The Game Warrior

That’s why!

That’s why everyone started distancing themselves from him and saw him as odd .

“You think we didn’t know? We know you went to the mental health clinic every week . You think we are all crazy like you?!”

“Shut up!” Ling yelled, cutting off Zhuang from saying more . “School bus, follow order, stop!”

The bus pulled over with a creak .

Ling nudged the three guys to get off the car, leaving Dugu with his words .

“You’re wrong . A neurological disorder is not the same as a mental disorder . ”

“A neurological disorder is a kind of neuropathy, but mental illness is a breakdown, when the brain is not working correctly . ”

“I’m mentally ill, not crazy . Remember not to get it confused next time . ”

“What the hell . . . ?” Zhuang seemed angry .

“Don’t!” Ling shouted, nodding at Du . “Sorry . ” Then she dragged them away .

Under the rising sun, shadows of the three young men and one young woman stretched on the ground, resembling a goodbye .

Ling’s shadow blurred in Dugu’s eyes until it was a black and white photo, no different from others .

He wiped away a tear . So this was heartbreak; even the mentally ill could feel pain .

He immediately began to think . Did the tear come from instinct or something the brain controlled?

This was a problem he liked to ponder .

At the back of the bus, a girl in glasses watched Du with sympathy .

****

“Listen, we can’t let you fill out the college major preferences this way . ”

“Listen, we can’t let you fill out the college major preferences this way . ”

The teacher adjusted his glasses while looking at Dugu . In his hand was the form every high school student had to fill out before taking the college entrance exams .

“Why not? Going to which college is our decision, right? Why does the school want to stop me?”

“But every major is a specialty . Since junior year of high school we have made some students science majors and some liberal arts, and you’ve always been a science major . You’ve never studied political science or any foreign languages, so you can’t apply to the liberal arts college . Listen, Du, I know you have—”

The teacher’s words were stopped by Du . “You know I’m mentally ill and do things weirdly?”

“Yes, oh . I mean, no . . . ” The older man started to sweat .

“Wouldn’t that be great though? Everyone says philosophers are either crazy or mentally ill, so I’d be perfect . ” Du turned to look at the other students in the class .

“I know there are some unflattering rumors about you, but you really shouldn’t obsess about them . . . ”

“Fermeboite! J'enassaz, tes betisent!” Dugu blurted the words, stopping his teacher .

The older man was shocked, but unable to reply . He knew it was some kind of language, but didn’t understand .

“Shut up, I’m tired of your nonsense . It’s French,” a shy voice solved the confusion, which further mortified the teacher .

“Shut up, I’m tired of your nonsense . It’s French,” a shy voice solved the confusion, which further mortified the teacher .

Dugu looked at the girl in the glasses with surprise . “Danke!”

“Nichts danken! He was thanking me, and I said ‘You’re welcome . ’ It’s German . ” The girl was skinny and short, and rather geekish . She wasn’t one of the pretty girls, nor did she have the best grades .

“Usted tienegran talento!” Dugu continued .

“I don’t speak Spanish, but I understood you . Thanks . ” The girl blushed, but didn’t translate the words . Du said, “You’re talented . ”

Dugu seemed on a roll, however, as he kept talking . “Zoon vaijfje! Figlioun femmina! Filho cadela! できそこない! Mierda! Какое бесстыжее лицо! Бесстыжие глаза! Бесстыдник! Cho may Ma-Cao! You think you know so much? What else do you want to know? I’ll tell you!”

The girl in glasses ran out of the class, crying .

She didn’t understand every word, but knew enough to know they were curses .

Dugu turned back to the teacher . “What else do you want to know? Should I recite the poli-sci textbook from front to back, or from back to front?”

“Report reading a write . Period . Materials philosophical and cultural related collected, comma, experiences personal with combined . Period . Both between relationship the discussing essay an write to . . . ”

A few students realized he was reciting the political science textbook word for word, in reverse order .

If some people had watched him as if he was crazy before, now their gaze was more like watching a genius .

If some people had watched him as if he was crazy before, now their gaze was more like watching a genius .

He knew a dozen languages, remembered everything he read, recited textbooks from front to back . . .

If he wasn’t a genius, then what was genius?

There really was a thin line between genius and crazy .

Some of their looks almost held admiration .

But the admiration was quickly turning to awkwardness, as Dugu watched them with apathy .

“Now you know I was seen as crazy because I’d rather be with a bunch of morons than be treated as a genius . "

“Now I know it’s better to be among your own kind . Genius with genius, moron with moron . I should have picked a better circle . ”

"See you for never!"

“It made me unhappy to know all of you . I hope I never have to see any of you again! See you for never!” Du left the classroom .

He couldn’t feel happy, but this was the first time he felt vindicated for his illness .