Chapter 1 : before stepping into grade 10
Hi! I’m Helium. Well… that’s not my real name, but I thought a code name would be way more fun—and safer.
My school life has been… complicated.
I joined School ‘A’, but because of COVID, I skipped 5th and 6th grade. I studied 7th in School ‘A’, then shifted to School ‘B’ for 8th grade… and then came back to School ‘A’ again in 9th.
If I talk about School ‘B’, honestly—it was amazing. One of the best. If you chose higher courses, you got P.E. four days a week, lots of free periods, and the best classmates ever. Life there felt easy.
But everything changed when I returned to School ‘A’.
At first, I was really quiet. I didn’t talk much to anyone. Slowly, I started making friends. It took time, but I got close to three people—Snake, Sodium, and Victim.
Out of them, I was closest to Snake.
But things didn’t stay good for long.
One day, Snake, Victim, and another girl—Jam—started teasing Sodium by linking her with a guy named Gas. I didn’t like it at all. Gas used to call Sodium “sister,” so it felt really wrong.
I supported Sodium.
That one decision broke everything.
My friendship with Snake and Victim ended after that.
And Jam… I started disliking her a lot. Not just because of that incident, but also because she judged me while not being perfect herself. And worst of all—she flirted with my crush even though she knew I liked him.
One day, I was lying on a bench, just minding my own business. Jam came and told Sodium to ask me to sit properly. That annoyed me. I got angry and argued with Jam.
Sodium… supported Jam.
That hurt. But I didn’t back down. I stood my ground and argued until she finally stopped talking.
Then… there was him.
Neon.
I first saw him in the chemistry lab.
Later, during P.E., his ball rolled toward me. I picked it up and gave it back to him. For a moment, we made eye contact.
That moment stayed with me.
I liked him. A lot.
The last time I saw him was during NPL at the end of 9th grade… and then he left the school.
I even found his sister’s number and texted her, asking about him… but eventually, I stopped.
The worst part?
My best friend—Oxygen—told him that I had a crush on him.
And he didn’t even know who I was.
But Oxygen… she’s still the most important person to me.
We became really close towards the end of 9th grade. She was originally Sodium’s friend, but when classes got shuffled, we ended up together—and that’s when everything changed.
Now, I understand her better than anyone.
She had a crush too—on a senior named Carbon. She liked him a lot.
And trust me… her proposal story?
That deserves a whole separate chapter.
And just like that…
We finished 9th grade.
And stepped into 10th.
