Random Short Stories

Classmate A

In a corner of my class is a quiet boy.

Black hair, brown eyes, square-framed spectacles. He doesn't look any different from a normal teenage boy, except for his face, bright red from acne, and his unusually quiet demeanor.

He is so silent that sometimes I forget he exists. Silently, he goes through each school day, blending into the crowd as unknown Classmate A.

I can't help but pity him. He always seems so lonely -- first to arrive in class and first to leave, breaks taken alone. I've seen people try to talk to him but all he does is give short curt answers. Someone once even said to him, annoyed, "I don't understand you."

Thinking back, there was a moment where I saw him smile. I remember we were having a joint PE lesson with another class and a boy from that class walked over to start a conversation. In that moment, a rare smile crept onto my classmate's face. He looked genuinely happy. It was a refreshing surprise. Sadly, it was nothing but a transient moment. That moment was never relieved again.

My friend once told me that this boy was very blur. She had asked him if he wanted to wash the plates or wipe the tables during home economics but he replied ok instead. It just hit me that he was nothing but a quiet awkward boy. He probably didn't know how to interact with others so he figured that building walls around him was the best way to avoid embarrassment. A timid boy.

In a few years down the road, I wonder, is there anyone in my class who would remember him? Would I remember him? Or would he exist as unimportant Classmate A in a chapter of our lives, soon to be forgotten as time goes by.