13
First day of senior year.
Brrrrrr Brrrrrr Brrrrrr
The alarm clock rang incessantly, waking up an extremely irritable Chen Xia.
In a terribly sleepy and moody state Chen Xia roughly washed up and threw on his uniform carelessly.
He went down the stairs with each step heavier than the last until he finally arrived at the dining room.
Mr. and Mrs. Chen were already sitting in their 'designated' seatssipping coffee out of matching mugs.
On the table were a couple light dishes fit for breakfast.
"Hi mom, hi dad," Chen Xia said as he sat down at the table.
"Good morning, son!" Mr. Chen greeted warmly. "Excited for school?"
"Um, sure." Chen Xia in truth felt quite numb, as if it were just another day. He truly couldn't say he was very excited at all, but neither could he say he was overly sad either.
"Oh, come on, Xiaxia, you promised to try and enjoy it at least a little, right?" Mrs. Chen reminded with a smile. "Being a bit more optimistic is a huge part of that you know?"
"Yeah, I guess," Chen Xia replied dryly. He knew his parents meant well; he simply just wasn't able to bring himself to look forward to the coming days.
"I'm sure it'll be great." Mrs. Chen said meaningfully.
"Thanks, mom, I really do hope so."
After breakfast Chen Xia went outside to get his bike. He had received this bike on his most recent birthday as a gift from his parents. He cherished this bike a lot since the high school building was a bit far for walking, but a perfect distance for biking.
He also cherished this bike because of the feeling he got while riding it. The wind that blew in his face was extremely calming, which was helpful in pacifying his turbulent emotions.
As such, by the time he reached the school building, Chen Xia felt quite a bit less anxious than he had when he left home.
He parked his bike and walked inside.
He followed a thin stream of chattering students down the hallway to the farthest classroom that was designated for the seniors ofthe school.
Entering the classroom, Chen Xia's body brought him to the back row of desks. He moved towards the desks by the window; a position similar to where he had sat in each classroom throughout his years of schooling.
The teacher probably doesn't care where we sit again… I'll just sit where I always sit.
Chen Xia set his bag down by the second desk from the window in the back row, pulled out the chair, and slumped into it.
Man, I'm sleepy.
Chen Xia looked at the clock. It's still a bit early…
He put his head down and soon fell asleep.
"Good morning, class!"
Chen Xia awoke to the voice of the teacher. He raised his head in time to respond with the rest of the class.
"Good morning, teacher," the students replied in unison in a tone that clearly lacked energy.
"I hope you're excited for your senior year! It's the last year of high school, but please continue to put in your best effort." The teacher smiled at the students despite their low attitudes.
As the teacher talked on, Chen Xia put his head back down and looked towards the window.
It's always the same… ugh this year is going to be terrible.
At lunchtime Chen Xia sat down at a table in a corner of the cafeteria. He picked at his food; he didn't have much of an appetite.
Suddenly his ears picked up on the conversation of the girls sitting a table over.
"Did you hear? There's a rumor going around that says there's gonna be a new student!"
"What? Really? That's a big deal! There's like never new students here…"
"Yeah… If it's a guy I hope they're attractive!"
"Why is that the first thing you think of? Haha!"
The girls all began to giggle.
A new student?
Chen Xia stopped listening and began to eat his food on autopilot.
After lunch the students returned to their classroom.
The combination of having eaten a meal and having heard the spreading rumors caused many students to begin conversing feverously amongst each other.
Only when the teacher walked in did the commotion die down.
"Hello class, hopefully you all enjoyed your lunches." The teacher paused and looked at the students. "Before we begin class, I have an announcement to make."
The teacher motioned towards the door, and a figure walked in. They had a pretty average height, dark, medium-length hair, a lean build with square shoulders, and gave off an air of androgyny.
Chen Xia quickly realized that this was the person hehad seen in the flower shop. However, this time, Chen Xia could see their face.
"We have a new student joining us today! Well, sort of new. He was finishing up some stuff with the office this morning, so he was unable to attend class earlier. Would you like to introduce yourself?"
The new student looked at the class and began to speak.
"Um, hi everyone… I don't know if you remember me or not, but I'm Yang Qiu."
The class broke out in whispers.
"WHAT?!" Chen Xia suddenly stood up, unable to hide his shock.
The entire class turned to look at him.
"Chen Xia, is there a problem?" the teacher asked, a disapproving look on his face.
"Uh…" Chen Xia's face turned red from embarrassment. "Um, no, sorry." Chen Xia quickly sat down and lowered his head.
"Well, Yang Qiu, you can choose any open seat in the classroom. Class, please welcome him back kindly!" The teacher smiled at Yang Qiu and motioned for him to choose a seat. "Now then, let us begin our lesson."
The teacher started his lecture, but Chen Xia did not hear any of it.
He looked up as Yang Qiu approached him, feeling as if everything were happening in slow motion.
Yang Qiu smiled shyly at Chen Xia and sat down at the desk by the window, the one right next to Chen Xia, the same place he sat relative to Chen Xia each year they were in school together.
"Xiaxia… Long time no see," Yang Qiu whispered with a shy smile.
Chen Xia stared at Yang Qiu. He didn't know what to say. He didn't know what to do.
"I-is this real? Am I… dreaming?" Chen Xia rubbed his eyes and shook his head.
"Uh, surprise!" Yang Qiu smiled, feeling a bit awkward.
"Huh?" Chen Xia was still in a state of stupefaction.
Suddenly the teacher cleared his throat.
"Chen Xia, I know Yang Qiu has just returned, but please refrain from talking during my lesson. Thank you." The teacher shot a look at the two boys then continued his lesson.
Embarrassed and confused, Chen Xia lowered his head and rubbed his eyes with his palms.
What is happening right now...