Paul was a bit older, a bit stupid, and a bit lonely. Realizing this he strived drastically to change the unchangeable. For that whole year after this realization he would describe himself as a “people person,” someone as he would explain that really knows how to communicate and connect with people. His evidence for this was as follows: He had many friends, knew how to keep a conversation, people were nice to him. Though as we would all come to understand none of this was quite as he explained it. He was mostly alone only taking time for people when he thought others thought he should, his conversations drifted and ended short, people made him think he was important. He had lied. He was nice though, so we didn't give it much thought.
The next year he was the “smart guy” now always with a book in hand. For many reasons he would explain to us: he was going places, rose his hand constantly in class, and he had the highest grades. Again like before we found out otherwise. He went nowhere, he rose his hand a few times that year, and after a few months stopped going to classes all together. He had lied again. He wasn't nice anymore but we still didn't give much mind to him.
The final year he was very sad and we didn't see much of him. When we did see him he would try to explain why things had changed but most of us barely listened. He was detached, angry, always felt like he didn't have a place. Surprisingly he didn't lie like before but we didn't care. We stopped listening, not that we really listened to begin with. Eventually we stopped seeing Paul.
When Paul seemed to of disappeared from us and from discussion entirely he sprang up once again into our consciousness. As we sit in our desks watching the teacher drone on, the intercom came on. My blood chilled as the principal in a choked up voice relayed the information. Silence seemed to encapsulate the room as we all blamed ourselves for not caring enough or listening even when he lied. After the long sad announcement came to a close we all now thought of Paul. At his funeral all of us sat watching him lay in front of us as people spoke of him. I stood at the stand nervous with a knot in my throat watching his family before him with saddened eyes, I knew what I must do. In a quivering voice I spoke, “Paul truly was someone who will be dearly missed, he was very popular with everyone, the smartest guy I ever knew, and always with a smile on his face.” I had lied.