"What the heck?"
"Oh, shoot."
"She's back? And I thought she got expelled for… you know."
"She? You know her? Who is that? She looks—"
"She's dangerous. Stay away from her."
"Her hair—did she dye strips of it cyan? The guts to do that—"
"Her ears—"
"Shhhh! Be quiet or she might snap again."
Their voices clung to me like the rainwater still dripping from my blazer.
I clutched the pale umbrella tightly with one hand. In the halls of Fourth High, the storm's roar faded to a dull, steady drumming against the windows. Waterfalls of rain streaked down the glass in restless rivers.
The whispers followed me until I stopped before a sliding door with a poster on it- Room 119, Senior Class 2–1.
…I took a deep breath and tugged open the door. It clacked against its frame. The moment I did, the classroom went dead silent as dozens of eyes pinned me in place.
The teacher—a middle-aged man wearing a thick wool sweater and glasses—glanced at me disapprovingly. "Late on your first day."
"Sorry, Laoshi[1]." My voice was quiet. The words felt so foreign after studying abroad. I honestly couldn't care less, but Muqin would get mad at me if I made trouble on my first day. And besides, if Guiying heard about this…
It was so quiet I could hear the storm outside battering against the walls of the school.
The teacher set down his glasses and pointed to a seat by the window.
I slipped into it, setting down my bag and propping up the umbrella by the window. Strangely, the fabric wasn't wet. Not even damp.
…Huh.
The teacher glanced around the classroom once more, glaring at the water trail I'd left behind like I was the only one who'd tracked rain into the room.
He worked his jaw a couple of times before clearing his throat. "Welcome to your second senior year. I am Wang Laoshi. I hope we all have a good year together. I need to print out some things, so stay in your seats. Your class president will be arriving with other class materials shortly."
With that, he turned smartly and wheeled out of the room, the door clicking behind him.
The moment he left, all the eyes turned to me in silence. I sighed and stared out the window. The lamp posts flickered against the downpour, their weary circles of light dimming in the haze. Guiying used to tease me about staring too long out of windows, and said I looked like I was waiting for someone.
…Maybe I still was.
The rain really was getting heavy—
"So, is it true?"
I turned my head slightly. A girl with a ponytail leaned on my desk.
"Yeah, you. I heard things." Her lips curled. "You're the one who forced yourself on Guiying, right?"
I froze as the room seemed to hold its breath, waiting for my answer.
…Too bad I don't answer people other than myself. The rain hissed louder as I bit my lip.
"Didn't you get expelled for that? Guess they'll let anyone back in if you beg hard enough."
Laughter rippled through the room. My fingers curled beneath the desk. Stay quiet, Yunhua. It's your first day. Don't give them what they want.
"You like girls, huh? Maybe we should all watch our backs when we change for PE."
I turned back to the window. A crack of lightning—the first one today—flashed through the storm. For a split second the reflection in the glass wasn't just mine—someone was standing behind me. Long black hair. Cherry-red eyes.
The girl with the umbrella.
"HEY!" Ponytail Girl slammed her fist against the desk. "Look at me when I'm talking to you, jian huo—[2]"
Her hand swung toward me.
SLAP!
Everyone froze.
Standing beside my desk, one hand gripping Ponytail Girl's wrist, was the umbrella girl, her expression calm, her eyes glinting red in the dim classroom light. A wad of papers was clutched in her other arm.
"Don't touch her," she said softly.
[1] 老师 (CN) - Teacher. The way it's used when speaking to your teacher is after their name and for example, Wang Laoshi would be roughly "Mr Wang" in english.
[2] 贱货 (CN) - Bitch / Slut. Extremely rude and offensive... please don't ever use this word, and never follow ponytail girl's example.