One liked Chloe. The other liked Chloe too. I went to Chloe, crying, and asked if she could spare one for me. But Chloe just scoffed. "Why are you crying over two rotten pickles? I’ve arranged a new playmate for you." I finally understood why they liked Chloe. Because Chloe was generous. She gave me her twin brother. Chloe’s brother was just like her—impressive and good at everything. So, I stopped crying asking Carter why he bailed on me. I stopped pestering Mason to talk to me. But they panicked. When they couldn't block me, they turned around to trouble Chloe. "You manipulative witch, take your robot brother and get the hell away from us!" 1. When I got to Carter's house, he was frowning at his phone, typing a message. A wall of green text bubbles. The other side hadn't replied once. "Carter, are you still going to be my model?" I felt a little wronged. "Mason bailed on me again." Carter instinctively flipped his phone face down, then stood up abruptly. "Mason isn't home?" I was startled by his reaction. "Yeah, Mason said he had something to do..." Before I could finish, Carter stood up, gritting his teeth. "Damn it. I was wondering why Chloe wasn't replying to me today. Someone cut in line." I rubbed my nose and asked again. "So Mason went to find Chloe again? Then can you..." Before I could finish, Carter had already grabbed his jacket and was heading out. "Be a good girl, Lily. Play by yourself. I have to go out." Watching Carter’s back, I felt a little sad. I knew. He was going to find Chloe too. Chloe was the new transfer student who arrived last week. She was unreasonably pretty. The day she and her brother stepped into class, the room erupted in cheers. From the boys, and from the girls. During breaks, the boys surrounded Chloe’s desk, chattering endlessly. The girls surrounded her brother. Carter and Mason were among those boys. Walking home together that day, Carter asked Mason, "What do you think of the new girl?" "She's okay. Not as cute as our Lily." Carter nodded and reached out to pat my head. "True. She's beautiful, but too aggressive." The two looked at each other, then suddenly fell silent. From that day on, they became weird. They were always disappearing. I saw Mason buying breakfast for Chloe. And Carter doing Chloe’s cleaning duty so she could leave early. Mason had sneered, muttering under his breath, "What a fake. Acting like he doesn't like her." Oh. So they were lying. They weren't any different from the other boys. They both liked Chloe. With no one to model for me, I went home and slept all afternoon. When I woke up, my mom asked me to drop something off for Carter’s mom. I hugged the package and walked to Carter’s house, only to hear arguing. Carter was shouting. "Are you a dog? She ignores everyone, yet you keep pestering Chloe. You even bailed on Lily for this. Do you know how sad she was today?" Mason sounded exasperated. "Then why didn't you stay with her? You ran over here to cause trouble too. You’re half responsible for Lily being like this." Carter exploded. "Is that something a human says? You didn't object back then either!" Listening to their argument, my tears fell pitter-patter to the ground. I knew. They were talking about my brain. Years ago, Carter and Mason didn't want to play with me. They said I was a crybaby, delicate, and they didn't play with girls. Until we were seven. They found a high wall behind the school. There was a bird's nest on top. It was too high. Carter suggested that since I was the lightest, I should ride on Mason’s shoulders to climb up. Then, I’d pull them up. 2. I climbed up and reached down. Before I could touch them, my foot slipped, and I fell. It was high. It hurt. There was a lot of blood. Mason carried me on his back, crying as he ran. Carter, face pale as a sheet, ran alongside, holding the wound on my head. When I woke up, my reactions were a beat slower than everyone else’s. Mason and Carter seemed to grow up overnight. Like two knights, they protected me twenty-four-seven, treating me like fragile glass. I thought the three of us would be like this forever. I stood at the door, eyes red. The door suddenly opened. Mason froze. His face, flushed from arguing, turned white the instant he saw me. "Lily, when did you get here?" Carter followed behind, clearly panicked too. "Don't cry. Mason and I were just messing around. Did you want us to model? It's too late to draw now, how about tomorrow?" Mason pursed his lips, looking at me, and carefully reached out to wipe my tears. "Okay." I nodded, and the two of them instantly relaxed. The next day at school, I secretly watched Chloe. She really was pretty. With her high ponytail, she walked like a proud little peacock. Almost everywhere she went, everyone’s eyes followed. I felt even sadder. Mason disappeared again this morning. Carter looked grumpy, but he still carried my backpack for me. On the way, his expression was dark, so I didn't dare speak. Since Chloe appeared, the three of us couldn't walk home laughing and playing like before. I should hate Chloe. But looking at her, I couldn't hate her at all. So I wanted to cry even more. The girl was talking to someone next to her, but when she turned and saw my red eyes, she froze. I quickly looked down, but a tissue appeared in front of me. Chloe frowned at me. "Why are you crying? Pretty eyes like yours get ugly when they swell up." I wanted to cry even harder. Why was she so nice?! How could I hate her now? I took the tissue and couldn't help looking up at her. Another hand extended from the side. Unlike Chloe’s slender one, this one was larger, broader. I wiped my red eyes and looked over. Chloe’s family had great genes. The girl was beautiful; the boy was beautiful too, but with a cold, sharp edge. Lethally handsome. Sitting in his palm was a candy. Chloe had just given it to him. He wasn't interested, so he handed it to me. I took it. Trying to be polite, I spoke up. "Thank you, Chloe." Then I looked at the boy. My brain stalled, and I couldn't remember his name. Chloe’s brother... so, brother. "Thank you, brother." The boy’s figure stiffened instantly. His expression looked unnatural, and when he turned his head away, the tips of his ears turned red. Chloe looked at me, then at her brother, and suddenly burst out laughing. "Asher, first time meeting a soft girl, huh..." She was dragged away by her brother. Asher. I sighed. Not only was Chloe’s name pretty, but her brother’s name was nice too. After school, Carter and Mason were there, but halfway home, they both disappeared again. I knew. They went to find Chloe. But... didn't they promise to model for me today? Walking the rest of the way home alone, I suddenly worked up the courage. I took out my phone and added Chloe on social media from the class group chat. I thought, she seems easy to talk to. maybe she would agree to my request. I wanted to ask her to share one of the childhood friends with me. Carter or Mason, either was fine. I just needed one person to keep me company. It was my first time walking home alone. I was scared. 3. Chloe said she would talk to me properly at school tomorrow. I was a little nervous. But the next day, I went to find her as requested. Chloe was sitting on her brother’s desk, legs crossed. Asher was frowning, clearly annoyed by her. "Asher, you better not look at me like that, or don't blame me if I don't help you later..." Before she finished, she waved at me excitedly. I walked over, my face a bit hot. Chloe said: "You cried in bed again last night, didn't you?" Hesitantly, I nodded. Chloe said: "Why cry over two rotten pickles? If I can hook them today, someone else can hook them tomorrow. If I were you, I wouldn't want either of them." I felt she made sense, but I stayed silent. Chloe’s eyes darted around mischievously. Suddenly, she reached out and lifted her brother’s chin. Asher frowned deeper, raising a hand to swat hers away. But Chloe spoke first. "Since you’re lonely, I got you a new playmate." "I'm giving my brother to you to play with. How about it? I guarantee, he's better than those two put together." My eyes went wide. Chloe was so generous! I finally knew why Mason and Carter liked her. Pretty, cute, and generous. If I were a boy, I’d like Chloe too. She was actually giving me her brother! Asher froze too. His hand paused in mid-air, and then his face got redder and redder. "Chloe! Stop messing around!" "Can I?" Asher and I spoke at the same time. The air went quiet. Chloe held back a laugh, walked over, and pinched my cheek. "Of course you can. Right, bro?" I heard Asher’s shout earlier. He sounded fierce. I was a little scared. "Maybe not? Is your brother unwilling?" Under Chloe’s teasing gaze, Asher’s face burned. Then, he coughed lightly. "Willing." Chloe leaned on my shoulder, shaking with laughter. I thought she smelled nice, and her laugh was cute. But her brother’s face seemed to get darker. After school, Mason and Carter ran off again. I silently packed my bag, but a shadow suddenly appeared in front of me. I looked up. Asher was standing quietly beside me. "Packed?" I nodded. He picked up my backpack and slung it over his own shoulder. Asher was taller than Mason and Carter, his shoulders broader. My small backpack hanging off his side looked kind of cute. I followed silently behind him. We walked in single file, not speaking. Passing the snack stand at the back gate, looking at the hot pear tea, I licked my lips. "Want some?" I suspected Asher had eyes in the back of his head. He turned back and bought a cup. Holding the warm pear tea, I peeked at Asher. He wasn't that scary. He even bought me tea. He was a good person. After that, whatever my eyes landed on, Asher bought. By the end, my hands were full. Suddenly, my hands were empty. Asher took more than half the stuff. "What do you want to eat most?" I pointed at the candy apple. He put it in my hand. "Okay. Finish that, then eat the second one." Just like that, I walked home with a round belly. Asher handed me my backpack. I felt a little embarrassed. "I'll pick you up tomorrow." With that sentence, he left. Mason pushed open the door from my house, looking a bit grim. "Why are you back so late? I went to pick you up but didn't see anyone. You didn't take our shortcut?" Because I was eating too much, Asher was afraid I wouldn't have enough time, so we took the longer route. I nodded. Mason sighed. "I'll keep you company tomorrow. I didn't know Carter ran off today too." I didn't speak. 4. Early the next morning, as soon as I stepped out, I saw Asher. He stood there quietly. I didn't know how long he’d been waiting. I looked at Mason’s house. He said he’d accompany me yesterday, but I was afraid he wouldn't be there again, so I left with Asher. Compared to yesterday, I wasn't afraid of Asher at all today. I couldn't help whispering to him about the TV drama I watched last night. Asher’s face remained cool, but surprisingly, he talked quite a bit. He listened for a few sentences, then softly agreed with me. "Really? That's terrible." "Really? That's great." "Yeah, I won't watch that actor's shows anymore either." I talked more and more happily until we entered the classroom and I realized how fast time had flown. Asher put my bag on my desk and whispered a reminder. "Remember to find me if you need anything." Chloe’s teasing voice sounded from behind. "Asher, you left before dawn. Where did you go?" Asher ignored her and went back to his seat. My eyes widened. Did Asher wait at my door before the sun even came up? During a long break, I looked at a math problem on my test paper and wanted to ask Carter. Carter was good at math. I always asked him. So I walked over and handed him the paper. Carter chuckled lightly. "This is simple. Sit down, I'll explain it." Before I could sit, Chloe appeared. She smiled sweetly. "Carter, my earring just fell on the playground. Can you help me find it?" Carter’s face turned red instantly. "Ah? Sure... sure." He followed Chloe like he’d lost his soul. I stood there, at a loss. "Bring it here. I'll help you." Asher’s voice sounded behind me. I turned around, startled. He was amazing. He wrote out three different ways to solve it in an instant. "Didn't I tell you? Ask me if you don't understand something." He handed the paper back to me, looking a bit resigned. I picked at my fingers. "I was afraid of bothering you." He placed his hand on the desk and tapped lightly. It sounded nice. "Didn't Chloe tell you? I'm the one she compensated you with..." I blinked. The tips of his ears were red again. "Playmate." "Don't feel like a burden. You can find me for anything." Then, he quickly lowered his head and wrote out a fourth solution. I was dumbfounded. "You're so smart!" Smarter than Carter and Mason combined. Asher’s ears turned even redder. "What are you guys doing? Lily, do you even know him? Why are you sitting next to him?" A stern question rang out. I looked up and saw Mason standing nearby. He had clearly just returned from the restroom, glaring death at me and Asher.
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