Chapter 6

Our class has a reputation for being a total mess.

Everyone here feels like they've been eaten alive by termites, with darkness buried deep inside them—an inescapable, root-deep kind of rotten.

In this class, we have our own unwritten social hierarchy.

There are three groups of people.

One group is made up of the so-called "good students," led by the late Jason. To avoid trouble with the school, anyone looking for conflict will intentionally steer clear of this group.

Then there’s my group, the troublemakers—the ones who like to form cliques and cause chaos.

The last group consists of the average students—those who aren’t great at studying or making friends. They end up becoming the fertilizer that feeds the termites.

Sure enough, it didn’t even take two days before their attention shifted to Nina.

Before, they were a bit wary of her because of Jason. Out of respect for him, they kept their distance from her.

But now that Jason is gone, Nina is like a lost sheep with no one to protect her. She’s just another toy for them to play with.

They’ll wait for her to go to the bathroom during break and steal her seat. When she comes back, she won’t be able to find a place to sit and will have to stand through class.

Or they’ll leave empty drink bottles on her desk, throw used tissues in her drawer, then laugh at her, watching her struggle.

“Oh, is this your seat? I thought it was the trash can.”

And of course, the others will burst into exaggerated laughter, as if they’ve just heard the funniest joke in the world.

The teacher knows exactly what’s going on. She’s not blind—she sees Nina standing, sees the trash piled up on her desk.

But all she does is glance at it and say nothing.

I’ve said it before—everyone in this class is rotten, not just the students.

I know the real reason they act with such impunity is not just because Nina lost her brother.

Nina’s family situation is similar to mine—she only has her brother left.

Now that her brother’s gone, the one person who could protect her is gone too.

With no one to back her up, they can do whatever they want.

I rest my chin on my hand, watching Nina awkwardly stand at the front of the class.

Such a shame. She’s nothing like me.

She doesn’t know how to hide her feelings.