The bus ride was quieter than usual.
Not because the bus itself was quiet. It was still the same noisy chaos as always. Kids talking loudly, someone throwing a paper ball across the aisle, and the driver yelling for people to sit down.
But for me, everything felt different.
Usually when I got on the bus, I tried to disappear as quickly as possible. Head down. Sit somewhere near the middle. Pretend I didn't exist. Sometimes I tried to talk to other people, but I just ended up being ignored.
Today I didn't do that.
I walked down the aisle normally and took a seat near the window.
A couple of people glanced at me.
One girl blinked twice like she was trying to figure out who I was.
I stared out the window and tried to stay calm.
Don't overthink it.
You are just going to school.
Normal people go to school every day.
No big deal.
Still… my stomach felt like it was hosting a small gymnastics competition.
The bus finally stopped in front of the school.
Orson High.
The same building as always.
Same red bricks.
Same slightly crooked school sign.
Same chaotic flood of students pouring out of buses.
But stepping off the bus felt strangely new.
Okay.
First day as the new Sue.
Students were already walking toward the entrance in groups, talking loudly about homework, teachers, and weekend plans.
I joined the crowd.
A few people glanced at me again, whispering and pointing.
I could see everyone secretly glancing my way.
Taking a deep breath, I continued walking toward my next class with my head held high.
This time I didn't stare at the floor to avoid accidentally meeting everyone's gaze like I used to.
Instead, I walked straight through the hallway toward my first period: math, trying my best to relax under what felt like the entire school's attention.
When I entered the classroom, which had been loud and chaotic just seconds earlier, the room suddenly went quiet.
One moment people were talking, laughing, and throwing paper across the room.
The next moment every single conversation stopped.
Thirty pairs of eyes turned toward me.
Someone whispered.
"Who is that?"
Another voice answered quietly.
"I don't know."
Mr. Hubert, my maths teacher, looked up from the board.
He stared at me for a moment.
Confused.
"Are you lost?" he asked.
No one remembered who she was.
Sue had always been portrayed as invisible in the show. It was a running joke that no one could ever remember her. And now everyone was staring at me, trying to figure out who I was.
"No," I said. "I'm in this class."
He frowned.
"No one informed me that we would have a new transfer student today."
Some boy in the back shouted, "We can give her a tour if she wants!"
The class burst into laughter.
"Everybody, quiet down," the teacher said sharply. Then he looked at me again. "Why don't you introduce yourself so we can get to know you?"
"I am not a new student," I mumbled quietly at first.
"I couldn't hear you. Can you repeat that?"
"I said I am not a new student. My name is Sue Heck."
This time I spoke more confidently.
"Mr. Hubert, I have been your student for three years now. I have been in this class the whole year."
"Whoa, okay," he said slowly. "Are you sure? Because I don't remember there being any Sue Heck in this class."
I was tired of this. I could feel the deep exhaustion from the part of Sue inside me. This was her life. It was not a joke like in the series. No one had ever remembered her.
It hurt her so much.
She had never received even the bare minimum recognition from most people, so much so that she would become ecstatic even when someone got her name wrong, because at least someone had remembered her existence, even if only for a second.
We can't keep living like this anymore. I have had enough. I am too tired of this kind of life.
Isn't two lifetimes enough?
"Well, I am," I said, pointing toward an empty chair. "I sit right there. You can check the register list if my name is there."
"Language," Mr. Hubert snapped. "That is not a way to talk to an adult, young lady."
He grabbed the registration list from his desk and barely glanced at it before continuing.
"This is not your class…"
"Thirteenth name on the list," I interrupted. "It is in alphabetical order. You would see it if you had actually read it."
"Now, I am sure that it is not there…"
He finally checked it and saw my name.
"Okay, maybe there is a misunderstanding, Ms. Heck," Mr. Hubert said. "You may technically be in this classroom. But I know that chair has been empty for almost two weeks. Considering that, I don't know how many times you have actually come to this class."
He crossed his arms.
"Considering that no one remembers you, that says something about how often you have been skipping. This behavior is unacceptable. I will not turn a blind eye."
He pointed to the door.
"Go to the corridor. After class, come to the principal's office with me. I will personally request an expulsion or at least a suspension. This is a school, a place for learning. If you don't want to learn, you don't need to come."
For a moment I just stared at him.
Three years.
Three years sitting in the same chair.
Three years raising my hand and never being called.
Two whole lives of being completely invisible.
And now he was accusing me of skipping class.
Something inside my chest finally snapped.
"You know what?" I said.
My voice sounded strangely calm.
"Fuck you, Mr. Hubert."
The entire classroom froze.
"With all due respect," I continued, my voice shaking with anger, "I have never missed a single day of class in the three years I have been your student."
"Yes, that chair has been empty for almost two weeks. For a good reason."
"I have been hospitalized and recovering after almost fucking dying."
"Which you should have been informed about, because I know my mother personally sent emails to all my teachers, the school secretary, and even the principal."
"And now you are trying to expel me for this?"
I laughed bitterly.
"Well, I'll say it right back to you."
"This is a school, a place to teach. If you don't want to teach, then don't come."
"Ms. Heck," he called out my name in warning.
"And you don't need to send me to the principal's office," I said coldly. "I am going there myself to complain about you."
I turned and walked out of the room.
"Young lady! Come back here this instant!" Mr. Hubert shouted.
I stopped and turned around.
"Now, if you admit your mistake."
"Don't make me laugh," I said. "You are the one with unacceptable behavior."
"So I won't turn a blind eye. I am going to request that you be fired, or at least that the principal checks your credentials."
"Because you clearly don't have the ability or the patience to teach."
My eyes flicked to the board behind him.
An equation that he was teaching is still there.
"Especially considering that the answer to the equation you wrote is wrong. The correct answer is 65286.523."
"After class ends, you can go to the principal's office. I will be there waiting."
This time I actually stormed out, slamming the door behind me.
Even from the hallway, I could hear the students bursting into laughter.
I took a deep breath to calm down.
I couldn't believe that I had actually done something like this.
It was the first time in a long, long time that I had stood up for myself.
I had said everything I wanted to say out loud, right to their faces.
Normally, I would have just accepted it when people treated me like that.
But not anymore.
I will not let everyone walk all over me any longer.
I did nothing to deserve to be treated that way.
So I will not stay quiet about injustice anymore.
Never again.