where a shy sit alone girl keeps to herself
while the world around her spins
round and round.

⌗

It's peaceful back here. It always is. Where the sun hits me perfectly and I can get away with everything... or almost everything.

The room is bustling about with classmates filling out their empty (crumpled up) homework sheets and couples making use of the back wall to make out and the teacher running late as ever.

I take pride in my little desk space at the back of the room. I can be on my own and get little to no to no attention—never to be perceived—unless I get picked on of course. But that hardly ever happens. Not in this class at least.

In fact—this class is my favourite. For many reasons. And one you can already guess. My presence—or lack thereof. I remain physically present as much as I remain invisible to almost everyone in this room. Why, almost everyone?

Let me introduce you to the 'memers & schemers', an odd bunch that happen to be the lot I ended up being best friends with.

No offence of course. I love them. But they will never (ever) hear it from me.

Kim Mara
⤷  18, Debate Captain, has a drivers licence (and     brags about it), has a not so subtle crush on Mavis and the one I rely on most.

Mavis Pham
⤷ 18, logical but low key terrible at debate, also has a not so subtle crush (yes, it's Mara), a terrible flirt but at least she's funny!

Elly Lee
⤷ 17, our youngest, has way too many talents, the only person who let's me copy their homework, bit of a nerd, needs to stop absorbing TikTok content and making it their whole personality.

Funnily enough—they're not even the biggest reason as to why this class is my favourite. The one I pay the most attention to. The one I excel in greatly despite my lack of in class participation.

The reason in particular happens to sit at the very front of the room. The third seat in the first now. Front and centre. A position that puts you in the spotlight—for everyone to see.

To be perceived everyday from something as simple as where you sit... the thought alone makes me dizzy. To have so many eyes look at the back of your head and watch your every move.

It's the kind of confidence I'd die to have. But she has that confidence—along with many other things of course. She's gorgeous. And in the words of Taylor Alison Swift, 'I can't say anything to your face,' because who am I kidding...

If I ever dared to utter those words... to tell her that she must be the most gorgeous girl to walk this planet and breathe this air...I'd simply wish for the ground to swallow me whole.

Dramatic? Maybe.

But if you knew her like I did... you'd feel the same way. After all, it's Riley.

Riley Marsh
⤷ 18, Australian born and raised, moved to South Korea when she was little, an excellent debater (witnessed with my own two eyes), has an accent that drives me insane (valid in every way possible) and is truly intelligent.

The way she speaks is almost poetic. She's well spoken and so wonderfully mannered. She's talented and brilliant in everything she does. Riley never fails to achieve the greatest things.

And I like that about her. She strives to be the best possible version of herself. And so I try to be the very best version of myself that I can be.

The fluttery feeling I get with Riley only grows. And whether or not she feels that way too remains an unsolved mystery.