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Novel Catalog
Chapter 12
When Archie followed Benny’s gaze, he saw the little girl they had met the day before. His brow furrowed in surprise.
Across the room, Estella was clapping along with the other children, her eyes flickering as they met the boys’ gaze. She froze for a moment, the excitement in her eyes barely contained. Never had she expected to see them again, especially not here. Despite their brief encounter, there was something about them she found herself drawn to.
But Archie and Benny, their gazes quickly retracting, offered no acknowledgment of her presence.
The teacher, noticing the two empty seats next to Estella, pointed toward them. “Okay, class, please take your seats. There are two empty spots over here. I’ll have you sit together, all right?”
Estella’s heart fluttered at the thought of the boys sitting beside her. Her anticipation was palpable, but when they sat down without so much as a glance in her direction, a flicker of disappointment clouded her expression. They’re sitting right next to me, but why aren’t they acknowledging me? She couldn’t understand why they seemed to ignore her.
Her small hands fidgeted, and she lowered her gaze, her heart sinking.
But unbeknownst to Estella, Archie and Benny were quietly observing her. The look of disappointment on her face tugged at them, though they did their best to maintain their distance.
Archie, his fists clenched under the desk, whispered firmly to Benny, “Daddy abandoned us and had another child with another woman. He even hurt Mommy. We can’t talk to her. She’s his daughter with someone else. If we do, we’ll only hurt Mommy’s feelings.”
Benny nodded seriously, his face set. “Yeah. We should ignore her.”
So, throughout the class, both boys kept their eyes forward, their postures rigid, not once acknowledging Estella, despite the heavy silence between them. Estella, feeling the chill in their behavior, dared not look at them again.
After class, a crowd of girls gathered around the two boys, fawning over their good looks and eagerly offering them toys. Benny, as lively and outgoing as ever, laughed and played along with the girls, easily slipping into the social scene.
On the other hand, Archie, polite and mature beyond his years, maintained a friendly but reserved demeanor, never quite letting go of the solemn air he carried.
Estella watched the boys with a mixture of longing and hesitation, until, finally, seeing their bright smiles and laughing voices gave her the courage to approach them once more. But just as she took a step forward, the girls, clustering around Benny and Archie, pushed her aside.
One of the girls, Tammy, grimaced and shoved Estella out of the way. “Little Mute, get lost! You can’t even talk. What’s the point of being here? Just let us enjoy ourselves!” Tammy sneered, her voice dripping with disdain.
Estella, caught off guard, stumbled backward. She tried to regain her balance, reaching out for the desk beside her, but her fingers missed it, and she crashed to the floor with a painful thud.
“Ouch!” Estella winced, her eyes stinging with tears. She clutched her hand, which had slammed into the desk as she fell.
Around her, the other children simply stood and watched, some stifling giggles behind cupped hands. No one moved to help her. The classroom buzzed with indifference.
Estella, who had always kept to herself, had few friends. Her muteness set her apart, making her an easy target for bullying. Though she was sweet and gentle, her silence often made her an outsider in a room full of chatter and noise. Most of the boys, however, treated her like royalty—helping her when she needed it, watching over her like little protectors. The girls, on the other hand, resented her for the attention she got, envying how the boys treated her with such care.
Tammy, who had pushed Estella down, never passed up a chance to make her life more difficult. It was clear that Estella’s gentleness only fueled the girl’s cruelty, feeding her desire to dominate the quieter, more vulnerable child.
