{Yunhua's POV}
That test went… weirdly well.
I stared at the perfect mark in black ink at the top of the crisp page. I'd finished so quickly I was half-sure I'd misunderstood everything and flubbed it. But… apparently not?
Guess studying overseas finally did something other than make me stick out like a malfunctioning neon sign. I played with my hair, patting it closer to myself like a curtain I could hide behind.
Whispers had been ripping through the classroom earlier, but now they'd faded into a dull hum that I'd tuned out. Morning classes drifted past in a warm, slow blur.
Lazy gold sunlight drifted through the windows, washing over the desks in soft rectangles. Dust motes swirled gently in its glow. The murmur of other students chatting blended with the faint whirring of the ceiling fans. My eyelids kept dipping, heavy from the fact that I hadn't slept well last night.
By the time the bell rang, my notebooks were buried in pencil scratchings and eraser dust, but I'd survived. I could keep up.
Barely.
By the time we'd finished, my notebooks and papers were covered in pencil scratchings and eraser shavings—but now, it was lunch break.
The halls thinned out fast as everyone streamed downstairs toward the cafeteria. Yue walked with me for a bit before her friends practically dragged her away. She smiled apologetically at me over her shoulder.
Phew.
Finally, silence.
I stopped in the hallway, hugging my bag to my chest. The sunlight had dimmed slightly, and clouds peeked at the edges of the sky like thinning brushstrokes.
So… where exactly am I supposed to exist for the next hour and forty-five minutes?
I hadn't brought lunch, but I wasn't hungry. Just tired. I sighed and plugged in my earbuds.
I guess I could walk around for a bit.
- - -
After a while, I found a secluded staircase beside a storage room that led up to the roof. I didn't even remember it existed, but I guess I'd never been up on this floor before…
I sank onto the stairs, pulling my bag up to my chest and thumbing my phone awake. It buzzed in a pleasant, drowsy way as I switched playlists.
I rubbed my eyes. It was quiet here, and the only noises were the faint voices of students out in the school yard outside. The sunlight leaked timidly through the hallway windows, laying warm stripes over the dusty steps.
A short nap wouldn't hurt… probably.
I let my head fall back against the wall, feeling the hard, cool surface pressing gently into my skill.
- - -
*SLAP!*
My eyes flew open and pain blossomed across my cheek like firework sparks bursting under my skin. Lisha stood over me with a disgusted look on her face, a small pack of girls clustered behind her.
Great.
So much for quiet.
"Why—"
"Why'd I slap you? Take a wild guess," she sneered.
I bit my lip and pulled out my earbuds. My cheek throbbed. If I wanted to, I could've knocked her flat in about two seconds. But I didn't want trouble. I didn't want anything, honestly. Besides not being suspended, of course. Then I'd just be causing more trouble for Muqin…
So I stayed still.
"No answer? " Lisha said, planting a hand on her hip. Her long black air swished in its ponytail and she narrowed her brown eyes. The school-issued jacket hung loose around her shoulders. "Well, let's see. You hurt Guiying. And you definitely cheated on that test. So now it's my problem."
Guiying.
Of course. Of course it came back to her.
I pressed my nails into my trembling palm. Guilt unfurled inside my chest like rot. It was true that I hurt Guiying. I hurt her a lot. I didn't really feel anything when Lisha hit me, but… maybe I deserved this. I wasn't sure anymore.
*SLAP!*
My head snapped sideways again.
"You're not crawling back to her," Lisha said coldly. "Not happening."
…Trust me, I didn't want to be here either. I swallowed the urge to speak. My throat felt too tight anyway, clogged with a hot wash of shame and guilt. I just stared at the floor.
Then, something icy slid under my shirt.
I jolted violently, a strangled gasp tearing out of me as liquid shock raced down my spine. A melting ice cube skated along my skin, followed by the sticky splash of cold orange soda. It soaked into my shirt and skirt, clinging heavy and wet to my legs.
Lisha held an empty cup, smirking.
One of her friends giggled and lifted her phone.
Humiliation crashed over me as my shirt clung translucent to my skin.
…At least I had a blazer on. My bare legs prickled in the cool air.
"Yunhua!"
I jolted. Yue strode towards us, a half-wrapped jianbing[1] in her hands. My bare legs shivered as the soda trickled down my skirt. My shirt was practically transparent now—
Oh no.
My choker.
My hand immediately shot up to my throat, but it was too late.
Lisha's grin sharpened, seeing the strap under my now translucent shirt. "You're a real dog, huh. You even wear a collar."
My chest hollowed out and I lowered my gaze to the floor, cheeks burning. Maybe I did deserve this. Maybe this was just… for everything with Guiying. I forced myself upright, pushing past Yue without looking up.
Suddenly, I felt a hand close around my wrist. I looked back to see Yue, her cherry-red eyes suddenly gleaming. They were no longer cheery and had darkened like wine left too long in a glass.
They were wide as she took in my soaked uniform, and the bruise on my cheek. Her smile had been completely wiped off of her face.
"Yunhua," she said quietly, "what happened to your face?"
I touched my cheek lightly. "...I walked into a door."
Yue's expression tightened and the jianbing sagged in her other hand.
"And why are you soaked?"
"...Cleaning bucket."
Yue's gaze slid toward the group at the top of the stairs. Lisha and her friends didn't even try to look innocent.
Yue froze, and her voice suddenly dropped into a growl as pressure shifted in the air, heavy and taut like a storm cloud materializing in the too-small room.
"Explain yourself, Lisha."
"Don't bother with her, prez. Stay out of this—"
"That," Yue growled, "Was not what I asked." Her eyes narrowed into dangerous, crimson slits. "What did you do to Yunhua?"
Her fingers tightened ever so slightly around my wrist.
[1] 煎饼 (CN) - Savoury chinese crepe.