# Bad Apple Chapter 6

Prequel: Torches
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Three Years Ago
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November 6th, 2017
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You can do this, Stella… Just don't be shy… They won't laugh at you this time. You've got this!
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I repeat the words in my head like a mantra, but it does nothing to ease my nerves.
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Especially since I can barely hear my own thoughts amidst the overlapping chatter of my classmates.
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Mrs. Prockling gave us the assignment to make a presentation about any form of entertainment from another culture. I found it the perfect opportunity to finally show my passion and love for anime.
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I wasn't even sure if this was a good idea… Especially considering how many times people have laughed at me, called me names, and treated me horribly because of it.
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Weeb, Weirdo, Nerd.
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Each insult is just as painful as the last…
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Sage always told me, 'what doesn't kill you just makes you stronger.' She was right, though. This time it's going to be different. I know it will!
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…Will it?
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"Okay, Listen Up!" calls out a voice that swiftly emerges from the opening door, revealing none other than our homeroom teacher, walking towards the desk that overlooked the classroom of distracted teens.
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The Coelophysis woman addressed the class with barely disguised exhaustion.
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"I take it you all remember the drill." She groaned as she slumped into her chair. "We'll be doing presentations from those of you who volunteered to go first today and the rest tomorrow."
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I've been practicing all weekend, but I still can't feel a sense of dread. That feeling of the world around me becoming overwhelming large as I shrink. What if I mess up? What if they all laugh at me again?
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…No… They won't
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"Okay! So we'll be starting in alphabetic order from last names, so…" Ms Prockling read aloud as she picked up the stray piece of paper from her desk, taking a moment to pause as she began to examine its contents.
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"Stella Baudelaire! You're up first."
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That's when I began to feel the smallest.
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I can feel a chill as I look around my peers, seeing all their eyes locked on me with varying expressions as their murmurs flood the classroom.
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Some are looking at me with pity, disdain, and indifference, with very little of them possessing genuine curiosity on their face.
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Deep breaths, Stella. You've got this.
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I rise from my desk before I can even exhale and begin to make my way up to the presentation board, flash drive in hand...
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"Okay, Stella, just load up your presentation on the projector and start whenever you're ready."
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Ms. Prockling addressed me with a degree of concern in my eyes. She must have seen me start to get nervous.
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…You're gonna do great… You're gonna do great…
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A minute passes as I awkwardly begin to type away on the laptop in front of me, opening up Paraurpoint and making sure that the laptop's connected to the projector. I don't need any mistakes happening right now. A picture of the title screen appears before me as my finger leaves the keyboard for the last time.
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The Cultural Impact of Anime A Presentation by Stella Baudelaire Room 12A
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The words appear front and center in a green background with floral accents. Above the title is a picture of the Japanese flag, and a collection of some of my favorite anime characters on the side. Nagomi Yui, Chihiro Ogino, and Kirito specifically
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I see a giant replication of the title screen behind me on the projector as I turn around, confirming that everything is set up correctly.
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Paying no more attention to the potential ridicule of my classmates, I take a step away from the laptop, so everyone can get a better view.
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However, each step I take feels heavy, like I'm sinking into concrete, like my body is trying to stop me from moving no matter how hard I try.
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I believe in you Stella…
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"H-hello… everyone." I meekly address the classroom as I turn around to see well over a dozen people around my age, gazing in my direction, sporting various expressions.
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My stomach feels sick as I begin to hear the faint snickering from people in the classroom.
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No… Ignore them.
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"S-so, for my presentation, I will be talking about anime…." The words struggled to form as the staring of my peers began to crush me with pressure.
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I can feel my legs wobble and my hands shake. But no matter how much focus I put into it, I can't keep it still. I need to push on.
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"A-anime is a form of entertainment from… Japan, it originated as an animated form of Manga. One of the earliest examples of anime was-"
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"Can you stop dancing? You're in a classroom, not a talent show."
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The stray comment emanating from a red ankylosaurus boy in the back corner causes chuckling from some of the students in the classroom, putting me off-guard and freezing me in place.
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"Hey! Enough!" Ms. Prockling sits up and reprimands the heckler with a glare before turning to face me. "Please continue, Stella."
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I… No… I.
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"Uh… Y-yes. One of the earliest examples of anime was the 1963 show Astro Boy… And since then, the genre took off, leading to the.."
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I can feel the judgemental look in their eyes all intensify, the sneers becoming more pronounced. It's only a matter of time before they start hurling insults at me again.
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"...To the creation of studios such as Studio Ghibli, Bones, Mappa, and popular series such as Naruto, PreCure, and-"
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Amidst my swaying, I lose my balance and fall forward and the desk. Thankfully my hand catches on the desk, stopping my fall.
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Just as I calm down, I start to hear the growing snickering throughout the class. I begin to see where precisely my hand was placed… And what slide i'm on now, a slide that I'm not supposed to be on until much later.
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No… No, no, no! I must have skipped through all of the slides! Why is this happening? I practiced every day! So that something like this wouldn't happen!
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"PPFFFTTTT HAHAHA!!! DID YOU GUYS SEE THAT RETARD FALL ON THE LAPTOP? A-AND IS THAT A FUCKING CATGIRL TOO??"
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"CLEARLY, TWO BOMBS WEREN'T ENOUGH"
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"DO A NARUTO RUN, YOU FUCKING WEEB!"
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Their insults overwhelmed me to the point where I can barely concentrate on the world around me as my eyes begin to swell up with tears.
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Aside from the white Pterodactyl girl in the back and the red Dilophosaurus closer to the front, almost everyone in the class is laughing at me
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About how much of a loser I am, how pathetic I am.
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I can't do this…
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My legs kick into auto pilot as I run out of the classroom, as tears begin to flow from my eyes like waterfalls.
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Pushing through the classroom door, I hear the angered voice of my teacher.
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"THAT'S ENOUGH! ALL OF YOU!"
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The farther away I get from the classroom, the fainter her voice becomes, drowning out any comprehension of what she's saying next.
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But I don't care what she's even saying, I just want to get out of here.
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Moving throughout the hallway, I pass by a handful of students, witnesses to see the anime-loving loser cry. They're looking at me with confusion, but I know what they're really thinking.
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"Awww, did the stupid weeb get picked on again? Maybe she should do everyone a favor and just kill herself!"
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"That girl must have no friends whatsoever aside from her body pillows and the weirdos in her Snootcord servers."
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Even if they don't say those words out loud, I can see it in their eyes.
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After aimlessly wandering the halls, I manage to find a spot away from all the chaos, one of the connected corridors that's usually abandoned at this time of the day.
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A place where I can be alone, where someone like me belongs.
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I crumple to the ground next to one of the lockers as the wave, no… A Tsunami of sadness washes over me…
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Why do people have to be so cruel? Anime has been such a big part life growing up. It's brought me so much joy in the darkest of days. Many days I came home from school crying because of the bullying I had to face, and I felt so alone, but whenever I got the chance to sit down and watch my favourite shows, I didn't feel so alone, if only briefly.
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I'm no stranger to being tormented for who I am. Even if there's been people who have shown me kindness like my Parents or Sage, it does little to dull the pain.
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So many kids my age can talk about how much they love superheroes, sports, video games, and books. But when I talk about how much anime means to me, I am treated like an outcast! It's a hobby like any other!
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But… Maybe an aspie like me deserves this…
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"¿Qué pasa? Why are you-"
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"MERDE!!" I jump backwards into the locker almost instinctually, causing a sharp pain to run down my back.
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…why do I have to have back plates…
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I look towards the figure in front of me, an orange-coloured Ankylosauraus girl around my age, dressed in a rather beautiful floral dress. A concerned and apologetic look grows across my face due to her outburst.
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"Lo siento! I did not mean to scare you, I just saw you crying, and I wanted to ask if you were okay!"
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She appears to be genuinely concerned about my wellbeing, but why though? Why would this girl care about a loser she's never met before?
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"My name is Rosa. What is your name?" The girl introduces herself as she lowers herself to the ground against one of the lockers beside me, facing me at eye level.
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"S-Stella… My name is Stella…"
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Rosa responds with a warm smile "It's very nice to meet you Stella. Would I be able to ask why are you crying?" The concern returned to her voice.
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I let out a sigh as her question reminded me of the abuse I faced from my classmates just moments ago.
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"I…. We had to do an assignment by presenting a form of entertainment from another culture to the class…" I force the words out of my mouth, my voice sounding a bit squeaky.
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"Oooh, that sounds like a lot of fun! What was it you were presenting?" Rosa asked encouragingly.
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A wave of fear washes over me. If I tell her what I was presenting, she's just gonna laugh at me too…
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"I…I…"
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"Hey, hey, it's okay, Chica. You can tell me." She places a hand on my shoulder while looking me in the eyes.
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Maybe, it's safe to tell her?
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"Anime… I was presenting about anime… And… they.." My voice breaks as I struggle to continue, but Rosa's expression shows she knows what I'm about to say next.
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"Está bien! Listen…" Rosa interjects with a soothing, "You shouldn't ever have to be ashamed for the things you enjoy. In fact, I think anime is Muy Chula…pretty cool!"
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I light up for a brief moment. So many times have I felt alone due to how much of an outcast I feel like for being into anime or tarot readings. It's very rare to open up about my hobbies and not only not get judged for it, but rather have someone relate to it.
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"You like anime too?"
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"¡Sí! I absolutely loved watching Dragon Ball Z when I was a Niña, but aside from that, I've seen a few other shows from time to time!"
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I'll admit that Dragon Ball isn't exactly my cup of tea, but the fact to have someone other than Sage I can finally talk to about these kinds of things really makes me happy!
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We spent the next few minutes discussing what else we liked to do. Turns out Rosa loves to garden and dance too, the first of which being something I've always wanted to get into! Her mood was slightly soured when I told her about my passion for astrology. I expected her to get up and leave at that moment, being left alone once more, but to my surprise, she didn't judge me for it! I'm assuming she must be a fairly religious girl since she mentioned something about "Raptor Jesus" having a plan for me.
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As I began to feel more comfortable, I began to open up about how lonely I’ve felt since my first year, with Sage being my only real friend. My words caused a grim look to grow across Rosa’s face as if she can empathize with that sort of pain through first-hand experience.
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We also just spent the time getting to know each other and what our experiences have been like at high school so fair, turns out she's a sophomore too! And before long, I almost forgot why I left the classroom in tears. I've always struggled with making friends, and just having someone to talk to like her really made me feel less… alone.
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"Stella Baudelaire, please return to Room 12A. That's Stella Baudelaire. Please return to Room 12A." The school's telecom echoes throughout the halls, pulling my attention away from my new friend.
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"I take it they're looking for you?" Rosa glances at the speakers on the wall.
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"Yeah… I better go before I get in trouble."
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"No te preocupes! But before you go, I wanted to ask if you would like to sit with me at lunch?" Rosa rises from the ground as she offers me a hand for support.
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Does she still want to hang out with me?
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"You… want to have lunch with me?" I take her hand, her gesture of kindness confusing me.
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"Of course! I had a great time talking with you, Stella! And I'd like to hang out again sometime." Rosa lets out a smile, genuinely taking an interest in me.
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"I… I would love to! Thank you!"
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Rosa lets out a chuckle. "Muy Bueno! I'll wait for you in the cafeteria when the bell rings!
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"I look forward to it, Rosa! I'll see you then!" Rosa and I begin to walk away from each other as we head our separate ways.
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"Adios, Stella! See you soon!"
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And from that point on, I made a friend that I would come to call my sister in time.