People have facades just like how books have covers. No one can be completed understood at first glance. You need to peel back the layers, the pages of their story. Some are loud and confident, presenting themselves like a blurb on the back of the book that threaten to spoil the entire story. Some are kinda of a let down with a grand opening but slowly get staler as the pages get flipped. 

Tzuyu notices that everyone is trying their best to put up a front to the world, a version of themselves they deemed acceptable to the rest of humanity. Tzuyu wonders why people need to do this when everyone has deep, dark secrets hidden in the furthest pages or the tiniest writing in their story. She would know the best since it would be socially devastating if someone decided to out her on her weird habit. What is worse than someone secret being discovered is someone getting caught cutting the seam off someone else’s darkest books.

That is why she has perfected the art of presenting herself as someone so dull, a book that even the most bored person would not even bat an eye at.

The weekend flew by uneventfully and it was now Monday. Tzuyu and the rest of the students were walking toward the school gates. People huddled with their friends and caught up on what has been happening over the weekend. Tzuyu would hear snippets of stories like how there was a party and the host did not invite one of their friends or someone realised too late that they have an assignment due today and they have only been having fun the entire weekend. 

Tzuyu just walked passed the gates when a group of girls behind her started laughing loudly after one of them cracked a joke. Tzuyu continue to look ahead as the group walked passed her. She recognised the back of one of the girls.

“Ah, blond chick from the train platform.”

She was with her two other friends. The one who cracked the joke had her arms around her friends’ shoulders, swaying all of them side to side, threatening to bump into other people on either sides of them. Tzuyu decided to walk slower just in case. 

Blond Girl and Joker were laughing the loudest. Tzuyu noticed that there was still a bit of food on the edge of Joker’s mouth. The third one had her hand over to muffled her laughter but it was no use when her other two friends were being quite obvious. 

The other students also noticed the antic that is the trio. Some people were rolling their eyes as to how can those three can be so cheerful on a Monday morning.

Tzuyu noticed another girl to her right who was staring at the trio but for an awfully long time and with quite a longing gaze. was hanging open, showing her snaggled teeth. Someone ran up from behind and nudged the girl’s shoulder. Snaggletooth turned around, only to find the other girl was grinning and raising her eyebrow up and down in a knowing manner. Tzuyu chuckled when Snaggletooth blushed and punched her friend’s arm. 

“Which one of the three did Snaggletooth stare at?”, Tzuyu wondered.

By the time Tzuyu grabbed her books from her locker, the bell already rang. She headed to her first class, Literature, and sat at her usual at-the-end-of-the-room seat. She had never noticed that the five she was observing today are also in this class. 

The trio were sitting in a row somewhere in the middle. Snaggletooth sat a seat diagonally behind Politely Laughing, trying to look inconspicuous as she stole glances at Politely Laughing. She also refused to look to her left, where Wiggly Eyebrows was sitting directly behind Politely Laughing, a cheshire grin plastered across her face.

The teacher came in and announced that the next research assignment will be done in pairs. Joker raised her hand and asked:

“Can we do it in groups of three?”

“Momo, if we were to do it in groups of three, there will be definitely someone who will slack off.”, the teacher gave her a pointed look.

The class quietly chuckled at the teacher’s reply and Momo awkwardly laughed as she withdrew her hand.

“I already randomly assigned you guys so no hope in pairing up with your friends.”, the class groaned at this.

“Hirai ; Kim”, the two of them looked around until they saw each other and Joker waved at Wiggly Eyebrows to come join her.

“Myoui ; Son”, Snaggletooth almost had a whiplash when she quickly jolted up and saw that Politely Laughing was waving at her. Snaggletooth meekly waved back at Politely Laughing.

“Minatozaki ; Chou”, Tzuyu slowly looked up and saw that Blond Girl was waving at her.

Blond Girl went over to Tzuyu’s table and introduced herself.

“Hi, I’m Sana.” 

Tzuyu fought the urge to reply with “I know.”

“Hi, I’m Tzuyu.”