Lit up by a bright morning sun, the Rosewood University campus buzzed with activity. Students from various backgrounds hurried between classes, their lively chatter blending with the hum of passing bicycles and the occasional bark of a campus security officer's orders. Some lingered on benches outside, others gathered in groups, while a few moved hurriedly and alone.
Aaron was one of the solitary figures, trudging through the courtyard with his backpack slung loosely over one shoulder. He kept his head down, his sneakers scuffing against the cobblestones as he clutched some books tightly to his chest. Lost in thought, he moved mechanically, already preoccupied with the important exam scheduled for the next day, marking the end of the first semester.
But turning around a corner, he suddenly stumbled and crashed heavily to the ground, his belongings scattering in all directions and his glasses waltzing from his eyes at the same time to find themselves further away. Mocking laughter echoed around him, shattering his fragile moment of concentration.
"Well, well, look who's here, our dear Aaron the goof. Still counting how many girls ignored you today?" sneered a sarcastic voice of a passing girl, but not just any. It was Samantha, the girl he had a crush on but also one of Tyson's girlfriends.
The words stung Aaron like thorns. With his vision blurred without his glasses, he bit his lip, trying to hold back the tears threatening to well up in his eyes. Students around them laughed, adding to his already acute humiliation. Just then, Aaron noticed his glasses had fallen a bit further away, and he quickly retrieved them, relieved to have them back in place and his vision restored.
A student further away added mockingly, "Hey goofball, are your parents as exciting as you? They must be proud to have an idiot in the family."
Mention of his parents tied a tight knot in Aaron's throat. He had never known his father, and his mother... his mother had been taken too soon by cancer.
Then, a harsh, menacing voice echoed behind him, and Aaron immediately recognized it. He looked up to confirm his fears: it was Tyson, the leader of the university bullies.
Tyson stood there, imposing and arrogant, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed. "Oops, look who stumbled on his own feet. Maybe your books are distracting you too much to walk properly," Tyson sneered with a cruel laugh.
Anger mixed with fear surged through Aaron. It was clear Tyson had deliberately tripped him with his foot, but Aaron forced himself not to meet Tyson's eyes, knowing any defiance would only make things worse.
Feeling the heat of embarrassment rise to his cheeks as he gathered his books, Aaron's heart sank when he saw the ring, a precious heirloom from his mother, rolling near Tyson's foot. He knew Tyson wouldn't miss noticing his most prized possession and would likely confiscate it.
Without thinking, Aaron lunged for the ring. "No!" he murmured, grabbing it just before Tyson could see.
Seeing Aaron at his feet, Tyson's eyes darkened with anger. "What are you doing, Aaron? You want people to believe I deliberately made you stumble?" he snapped, his voice thundering threateningly.
Aaron straightened up, holding the ring tightly in his trembling hand. "I didn't mean to... I just..."
"You think you can accuse me in front of everyone?" Tyson cut in menacingly. Then, he raised his foot and viciously kicked Aaron in the side, causing him to groan in pain.
Other students watched, some amused, others indifferent, but no one dared to intervene. Fury rising, Tyson grabbed Aaron by the collar and shook him. "Apologize!"
"I... I didn't do it... I'm sorry," Aaron stammered, his voice muffled by fear and pain.
Tyson hit him again, this time with a clenched fist, sending Aaron sprawling several steps away. Gritting his teeth, Aaron refused to cry out despite the searing pain. He had to protect the ring at all costs.
Seemingly satisfied, Tyson let go, and Aaron buried his pain and humiliation deep within as he gathered his belongings as fast as he could, hands trembling. Clutching the ring against his bruised heart, he turned on his heels and hurried away, leaving behind the echoes of mocking laughter in the hallway.
As he walked with heavy steps, his mind tormented by the humiliating incident, Aaron gripped his mother's ring in his hand, looking at it with a mixture of sorrow and contained anger. She gave it to him as a lucky charm before being taken away by that damn cancer.
Arriving at a secluded corner of the campus, he stopped near a trash bin and briefly considered the idea of discarding the ring. "Is it really worth it?" he wondered aloud, his fingers caressing the smooth contours of the The object whose he now questioned the value.
He closed his eyes and prepared to throw it away when he realized he couldn't simply abandon this relic of his mother. It was all he had left of her, a tangible link to his past that he refused to let go of despite the cruelty he had just endured to protect it.
Suddenly, girls' voices echoed behind him. Aaron tensed, recognizing the mocking tone even before hearing their words. "Hey, look! It's Aaron, the elephant head!" one of them giggled, followed by stifled laughter.
The remark hurt Aaron more than he wanted to admit. He lowered his head to avoid their gaze, feeling shame burn his already flushed cheeks from the previous humiliation. Without a word, he turned and quickly walked away, ignoring the persistent taunts that pursued him like shadows in the campus darkness.
Back in his apartment, Aaron locked himself in his room, shutting out the outside world. He gently placed his mother's ring on his desk, eyes blurred with suppressed tears.
Lost in his thoughts, a notification on his phone snapped him out of his stupor. A video of him was circulating on social media, filmed when he was gathering his scattered belongings in the university hallway, under the mocking sneers of the other students, except someone had edited the video to add elephant ears to him, taking care to cut out from the video the parts where Tyson was hitting him mercilessly.
"The ears suit him well. Looks like he was born with them.
😂😂🤣🤣"
"Only idiots get filmed like this, believe me, this guy is a loser," he could read on comments with mocking stickers.
Aaron's heart squeezed painfully. Not only had he been humiliated in person, but now his suffering was on display for everyone to see.
Tears silently streamed down his cheeks as he felt trapped in an endless nightmare. The temptation to give up grew within him, the desire to retreat into the shadows to escape this cruel reality.
Then, a glimmer of determination burned in his tear-filled eyes. No, he couldn't go on like this anymore. He had to confront his fears, Tyson, and the bullying.
Standing in his room, Aaron suddenly had an epiphany. He wouldn't let Tyson and others dictate his life and ruin his future. Resolved to take action, he fully intended to go to university the next day and take his exam.