Eric

You were in the 10th grade. The class was quite large. But, like in other classes, you had a nerd. He always wore glasses, wore a school uniform. He was perfect, so cloying. You didn't pay attention to him - well, a nerd is a nerd, what's so special about him? But some individuals teased him. It didn't come to beatings yet, but they could insult him.

Everyone was probably happy that summer holidays had begun. Almost everyone had gone their separate ways: some to the seaside, some to grandma's, some to camp. You were none of them. You stayed home. And the nerd had gone somewhere, because he was nowhere to be seen on the streets. When summer was over, everyone went to school with sour faces. And then you saw a new kid. Dull lilac hair, piercings on his tongue and ears, yellow-gray eyes, baggy clothes and a choker around his neck. You were quietly indignant: how come no one told you about the new kid? But, as it turned out later, no one knew that you had a new kid. You decided to make friends with him and sat down next to him.

"Hey, are you new?" you asked, sitting down next to him.

"Hi, no, not new," he replied. You heard a familiar voice, the same one that always saved everyone from bad grades by answering the teacher's questions.

Eric never talked to you, always quiet