I was late for school and forced to stand in the hallway as punishment. The school's notorious bad boy, seeing my predicament, wouldn't stop pestering me for my name. Thinking quickly, I gave him the name of the school's top scholar instead. The bad boy looked thoughtful. During Monday's assembly, while reading his "reflection essay" for past misdeeds, the bad boy added a line at the end: "Julian Ji, I liked you the moment I saw you. I want the whole school to know, you belong to me!" Amidst the screaming crowd, I clapped until my hands were red: "Love is love! I support it!" 1 I knew the guy running around on stage shouting into the microphone. It was Jax Zhou, the school bully. Bleached hair, ears full of piercings, uniform worn like a rag—the school's famous delinquent. I knew the person he was confessing to even better. My deskmate, Julian Ji. Already accepted into a top university, he transferred to our mediocre high school for the last three months just to "experience life." Both of them got called to the principal's office. The principal is such a dinosaur. It's the 21st century; a little bromance between boys is totally normal. 2 While squatting in the bathroom, I overheard two girls discussing today's drama. "Who do you think is the top and who's the bottom?" "I prefer the pretty boy top." "You think Julian is the top? But Jax is taller, and he's not ugly either." "Sigh, you don't get it. Listen..." Their voices dropped to a whisper. I pressed my ear against the stall wall but couldn't hear a thing. Classmates, what are you "getting"? Let me get it too! Speaking of Jax, I only put a face to the name a few days ago. Our school is famous for being chaotic. Fights, dating, skipping class—it's all fair game. Being late usually meant sneaking in. But Jax, after getting caught himself, yelled, "Teacher! That late kid is trying to sneak in!" Resulting in me standing in the hallway as punishment. As he left, he grabbed my arm. "Hey, what's your name?" He looked like he wouldn't let go until I answered. Annoyed, I blurted out, "I'm Julian Ji, okay!" Jax seemed to chew on the name. I shook him off and ran. He shouted from behind, "Hey—Julian Ji! You didn't tell me your class number!" Thinking back, my heart skipped a beat. This mess won't come back to bite me, right? 3 The teacher called me to the office to give me this month's financial aid. Three years ago, despite having scores good enough for the top high school in the city, I came to this bottom-tier school. I had no choice; they offered too much money. Back in the classroom, Julian was already in his seat. He looked calm and elegant, an air of nobility about him. Julian and I were sort of childhood friends. He grew up in a detached villa. I grew up in the maid's quarters next to the villa. But kids play together regardless of status. Later, my grandma retired due to illness, and we moved to a cheap urban village. I hadn't seen Julian since. Until this winter break, while I was busy working at a restaurant. A hesitant voice came from behind. "Stella He?" I turned around. A life-sized Julian was smiling at me. "It really is you." Then, he transferred to our school. Said he wanted to "experience life." I didn't know what was so great about this life. This school was leagues below the top one. Thinking of this, I vaguely remembered that Jax's family invested in this school. Just so Jax could have a proper high school diploma before going abroad. Julian threw a stack of workbooks at me, saying casually, "Bought too many. Don't throw them away." I accepted them with tears in my eyes. I really want to fight these rich people. 4 The school beauty, Chloe Chu, sat in front of us. She had wavy hair, cute cat eyes, and delicate hands with colorful manicures. But her mouth was venomous: "Stella, what's the point of studying so hard? You'll just end up working for me anyway." Her family was in real estate. I chewed on my pen cap, pretending not to hear. Julian coldly pushed her hand off his desk. "Dirty." Chloe had publicly confessed to Julian and been rejected. It was ugly. Now she had ammunition to mock him. "So the young master doesn't like me because he likes men." Julian was unfazed, treating her like air, continuing to explain a math problem to me. Chloe scoffed. "Nouveau riche and cold-blooded capitalist. Birds of a feather. Hope you live happily ever after." I stopped Chloe, kindly reminding her, "Your family is nouveau riche too, but nobody wants you." When Jax entered the classroom, Chloe was screeching, ready to slap me. He quickly blocked her sharp nails. "What are you doing? School rules say no fighting!" Funny coming from him. Considering his assembly speech was an apology for fighting street thugs. Facing two six-foot guys, Chloe slunk away resentfully. Julian glared immediately. "You again." Jax didn't look happy either. "Why are you haunting me?" I quickly stepped between them. "Calm down, calm down! Life is hard for everyone!" 5 The two of them fought in the principal's office. Tacitly avoiding each other's faces. Jax rolled up his sleeve pitifully. "Look, he bruised me." "It's all your fault for giving a fake name. You have to take responsibility." Julian chuckled. "I didn't hit you there. Stop faking it." Seeing another argument brewing, I felt a headache coming on. I apologized to Jax first. "Sorry for lying the other day." Then to Julian. "Sorry for ruining your reputation." They said in unison, "Not your fault! It's his fault!" Fine. Jax moved his desk behind mine and refused to leave. Claiming he needed to be influenced by top students. The principal couldn't do anything, and the class went wild with screams. I won't say who's shipping who. I'm shipping them too. After school, I couldn't shake Jax off. I sighed. "Jax, where are you following me to?" He can't follow me to wash dishes. Jax blushed. "Even though I got the name wrong today, I actually like you." I spoke righteously. "We're in the critical period of senior year. I won't date." To make him give up, I added a strong dose. "And you're not my type." Jax got anxious. "What's your type?" I looked him up and down, implying the opposite. "I like guys who study well, have black hair, and are serious." The exact opposite of Jax. But he seemed happy. Dropping a "See you tomorrow," he ran off faster than a rabbit. I quickly forgot about it. Pushing open the familiar restaurant door, I called out sweetly, "I'm here, Auntie." Auntie poked her head out from the kitchen. "Stella, rest a bit after school." I tied up my hair and dove into the kitchen to wash dishes. "It's okay, Auntie. You pay me, not for resting." Auntie sounded worried. "Two jobs a day... don't ruin your health." I smiled like a flower. "It's fine, I'm not tired!" 6 When the teacher announced study groups, Julian wasn't there. I put both our names down. Jax held my pen down, looking pitiful. "No one wants me. Can you help me study?" Jax had transformed. Blonde hair dyed back to black. Ear piercings gone. Shirt buttoned to the top, even added glasses. Looked like a total model student. I hesitated. Julian and Jax didn't get along. And I needed Julian's help with my studies. So I rejected him firmly. Jax's eyes reddened instantly. "My parents never cared about me. Home is cold, so I play outside. At least people talk to me there." "Now they want to dump me abroad. I really want to study hard and show them I'm not useless..." I was raised by my grandma. Parents were a sore spot for me. Jax spoke with such emotion, eyes misty. Finally, carried away by emotion, he said sincerely, "I can pay you five thousand a month for tutoring." I grabbed his hand immediately. "Jax, it's not about the money." "Your story moved me. I won't give up on any student who wants to improve!" "By the way, you can just transfer the fee to me!" Jax sniffled and smiled. "Then accept my friend request first, Teacher Stella."
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