The exam season was over, and groups of boys and girls were roaming around the campus grounds. The market was unusually active during this time of year. The food stalls and the present shops earned their maximum profit during these days, not only because of the end of the exam season but also because of the upcoming student festival. It was a festival unique to the college. The festival period was characterized by students buying presents for their colleagues and wishing them well for the upcoming year. It was also the time when many people proposed to their crush and when students started dating. The festival also had games and sports. The college had an amusement park attached to it which was open for the students to enjoy during this festival. The students were also allowed to go outside the college and visit other districts while learning about the traditions and culture of each to score well in the subjects of their art.  

                                                                        I was roaming with a group of class fellows who happened to invite me for the fact that they come to see me roaming around doing nothing. I had nothing special to do so I tagged along. It was the class famous trio including Richard and his lackeys. His two friends were gossiping about the various girls in their class. Each one of them elaborated on the beauty of the girl he liked in a manner that made me feel as if I would vomit. The objectification was on another level. It wasn’t like that I could blame them. The society we lived in made it hard not think like that with all the media outlets using girls as a bargaining chip and the easy availability of questionable material within and outside college dorms. There was a ruling that prevented young people from marrying before they turned twenty-five and landed a job though it was common knowledge there were quite a lot of other ways the men would fulfil themselves but at the end of the day nothing good came out of it.  

                                                                                    Don’t they have anything else to discuss? Is that all which they can think? It was problematic in a sense that they had nothing else to discuss. It was this lack of ambition and restraint that the girls disliked them, and they were still yapping about being single.

“Hey, Enoch,” Richard called out to me.   

I turned my face to him, he was a tall boy with shiny brown hair, wearing black jeans with a brown cheque shirt.  

“Yes, Richard, is there something you want?”  

“Don’t you like anyone?”  

It was a rather strange question and completely shocked me still I figured I would better answer in a way that might end the conversation on this topic. “I do not think I do,” I replied.  

“That's odd. There must be someone on whom you have an eye on. You are quite the popular guy in the class you know?” 

“What do you mean by that?”  

“Ah! Sorry if I offended you. I meant that you are quite the ideal guy. You are the best in studies and in the good eyes of teachers as well. You also have got looks backing you up. And you are also not acquainted with anyone, and you do not have any unhealthy habits that might cause stigma. So, I thought that there must be some girl who had eyes on you, or you liked someone.”

“You have got it all wrong. Let me tell you something. The reason I am top in the class is not that I work hard but because that is all there is to get. Getting in the good eyes of a teacher is just for insurance. If you know the school rule and the way, they check tests and grant you marks based on your attire in college you would be willing to do anything to get them. The reason being each mark gives you a higher chance of being assigned to a better position in society. And as far as girls are concerned, I do not think any girl has the hots for me. I can easily prove that at the upcoming wishing ceremony. Besides, I do not have any interest in that kind of bosh and baloney. It is just a waste of time.” 

“Ooh! Someone is lying,” Icarus said to me.   

“Shut the fuck up, Icarus,” I replied. 

“Well, ok if you say so. But you know that what you think is just one way of looking at things, not the entire truth.”

“Maybe but I cannot find a way to believe otherwise. If you have a way to prove your point, I am right here.”  

“Hmmm. Well, how about we go there?”  

Richard passed a look to his friends, Travis, and Scott and then to me and I understood that I just gave the devil a foothold, nevertheless I agreed to see it through.  

                                                                               The four of us were now outside the college, walking past the silent streets on the evening of the last day of December. It was chilly outside. Unlike the college, this place did not have the equipment to keep the temperature within a suitable range. We walked on the footpath to the shopping district, past the community garden ladened with cherry blossoms and a pond. The atmosphere was free of dust and smog as the government had strong measures against anyone who polluted the air during this time of year. One of the only things I liked about the government. The breeze had a certain element of loneliness and grief within it, which I constantly felt. I had a premonition that the choice I made might end up in something far worse than I can imagine. I was entangled in these thoughts when suddenly Richard stopped and let out a shout.  

“Here we are!”  

“What is it, Richard?”  

“You do not know?” Travis said to me with a wink. 

“Stop fooling around, Enoch. Every guy knows what it is,” Scott passed a knowing look to me.  

“I do not know guys. It is my first time visiting this area.”  

“Do not worry, Enoch, you will know in time. Let us go inside. The air is getting colder,” Richard said bringing the teasing to a halt.