Deceived or..?
By the end of my last class, I'm exhausted, and my brain is buzzing.
It's only afternoon, but my feet drag as I walk back to my apartment.
I can't help but dwell on the ridicule I received at the hands of my classmates.
Ruth
(Things were bad in London, but I thought they might get better here.)
Ruth
(Out in the country...the place my family came from...)
Ruth
(I thought I might finally fit in.)
Ruth
(But I guess not. My surroundings may be different, but in the end, I'm still..me.)
My first instinct is to keep walking, but she looks so happy to see me that I slow down despite myself.
Hana
Listen...We wanted to say sorry earlier.
Mei, standing behind Hana like a shadow, bobs her head in enthusiastic agreement.
Mei
Yeah, that really wasn't cool of us.
Hana
I bet it's tough being here on a scholarship.
Hana
You need to keep your grades up all the time, don't you?
Ruth
There's definitely some, uh, pressure...
Hana
And we've got our first exam coming up too.
Hana
I bet you're really praying for some good luck, huh?
Ruth
(Well, 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕'𝒔 kind of backhanded...but maybe she doesn't mean anything by it?)
Author
Backhanded infers to something ironic or sarcastic:D
Ruth
I mean, I'm just trying to make sure I'm as prepared as po-
Mei cuts me off, practically vibrating with excitement.
Mei
You should tell her about the altar!
Hana
Oh, yeah. There's an altar further down the road that's famous with local students.
Hana
They say the 𝑷𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒕𝒐𝒎𝒔 there are very attentive to young scholars.
Mei
'If you pray, you pass!'
Hana
You should totally go visit !
Them getting all warmed up to me is all too out of the common.
Ruth
I'm pretty busy right now, though.
Hana
Of course, of course!
Hana
Well, hopefully you find the time.
Mei
I forgot before an exam last year, and I 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒑𝒍𝒆𝒕𝒆𝒍𝒚 bombed it!
Hana
Yeah, it can really make or break your test scores.
Ruth
I'll keep that in mind.
Even though, they're trying to be nice, I can't help but feel a little awkward.
Ruth
Well, I have to go now.
Ruth
Thanks for the tip. See you later.
Ruth
(I hope they really 𝒂𝒓𝒆 sorry, and trying to make up for it ...)
I continue down the street, trying to shake off the weirdness of the encounter.
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