Chapter 8 (2/2)

I glanced at the back of the photo, “Friends are like treasure, they are hard to find, but are very special. If you are a friend, it means you were chosen. You were chosen to stay in someone’s life…” Go 1-B J

The smiles on this picture could no longer be seen.

I put it down and picked another photo. “Uncle Richard will adopt me…” it seems what Lily said still echoed on my ears.

Why? Why did you choose them and not me, dad? Why did you choose Lily over me? It’s painful thinking that I’m here alone, while you are there, together with them, happy, eating with them together.

Did you think of how am I? If I already ate? Did they ever think what’s my condition here? I thought they will stop me from leaving. But what did you say to me? “Go ahead. It’s your life.” It’s not wrong to expect, right?  It feels he cut our ties.

The third photograph, is me… with him. I smiled bitterly. When you are in love and you get hurt, it’s like a cut… it will heal, but there will be a scar. It’s like once you’ve been hurt, you’re scared to get attached again. Like, you have this fear that every person you start to like is going to break your heart.

“Stay away from him.”

I collected the scattered pictures and placed them back in the box. I went to the kitchen, looked for the trash can and threw it there.

Every person around you is going to hurt you at some point of time… But it’s up to you to decide what is important.

***

“I want you to write your future paths on these papers.” Miss Karen stated when she distributed the papers. It’s a black paper with a white tag of our name on the upper right corner.

Miss Italia said, life is a big compet.i.tion. It’s unfair. If you won’t fight, you’ll go home a loser. Lazy and stupid people will suffer. While those who are clever and who gave effort can get special privileges and live a rich life.

This is how she influenced this cla.s.s, through the belief that with good grades in tow, you’ll get a good future. By having good grades you could get in prestigious universities, and have a good job.

For young people like us who are facing enormous pressure while knowing nothing, we can’t do anything except follow those who are older than us because they know what’s ‘best’ for us and the cruel reality of life.

“M-miss?” Penelope raised her hand.

“Yes?”

“T-this is not a career survey paper?” She shyly said.

“Yeah.”

“Why black?”

“This is weird.”

“Just do what I said. Ireneo will collect the papers.” Urgh, if only it’s not Ireneo who will collect the papers, I won’t pa.s.s anything. But heck, obeying is the rule in this cla.s.s, or else…

I can’t understand. She wants us to write our future paths in this paper? Like duh. How can it be seen? She’s weird. Karen Italia is weird. But still I hold my pen to write on it.

So what about my future, huh?

“While you’re all doing that, I’ll call one of you for the career counselling. So, the first,” Miss Karen glimpsed at her record book, “Jilliane Morie. Please come with me.”

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