Chris stood before his school’s entrance, taking a few moments to compose himself. He took a few steps closer to the entrance doors and firmly touched the doorknob. He turned and pulled it open. He looked around, but he felt his heart race faster than ever. As he walked, he picked up his pace, trying to avoid any person coming his way. But he ended up bumping into someone, letting out a loud grunt and thump.
“Oh my god. I am so sorry!” Said the person Chris bumped into.
Chris was too nervous to speak. Despite being autistic, he managed to speak clearly and properly. The person continued to look at Chris as if they had seen him before.
“You must be the new student Nick told us about!” Exclaimed the person.
Chris eyed the person up and down, feeling skeptical of them. He took in their appearance, committing it to memory. Short, blonde hair with freckles on their cheeks. A unique sense of fashion, and a bright smile on their face. It was obvious to Chris that the person was a boy, despite looking like a girl.
“Y… Yes, I am…” Answered Chris.
It took Chris a lot of confidence just to answer something so simple.
“Chris, right? I’m Felix!” The person said, introducing himself to Chris.
“F… Felix?” Chris repeated, committing his name to memory as well.
“Exactly-” Felix said, but he got cut off by someone.
It was Oliver, their school bully. Oliver had an intimidating look on his face, clearly not happy with Chris in their school. But Chris, for some reason, was not intimidated by Oliver. Chris just stood there with Felix by his side.
“Who is this piece of crap?” Oliver asked harshly to Felix, pushing him afterward.
Felix stumbled back a bit as he did so, and then he put on a brave face.
“Why should I answer you, huh?” He said confidently, talking back at Oliver.
Oliver glared at Felix, and he turned his full attention to him. Felix felt like his whole world had collapsed. He thought that talking back at Oliver would silence him once and for all, but instead, it just made things worse. Oliver moved closer to Felix and grabbed him by the collar. He lifted him and pressed his back up against the lockers. He looked at Felix with a pissed-off expression.
“N… No! It was just a… Freudian slip!” Felix said nervously as he tried to break free from Oliver’s grip.
“Like I would believe you, of all people!” Oliver exclaimed.
Chris knew he had to do something in a situation like this, but he was too scared. What if Oliver took his anger out on him instead? What if he gets hurt… or worse?! He started to overthink, but he knew he should not let his fear get the best of him. Oliver was just about to punch Felix in the face, but Chris cleared his throat and tapped Oliver on the shoulder.
“What do you want, huh?” Oliver asked gruffly as he looked at Chris
“D… Don’t hurt him, sir..” Chris said, stuttering.
Chris’s whole body was trembling in fear. He felt like his legs became weak, and his throat went dry. Oliver squinted his eyes at Chris. He even let out a scoff at him.
“Oh, look! Felix’s new friend is trying to defend him from me!” Oliver exclaimed in mock surprise.
Chris nodded in agreement to Oliver’s words since what he said was true. Oliver let go of Felix, dropping him to the ground. Felix grunted in pain as he did so. Oliver now had his full attention on Chris. He walked towards him, and when he was now in front of him, he looked down on him.
“So, what’s your name?” Oliver asked, trying to keep his tone polite.
“I. I’m Chris…” Chris answered nervously.
“Well, Chris… In this school, no one talks back at me.” Oliver said warningly.
“I was just trying to defend my-” Chris said, but before he could even finish, Oliver pushed him to the ground.
The students anxiously watched the scene, and some of them even had their phones out. Some were surrounding them while others watched from behind. Oliver went on top of Chris, and he raised his fist, aiming it at his face. Chris panicked and started overthinking. He felt weak and vulnerable, like he couldn’t do anything. He even started blaming himself for talking to Oliver in the first place. Oliver was about to punch Chris until… Phooweet! It was a blow from a loud whistle coming from behind. The students set aside, and there she was… It was one of the school’s class presidents and the savior of Felix and Chris: Nick.
“Hey! What the heck happened here?” Nick exclaimed, looking at them as she raised her eyebrow in curiosity.
Oliver grumbled under his breath. He was just about to have his fun until she showed up.
“Nothing at all, Nick… It was just some rough play.” Oliver answered, trying to lie and get away with it.
He left afterward. Felix ran towards Nick, hugging her by the side.
“Oh, Nick! You’re our savior!” He exclaimed as he continued to hug her.
Nick groaned in disgust, and she gently pushed Felix away.
“No hugs.” She said sternly. Nick didn’t like hugs. She found it weird and disturbing.
Oliver got off Chris, and he dusted himself off. He walked past Nick, glaring at her as he did so. But Nick glared back at him.
“Hey, you okay?” Nick asked as she walked towards Chris, helping him up.
“I… Yes!” Chris answered.
Felix walked towards them. He was beside Nick, and he smiled at them.
“Chris, this is Nick. She’s one of our school’s class presidents.” Felix said, introducing Nick to Chris, keeping that smile on his face.
“Nick, this is Chris. He’s the new student you told us about.” He continued.
Nick looked at Chris, eyeing him up and down.
“Nice to meet you, Chris.” She said as she reached out a hand for him to shake.
“Y… You too!” Chris replied enthusiastically.
When the day ended, Chris found himself lying down on his bed. He was looking up at the ceiling, recalling the events that had just happened.
“I met Felix, and he’s nice… I encountered the school bully, Oliver, and he’s kind of a jerk… And, Nick.” He said, listing them down.
“Nick is… Entirely something else.” He added.
Chris just shook his head, shut his eyes, and he tried to go to sleep.
The next day came, and so did the next, and so forth. Despite being friends with Felix and maybe Nick, Chris grew tired of school. Even though he was the smartest in the school, Oliver would still bully him and Felix. He would either shove them into lockers or humiliate them in front of others. But Nick always tried to reassure them, even if she didn’t witness it. Until one day… Felix walked up to Chris in the hallway.
“Hey, Chris, do you wanna go to the movies with me?” Felix asked, being bright and cheerful as usual.
Chris, who was headed towards the principal’s office, looked at Felix, and gave him a slight nod in response. Felix took note of his nod and smiled.
“Great! I’ll go ask Nick if she wants to go as we-” Before Felix could even continue, Chris had already left.
Chris was now in front of the principal’s door. He let out a shaky exhale before entering. The principal looked up at Chris, and the conversation started. A few minutes later, Felix stood outside, and he overheard their discussion.
“I wanna drop out.” Chris said straightforwardly.
Felix overheard that as well, and he let out a quiet gasp. He then ran to their classroom, knowing that was the place where Nick would spend most of her time.
“You have to talk to Chris-” Felix said, but Nick had already answered.
“I know… He told me too.” She said, disappointment evident in her tone.
“Then why didn’t you stop him?” He asked as sadness started filling his body.
“It’s his choice, let him be…” She said nonchalantly.
Felix couldn’t believe this. He couldn’t imagine his current school life without Chris. Felix instantly went in front of Nick, down on his knees, clasped his hands together, and faced his head down.
“Nick, please! You can’t let Chris leave!” He begged as he felt tears well up in his eyes.
Nick looked down at Felix with a pitiful look. She knew how hard it hit him when Chris wanted to drop out. She offered her hand for him to stand up.
“Fine… I’ll try to talk to Chris.” She said in a soft tone.
Felix looked up and unclasped his hands. His tears were immediately gone. He accepted her hand and stood up. He was filled with joy and gratitude when he heard her response.
“Thank you…” He said with a soft smile.
Nick gave him a knowing nod before she left the classroom to go and talk to Chris.
She looked around the whole school, and she even went outside just to look for him! Eventually, she found him sitting down on one of the park benches. She ran up to him and sat beside him. Silence filled the room until Chris spoke up.
“Nick, I…” He said, getting cut off by her.
“No… No, I won’t leave until we talk.” She said.
Nick took a deep breath before she spoke up again.
“Chris and Felix think that you shouldn’t drop out.” She said.
“I want to. People hate me because I’m smarter than them. I can understand better than them.. And it’s all just because I’m special.” He said back to her.
“Chris, you and Felix are now important parts of my life, and I didn’t realize that until now. Special or not, you’re still our friend. I’m sorry for not treating you as one.” She said with a sincere tone.
Chris looked at her. When he heard her say that to him, he felt like, for once in his life, he was important… He reached out and wrapped his arms around Nick, embracing her. He was so touched by her simple words that they made him cry. Nick felt his tears soak into her shirt, but she didn’t mind. Instead of pulling him away just like what she did to Felix the first time, she wrapped her arms back around him, reassuringly rubbing his back. She found it nice to hug him. She actually didn’t find it weird or disturbing. Chris found comfort in their embrace, and he found a family in her.
The next day, Nick talked to the principal, saying how she, Felix, and Chris would transfer to a new school. She even talked to them about Oliver. The principal understood this, solved the problem, and they let the trio go. They became best of friends, and every challenge they faced, they solved it together. The trio became inseparable, and they lived happily ever after.
~The End~
About the Author
Ma. Victoria Aedriana M. Ubaldo
Victoria Ubaldo is a young writer who writes mostly about imaginative stories, so that people could enjoy and take an interest in reading. She makes sure that she has an inspiration for every thing she writes. Victoria also makes sure that everything she learned and understood from writing can be applied to her stories.