Yue ended up walking with me to class after the bus stopped in front of Fourth High, her shoes clacking confidently on the waxed floor. I followed behind. The whispers and glances followed us as we passed.
The moment we arrived in class, the room went dead silent.
My piercings and choker seemed to dig into my skin under everyone's gaze, and my sloppy tie felt like it was trying to strangle me again.
Ah…
I took a breath.
This again…
I tucked my cyan hair closer around my face—might as well wave a neon sign that said 'does not belong.' I slid into my seat, my knuckles white on my bag strap as I set it down with a hefty *thunk*.
Yue slid beside me without hesitation. Completely unbothered by the silence and stares, she waved at the pair behind us. "Jun, Lian—how was karaoke last night? Sorry I couldn't make it. Things have been really busy."
Jun grinned. "It was great. You should've seen—what was her name again? She had a red hairpin—"
"Mao," Lian said, adjusting her glasses. "She's pretty. And she's in… class four?"
"Class five," someone corrected. "Nearly as good as Yue or Guiying, academically."
"Better watch out, prez," a guy teased. "Can't lose your crown."
There was a smattering of laughter and conversation returned, but so did the glances. Most of them were toward me. Or maybe Yue. At least Yue was pretty… I picked at my fingers under the desk and fiddled with the edges of my blazer and skirt.
Yue leaned toward me. "Are you okay?" she whispered.
I blinked, nodded once, and turned to the windows.
They'd turned the LEDs off, letting sunlight pour in, pooling across the desks in soft, warm, rectangles. Outside, the trees swayed like they were whispering secrets to each other, gentle and unbothered.
I envied them…
Yue chatted with her friends and I slipped my earphones back in, letting music drown everything out around me.
After a short while, the door slid open with a sharp *clack*.
Wang Laoshi stepped inside, a fat stack of papers in his hands. He dropped them onto the podium with an ominous thunk.
"It's wonderful to see such lively chatter," he said cheerfully. "I assume that means you all reviewed your summer coursework? Gaokao is coming—you can't slack. So, today the faculty prepared a small school-wide test."
Groans filled the room.
A test on day two? I yanked my earbuds out and stuffed them into my bag.
Wang Laoshi stopped by Yue and I as he passed with the papers, thumbing through his stack. "Yue, I expect good work as usual. And Yunhua… try your best."
He handed me mine. The packet hit my desk with a good amount of weight, and my pulse spiked. I hadn't received any coursework—moving back home had taken my entire summer.
Yue glanced at me, worried.
I flipped it open—but what I saw made me pause.
…English?
I quickly skimmed the paper—it was all English studies. Multiple choice, short answer, and an essay...
Oh?
OH.
This was… straightforward. Easy, even. I felt something click as something dangerously close to confidence swelled in my chest. I grabbed my mechanical pencil. Clicking it a couple of times, I started to write.
- - -
{A while later, Guiying's POV}
Guiying had just packed up her pencil case when she heard the door slam open. Guiying swore she could almost feel the air billowing as Lisha marched in like a storm, her ponytail whipping behind her.
"Guiying." She ignored the confused looks from Guiying's classmates and went straight to her desk.
Guiying raised a brow. "Lisha? Lunch break just started. You got here quick."
Lisha planted both hands on the desk. "Okay, listen. Don't freak out, alright?" She hesitated before continuing. "They… released the test scores from this morning."
"Right," Guiying nodded. It was easy. She'd done well. Wei, Yue and her were all probably top three as usual. Nothing new.
"You didn't get first," Lisha said quietly.
Guiying exhaled in mild annoyance. "I figured. So? Second? Third?"
Lisha winced. "You got fourth."
The word sank into Guiying like a stone into deep water, and suddenly her chest felt tight. Too tight. She hadn't placed that low since—ever. "Fourth?" Guyiing echoed in disbelief.
Lisha rushed on. "And it wasn't Wei or Yue who beat you. They're second and third."
Guiying stared at Lisha, the air in her lungs turning thin. "…Then who?"
Lisha looked away. "That new girl. Cyan hair. Yunhua. You know, the one…" She winced. "From the rumours."
Everything inside Guiying went still. "Yun… hua?"
"She aced it," Lisha said. "All of it. People are freaking out. They're saying she even beat Yue."
Guiying felt something cold and trembling open in her chest, and the warm sunlight at her back suddenly felt like it was scorching her skin.
Yunhua.
The girl who used to lean on her sleeve and ask her to explain things twice.
The girl who disappeared without a goodbye.
She was back…?
Her neat stack of binders blurred in her vision as the classroom buzzed faintly around her, voices distant as if underwater.
Why hadn't Yunhua told her she could do this, all those years ago?
Why had she never seen this side of her?
Why did it feel like being overtaken wasn't what hurt the most?
When did Yunhua get back from overseas?
"Guiying?" Lisha's voice softened. "Are you okay?"
Guiying swallowed hard, her fingers curling slowly around the edge of her desk. She felt like for the first time in years, the world she'd carefully organized had shifted under her feet, and Yunhua was at the center of it again.
No, it was fine, Guiying told herself, managing to slide her binders into her pack.
Wei would be with her.
She smiled to herself.
That's right.
Wei would be there…