Project: Socialize

When I returned to the classroom, I saw that Irina had put on that mask of hers and was acting the persona of the pop celebrity, Irina. Everything was as usual, almost as if nothing had happened, but I noticed the difference in the seemingly peaceful scene before me. Irina, as she smiled and merely listened to the flattering praises delivered to her by our classmates, glanced over at me with a cautious glare in her eyes before she quickly looked away in order to not draw unnecessary attention.

With a satisfied grin that obviously proved to be irksome to Irina, I strolled back over to my desk with both hands in my pockets and sat down. I was ignored by the whole class except Irina, but that didn't matter to me. The only person I needed to pay attention to me was paying attention, and that is all that matters.

"Loyd," I said in a casual voice that sounded normal to anyone other than Irina, who probably caught the mocking and provoking tone that I concealed in my voice just for her.

"What is it?" Loyd looked over at me. On his face was a smile that concealed fatigue, probably from the frustration that was building up within him after not being able to acquire any information from Irina.

"Don't you just hate it when certain people blackmail you with revealing the one secret you want to keep hidden the most?" I said to him, intentionally raising my voice to a volume that drowned out the flattering of the students that crowded around Irina so that I was certain she was able to hear me.

"I wouldn't like it," Loyd awkwardly smiled at that sudden question but went along with it after he met my gaze. "But if it's a secret that I don't want anyone to know about, I guess I would just comply with the blackmailer's wishes."

"I agree," Muria chimed in after sensing that we were plotting something.

"Right?" I continued speaking in a provoking tone that could only be picked up by Irina.

I glanced over at her in order to check her status and was pleased to discover that she had fallen silent and was no longer smiling. She seemed to be listening to what we were saying so obviously she's picked up the hidden message in my words. What a smart girl.

"But what if you just let that secret out?" I suggested. "Maybe it might not be as big of a deal as you would've thought."

"I wouldn't say that," Loyd smiled as he realized what I was trying to do and also sneaked a glance over in Irina's direction. However, it would appear that his intent was different from mine for he wasn't as aggressive in his words. "I would choose to talk to a trusted friend and see what we can do."

"Then you just go out and find someone like that," Loyd suggested. "I know it won't be easy, but it's something that needs to be done if you don't want to become a puppet of the blackmailer and suffer."

"I wouldn't say that's the best choice," I shook my head, interlaced my hands, and brought them behind my head to use as a head rest as I leaned against my chair. "There's a better way, a way that you can silence the blackmailer without spilling your secret."

"Well," Loyd chuckled, almost as if he didn't believe such a method existed, "what is it then?"

I quickly observed my surroundings. Loyd and Muria were listening attentively, and as for Irina, although she pretended not to pay any attention, I was certain that she focused on every single word that I said. The evidence for that can be found in her silence and a lack of smile on her face while her fans crowded around her desk.

"That is," I said in a satisfied voice after making sure that I had the attention of the most important person in the group. "If you take out the blackmailer."

"..." Loyd and Muria listened to my suggestion, and it wasn't long before Loyd started laughing out loud. "That might be easier said than done, Alev."

"It might be," I said, smiling. "But if it's such a big secret that you don't want anyone to know about, then subduing the blackmailer or listening to his wishes is your only chance. There's no other way."

"You might be right," Muria agreed, closing her eyes. "That might be the only choice if you don't want a secret to be spilled. Loyd?" Muria noticed that a frown on Loyd's face had replaced his smile.

"I still don't think that's the best choice," Loyd whispered. "If you can just talk to someone you trust, then everything will—"

"Loyd," I cut him off with a cold glare. "Not everybody thinks your way, and not everybody has people they can trust their secrets to."

"I know but..." Loyd clenched his hands tightly into fists.

Muria and I gazed at him in silence, and sitting in the desk to the right of him while being crowded by many students, Irina seemed to be contemplating what we were conversing. The latter is what I needed for she's my target. As for Loyd, I am quite sorry for poking that bubble of his, but sadly, that is the reality that people like me see. I believe Irina is quite similar to me: having almost no one that we can trust in. Although I can trust Loriana, there still exists certain things that I need to keep hidden within myself. Therefore, Irina must be in a similar situation or worse. Only those that live in a lonely hell can identify each other quickly and understand each other's situation. Out of the three of us, only I have the capabilities to approach Irina and help her.

"If I were the person that is being blackmailed," I said as I checked my phone for the time. "I would go and talk to my blackmailer soon. I wouldn't let it drag out too long because you never know how the situation can become worse. Like you don't know what will happen if you let the frustration build up. The blackmailer might just want to see you suffer even more."

Just as I finished, the bell rang for class to begin. The class after lunch is Emilia's class, which is history. When she entered the classroom, she first glanced over at me, making eye contact with my dead, emotionless eyes. Then, with a mysterious smile, she chuckled and initiated her lesson, almost as if she knew what I was doing and thinking. That very well might be true for her, but I just can never seem to see through that mysterious smile of hers.

Her lecture went on as always. She continued on the part where she had left off yesterday, which is the Second Great Expansion era of Vilheimian history.

"So once Alphstro became Emperor, through his reckless lifestyle and lack of concern for the expansion efforts, the Vilheim Empire suffered its first expansionist defeat in year 438 A.C., which if you were listening in class, stands for After Creation of the empire. So after that first defeat, Emperor Alphstro merely waved off the loss, thinking that it was just a one time thing. He didn't send any troops westward to reinforce the Vilhemian Army. Therefore, the expansionist forces began suffering many defeats and Vilheim began losing territory at a rapid pace until the damage dealt was irreversible.

"A cause for this rapid defeat of Vilhemian forces was due to the industrialization of other nations. Industrialization allowed them to equip their basic soldiers with advanced and superior weaponry such as guns and aerial and land vehicles. Because Vilheim at the time lacked such weaponry, for the first time in Vilheimian history, the capital, Palisia, was captured and occupied by 442 A.C. by the Jorzan Empire that attacked from the eastern seas. During the seven year occupation era of the Jorzan, they began making their way through the rest of the empire, committing atrocities across the land. Some include brutal mass murdering of civilians and burning of cities. It was truly a dark time in Vilheimian history."

Emilia's lecture was actually quite intriguing to be honest. None of my history teachers in the past were able to give the information in such an efficient but yet detailed manner. It was almost as if she saw the history play out before her eyes, which maybe she did since she's an Angel after all that served God since the creation of our world.

Once history class ended, I paid no further attention to the next class and seventh period homeroom quickly arrived. During the entirety of homeroom, Mura looked over in my direction while smiling. This made me quite uncomfortable so I intentionally avoided her gaze by looking out the window.

The awkward homeroom passed by quickly, and it was after school that I was looking forward to. Like always, I waited in my seat for the other students to leave the classroom, but this time, I kept my eyes on Irina. It looks like things will be somewhat more complicated than I had imagined since there were still a bunch of people crowded around her. It seemed as if they mistakenly thought that they were now close friends with Irina and was going to walk with her as she leaves. How disgusting.

I shook my head and sighed in disgust at the self-flattering nature of those people. They thought too highly of themselves, blinded by the fact that a famous celebrity was smiling at them and thinking that they were friends now. What they cannot see is the troubled expression that is concealed beneath that forced smile of Irina's. I can't stand people like that.