E5 - Kindness Is True Intelligence
1366 Words
"You want to start trouble?" Emma sneered. "Just like that metal-haired boy."
She pointed at Kevin.
Andrew let out a quiet scoff.
"Really? If I remember correctly, you got into trouble that day too."
A wave of laughter spread through the classroom.
Emma's cheeks flushed bright red.
She clenched her fists.
Then her attention shifted to Mina.
"And what about you, nerd?"
Mina didn't respond.
Her eyes remained on the page she was reading.
Annoyed, Emma snatched the book out of Mina's hands.
Mina slowly looked up at her.
Emma smirked.
"Well, you finally noticed me."
She folded her arms.
"Now answer me."
She leaned in slightly.
"Am I the smartest student in this class?"
Mina calmly adjusted her glasses.
"Do you want proof?"
Emma raised an eyebrow.
"Then answer this."
Emma smirked confidently.
This won't be hard.
"Who was the first President of the United States?" Mina asked calmly.
Emma brushed her hair back with a confident smile.
"Easy. George Washington."
Mina gave a small nod.
"Correct."
She continued.
"Who invented the first practical telephone?"
Emma let out a smug laugh.
"That's even easier. Alexander Graham Bell."
Mina nodded again.
"Correct."
The classroom had grown unusually quiet.
Everyone watched the exchange with curiosity.
Mina asked another question.
"When did World War I begin?"
Emma's confident smile faltered.
"Um..."
She hesitated for a moment.
"September 1939."
Silence filled the classroom.
Then—
The room erupted with laughter.
Emma's face flushed.
Mina spoke in the same calm tone as before.
"That's when World War II began."
Emma folded her arms defensively.
"Anyone could've gotten that one wrong."
She lifted her chin.
"Ask me another question."
Mina looked at Emma calmly.
"Why did the Spaniards conquer the Philippines?"
Emma answered almost immediately.
"For gold."
Mina gave a small nod.
"That was one reason."
She paused before continuing.
"But Spain's main goals were to expand its influence in Asia, establish trade routes, and spread Christianity."
The classroom fell silent.
A second later, laughter erupted from every corner of the room.
One of the boys couldn't hold it in.
"Seriously? Your mom's a History teacher, and you missed that?"
The class laughed even harder.
Emma's face burned with embarrassment.
Without another word, she lowered her head and quietly returned to her seat.
Mina turned toward the boy who had mocked her.
"Don't make fun of her," she said calmly.
"Everyone makes mistakes."
The boy rubbed the back of his neck.
"...Yeah. Fine."
The laughter gradually died down.
Mina opened her notebook and quietly resumed writing her notes.
Andrew, Kevin, and Julia exchanged astonished glances.
Kevin leaned forward and whispered,
"Man... I don't think I could've answered that either."
Just then, the classroom door opened.
Imelda walked back inside.
The room instantly fell silent.
Every student sat up straight as if nothing had happened.
Andrew glanced sideways at Mina.
"You're amazing, Mina." he whispered.
Mina didn't answer.
But the corners of her eyes softened ever so slightly.
Andrew smiled to himself before facing the front as Imelda began the lesson.
________________________________________________________________________________
After class, Andrew had a feeling he knew exactly where Mina would be.
The library.
Sure enough, she was sitting in her usual spot by the window, quietly sketching.
Andrew walked over and took the seat beside her.
For the next few minutes, neither of them spoke.
He simply watched her draw.
Without looking up from her sketchbook, Mina finally broke the silence.
"What?"
She glanced at him briefly.
"Do you keep following me?"
Andrew let out a small laugh.
"I'm not following you."
Mina looked at him for a moment.
"You mentioned introducing me to your friends."
Andrew blinked in surprise.
"...You were paying attention?"
Mina gave him a puzzled look.
"What do you think?"
Andrew couldn't help but smile.
He stood up and held out a hand.
"Come on. I know where they are."
Mina looked at his outstretched hand for a moment.
Then, instead of taking it, she quietly stood up on her own.
Andrew chuckled and withdrew his hand.
"Fair enough."
Mina gave a small nod.
Together, they left the library and headed toward the cafeteria.
As they made their way to the cafeteria, Mina suddenly stopped walking.
Andrew turned to her.
A puzzled look crossed his face.
"Are you okay?" he asked.
Mina didn't answer right away.
The chatter of students echoed through the hallways.
Footsteps.
Laughter.
Lockers closing.
Why is it so noisy...?
She quietly took a slow breath.
Then she looked at Andrew.
"I'm fine."
After a brief pause, she added,
"Let's go."
Andrew hesitated for a moment but gave a small nod.
"Okay."
The two continued walking toward the cafeteria.
From a distance, Kevin and Julia were already deep in another friendly argument.
"I'm telling you, siopao is better than siomai," Kevin declared confidently.
Julia leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms.
"Nope. Siomai is the best."
Kevin frowned dramatically.
"Whatever."
Then Kevin noticed something.
His eyes widened.
"Hey!"
He bounced excitedly in his seat.
Julia looked at him in confusion.
"What?"
Kevin pointed behind her.
She turned around.
Andrew and Mina were walking toward them.
Julia's eyes widened.
"Oh..."
Kevin grinned.
"See? Maybe he's finally introducing her to us!"
Julia quickly hushed him.
"Kevin, keep your voice down."
"Oh... right."
By the time they reached the table, Kevin was already struggling to hide his excitement.
Andrew smiled.
"Hey, guys."
He instinctively reached for a chair to pull it out for Mina.
Before he could, Mina quietly pulled out the chair herself and sat down.
Andrew withdrew his hand with an awkward chuckle before taking the seat beside her.
"So..." he began.
"Guys, this is Mina. I've told you about her before."
Kevin and Julia smiled and waved.
Mina lowered her gaze, avoiding eye contact.
Andrew leaned slightly toward her.
""Whenever you're ready, Mina." he said softly.
Without looking up, Mina replied,
"Let them go first."
Andrew blinked in surprise.
"Oh... okay."
He turned back to his friends with an awkward smile.
"You two go first."
Kevin immediately stood up and proudly placed a hand over his chest.
"Hello, Mina! I'm Kevin."
He flashed a wide grin.
"I've been Andrew's friend since kindergarten, and ever since then, I've had the difficult job of keeping him out of trouble."
Andrew pinched the bridge of his nose.
Kevin...
Kevin laughed.
"Oh! And I love cooking and reading comics."
He sat back down.
Andrew smiled.
"Thanks, Kevin."
He looked at Julia.
"Your turn."
Julia smiled warmly.
"It's nice to finally meet you, Mina."
She spoke in her usual gentle voice.
"I'm Julia. I've also been friends with Andrew and Kevin since kindergarten."
"My favorite hobby is making arts and crafts."
She gave Mina a kind smile before sitting back comfortably.
Andrew leaned slightly toward Mina.
"Whenever you're ready, Mina," Andrew whispered.
Mina took a quiet breath.
"My name is Mina."
She paused for a moment.
"...And I like drawing wolves."
Her voice was soft, and she never once looked anyone in the eye.
For a brief moment, the table fell silent.
Kevin and Julia exchanged surprised glances.
Then Kevin broke into a wide smile and started clapping.
"Welcome to the group, Mina!"
Mina gave a small nod.
Julia stood up.
"Since we're all here..." she said with a smile, "how about we hang out at the park this Sunday?"
Kevin's eyes lit up.
"I'm in!"
He grinned.
"And I'll bring siopao."
Julia laughed.
"Perfect."
She slipped her bag over her shoulder.
"See you guys on Sunday."
Kevin stood up as well.
"See you!"
Andrew smiled and waved.
"Bye."
Mina hesitated for a brief moment before giving a small wave of her own.
Kevin smiled when he noticed.
Then he and Julia headed home together.
For a few quiet minutes, Andrew and Mina remained seated at the table.
Neither of them spoke.
Eventually, Mina stood up.
"I have to go."
Andrew got to his feet as well.
"Yeah... it's getting late."
He smiled.
"See you tomorrow, Mina."
Mina nodded.
"See you."
Then she quietly walked away.
Andrew watched her leave until she disappeared into the crowd.
Outside, the setting sun bathed the campus in warm orange light as students gradually made their way home.
- Writer
