I Got Tripped In Haken's World

CHAPTER 1: The Uninvited Guest

" Too many names..."

I stood at the bus stop under the scorching sun and felt nervous as I checked my phone for my exam results. The city buzzed around me, vehicles of all shapes and sizes whizzed by on the highway. Cars zipped past, their engines humming as they rushed to their destinations. A bus rumbled by, its doors hissing open and shut as passengers got on and off. Occasionally, a sleek motorcycle would dart through the traffic, weaving effortlessly between the larger vehicles. People hurried past me from both directions, their faces a blur of motion. Some walked briskly, heads down, lost in their thoughts. Others rushed by with purpose, bags swinging at their sides and phones pressed to their ears. The air was tension, filled with the smell of exhaust.

Sweat trickled down my brow and each passing second felt like forever as I waited for a page to show my name. My stomach was in a knot. I glanced around, searching for a distraction from the overwhelming tension. But all I could do was focus on the screen while my heart pounding.

- Aaaah! I did it!

- I found my name! I passed!

Sudden joyous screams erupted from among the commuters. I realized I wasn't the only one waiting for the results, which only heightened my sense of desperation.

I kept browsing and concentrating.

I refused to give up. Despite the sweat starting to bead on my skin, I ignored it and continued to scroll.

"It gotta be kidding me."

I repeatedly searched for it in a desperate attempt from the beginning to the end of the page. My face almost sucked on my screen, however, it appeared I didn't succeed.

"That's all?" I whispered, slowly swiping my thumb up and down the screen. Yet, my name wasn't among those who had passed the university.

I sighed deeply despite carrying the huge disappointment.

I turned off my phone and bumped lightly my forehead into it.

At the same time, a bunch of friends appeared to be approaching me from a distance. I recognized them immediately, but I feigned ignorance and pretended to focus on my phone, hoping to avoid their attention. However, one of them called out my name, prompting his friends to turn and acknowledge my presence.

"Hey, you, Ella Sanford!"

Ella Sanford, the name that instead of being mentioned in the entrance examination results, came out from the mouth of the person that I detested the most since high school. Unfortunately, our paths crossed again.

"Or should I say, 'Loser Ella'?" As he approached me, I felt a sudden pressure on my shoulders, pulling me into a light headlock. It was a familiar gesture, one that might be mistaken for a friendly greeting if it weren't for the underlying tension in the bully's grip.

"Let go of me," I stammered, my voice strained under the pressure of the headlock.

"Isn't this how friends say hello?" Jonathan's tone dripped with sarcasm as he finally released his grip, but he whispered "You better watch your mouth, if don't want to be like Anna."

When the words left his lips, the name felt like a dagger, reopening wounds I thought had long since healed. My heart clenched, a painful thud reverberating through my chest as an image of someone flooded my mind.

"Are you mute now?" He laughed and changed his expression seeming to be upset.

One of his friends stepped forward with a phone on his ear, "We have to go."

Jonathan averted his gaze and I was lost in my thoughts, barely noticing when the bus pulled up beside us, the door opening with a whoosh. Without hesitation, I stepped on board, my heart pounding with the urgency to escape the situation.