And I Judged

Does it ever make sense to judge a book by its cover — literally or metaphorically? Tell us about a time you did, and whether that was a good decision or not.

Today’s Daily Prompt: Binding Judgement

It was a start of a new academic year – my Junior Year in College. The corridors are filled with a lot of new faces, but of course, its the familiar ones that you’re always looking forward all summer to see back in school with you. There were lots of stories to tell, vacation spots to describe, expectations for the new instructors in class. Of course, in a few days time, this will all be fine and we can settle it once and for all.

Its the same classroom again. We had all our major subjects in 204. In groups, we entered the room to wait for our first class that morning. And as our neighboring classrooms started to fill up with students, me and my classmates had our share of a surprise that day.

A new classmate. A transferee from a state university, with the same degree program as we are. He was a rather tall guy – had fair skin, chinky eyes, rather messy hair, and big glasses. Pretty much your average nerd. He had this long black umbrella and this big backpack (which you don’t see much during Day 1). Our instructor came and introduced this student. We smiled at him, told that he should feel more comfortable around us.

Or at least that was what I promised.

Weeks passed during that term, and somehow he became distant than usual. We ‘assumed’ that he was just like that, and in a way, attributed him to being tardy. And one day, he just dropped out.

My classmates and I found out about it – as well as him going through counselling, with how he felt he was ‘bullied’. We never saw him after Finals, as he never enrolled in class the next semester. No one ever talked about him after that, probably because nobody cared.

But it wasn’t like that for me. Because I was a transferee too. I know how it feels like, being alienated. That you’re the new guy. That you need to make a good impression – and that’s the hard part, since everyone, everything, is new to you. They may see snippets of who you are, but reading only chapters in story isn’t finishing the whole book.

And I vowed never to do it again.

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