*Bae Su Ji

Earlier that morning.

 

It was lunch break when I met Hyera at the cafeteria. She was waving at me when I saw her. I smiled and made my way towards her by making my pace more quicker. Once, I got to our table I took a seat and looked at her.

 

"How's your class so far?" She asked.

 

I sighed and rolled my eyes. "It was okay... Not until Gym. Coach Shin made me run all over the gym by ten lapses."

 

She smiled and looked at me "Why?"

 

"He saw me yawning at class" I smiled.

 

She giggled. "Were you sleepy? or just bored?"

 

"Sleepy." I smiled "I stayed up late studying in Mathematics. And doing my homework."

 

I was never really good at Math, and Hyera knows it.

 

"Bummer. But at least the run made you awake right?" She looked at me and asked brightly. This is what I love about her. Always cheerful and optimistic. Even if the things are rough, she still looks for something for her to hold on and something for her to smile throughout the day.

 

"Yeah, but it made me hungry too." I smiled widely at her.

 

She laughed and stood up. "C'mon let get some lunch, I heard they have pasta today."

 

Yum. Pasta. I hope they have lasagna.

 

"Okay." I said as I stood up and make way to the cafeteria line.

 

Once we picked up our foods and paid for it on the cashier, we made way to our table again. When all of the sudden Hyera asked me;

 

"Are you going to tell him tonight?"

 

"Tell what to who?" I asked.

 

"Myungsoo!" She exclaimed.

 

I gulped.

 

She sighed and rolled her eyes. "Oh, c'mon Suji! Just tell him that you like him already. I mean you're practically in love with him for your whole life. You've been best friends since diapers. And I think Myungsoo might like you back as well."

 

"That's impossible, Hyera. He likes Jaekyung." I sighed.

 

"But she's dumb, And you're better" Hyera shrugged.

 

Me? Better? No way. I'm just Suji. Plain Suji. Jet black hair, dull brown eyes, crooked smile. plain body. Quiet and never interesting.

 

Just... plain.

 

While Jaekyung is the opposite of me. Friendly and popular. Big and lovely eyes, Beautiful smile, and she has this soft curled brown hair that perfectly cascades on her back and her toned figure.

 

She's a Goddess.

 

"She is not dumb, Hyera. She's really smart. And you're just saying that to make me feel better" I shot back at her.

 

"Well, her friends are." She shrugged again.

 

Plain versus Goddess. Why would Myungsoo want to even pick plain? When he is as perfect and wonderful as the Goddess.

 

Hyera sighed. "Suji, I know what you're thinking right now, you're comparing yourself again! I told you you're better. You're kind, smart and-"

 

Because we were so caught up on our conversation. She was cut off on what she was saying when we bumped on someone that caused my grape-flavored soda to spill. And by spill, I did not meant on the floor, but on someone's shirt.

 

I gasped. And lifted my head.

 

Jaekyung.

 

"I'm so sorry." I said pathetically while I bow my head multiple times.

 

"Oh..." She said while staring at her drenched uniform.

 

"I swear, I did not mean it. It was all my fault. I am not watching where I was going. I'm so sorry..." I said quietly while my cheeks were bright red from embarrassment, because I noticed that almost all the students on the cafeteria were looking at us.

 

She sighed. "It's okay, it was my fault as well. I also didn't watch where I was going. No need to say sorry. I still have another blouse at the locker. So it's fine."

 

"No, it is not okay!" Someone said.

 

I looked up and saw that there are now two girls standing beside Jaekyung.

 

"Guys, I'm okay. It was also my fault anyw-" Jaekyung tried to say but was cut off.

 

"Who are you to do that, huh?" One of the girls said as she looks at me, and then her eyes makes way on the name tag on my uniform. "Bae Suji."

 

"I'm really sorry." I said as I lowered my head.

 

"Girls, don't make a scene." Jaekyung interjected. But what she said were just ignored.

 

"Are you blind or are you just stupid?" The other one said.

 

And then the previous girl sneered. "Maybe stupid. I heard that her uncle is retarded."

 

I froze and looked up at them.

 

Hyera gasped and looked at me.

 

"Oh... Really? No wonder, it probably runs in the family." The other one said as she laughed. The other girl beside Jaekyung laughed as well.

 

I looked around the cafeteria, wondering if they heard as well. And judging by their faces there are a lot of students heard it.

 

I felt my throat run dry and my eyes watered. I looked away. But on my peripheral vision I saw Jaekyung looked at me as well. And I wondered if she was going to laugh too. But she didn't. She just sighed and looked at both of her friends.

 

"Let's go now. Leave her alone." She said firmly and turned around then walked away.

 

I was frozen for a few minutes and watched them walk away before I dragged my feet and ran away from the cafeteria, away from those two laughing girls, away from those people and away from those questioning and judging stares.

 

As I ran, my thoughts were consumed about how people are going to look at me because of the information that they heard. And the thought made my eyes pool with tears, and because of the strong movements of running, the tears spill freely from my eyes and caresses into my cheek.

Yes, my uncle is retarded. He is the younger brother of my father with 12 years of gap, and he is mentally disabled. His disability was caused by lack of oxygen at birth because of the umbilical cord wrapped around his neck and also because my grandmother was already on her 40's when he carried my uncle.

 

But even though, he is like that. I still love him with all of my heart. He can be different than us, but he is my playmate when I was a kid, because in summer we usually go to my grandmothers place just to reduce some of their stress and help them out, because it is very difficult and stressful for my grannies to have someone like my uncle in the house, especially when he has tantrums and thrashing and throwing almost anything when he is not happy. But like I said he was my playmate and my big brother. I love him with all of my heart.

 

I don't know why people judge them just because they are like that, but they were never bad. Normal people are actually worse, so how can they judge and belittle a person that are like that when they are actually worse? How can they laugh at them and treat them as if they were just a mistake and a problem to the society? But that was the reality. People judge those kind of person and the people that were related to them. As if those people that was related to a mentally disabled person has an infectious disease that makes those judgmental people stay away because they are scared that they might be hurt.

 

At first, we were not uncomfortable saying to others about my uncle, but because of the reactions that most of the people makes. We started to keep it as a secret and hide the information about my uncle. My Dad was even fired on his job when the company heard about it.

 

So we did our best to hide my uncle and keep him as a secret. It hurt me so much, but that's what we have to do. For us to be acceptable on this cruel world.

 

But only Myungsoo and Hyera understands and knows about my uncle.

 

I ran and ran until I was on the campus garden.

 

"Suji! Wait up!" Hyera shouted.

 

I stopped on my tracks and turn around to look at her.

 

"Suji? I'm so sorry. I should have talked back at them. But I was so scared."

 

"It's alright." I sniffed and wiped my eyes.

 

She smiled gently and took my hands. "Let's just eat here then."

 

We sat on the grass beneath the tree and ate our lunch on a comfortable silence. Hyera knows not to talk whenever I am having a bad day because she knows that I will not respond or reply in to anything that she is going to say. So she just sat there did what I always do;look at the clouds.

 

After a few minutes, the bell rang that means that lunch break is over. But I don't want to go to class. I don't want to see those students with their judging faces and questioning stares.

 

Hyera must have sense this and looked at me.

 

"Do you not want to go to class?" She asked.

 

I looked away.

 

She sighed. "You have an exam on history today."

 

I nodded and sighed. Then stood up. Hyera did so as well.

 

"I'll see you at lunch tomorrow, okay?" She said as she looked at me.

 

I nodded. We then walked our way to the building quietly and as I neared to my class I looked at her.

 

"Hyera..." I called.

 

"Hm?" She looked at me?

 

"Thank you." I smiled gently.

 

She smiled back.

 

Before I enter my class, I looked at her again. She smiled again and held out her fist as if saying 'fighting'. I smiled again and held my fist as well. And then closed my eyes, took a deep breath, and readied myself to enter the classroom, with those students that are now grossing about me, judging me, laughing at me and belittling me.

 

You can do this Suji. After 2 more class and a few hours you will leave this cruel place and everything will be alright. You just have to make your heart strong even just for a little while.

 

END OF CHAPTER THREE