this al-already"

The entire class went into a total silence in no time. Everyone turned to look at me, their eyes wide with surprise. I felt my face burning with embarrassment.

And again, she started to blu-

"No, no, NOOOOOOOOOO!" I screamed internally as the realization of what I said just hit me like a truck. She had totally misunderstood my intentions—not just her, but everyone in the class, their eyes filled with suspicion and disgust. I'm not good at reading emotions, but I could tell this one clearly.

I wanted to crawl into a hole and die at this point. I couldn't bear the shame of even thinking about being branded as a womanizer or whatever. I just wanted to eat my lunch in peace!

With a heavy heart, I sat down on my chair and tried to finish my lunch. But the food tasted way too salty (let me wipe my tears off). But god, what have I done to deserve this? Just when I thought things couldn't get any worse, I heard an angelic voice asking me.

"H-Hey Ren! C-C-Can I j-join you for l-lunch?" (+ choir of heaven.mp3) I felt like I had heard this voice before, but I wasn't sure. I said "yes".

I turned around, expecting to see an angel. But instead, I was met with the face of the devil herself. It was the weird girl from this morning, the one who had ruined my entire day.

She was thanking me for something, but I couldn't hear her out completely. My two friends, the great pervs, dragged me out of the classroom and into the hallway.

"How do you know Chloe?" they asked, their eyes narrowing in suspicion.

I told them that I had met her on the bus this morning, but they just simply didn't believe me. They thought I was lying.

The lunch break was over, and I still hadn't finished my lunch. Thanks to the drama and questing session. Well thanks to them, now I know her name.

And guess who is hungry?

Well, I wish the boys wouldn't torture me again and after all, I couldn't finish my lunch because of them. Eh... wait a minute, who am I? Bwah, bwahahahaha!! Actually! It's payback time, baby!

Now that I'm friends with this Chloe chick, I can use her to make the boys jealous. I can casually flirt with her right in front of them, obviously putting on a show for these boys.

Of course, in a way she wouldn't notice and without causing a change of feelings. Perfect! She'll be my lab rat from now on!

Bwahahahahaha, bwahahahaha! [insert evil laugh sound effect] Hold on a sec, gotta go write on the board. [AFK] Man, it's kind of scary seeing all the guys rage at me like that. Alright, I'm back. [AFK removed]

To be honest, I don't have many female friends, so this is a good opportunity to learn more about the alien species known as "females".

Time passed by, and the classes were finally over. Finally! The shackles of school have been released for another day, and I can finally go back home and play Pario Kart. As I gathered my things and prepared to make my grand exit, I saw that Chloe was still seated at her desk, seemingly lost in thought.

I wonder what's wrong. Did she not make any friends today? Or is there something else bothering her? I'm not exactly a master of social interaction, but I can't just leave her there looking all down in the dumps.

With a sigh, I approach her desk. "H-hey Ch-Chloe" I said, trying to sound as nonchalant as possible. "Ar-.are you al-right? y-you see-seem to be pr-pretty down comp-ared to h-how you were in the mo-morning"

She turned around, her face flushed like a ripe tomato. I couldn't help but wonder what was going on in that head of hers. Was she nervous? Embarrassed? Or maybe she just had a really bad case of PGAD? I MEAN rosacea! Whatever the reason, she was definitely flustered.

She looks up at me, her eyes filled with a mixture of surprise and gratitude. "Oh, Ren," she says. "I'm fi-fine, re-rea-really. I was just... thin-king."

"Abo-ut?" I ask, unable to resist the urge to pry.

She hesitates for a moment before replying. "St-stuffs."

I nod sagely, even though I have no idea what she's talking about. "Well, if you e-ever ne-nea-need some-one to t-alk to, I'm h-here," I said, trying to sound as supportive as possible.

She gave a shy smile and stammered out a response, saying she was actually just waiting for me. Yeah that makes sense why she is still here. She was just waiting for me, Most people wait for-

WHY IS SHE EVEN WAITING FOR ME? LIKE, WHAT DOES THIS TOMATO WANT FROM ME? Ok, I need to calm down. I took a deep breath and asked her.

"W-W-why a-are y-yo-you wai-ting for me?" I asked, my voice trembling slightly in surprise.