More Than What They See

CHAPTER 6: A Small Light

Rhian’s POV

Several days had passed since they tore up my essay. I kept the torn pieces carefully tucked at the very bottom of my notebook, pressed flat between the pages like a quiet scar and a promise I would never break. Even though they teased me more often now, stepped on the hem of my skirt, knocked my things off my desk, and whispered loud enough for me to hear whenever I walked by, I tried hard not to show how much it stung. Every time Francis would bump my shoulder on purpose as he passed, or Gio would snicker when I dropped something, or Jace would mutter cruel words under his breath, I would just grip my pen tighter, lower my head a little more, and keep writing. I did every task neatly, listened closely to every word the teacher said, and ignored them as much as I possibly could, telling myself that my hard work mattered more than their hurtful words.

One afternoon our teacher walked in holding a stack of test papers and announced that we would have a big Math test right away. My hands felt a little shaky as I took out my paper and pencil, but I took a long, deep breath before I started answering. I knew all the lessons well because I stayed up late every single night after finishing all my chores at home. I would sit by our small lamp, erasing and rewriting solutions over and over until my eyes burned, just so I would not make a mistake. I solved each problem slowly and carefully, checking every number twice, making sure every step and every answer was exactly right.

When the bell signaled the end of the test, we passed our papers to the front. Our teacher said she would check them right there in front of us so we would know our scores immediately. I watched her flip through each paper, writing marks at the top, and my heart beat faster with every second that passed.

It was not long before she looked up, scanned the room, and called my name clearly. “Rhian Gomez?”

I stood up slowly, my knees feeling weak, completely surprised.

“Congratulations,” she said, smiling warmly at me. “You got the highest score in the whole class. A perfect one hundred percent.”

A soft murmur spread through the whole room. Some classmates nodded slowly, others whispered to each other in disbelief. I glanced over at the three boys sitting up front. Francis stared at me like he could not believe what he just heard, his jaw tight and his eyes full of annoyance. Gio crossed his arms firmly and scoffed under his breath, shaking his head. Jace rolled his eyes and leaned back in his chair, but I could see his hands clenched into fists on top of his desk.

When she handed my paper back, I saw the big red mark at the top, and underneath it, a short note written neatly: I admire how hard you work. Keep shining.

When class ended, I did not move right away. I sat there for a moment, bracing myself, ready for them to block my path again, to snatch my paper, or to say something even worse than before. But instead, they packed their things roughly and walked out fast, not even glancing my way, like seeing me succeed was something they could not stand to watch.

I let out a breath I did not even realize I was holding and started putting my things back inside my bag gently. Then I felt someone step softly behind me. I turned around quickly and saw Mae—one of the quiet girls who always sat at the side and never joined in their teasing. She looked left and right nervously first, biting her lip, then held out a brand new pencil with a soft pink eraser at the end.

“I… I bought this earlier,” she said so quietly I almost missed it, her voice trembling a little. “I wanted to give it to you.”

I stared at the pencil, then up at her face. “Why? You really don’t have to…”

“I just wanted to tell you something,” she went on, looking down for a second before she met my eyes again. “You really are good at this, Rhian. All those times you study even when no one is looking… we notice. We see how hard you try. Please do not let them bring you down, okay? You deserve this.”

Before I could even find the right words to say thank you, she gave me a small shy smile and walked away fast to catch up with her friends.

I held that pencil tight in my hand all the way home. It was just a simple pencil, nothing fancy or expensive, but it felt heavier and more precious than anything I owned. For the first time since I stepped inside this school, I felt a tiny warm spark of hope light up inside my chest. It did not come from a crowd, it did not come from loud praise—it came from just one small act of kindness from one person. And that was more than enough to remind me that even when it felt like I was all alone, I really was not.