Labels

By: Sakina Abbas A1C4

In their life, every student has a label. Some might be called jocks, while some might be called airheads. Likewise, I am usually referred to as a nerd. I mean, of all the labels, a nerd?! No, there is nothing wrong with this label. I mean, according to the Oxford dictionary, a nerd is defined as a person who gains pleasure from amassing large quantities of knowledge about subjects often too detailed or complicated for most other people to be bothered with.

I am not even close to being a nerd! Doing your homework and preparing for your tests on a regular basis does not make you a nerd. It just makes you a good student and gets you on top of your teachers’ list, so that later you get praised and favoured in front of all the students in your class. To me, this has great significance, mainly because I am a very self-obsessed person and I constantly need others to praise me.

It clearly ticks me off when my friends ask me, “Hey, did you do Math’s homework? I did not, as I was too busy having a life.” What, now I don’t have a life? How am I alive then? My soul did not just get resurrected. And I never died in the first place. So how can I not have a life? They did not just question a spirit now, did they? What a bunch of naive people! Anyways, I reply in the affirmative to which they say, “I knew you would do it. You always do all the work. I am so proud of you. Did I ever tell you how much I appreciate your existence?” and then they make that ‘puppy-dog face’ at me. I eventually give in and give them my work to copy. I am proud of myself too, but no, THEIR mere existence clearly pisses me off.

Furthermore, whenever I return from the library, my friends say, “Where have you been hibernating? No wait, don’t answer that. You were in the library, no? See, you are so predictable now!” Then I mutter under my breath, “Yes, I was in the library, and no, I was not hibernating. Because hibernation is for eight months, and I was there for just fifty minutes.” Seriously, I was simply there helping out some friends in Calculus, and my laughing pack of friends could be next in asking for help. Well, you never know.

My friends say, “You are such a nerd! Why are you always studying? You need to relax. Don’t overburden yourself, or it will have a negative impact on your brain. Your brain cells will die. Then you will fall ill. And who knows? You could end up forgetting everything you studied.” This ignites a feeling of pity in my heart. Yes, I feel sorry for these poor ignorant friends of mine. They are blind to the fact that I am not overburdening myself, rather, simply having fun with my studies. What? Don’t call me a retard now. I thought you spend maximum time with the one you love!

But then in the end, explaining this logic to my friends is just as useless as a back pocket on a t-shirt. So I calmly listen to what my friends are saying, and when they are done, I simply say, “Me, a nerd? Oh no. I’m just making sure that I don’t end up working with you at McDonalds!”