Chapter 3

Henry began finding fault with me all the time. He went so far as to move my seat to the last row of the class.

I was slightly nearsighted, and a pair of glasses in the city cost several hundred dollars—that was nearly a month's income for Mom and Dad—so I was reluctant to get one. I eventually had to sit there in class, holding up my head and squinting as hard as I could.

Henry noticed and asked pointedly, "Why are you sticking your neck out like a turtle, Timothy? Is that some custom from your village?"

I could already pick up on his subtle insults by then, and as a high schooler, I felt utterly embarrassed by that. I blushed instantly when the female students in class turned around to stare at me. I ducked my head down, trying to make myself as small as possible.

Despite everything, I still kept my grades in the top five of the entire grade.

I kept my head down in class, thinking I could get through high school without any problems, but that summer incident after my first year became a nightmare I wished I could forget.

It was one of those muggy summer nights during evening study hall. Though the air conditioning was running, the room still felt sticky and warm.

It was then that a smell crept up from the back of the room—sour and rank, with an odd fishy sweetness underneath. It spread like an infection, with students pulling their sleeves over their noses and looking around in repulsion.

A couple of male classmates were whispering in the back row, and I heard everything they said.

"What's with this rancid smell? It smells awful!"

"Oh no! It might be the lab mouse I killed for biology class! I tossed it into the air conditioner!"

"You dumbass! Why would you stuff a dead mouse in the air conditioner in the middle of summer? It's no wonder it stinks so bad!"

Those in the back, who usually never paid attention in class, started laughing among themselves.

Just then, Henry, who had been sitting in the front to supervise the class, caught the smell as well. He walked over with a grim expression and picked up the wooden ruler from the desk without saying a word.

I was completely absorbed in my homework when the heavy footsteps stopped next to my desk. I then heard the sound of the wooden ruler whistling through the air before striking my back.

I jolted from the pain and cried out instinctively.

I instantly felt my heart sink when I caught sight of Henry's grim expression and sly gaze.

"How long has it been since you showered, Timothy?" Henry looked at me with disgust, making a big show of pinching his nose.

In that instant, all my classmates turned around to look at me, their gazes pinning me to the spot like nails.

It was only then that I understood what he was implying, so I quickly shook my head. "I shower every single day! I swear it's not me!"

"Who else could it be? I clearly smell a foul odor like a pigpen coming from you, Timothy!"

I was rendered speechless after hearing that. Henry was the only one who knew that Mom and Dad raised pigs for a living.

I never cared about that back in the village, but after seeing my classmates get dropped off in expensive cars and brag about designer clothes, I gradually began to understand class differences.

That was when I started feeling self-conscious about my background.

Henry leaned in and took a deep sniff. He suddenly gagged dramatically and pointed directly at me. "You're definitely the culprit! You smell just like one of the pigs found in the pigpen in the rural villages! How dare you deny it, Thomas!"

Those around me started covering their mouths and giggling among themselves. Their mocking laughter left my whole face burning red.

"Your family's poverty is no excuse to ignore basic hygiene, Timothy. How do you expect others to concentrate on their studies when you smell so terrible?"

"You have such a tanned complexion, as if you haven't washed off those layers of dirt in years! You smell strange as well, so no one in their right mind would want to be classmates with you!"

I finally broke down, tears welling up in my eyes. "I swear it's not me, Mr. Hudson! There's a dead mouse inside the air conditioner!"

I raised my voice and pointed straight at the other students in the back row. "I'm telling the truth! I literally just overheard them saying it! You can ask them yourself if you don't believe me!"

Several of the guys were just about to step in and clear things up for me, but Henry spoke over all of them in a loud voice.

"I've been to your house for a home visit. There was pig feed all over the floor, and the dining table was caked in grime! Why bother denying it, Timothy? That's enough. I'm not asking you to do anything—just go stand in the hallway so that you don't stink up the entire classroom."

That was all a lie! He was making everything up!

Henry turned on his heel and walked off, leaving me frozen in place.

Those casual remarks meant nothing to him, but they drove a wedge between my classmates and me, subjecting me to silent abuse. They started calling me "Stinker Tucker" after that incident.

They went out of their way to avoid me, and what little self-esteem I had left was totally destroyed.

I frantically scrubbed myself in the shower once I returned to my dorm room. I grabbed the soap bar and scrubbed my skin raw, but it didn't change my tanned complexion. I couldn't wrap my head around why I was singled out just for being a little poor.

My classmates completely ostracized me from that day onward.

I had no idea who had posted the story on the school's online forum, but students from other classes started pointing at me and whispering. I pleaded with Henry to explain the truth, but he just brushed it off every time, saying I was making a big deal out of nothing.

I eventually couldn't take it anymore and stormed into the office. Henry smiled as he proposed a solution.

"How about you pay for a new air conditioner for the classroom? I'll consider the matter settled once you do that, Timothy."