Chapter 1
CHAPTER ONE — The True Smile
"People smile because they are happy."
At least, that's what everyone believed..
But for some people, Smile is only a mask—
something carefully worn to hide the sadness underneath.
And Joy Villareal wore his perfectly..
The morning sun shone brightly over the Saint Nirmala Academy as the students were laughing and having their endless conversations. Teachers rushed to their classrooms carrying checked assignments and projects.
Meanwhile, standing alone in front of the entrance gate, Joy quietly tightened the grip on the strap of his bag.
New school
New people
New beginning
At least, that was what he called it.
Joy stared at the large school building before forcing a little familiar smile on his face.
The smile everyone liked.
The smile everyone believed.
"Class III B".... he murmured softly while checking the label on the upper side of classroom door. He entered with his familiar smile, though he felt a little nervous.
Inside class- III B, The laughter was louder, Boys were arguing loudly at the last benches, while the students in the front were writing names on the last pages of their notebook. Girls giggled over unfinished jokes. Papers flew across the room like birds and some boys were watching outside the window ,trying to find a face in the clouds until the door suddenly slipped open.
Silence.
The teacher stepped inside first.
Every head was up at once.
In front , she saw a boy with calm eyes and a gentle smile.
"Good morning, students," the teacher said "We have a newly transferred student joining us today."
Suddenly there were whispers Spreading across the room..
"He's cute"
"He's the transfer student!?"
"Why is he smiling like that ?"
Joy pretended not hearing and ignored them.
"Introduce Yourself", the teacher said.
Joy came slightly forward.
"Hello friends, My name is Joy Villareal", he said politely. " I am recently transferred here. I hope we can all get along", he said with a calm and warm voice and gave a gentle familiar smile.
The whole class welcomed him warmly—
everyone except the two boys at the last bench of the row.
Near the window, two boys quietly eating something behind the desk, as if no one is watching them.
Joy saw them..
For the first time that morning, his smile changed.
Not the practiced one.
Not the polite one.
Something genuine.
Real.
"Vedik", the teacher called out, " there is an empty seat beside you. Let him sit there".
He stood up, moved his bag closer to himself making space for Joy to sit.
Joy nodded politely and walked toward the seat.
With every step, he could feel eyes following him.
some curious.
some judging.
some uninterested.
But he ignored and kept walking anyway.
That familiar smile.
Still in place.
He slid into the seat beside Vedik carefully, placing his bag on the side close to him.
"Hey", Vedik said casually, not looking too interested.
"Hey", Joy replied softly.
A pause.
Then Vedik finally glanced at him.
" You're welcome to the worst academy ever", he said.
For a second, Joy simply stared at him.
Then—
He laughed.
Not loudly.
Just a small unexpected laugh that escaped before he could stop it.
Vedik looked mildly surprised.
From the side bench, Harvin leaned toward joy dramatically.
"HE LAUGHED", he announced like it was some historical event.
A few students nearby giggled.
Joy quickly cleared his throat, trying to hide the forming smile on his face.
"Was I not supposed to ? ", he asked quietly.
"No", Vedik replied immediately. Still half-chewing.
Harvin hit him lightly on the shoulder.
"Ignore him, Vedik thinks people from not around here are aliens".
" I never said that", Vedik said.
"You literally avoid anyone new", Harvin replied dramatically.
"You didn't even talk to Roselle yet".
The moment her name was mentioned,Harvin pointed dramatically to the bench in front.
Joy's eyes followed instinctively.
A girl sat near the window, slightly leaning over her notebook and absentmindedly drawing tiny stars along side her name on the corner of the page.
Sunlight slipped through the classroom windows, resting softly across her desk as the breeze moved a few loose strands of hair across her face. Without noticing, she tucked them behind her ear and continued writing.
Unlike others she wasn't trying to be loud.
Wasn't trying to impress anyone either.
Yet somehow —
she was the first person Joy noticed properly in the classroom.
Along with the breeze, tiny particles of chalk dust drifted onto her shoulder.
She didn't seem to notice.
Or maybe she simply didn't care.
Her pencil continued moving slowly across the corner of the page , tracing another tiny star beside her name.
For some reason, Joy found himself staring a second longer than he should have.
In that second, the room suddenly became quiet around her.
Not because she was the prettiest girl in the classroom.
But because she looked.... comfortable.
Like someone who didn't need to pretend to be anything else.
"See? ", Harvin whispered proudly from behind. "That's Roselle. "
Roselle finally looked up from her notebook.
Her eyes met Joy's for the briefest moment.
Quiet & warm brown eyes.
The kind that looked like they listened more than they spoke.
Joy instinctively gave his usual smile.
The familiar smile.
Polite.
Careful.
But Roselle tilted her head slightly, as if she noticed something.
And somehow —
that made Joy nervous for the first time that morning.
Before he could look away, Roselle gave him a small smile in return.
Simple.
Gentle.
Real.
Something in Joy's chest tightened unexpectedly.
"Oi", Vedik muttered beside him. Harvin tapped Joy's shoulder, snapping him back to reality.
"Don't tell me you froze already", Vedik said.
"He is done for", Harvin gasped dramatically.
A few students nearby burst into laughter.
Joy immediately looked away, clearing his throat as warmth crept up his face.
And for the very first time since entering Saint Nirmala Academy—
his smile no longer felt completely fake.
