I need to change

"Good morning mom"

"Good morning Ariel"

First thing in the morning I was having breakfast with my mother.

"Please bring a man home, okay?"

Again with that.

"I'll think about it"

What else could I say? Refusing would only make me insist more.

After breakfast I put the last touches on my uniform and headed for the door.

"Have a good day"

"Thank you"

And I was on my way to my institute.

xxx

Luckily there was no incident similar to yesterday, I arrived safely at the institute.

On the way to the classroom I received several looks just like yesterday.

Why do they look at me so much?

When I opened the door of my classroom I was received by various greetings.

"Good morning Ariel"

"Good morning"

I walked to my seat and was about to sit down when I noticed something…

"It just can't be…"

There were 4 letters on my table, each one addressed to me.

It's obvious what the letters are about, but it would be rude not to give them an answer.

One by one I opened them and it was just as I imagined.

'...and that's why I like you...'

'…I feel like we are fated, so give me a chance…'

'…from the first moment I saw you…'

'…if you don't mind let's meet behind the school…'

What a headache.

After hesitating a bit I put the letters inside my backpack.

"Okay guys, let's start the class"

The teacher arrived and began to teach the class, so I concentrated on it...

Or so I tried, my mind wandered thinking about what to answer or if I should even go.

I don't understand why they want to declare to me, if it's only my second day as a girl...

Lie, I know why.

Immediately the image I saw in the reflection of the mirror this morning came to mind.

But even if I'm so beautiful, it's not normal for them to propose to me on the second day.

The man who almost kissed me yesterday... the continuous glances... yesterday in the cafeteria... Did he underestimate my beauty?

Before I knew it the class suddenly fell silent.

What happened?

"Ariel?"

"Y-Yes?"

"Answer the question"

Shit, I wasn't listening.

"C-Could you repeat it?"

My face is on fire right now.

For the rest of the class I tried hard not to think about the question of declarations.

And so it was time for lunch.

"Go have lunch"

Following the teacher's words, I tried to sneak out of the class, avoiding the popular group at all times.

"Ariel"

Before I could open the door I heard someone call me from behind.

When I turned around I found a boy… I think his name was Gabriel.

"Yeah?"

I reluctantly answered him, this boy was known to be a bully.

"Do you want to be my girlfriend?-

How direct!

The entire class fell into a deathly silence.

I immediately saw that everyone was looking at us, including the teacher.

"Th-This…"

What do I answer?!

I don't think a 'No' is enough, knowing him he will insist and try to force the relationship.

"Uhm… uh…"

"So?"

"B-But I don't know you…"

"It doesn't matter, we'll get to know each other"

"My mother won't let me have a boyfriend..."

"Then it will be our secret"

HAAAAAAA! Nothing works!!

"I'm not ready for a relationship"

"You'll never know unless you try"

"M-My family is conservative"

"Already! Yes or no?"

He, getting fed up, raised his hand and forcefully placed it on the door, cornering me.

"A…a…"

I felt like tears were coming out of my eyes.

The feeling of helplessness for not being able to do anything was so strong that I felt useless.

"Ariel, I need you to help me with something."

My savior!

If I could hug the teacher I would do it with all my might.

Overflowing with joy, I apologized to Gabriel and followed the teacher out of the room.

"You have to be braver"

When we got away from the curious eyes the teacher spoke to me.

"I know…"

Angered at myself, I lowered my head.

"I see that you are shy, in a way you remind me of the student named Ariel who was before you"

My heart jumped.

"S-Really?"

"Yes, he was just as shy as you..."

The professor laughed helplessly.

"The truth is that I always wanted to advise him, but he ran away before I could talk to him"

"I see…"

I ran away because I didn't feel capable of facing the teacher.

"Apart from using him to bring things, the others did not treat him badly, even at first they wanted to be friends with him, but he simply could not adapt"

"..."

"What I mean is, don't follow the same steps as him, I know it's hard to socialize when you're shy but it doesn't hurt to try"

That's something I already know… damn sure I know, but I can't…

"If you feel unable to socialize you can always come to me or one of the other teachers, we may not be friends but we are willing to listen to you"

"Is right…"

"A trick that I know and that you can apply is to think, think about who you feel comfortable talking to, if you have someone in mind, that's it, just go talk to him or her"

Someone I feel comfortable with...

Immediately the image of the president came to mind.

"But remember, you don't have to settle, you can always try to make new friends"

"I understand, thank you"

"You're welcome... look at the time, go have lunch before time runs out"

With the teacher's words in mind she walked towards the cafeteria.

It's true, if I don't try she'll never get out of loneliness.

But I can't… no no no, yes I can! Like the teacher said, I just have to try.

But if they see me wrong… well, what does it matter? Of course it matters?

Yeah! Ha ha ha

While I was thinking, I saw that someone was approaching me.

"Ariel, do you have an answer yet?"

It was Gabriel.

"Me too…"

Think about what the teacher said, be firm!

"N-No"

"No!?"

"I can't be your girlfriend, I'm not ready for a relationship"

"I already told you that…"

"No means no"

Without continuing to speak, I began to walk.

"Hey hey, you can't just leave me like that"

Gabriel forcefully grabbed my wrist.

"P-Please let me go"

My heart was going to a thousand, I didn't know what to do.

Aid…

Somebody... help...

Several students saw what was happening, but instead of helping, they just watched.

How cruel...

With no other choice I started crying.

"H-Hey…"

In a panic Gabriel released me.

"Sniff sniff…"

With nothing else to do Gabriel slowly left.

For my part, I stayed crying for a few seconds and then I ran to the bathroom.

Upon arrival I washed my face several times.

I guess that's the good thing about being a woman, I can cry without being judged… hehe I'm pathetic.

After a while and after verifying that my eyes had stopped being red, I left the bathroom and walked towards the cafeteria.

When I got there, I bought the cheapest and started looking for a seat.

While searching I saw the presidente eating alone.

After hesitating for a moment, she plucked me up and approached her table.

"C-can I sit here?"