Being the quiet kid in most classrooms does not mean I am not concerned with what happens between interactions and conversations I observe. It comes with the perks of being the kid sitting at the back of the classroom with mental notes on every classmate I have. 

To follow up with my last editorial, in terms of being a silent student, I am also constantly listening and perceiving others. This makes me very keen on what type of person someone is without even having a conversation. 

Growing up with my mother and father, I have learned to make others feel welcome, and by doing that I can read a personality type and match it with the appropriate social cues. However, that does not mean I can make it unnoticeable. Most people can read me like a book when I feel any emotion other than ‘unfocused’.

This is why, in many situations, I can interact with people smoothly and seamlessly. I come off as warm and welcoming, ready to listen when someone needs me. This is also why I become the friend group therapist, something I will touch on in a later story. 

Now, what does this all mean? I know a lot more than I am letting on. Without fail, I can catch a gossip session or genuine topic-related debates when I feel like it. I catch when people hesitate to say something, or when the others tend to react dramatically. 

Not to mention I can catch someone harping on another for refusing to do something. It’s not their place to say something when the teacher is directing the class. No one wants to hear another complain and make it someone else’s problem just because they don’t want to do something that someone else is. 

What irks me further, is that if I act on said conversation, I am always singled out as trying to attack the individual. I am given no respect for even speaking my mind when others feel like they can. It’s annoying to witness, and it makes me want to throw hands with the nearest innocent soul I encounter. 

Being disregarded and invalidated despite being something I am allowed to be is something way too common nowadays, and there is no reason why people should behave this way. Even though society pushes for maturity at such a young age, it collapses and creates this illusion of a know-it-all placed into the brains of everyday teens. 

Despite all this, I have started to refuse to bottle up emotions just for the sake of pride and comfort. Words are a powerful tool created to be used as a solution for basically everything. I will not hold my tongue for the arrogance of others in a room filled with dramatic, caffeine-addicted teenagers who think too highly of themselves. 

My feelings are valid, and deserve to also be considered in the equation of ‘us.” Being seen and not heard is just the same thing as being quiet and observant, but I will no longer be forced into this ice cube mold by the world.