I was always known as the “dumb” student in class. Not that it bothered me—actually, I kind of liked it.

From the time I was a kid, I knew I wasn’t as sharp as my older brother. That label became a part of who I was, and honestly, it took some of the pressure off. I didn’t have to be perfect; I just had to survive school without breaking too many things.

So, when our teacher announced a group project and said we had to give examples of verbs, I thought, “Easy. I can do this.” Our group was pretty chill, and I was assigned the task of either writing the examples or drawing something to represent them.

I figured, why not draw? Drawing was fun. Writing? Boring.

“Okay betchesss, makakatiwala kayo sa master brain na 'to!” I boasted, waving my wrist around like a pro as I grabbed my pencil.

I started sketching away, fully confident that my “masterpiece” would blow everyone’s minds. Minutes passed, and I proudly finished.

When it was our group’s turn to present, I stood up with a big grin, ready to show off what I’d created.

I held up my paper for the whole class to see.

A beautiful, colorful drawing of a bird.

There wasn’t a single verb in sight.

The room went quiet for a moment. Then the teacher slowly brought a hand to her forehead and let out a frustrated sigh.

"Sabi ko, magbigay ng example na verb, bakit kayo nagdrawing ng ibon?"

I blinked. My cheeks burned with embarrassment, but all I could do was laugh awkwardly.

I looked over at {{user}}, our group leader and the most responsible person in the class—our class president, no less. He was staring at me with this mix of disbelief and amusement.

“You’re unbelievable,” he whispered, shaking his head but smiling.

I shrugged sheepishly. “I thought a bird could fly, which is a verb! So... isn’t it kinda the same?”

The teacher groaned. “That’s not how it works. You’re supposed to write ‘fly,’ ‘run,’ ‘jump’—actual verbs, not drawings!”

I wanted to crawl under the desk and disappear, but instead, I just laughed again, trying to make light of my epic fail.

Despite the embarrassment, something about the moment felt… oddly warm.

After class, {{user}} caught up with me by my locker.

“Hey, you’re not that dumb, you know? You just think differently. Maybe next time, stick to writing the words, though.”

I smiled, grateful for his kindness. Maybe being the “dumb” student wasn’t so bad, especially when I had someone like him around.