SILENT FAME

Chapter 0

"Hey"

A girl with a face that can't be identified spoke. She was wearing a single-piece white gown.

".."

"I know you can hear me, Erik." The boy couldn't say anything, as though something was choking him.

".."

"Why?"

The boy shivers as cold sweats develop on his back.

"...."

"Why are hiding?"

"...."

"Why won't you look at me?" The girl in white is creeping up on him.

"...."

The boy, Erik, knows who this girl is. And that's exactly why he couldn't face or talk to her.

"You…"

The girl's words were disconnected, like it was some vintage tape.

"...."

"You killed…"

The boy flinched.

".."

He remained there, frozen, while the young woman stretched out her arms to reach him. "You... killed..... m-"

Just before she finished her sentence, Erik woke up from her nightmare.

He gasped for air as he checked his surroundings.

*Ring* *Ring* *Vibrate* *Vibrate* *Vibrate* *Vibrate* *Vibrate* *Vibrate* *Vibrate* *Vibrate*

The sound of the alarm reached all the corners of the poorly lit, dingy room. Clothes lying everywhere; chip wrappers filled with the last pieces; a soft drink bottle on the desk sitting near the dusty monitor. The cabinet kept on making a whirring sound as it was still turned on from the game session the night before.

The pulsating light of the cabinet and the outside light entering from the small opening between the curtains were the only sources of light in the room.

The boy, sitting on the bed with his blanket almost completely falling off to the ground, stopped the alarm with the little life he had. He brushed his strained eyes with his sore hands as he had been up almost all night because of playing online on his computer.

"That dream again?"

"How long will it haunt me?" Erik calmed his rapidly beating heart.

"Then again, this reminder is probably what I need."

Erik was covered in sweat.

He grabbed his glasses and lifelessly checked the time on his alarm.

It was 7:00 am.

"Three hours of sleep, huh?"

"How long has it been since I have had a proper sleep?" He groggily rubbed his eyes.

"Better hope that'll be enough to keep me going throughout the day."

He dragged his lifeless body off the bed and went to sit in front of the computer.

As the monitor lights up,

"Finally completed the download, huh."

*Click* *click*

It's just a simple 2 Gb update, and it took the whole night? ...Sigh... If only we had a better net,"

"A good PC with at least a stable 30fps would be nice too,"

"It is what it is," he shrugs off and moves to the kitchen.

"Morning." He gave a big yawn.

"How long were you up last night?" the girl quickly asked as she finished her cooking.

"Hard to say... I didn't keep track of the time," Erik lied under his breath as he went to wash his face in the bathroom.

"Stop dragging your feet like a weak old man. You're still only in high school," she remarked as Erik lazily entered the small bathroom.

"Sure, sure nag old lady, " he replied nonchalantly.

"What did you just call me?" The girl was almost furious.

"Nothing, nothing...." He washed his pale face and brushed his teeth.

"Oh, Maria?" Erik called as he leaned out of the bathroom.

"Hmm...." Maria replied as she assembled the plates on the table.

"Can we leave the internet on while we're out today? I need to download something important. "

"Huh? For the whole day?! Are you out of your mind?" Maria was shocked.

"Just when I thought we could cut some costs."

"We're broke this month. You are more aware of that than I am."

"I can't argue with that." Erik couldn't reply, because he knew they both had very tight budgets. These were both students who were living on the minimum allowances of their parents.

"It was worth a shot, at least." Erik went to his room to change into his school uniform.

While changing, he glanced at the closed shelf.

Something that's hidden inside seemed to trigger an old memory.

"Darn it!" He muttered

"No thanks to that stupid dream for reminding me."

He finished changing and went for breakfast.

Breakfast is a bowl of plain cooked rice with fried eggs and soup.

"How's school?" asked Maria as she joined Erik at the table.

"Eh? What are you, my mom? " Erik replied sarcastically, barely eating the rice.

"No, but as your elder cousin/sister, I am asking you," Maria replied seriously and gestured for Erik to eat more of the rice.

Erik stopped his spoon for a moment and replied,

"Just the usual, mundane stuff."

"I see..."

"Any... friends?"

"Not really..."

"Oh... I thought you would hang out with that boy from middle school... "

"You guys were quite inseparable back then." Maria lifted her spoon and reminisced about their younger days.

Erik thought for a moment.

Well, things change... people change... He has his own friends to hang out with now. "Good for him," Erik replied, trying to look unconcerned.

"I..." saw Maria, knowing Erik still could not cope with the past.

"You were quite a cheerful kid back then," Maria added, reminiscing.

"Cringey is a better word."

Erik replied, cringing at his childhood.

"Believing the world would work how you wanted it to..."

"Optimism isn't bad," Maria replied.

"If it's in the right direction... Sure, of course. But if it's not... it's just plain stupid dreaming that ultimately causes unnecessary headaches." Erik stands up, having only finished his plate halfway.

Maria silently stares at Erik's plate.

Erik cleaned his plate and brushed his teeth hurriedly, as he didn't want to continue the discussion any further.

"Okay then, I'm off... See you in the evening." Erik heads for the door.

"Oh, Erik?" Maria stopped him.

"Hm..." Erik stands at the door without looking back.

"Try to enjoy your class today. You might really miss them one day, "Maria smiled wryly.

"....Sure"

Erik pondered for a second and left.

"Sigh* I wonder how you would feel seeing him as he is now...." Maria spoke to herself, finishing her plate.

The school's a 15-minute trip from Erik's home using the local bus.

The school has its own bus, but the route it travels made it necessary for him to wake up early, which he obviously couldn't. So he usually just boards the nearest local bus on his way to school.

He finally reached the school gate and stood in front of it, watching the never-ending stairs ahead.

He stood there for a while.

"I could never get used to these infernal stairs." He yawned and whined.

"Quite a stupid design."

"I see, I see." A guy suddenly stands behind Erik.

"Morning to you too, David," Erik replied, unfazed with his lifeless eyes.

The guy was disappointed in his failure to try to make Erik flinch.

"You do this like, literally almost every day," Erik replied, as he continued to stare at the stairs.

"One of these days, Erik," David was determined.

"So, who are you checking out today?" David added as he ran his eyes around.

"No one..." Erik replied.

"Really? We got the best of the best chicks in our school. Oh, look who's coming right now, "David practically twists Erik's head in the direction he was looking.

"Ouch! Ouch! That hurts, you blockhead!" Erik replied, unable to fight back David's strength.

In their direction was a girl with long, shiny silver hair and beautiful violet eyes, coming towards the school's gate.

"The idol is here, dude!" David was practically leering at her.

"David, stop looking like you're undressing her with your eyes." Erik too was a bit mesmerised by her beauty.

"Man..." David spoke with amazement.

"To be such a beauty to boot and also has a beautiful singing voice... Some people are just born lucky, right?"

"Guess... It's like they're playing life on easy mode, huh," Erik agreed with David.

Some people look like they have had an easy life since they were born.

"You're getting it!" David's jaw almost dropped as they watched her walk past the gate.

As she approaches, David pulls out a small comb and a mirror.

"David, what the heck?" Erik wanted to get away from him.

David used the comb on his short, almost non-existent hair while using the mirror to check for any 'debris', as he calls it, on his face.

"Looks come first, Erik." David was giving the "best" (grossest) smile he ever could as she passed by.

Erik watches in disgust.

However, the girl doesn't seem to pay heed to him or to any of the people surrounding her.

A few stares followed her as they too knew how much of a talented beauty she was.

"I wonder what it's like to be her boyfriend." David's eyes followed her like some precious stone.

"Tiresome, probably," Erik replied.

"Despite her age, she's an idol after all," Erik added, as he learned from the internet how idols' lives are.

David agreed.

From the vibe she gave, which he didn't say out loud, Erik felt a bit like she was like him.

"I wonder if she has a boyfriend," David questioned as they both walked up to school.

"A lot of guys would've probably asked her out. It's hard to tell," Erik replied.

"Probably..... It'd be so damn awesome to be even just her friend, let alone her boyfriend, "David laughed.

"Maybe I'll pretend to be gay and be one of her gay friends." David laughed hysterically.

"You disgust me." Erik looked at David as if he was a lost cause, which he probably was.

But, since she's given this 'hard to approach' aura, she might not have so many friends. And not to mention, everyone treating her as if she's some goddess, "Erik added, as he saw some students almost revering her.

"Hahahaha," David laughed.

"She's not a nerd like you, so she'll have tonnes of friends." David hit Erik at the right mark.

"I'm just giving my assumption, that's all," Erik replied with an annoyed expression.

"Hahaha, I'm just messing with ya," David laughed, hitting Erik on the back with his fists.

Stop with the abuse, blockhead!" Erik almost dropped his glasses.

With small bickering, they head to class.

David and Erik went inside the class, and David shouted an energetic "Good Morning!" ', followed by Erik cowering in embarrassment. The class laughed and wished him back. They glanced at Erik a bit and looked away.

"Eh... Today might be the first time they even looked at me," Erik had a sarcastic thought.

He moved to his seat, close to the wall near the entryway.

The teacher entered soon after and started the classes as usual.

"As you might've heard, school's foundation week is right around the corner," the teacher said.

The class responds with a series of wailings and joy. The wailing was due to the arduous physical and mental work that lay ahead, while the joys were due to the full week of entertainment, with countless events.

"They assigned our class with the duty of banners, stage preparation, and also in the sound department with the help of Class 10-A," the teacher continued as she wrote the work.

"Why does our class always have the worst work?" The students were whining.

They were given hard labour tasks the previous year too, so it's quite reasonable that they are not enthusiastic.

"Just deal with it. At least you students get to enjoy the week. I, on the other hand, will have to deal with all the finances, paperwork, and now, your whining. God, I wish I passed that UDC exam" The teacher complained in front of the whining students.

Her problems were so complicated that the students had no response, so they just sat there awkwardly.

"Erik?" the teacher called out, as if she had just remembered something.

Erik was dozing off.

"Get your mind back in the class, Erik," the teacher continued while the class jeered.

"Hmm? Me?" Erik looked dumbfounded, half awake.

"Yeah, you..." Come meet me in the staffroom during lunch break, yes?"

"Ah... Okay, ma'am," Erik responded confusingly. It's a first for him to be called into the office like that.

The entire class was surprised. They soon started to gossip, saying things like,

"I heard he hacked the school database just to make himself known."

"That's nuts!"

"I heard he has full classified information about the government on his computer,"

"I heard they almost caught him for selling stuff on illegal sites."

Erik heard a bit of what they said.

"What the actual-"

"Little did they know, I do not know how to do all these things they accused me of," Erik laughed to himself.

At noon, the teacher gestured to Erik in case he had forgotten. Erik nodded in response and followed the teacher out of the class. Gossips followed him as soon as he left.

"So Sam, any idea why ma'am called him?"

A red-headed girl leaned back and faced the guy sitting behind him in an uncomfortable position.

"Dunno," Sam shrugged as he played with the girl's hair.

"At least not the ones they gossiped about."

He pointed towards the girls sitting behind him. They were having fun gossiping.

"It's still hard to believe he was once what you said he was," the girl spoke, remembering what Samuel had said in their earlier conversations.

"I know, right?" Sam too is still in disbelief, even though that was how Erik had been during the past two years.

"I wonder what happened at the end of middle school," Sam spoke with almost a nostalgic expression.

Maybe a girl he loved rejected him hard? Friendzone him? " She chuckled.

"Hahaha. That's very unlikely. He was only interested in one thing after all." Sam pushed the girl on her head.

"But, yeah. I'm quite curious, after all." Sam paused for a moment.

The girl was waiting for his response.

"Nah, never mind...." Sam shrugged off.

"What?! Now I'm more curious!" She said that as she playfully hit Sam.

Erik entered the staffroom. Even at noon, the staffroom was as busy as ever. On one desk, a teacher is scolding a guy who's covered in scars. He spells trouble, however you look at him. He's the kind of guy Erik doesn't want to get himself involved with. But, then again, looks can deceive, as Erik had so well experienced. On the other desk was a teacher struggling not to laugh, possibly with the students' homework. He's literally shaking as he reads through the books.

"Do you know why I called you here?" The teacher gave a firm and serious question as she gestured Erik towards her desk.

"No?" Erik replied in confusion as he glanced at his surroundings. He's uncomfortable with large crowds, after all.

"Wait, really? You don't?" The teacher's eyes widen in surprise.

"Is this some kind of riddle?" Erik was feeling uncomfortable.

The teacher pushed her back against the chair she was sitting on and hung her head in disbelief.

"That girl... She really forgot, huh..."

She facepalmed.

Erik stood there awkwardly, waiting for her response.

"No matter," the teacher continued.

"I told your sister, Maria-"

"Cousin" Erik interjected.

".." The teacher blankly stared at Erik for a moment.

Erik looks away.

"Fine"

The teacher stated her request: "I told your cousin Maria that I wanted her to talk to you about helping the music club two weeks ago."

"Wait, what? Me? Helping the music club?" Erik was surprised and more confused than before.

Since then, he has always been busy with his PC and his phone, playing games and surfing the net. This is quite a development for him.

"Yes..." the teacher continued.

"They have been, um, how should I say this?... unmotivated' these past few days, you see." The teacher looks troubled.

"I, being the club advisor, am given the task of setting this club to perform in the school's foundation week."

The teacher takes out a pamphlet showing the schedule for the club.

They were given the assignment of having one song during the opening ceremony, the foundation day, and the closing ceremony, on the last day, right before the bonfire session. It also gave them the opportunity to perform during the bonfire session if they wanted to.

Shouldn't this be a real high baller for the club? "I see nothing but good opportunity here," Erik assessed as he read through the pamphlet.

"Right?" The teacher shared Erik's words wholeheartedly.

"Then, what's the problem?" Erik is confused.

"Well..." the teacher let out a huge sigh.

"You know Janet, right?"

"Who?" Erik tilted his head as he continued to survey the pamphlet.

"Why am I not surprised?" The teacher leans back.

"She's the school idol. Ring any bells?"

"Ahh.... Yeah... Not personally, but, yeah?" Erik remembered seeing her that morning.

"She's in the club, so...." the teacher added.

"I see..." Erik understood what she meant.

"And I'm assuming she would be the one to sing?" Erik asked rhetorically.

"That's right," the teacher answered.

"She's a big hit not only in the school but throughout the state, so I guess they feel a bit intimidated." The teacher hangs her head in annoyance.

"That's great and all, but, what does all of this have to do with me?" Erik questioned, checking his watch from time to time.

"I heard that you used to play the guitar in your middle school." The teacher replied eagerly as she leaned forward.

Wait, I-" Erik stopped himself midway as he realised Maria might've told the teacher.

"That little-why can't she just mind her own damn business?" Erik spoke under his breath, annoyed.

"Yeah... So?" Erik is ready to say no to whatever the teacher's planning.

"So, I want you to go play the guitar for her."

"N-" Erik almost finished his words.

"-is what I'd like to say, but I heard you can't play to save your life, so I'm not forcing you to do that." The teacher replied, understanding how uncomfortable this might be for Erik.

At least she's not all stupid. Erik is slightly less annoyed at Maria.

"What I want to ask of you is this." The teacher looked straight into Erik's eyes with serious eyes.

Erik felt a bit intimidated.

"Go and check out the club, maybe give some guidance to them once you're there." Anything goes... " The teacher requested Erik.

"Small problem." Erik raised his hand.

"Go on...." The teacher gestured to let Erik's hand down.

"Why would they listen to me, let alone my guidance? Even if I hypothetically go there, even though I am reluctant to do so, it wouldn't make much difference. "

Erik pressed his points.

"Well..." The teacher gives a wry smile.

Erik has a bad feeling in his gut.

The teacher laughed. "I told them that a great musician would help them and guide them throughout the foundation week."

"You what?" Erik shouted.

The teachers in the staffroom turned in their direction.

Erik apologised and whispered.

"Look, I'm not that good, even in the old days. Not to mention I'm a nerd now, through and through." Erik continued.

"Even you admit to it, huh?" the teacher muttered.

"What?" Erik almost heard what the teacher said.

"Nothing, nothing." The teacher shakes her head.

"It won't be that big of a deal. Just go there once and see how the club is. " The teacher tried to brush it off to make it easier to persuade Erik.

"Why not that guy?" "That weird, curly-haired guy.

"What was his name again? " Erik pondered as he desperately tried to remember the name.

"Jordan?" the teacher replied.

Yeah, that guy... Wasn't he supposed to be one of the best guitarists we had here? "He's way better than I am," Erik added, trying to shift the responsibility.

"Well... he's GREAT at the guitar, no doubt about it, but..." The teacher averted her eyes. Something about the idea of getting Jordan to help doesn't pique her interest.

"Look, just head there once and see what the club is about. You might actually like it there. " The teacher glossed over the topic.

"Wasn't this supposed to be about me helping the club? It's like you're trying to make me join the club or something." Erik grows a bit suspicious.

"She's right" The teacher thought, "This kid is sharp."

"It's not that at all. I just thought, maybe you'll find enjoyment while you're at it... better to enjoy helping than think of it as a chore." The teacher laughed.

"I guess..." Erik looked away, thinking.

"The club is closed today, so maybe you could try visiting it tomorrow," the teacher spoke as she looked at the clock. She had classes right after the short break, so she decided to get ready.

"Fine... but don't get your hopes too high. Going to the club is one thing; persuading the club members is not something I could ever do." Erik was not the kind of guy with leadership qualities. He'd rather be among the crowd and silently follow the leader than be the head honcho.

 He bowed to the teacher and left the staffroom.

As soon as he left the staffroom, he checked his watch.

I'm 10 minutes late. Great. I hope no one's there before me.

There's a place behind the mumty on the terrace that students rarely go to due to its inconspicuous location. Erik always goes there and sits there alone during the lunch break for a quiet and peaceful time.

As he heads towards the rooftop, a ragged guy bumps into him, and Erik almost loses his balance.

"Careful there." Erik fixes his glasses and looks at the guy who bumped into him with an annoyed face. Though he wasn't exactly hoping for an apology.

The guy who bumped into him stopped and turned back with an angry expression.

Erik almost flinches from his gaze.

"What's up with him?" He thought to himself.

The guy clicked his tongue; he turned his back and said, "My bad," and quickly entered the staffroom.

"I almost dropped it." Erik checks his surroundings and the item he hid under his shirt.

"Good, it's still safe."

Erik hurriedly goes to the rooftop and stops by the cafeteria before heading to his designated place.

To his luck, only a few people were there to order.

"Guess it's my lucky day," he thought.

The cafeteria woman quickly recognises Erik as he's about to order.

"Same as always?" she smiles.

"Same as always," Erik replied.

To Erik, the old lady may be the only one he's fond of.

The cafeteria woman hands him his orders, which include a sandwich and mango juice.

"Kids your age should eat a lot more than that. Look how skinny you are." The cafeteria woman gives a bright smile.

Well, I need to live with what I've got. These sandwiches are amazing and plenty enough. " Erik smiled.

"Thanks for that, boy. You're one of our best customers here, so, here's a little something extra. " The cafeteria woman hands him another sandwich.

I can't take this. This is too much. " Erik became flustered due to the sudden kindness.

"Take it, boy, have a taste of happiness once in a while." The cafeteria woman smiled as she went back to her kitchen.

"Thank you so much..." Erik quietly walks away with a smile on his face.

"Today really is my lucky day," he thought to himself.

Erik finally arrives at his destination, and he takes out the phone he hid under his shirt.

He walks towards the backside of the mumty while checking his phone as he logged into the game he's been playing every time he goes to this place.

"Gasp*"

A gasp startled him, leaving him in his tracks.

While his eyes were fixated on his phone, cold sweats began to form on his back. He knows someone is there, seeing him use his phone. Carrying mobile phones to school is prohibited and is taken as a serious offence with a not-so-little fine.

Many thoughts went into Erik's mind, the leading thought being, "I was careless."

Erik reluctantly looked up away from his phone towards the person who had arrived at his place before him and who had caught him using his phone.

".."

A girl is staring intently at Erik as he stands there frozen.

The person sitting there was none other than our school idol.

"Wait, what?" "Here? Here? " Erik became confused to think that the school idol would actually be here, let alone have knowledge of this location.

Both of them are at a loss to come up with any words. They stayed there frozen for almost two minutes until Erik tried to open his mouth.

"I-..." He stops himself when he notices the book the school idol is holding.

"Ah!" The school idol seemed to have realised what caught Erik's attention and quickly hid the book she was holding behind her back.

"D-Did you see?" She asks cautiously. She looks like a frightened cat backed against the corner.

"See what?" Erik tries to feign ignorance as he looks away.

"N-nothing." There was a hint of hope in the eyes of the girl as she sighed with a small relief.

"I see nothing at all," Erik says calmly to assure her.

"She wants to learn how to make friends? How hopeless can you get?" Erik thought to himself, as he tried to walk away innocently.

Or so he thought.

"!!!" The girl was panicked.

"You totally read the title of the book!" She frantically stands up in embarrassment.

Erik covers his lips. "I said that out loud?"

"Ahhhh...Please kill me now. No... You will have to die with me! We must commit double suicide! " She actually tries to climb over the ledge.

"H-hey," she says, "It's not that big of a deal, right? You just want to have some friends, that's pretty normal." Erik is surprised by her sudden outbursts.

"And why should I commit suicide too?"

The girl pointed her index finger at Erik.

"You're the internet predator everyone talks about!"

"I'm the what?" Erik is shocked at the sudden accusation.

Snow Princess will not back down.

"What the heck! I didn't—" Erik remembers the time he made someone look stupid on Smilebook to get back at them due to a friend's request.

"Oh wait..." Erik pondered as he looked into the distance.

"See?" The girl became more suspicious.

"I knew it!"

"That was different! And speaking of which, how the heck did you even know about me?" Erik is surprised. No one really paid attention to him or cared much about him to know it was him.

The fact that she knew it was him just at their first meeting is no doubt a surprise, and not a positive one at that.

"Sh-shut up..." She lowers her finger.

"Look.... Uh... Miss... Idol?..." Erik tries to wrap up the situation before it gets worse than it already is.

"Janet..." the girl interjected Erik.

"I have a name." I hate it when people keep calling me that.

There seems to be a history of that, judging by the way she made her annoyed expression.

"Okay... Janet : Let's just both forget this ever happened. " Erik tries to make his voice as convincing as possible.

"I don't trust you." She says this, clearly still suspicious of Erik.

"Of course you won't," Erik agreed. Who'd believe someone they just met? "

"Look, I don't really care about how much you want to make friends or...."

"!!" Janet glares at Erik.

I-I mean, I can't make you believe me in any way. So, you'll just have to deal with it. "I don't really care enough to tell anyone, nor have I anyone to tell." Erik tries to make his point clear.

He knew well enough that no one would actually believe him.

Janet still glared at him suspiciously.

"Believe what you want..." I'm leaving. " Erik starts to get annoyed.

"Your phone..." Just as Erik was about to leave, Janet stopped him in his tracks.

"Shit." Erik thought to himself.

"I forgot about my phone."

During the whole argument, he's been holding his phone.

"It is against the school rules to bring mobile phones to school." Janet speaks in a manner of superiority as she knows she has the upper hand.

"What do you think would happen if I let the teachers know about this?" She smiles with a hint of sadness.

"That's low." Erik turns back and puts his hands in the air like a convict being caught.

"So, you're trying to blackmail me now?"

"No..." Janet recomposes herself.

"You speak of this incident to no one and I will keep my mouth shut up." Janet puffs out her chest and crosses her arms.

"I wasn't trying to speak about this to anyone in the first place," Erik replied.

"Maybe 4" But, with this, I can be sure... She smiles.

"She's so not like how I imagined her to be," Erik thought to himself.

"So?" she asked.

"Fine." "Have it your way, little miss," Erik replied sarcastically.

"You have such a foul mouth," she replied with an annoyed expression.

"It's my charm," Erik replied, looking sideways, clearly showing his annoyance.

"Sigh* I'm heading out....I don't want to be with someone as ill-mannered as you any longer. Janet stands up and walks past Erik while he stands there silently.

"I hope you hold your end of the deal," she says as she stands there for a moment.

"Sure...." Erik replies as he brushes her words off.

"Hm..." she chuckles.

"Wha?" Erik turns back.

"What did I get myself into?" Erik sighed as he sat down to open his lunch.

"It's all cold now, no thanks to her." He eats his lunch as he boots up the game on his phone.

It's a gacha game: a game where you collect heroes and use those heroes to fight enemies to advance the story and also fight against other players across the internet.

He uses the in-game store to roll for a good hero only to get a second-rate hero.

"Sigh* Great... All that farming for gems was wasted. "

"There goes my luck down the drain again." Erik sighed dis-heartedly.

The afternoon session started soon after, and Erik was back in his seat inside the class. This time, he's actually paying attention to the class.

The bell rang, and class ended soon after.

Okay, class, remember the coming foundation week. I want all of you to give your full cooperation. Especially you, David. "The teacher points at David, who was busy getting ready to leave."

"What?" David replies with a stupid grin on his face.

Don't you try hiding in the other classrooms again, you hear? Don't think for even a second that I didn't know about that whole fiasco last year. " The teacher glared at David, who was almost panicking.

"What?! Hey, I was helping the other classes with Erik. Right, Erik? " David tries to shift the blame as he signals Erik to play along with him.

Erik turns his head away, wanting nothing to do with him.

"You little!" David clenches his fist.

The class laughed.

"Now now," the teacher added, "Just do something useful this year."

"And you, Ralph..."

The classroom went quiet.

Erik is surprised at the sudden change in the atmosphere.

"Who the?" Erik remembers.

"He's the one who bumped into me today." He was always in our class. Erik is surprised. Then again, he doesn't know half of his classmates anyway, so it was not much of a surprise as he thought it would be.

"Just... Just stay out of trouble, okay? " For some reason, the teacher seemed to have given up on him.

Gossips followed the teacher's words.

One gossip said, "I heard he almost killed someone the other day."

The other added, "I heard he joined some gang."

"I heard he's close to getting expelled," another added.

"I heard he's trying to be a singer."

"What? No way! "

"Yeah, but, he's getting rejected every time."

Ralph just looked out of the window, paying no heed to what everyone was saying about him.

"He's got nerves of steel," Erik thought.

"Then again, they too talk about me almost the same way every day, so... I guess I can relate."

"Okay, those who are in clubs, head to your clubs. Your club leaders want to talk about your activities for foundation week. The teacher arranges her teaching materials ready to leave the classroom.

"Jeremy and Stephanie?" The teacher calls out.

"Yes ma'am." Both of them replied in unison.

"Follow me to the staffroom. We need to discuss the roles for each student for the preparations." The teacher added, and both the students followed.

"They really are diligent students," one student said.

"Eh, they're too serious," one added.

"No wonder they're the top students in our class," the other added.

Before the teacher left the classroom, she looked at Erik and signalled to him.

Erik knows what she means, so he nods his head.

The students leave the classroom.

"Hey, Sam, wanna go grab some sweets on the way home?" Sophie spoke playfully as she pulled on Sam's bag.

"I don't know..." My dad told me to come home early today. " Sam smiles wryly.

"Eh, it won't take long. "It will be at the usual place," Sophie playfully begs Samuel.

"Well, if it's not going to take too long..." Samuel accepted.

"Yay!" Sophie giggles as they both leave the classroom.

Erik cringes behind them.

Just as Erik is about to walk out, David grabs his shoulders.

"Sigh! What now?" Erik tiredly looks at David.

Don't be like that man... "You should be happy for such a happy couple." David looks at Sam and Sophie.

"Well, are you?" Erik asks.

"No! I'm so damn jealous! " David is practically crying.

"I thought so," Erik replies.

I want a cute and loving girlfriend too. No... I want a girlfriend... even if she's a total b* " David's eyes were on fire.

"Hmm...." Erik doesn't seem to care.

"Wait, she doesn't even have to be a g-" David almost finished his words.

"I'm going to stop you right there." Erik doesn't want to hear where the conversation is going.

"Hahaha... I'm just kidding, "David laughed heartedly.

"Seeing how desperate you are, I don't think you're kidding at all," Erik spoke under his breath.

"Huh?" David is almost glaring at Erik, stiffening his grip.

"Nothing." Erik doesn't want to continue.

If you really want to, you can get yourself one in no time. We both know that, "Erik spoke, remembering someone.

David just smiles and replies, "You know I can't do that."

"Yeah... I guess" Erik seems to know what David is talking about.

Both of them walk together talking about pointless things. Most of the time it's David forcing his ideas on Erik and Erik just listens, unable to get away.

....

...

The school's auditorium stood there filled with music on the school's rooftop above the cafeteria. Every five months, the school gets visited by professional songwriters and artists to seek out young talents who would be able to stand out among the crowd as idols. They mostly scout for female artists, with almost all the scouts being from idol companies. However, in recent years, other music companies have sought out not only female but male artists as the market is now flooded with female artists. They wanted to try a new approach to introduce the male category.

This school has proudly presented Janet Sylvia as their top artist as she is among the top artists throughout the state.

Right now, right at this moment, there's a competition going on to search for both male and female artists.

In the auditorium, only a few invited guests and students occupy the seats. The front seats were occupied by three judges who were paying close attention to the words and melodies of the person on stage.The male singer soon finishes his song and awaits the words of the judges.

The judges look at each other after finishing the things they write on their sheets of paper.

The singer on stage still grabs onto his microphone tightly, his face covered in sweat and breathing heavily. He looks from side to side, unable to handle the silence.

"Look..." A man dressed in a high-quality suit. His presence alone brings nervousness to people around him due to his high stature. Of course, he's the CEO of the top music corporation in the state, Mr. Romann of High Dive Music Corporation. He's responsible for almost all the big idols and individual artists across the state and even the country. He's also the one who made Janet Sylvia into what she is now.

Ralph... "MMr. Romann spoke in such a clear and dignified tone.

"Y-Yes?" The student auditioning was Ralph, and even he was having a hard time trying to sound and look strong in front of him.

 "This is like what? The fifth time you've auditioned for this gig?" Mr. Romann looks through the scores while the rest of the judges and teachers look at him with full attention.

"Yes sir," answered Ralph, still panting heavily.

"Let me be honest with you here." Mr. Romann takes off his glasses and folds them neatly.

"S-Sir..." One of the judges beside him tries to stop him saying what he was trying to say.

Romann gestured to the judge with his hand, and she backed down, feeling unenthusiastic.

"First and foremost, you are without a doubt a good singer. You have good stage presence, in fact, and it's so much that it's a bit overwhelming at times." Mr. Romann looks Ralph dead in the eyes.

A small smile formed on Ralph's lips.

However, I'm sorry to say this, but you're not the one we're looking for. Mr. Romann's eyes were as serious as they could be, with no hint of sugarcoating whatsoever.

"I see..." Ralph replies softly. He was disappointed, but he knew it was inevitable given how many times they had rejected him.

The entire auditorium becomes as quiet as the dead of night.

"This is not to say that you're bad as an artist." Mr. Romann breaks the silence.

You're a hard-working kid, I can tell. In fact, you've improved a lot during the past five months, which in itself is quite extraordinary. "

"However..."

"I know, sir..." Ralf is eager to leave the stage, unable to hear more of the words Mr. Romann has to say. It's always the same every time he auditions.

But Mr. Romann continued and struck right at the vulnerable location of Ralph's heart.

"For your and our best interests, I advise you not to take part in any of our upcoming auditions ever again."

Ralph grits his teeth hard as he looks away in pain.

"S-Sir!" the judge tries to stop Mr. Romann.

However, Mr. Romann continues,

"You do not belong in this line of business."

Just as Mr. Romann says, Ralph quickly walks away from the stage, his mind filled with rage and embarrassment at being humiliated in front of the judges and the teachers.

"Hey, Ralph," the music teacher says as Ralph storms out of the auditorium.

"Sir, isn't that a bit too much? "He's just a kid", the female judge was concerned, rightly so.

Romann quietly arranged his papers and gestured for the teacher to call for the other contestants.

"Sir!" The female judge was losing her composure.

"He will thank me in the future," Mr. Romann said softly.

"Eh?" the female judge was confused.

I may despise him now, but someday he'll thank me. I am sure of it. "Nothing good comes out of this line of business anyway.

Outside the auditorium, Ralph stops, takes a breath, and walks slowly down the stairs.

"I was prepared for this crap, but" Ralph bashes his fist at the wall.

"Man... That freakin' blows.... "Way worse than those beatdowns"

"Now, what am I going to say to Mary?" Ralph rubs his head in frustration.

His mind is filled with anger and anxiety about how he's going to face his sister, Mary.

"Maybe I'm not really cut out to follow in your footsteps, old man," Ralph reminisced as he walked down the stairs dejectedly.

"Gaddamnit!"

"Wait!!!!"

Ralph looks back at the unfamiliar female voice calling him.

He was speechless at how breathtaking the girl was. She had long black lustrous hair, the strands caught near her sparkling red lips, her eyes green and shining like emeralds under the evening sky. Her slender physique was beautiful from head to toe as she stood there, taking her breath looking at Ralph with a hint of cheerfulness in her appearance.

"I... pant*.... I wanted to tell you that you have a really amazing voice! And by the way... the way you move on the stage was so dramatic and exciting. I was standing there and I was feeling as if I was in some rock concert! " The girl speaks enthusiastically as Ralph stands there dumbfounded by the barrage of compliments.

"Well... Uh.. Thanks for the obligatory compliments, but you know how it went... "I—" Just as Ralph tries to undervalue himself, the girl spoke.

"You were so amazing! It's been a long time since I felt that excited! " The girl's eyes were filled with passion, and Ralph soon realised that she was not complimenting him out of sheer obligation.

Due to this, Ralph almost breaks out in a burst of sudden laughter. He is filled with joy, which dispels all of his previous negative thoughts.

"It's like, you're my fan or something. Hahaha," Ralph tries to laugh it off as a joke.

"Yup! I am! " The girl admitted it in such high spirits.

"Really?" Ralph is almost unable to contain his happiness.

"Some rumours are saying that you're scary, but I think you're a wonderful person." The girl continues with her compliments.

"Eh?" Ralph became flustered.

"Eh?" The girl  girl is also flustered.

"W-w-wait, I mean... Yes, but... I mean, "The girl was unable to make proper sentences."

Seeing that Ralph breaks out in a burst of loud laughter,

"Ah...." The girl looks intently at Ralph as he laughs his heart out.

"Jane!"

Just as Ralph is about to say something, one other girl from the rooftop calls out to her.

"Why did you run so fast? I thought I told you to wait for m-"

"Ah-" She noticed Ralph standing there beside him.

She avoids getting too close to him and talks to Jane.

"L-let's go, okay?" She pulls on Jane's arms.

"Ah, it's already late!" Jane checks her watch.

"Okay bye uh..." What's your name again? " Jane shows a puzzled face.

"R-Ralph... It's Ralph," Ralph replies unconsciously.

"Bye Ralph..." "See you tomorrow at school!" The two girls left while the other girl spoke in a quiet voice while looking at Ralph.

Jane huh?" Ralph thought to himself.

"So there are girls like her too, huh?" Ralph's mind is filled with her words, and he too slowly walks down the stairs to leave the school.

"I can't wait to tell Mary about this." He leaves the school campus in a great mood.

As soon as Erik reaches his home, he sees Maria sleeping on the sofa.

Erik opens the fridge, drinks the cold water, and takes the other bottle in his hand to bring it to his room.

Before he enters his room, he glances at Maria and asks,

"Hey, did you tell our teacher that I used to play the guitar when I was young?"

"....."

"I don't know how you two know each other but-"

"....."

"Stop trying to look out for me."

"....."

"I don't need yours nor anyone's pity."

"....."

Erik entered his room and locked the door.

"What's the point of living when I'm filled with nothing but guilt?" Erik spoke under his breath.

...

...

"Sigh," Maria sighed as she turned to her side.

"When will you let it go, Erik?"

"He's such a handful." Right? *****? " Maria spoke to the empty room.

Chapter Ends