Chapter 3
The lunch time hall is as busy as usual.
The buzz of hundreds of voices with occasional bursts of female shrieks and thunderous roars of boys’ guffaws vibrates the walls and floor in the hall. An occasional argument will ignite without a warning but will be extinguished just as promptly by a PE teacher, who tells boys to take it outside or to the headmaster’s office.
I’m relieved when I see my table remains empty in the corner of the hall. I sprint to it, hoping that my presence will discourage anyone else from joining me and the nearby rubbish bins will finish the job for me.
Basking in a brief feeling of relief and freedom, I slowly peel my orange while looking around the hall, watching free shows of macho competitions and Miss Popularity contests, when a new group walks th
