The entire school was decorated in blue and white.
Bunting stretched from building to building, fluttering lightly in the morning breeze while trumpets blared throughout the premises.
"Happy Sovereignty Day!"
Students greeted each other cheerfully, exchanging balloons, ribbons and small gifts in the national colors
"No lecture today" An instructor told his class.
The class cheered in excitent.
Students wandered the halls, loitered about and played outside with no supervision.
***
Behind the school, the gang were gathered again.
Kunjunni leaned against the wall, brows furrowed, flicking a lighter.
Not far from him, the girl from the last row in Yesu's class stood pressed to the wall, visibly shaking.
Her classmate towered a few breaths away from her face nacingly.
"So you thought I wouldn't find out, didn't you?" He asked.
"I told you, I don't know what you're talking about."
He slamd his fist an inch from her face. "Liar."
She shrank, hands in a knot on her chest, avoiding eye contact.
Two other guys stood by the dumpster, watching.
"Easy Nat, you're scaring the lamb." One said, amused.
Nat scoffed, glancing at them montarily. "Lamb my foot. The bitch knows exactly what she's doing."
The girl blinked away tears. "I don't know what you're talking about."
Nat leaned closer, seething. "Shut it. I know it was you who gave an anonymous complaint to the principal about ."
"What? I didn't do anything like that."
"Lies." He barked. The girl shook uncontrollably in tears.
Nat took a breath. "Fine. Admit it and I might go easy on you."
She moved her head from side to side, head lowered. "I didn't do it. I swear." Her voice ca small
Nat grabbed her by the collar and threw her to the ground. Her sobs increased.
The other guys laughed. Kunjunni stayed quiet, flicking the lighter absentmindedly.
"I'm going to make you regret coming to live here," Nat said as he crouched beside her. "Admit it. Now."
"You're wasting your ti," Kunjunni said suddenly, he stopped flicking the lighter.
Nat frowned. "What?"
Kunjunni strolled over, looking at the girl for barely a second. "She's not the one."
Nat stood, forehead wrinkled in thought. "You an…
"I have a plan," Kunjunni said, eyes on the crying girl folded on the ground.
***
It was already noon. The field was almost empty. The students had taken shelter inside away from the burning sun.
In class 11-C, the air was as festive as ever.
Girls braided one another's hair, attaching ribbons. Others ran makeshift makeup booths while gossiping loudly and squealing every now and then.
A group of boys watched them from across the room, so in admiration, most in irritation.
Others played tennis using the instructor's table.
Three friends sang The Sovereign anthem lodiously at the back of the class while a few bookworms suffered in silence.
And then there was Yesu.
Sleeping through it all.
The classroom door slid open. A senior student stepped in.
The noise lowered slightly.
He looked around once before speaking.
"Good day, fellow students. I know we all understand what today is about but the question is, is it worth celebrating?
He paused.
"Most of you don't care about Sovereignty Day. You care about one day without schoolwork, a day of fun. anwhile, the system keeps rewarding Ranks for a country built on Zero labor. "
Silence.
"It is clear that the system was built by Ranks for Ranks. That's why we Zeros have to work together."
He handed a stack of ZCP flyers to the class captain.
"I hope to see you around." He told the class and left
Everyone stayed quiet for a mont, then the noise gradually returned.
The class captain went around sharing the fliers. Most students didn't even look at it.
The captain passed by Yesu's desk and purposefully slamd the flier near her head.
Yesu jerked awake, pushed her hair back, and saw the flier. She looked around.
The captain had already passed her desk, smiling smugly.
Yesu picked it up, yawning, and skimd through its contents. The ZCP was recruiting.
They always were.
"Hey," ca a girl from the back. "Isn't that Trystia?"
"Oh my gosh."
"What is she doing?"l
A few heads turned towards the windows.
"Is she crazy? She's gonna fall."
Yesu turned to look.
It was the girl from the last row. She stood at the edge of the rooftop on the adjacent building.
Yesu went to join her classmates who were already by the windows.
The wind made the girl sway dangerously, hair whipping across her face.
Suddenly the entire school was buzzing with voices. The students outside in the field were pointing up at her. Everyone inside was looking out the windows.
The girl stretched out a foot and the students scread. She put it down, hesitant.
"What the hell are you doing?" soone scread.
"Get down from there."
"You look pathetic!"
Yesu left the class in a half run. Few students were in the hallway, they stepped aside as she moved through.
Yesu bounded up the flight of stairs, two steps at a ti.
She reached the ergency exit door at the top, swung it open and erged into the sunlight.
The girl turned, standing on the edge of the raised platform. Her face was stained with tears. She didn't look surprised to see Yesu.
"Why are you here?" She asked.
Yesu was staring at her feet. They were so close to the edge, one wrong movent and she would fall off.
"Don't tell you're here to save ." She continued. "You seem fond of doing that."
Yesu took a few steps forward, carefully. "Co down." She said calmly.
"And do what? Continue rotting in hell?" She seed resigned.
"You don't have to."
"I don't have to." She echoed Yesu, paused for a mont.
"I know it was you who made a complaint to the principal. Do you realize what you've done?"
"I couldn't just do nothing."
"You could've. You could've just looked the other way. Pretended I don't exist, just like everyone else."
Tears stread down her face.
"I ca here because I wanted a fresh start. I left my family. I thought, if anyone would accept it would be other Zeros. But I was wrong. I'm still the odd one out. I'm still a loser."
"You got that right." a voice ca from behind.
Yesu turned.
Nat erged from behind a pile of broken chairs not far from them. Along with two others. One held a small cara, filming.
Kunjunni now stood at the exit door, leaning against the fra. A matchstick between his teeth.
The guys advanced. All except Kunjunni, who remained by the exit, smirking at Yesu.
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