I Should've Paid Attention In Class

Is it just me, or have people gotten a lot meaner?

And I don’t count it as mean whenever you try to talk to a stranger and they ignore you.

That’s reasonable. Some people just don’t feel like having any sort of conversation with someone they’ve just met.

I’m talking about people who will go out of their way to make fun of someone or laugh at their misfortune.

Because just now, when I was making my way to class after lunch, this poor kid fell down the stairs and no one came to help him.

Instead, a bunch of kids my age stood there and laughed at him. Some people even took their phones out to record the poor guy picking up his notebook and folders.

Are people just evil now? Because they act like it to a cartoonish degree.

“Sigh.”

People kept ridiculing the poor guy, and he just sat there and took it.

It was unbearable.

Did these people not have hearts? I’ve heard people say that teens can be unusually cruel, but I didn’t believe it until now.

“This sucks,” I could hear the poor boy say.

I couldn’t take the sight of the situation any longer and made my way over.

“Hey, man. Are you okay?” I asked as I handed him one of his fallen folders. “You took a pretty scary fall.”

Our eyes met for half a second before the boy swung his head to the side. Guess he was the shy type.

“I’m fine,” he said, taking back his folders with a gentle pull.

I tilted my head.

“Are you sure? Let’s get you to the nurse, just to be safe.”

“I-it’s fine. Really.”

The guy seemed as if he was going to melt from humiliation. Guess I shouldn’t press further.

“Alright then,” I said with a shrug. “If you’re fine, you’re fine.”

I glanced at the surrounding people. Some of them went off to class, while others stared at me with disgust, as if I had ruined the show.

All of them were such weirdos. I couldn’t stand looking at them.

So, I switched my focus back to the kid who had just fallen. It was clear that the situation was getting to his head by the way he scratched the back of his neck.

“Hey, man,” I said gently, “I’m sorry this happened to you.”

I looked over at the remaining people who had laughed at this kid now walking upstairs to their classes.

“Those guys are all–”

Coo-coo, I was going to say, but opted to show it through motion. I swirled my finger right next to my head to get the point across.

The boy nodded, though he was stiff as a board when he did it.

“T-they definitely are.”

“And you’re 1,000,000% right to think that. They have no shame!”

“Mm.”

The kid kept nodding.

“So I hope you don’t beat yourself up too much over this. I mean, you tripped! It happens! You didn’t have to be laughed at because of it.”

“Mm.”

The kid just kept nodding.

Oh man, am I making things uncomfortable?

Thank goodness the bell rang when the thought occurred.

I raised my hand.

“Anyway, I hope you feel better, man. I've gotta head to class.”

“Mm, right.”

And that was the end of it. I was gonna continue walking down the hall to class when the boy said, “Um, excuse me!”

I turned.

“Hm? What’s up?”

“I just wanted to say that I appreciate you helping me out. Thanks.”

His words were sincere, and wait… was this dude bowing?

“Oh, it’s no problem,” I laughed, waving at him hoping he’d stop bowing. Because it really wasn’t that big of a deal. “You’re welcome, though. I hope you feel better.”

"Thanks!" he chirped. 

We waved at one another, and with that I turned to the hall that was pretty much barren at this point.

I sighed. 

"Time to head to class, I guess." 

***

Sitting in class as my English teacher read from some book I found no interest in, I used the book we were reading as a shield to read what I really wanted.

Defeating The Lich Queen Is No Easy Task!

The title itself was what got me intrigued, but it was the character art that made me eager to flip to page 1.

There were 3 girls, all of them beautiful in their own way, especially because their personalities seemed to shine through the colored illustrations.

One of them was the outgoing type. The second was the quiet/shy type. And the third was a stoic warrior kind of gal.

They all looked so intriguing.

I’ve been wanting to read this ever since I got it last night!

It’s a hobby of mine to read light novels, especially ‌when I shouldn’t. Sorry to say but I don't really use my free time to read. I usually use that time to play games or binge-watch shows.

Instead, I like to dabble in reading ‌at times just like this, when everyone is bored out of their minds and puts on a facade that they’re actually paying attention when they’re really not.

I peeked over at my teacher. Okay, the coast was clear.

Lowering my head, I focused on my light novel, and without any hesitation, I flipped the page.

Chapter 1.

“Huh?”

Whoops. Did I say that out loud? Because, I didn't mean to. 

“Tai,” my teacher said in front of the whole class. “Is there something you’re confused about?”

“Uh, yeah.”

But not about the topic.

It’s the first page of my light novel. It’s blank!

I flipped to the second page.

It was blank as well.

What the–did I get scammed?!

I kept flipping the pages. All of them were blank.

“Tai, tell us what you’re confused about,” the teacher went on, but I couldn’t pay much attention. Or speak as a matter of fact.

Because the pages from my light novel turned bright and:

“Ahhhhh!!!”

The next thing I knew, I was sucked into the pages of the novel. 

...Man... I'm really regretting my actions now. I should've just been a good student and read the text like a good student should...