The broken path

The classroom buzzed with the sound of chattering students, the air heavy with the remnants of a long day. Mary sat at her desk, trying to focus on the lesson, but the words on the chalkboard blurred together. Her mind drifted back to the days when school had felt different.

She remembered when she had been at the top of her class, excelling in every subject, always the first to raise her hand. Her teachers had praised her, and her peers had looked up to her. But now, things are different. Her grades had slipped, and with it, her confidence had crumbled.

Mary's eyes flicked to Mona, sitting a few rows ahead. Mona had always been sharp with her words, but lately, the taunts had grown more frequent, more cutting.

"Look at Miss Perfect, slacking off now," Mona's voice pierced the air, just loud enough for Mary to hear. "Guess all that 'brilliance' was just for show, huh?"

The snickers from the other students followed, and Mary felt the familiar flush of shame creep up her neck. She didn't respond, didn't try to defend herself. It wasn't worth it.

But as the words echoed in her mind, a memory from the past resurfaced—a flashback to a time when Mona wasn't mocking her, but envying her.

Flashback:

It was the beginning of the school year, and Mary was seated at the front of the classroom, her notebook open, ready for another year of perfect grades. Mona had always sat further back, often too busy talking to her friends or making snide comments about other students. But that year, it was different.

Mary remembered how Mona had approached her one afternoon after class, a fake smile plastered on her face. "You're always so perfect, aren't you, Mary?" Mona had asked, her tone dripping with sarcasm. "It must be nice to get all the attention."

Mary had shrugged, not understanding the resentment behind Mona's words. "I just like doing well in school," she replied.

Mona had scoffed, her eyes narrowing. "You think everyone likes you, don't you? You think they admire you. But I see through it. You don't even know what it's like to have to fight for everything you get."

Mary hadn't fully understood Mona's bitterness back then, chalking it up to a personal issue Mona had with herself. But now, as she sat in class, her grades slipping and her confidence waning, it was clearer than ever. Mona had never been able to stand how effortlessly Mary seemed to succeed. Mona resented her for something as simple as excelling, because it highlighted her own insecurities.

Now, with Mary struggling to maintain her grades, Mona's jealousy had turned into outright cruelty. Her mocking words were sharp, aimed not just at Mary's slipping grades, but at the part of her that had once been her pride.

End of Flashback

Mary snapped back to the present, feeling the sting of Mona's words all over again. The room seemed to close in around her as she sat there, alone in a sea of people, each whisper and giggle from her classmates piercing her like daggers. She could feel the hot shame rising within her, threatening to overflow.

Mona's voice continued in the background, but Mary could no longer focus on the lesson. Her thoughts raced, her mind trapped in a whirlwind of failure and fear. She wanted to disappear, to hide from everyone, from everything.

But the more she tried to push the thoughts away, the more they consumed her. The weight of Mona's mockery, the pressure from her parents, and the slow spiral of her grades—the burden was too much to carry alone.

She gripped the edge of her desk, her nails digging into the wood. She felt like she was drowning, and no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't seem to swim to the surface.