+ Li Hua looked around nervously at the many foreign faces of those in the room. She could hear and feel her heartbeat, thumping at such a rapid speed, that she thought it would burst in any second. She felt as though she was lost, desperately searching for something that was familiar to her. Her eyes darted around, absorbing the new surroundings. Li Hua’s POV~ This is soooo not fair. I could’ve been back at Stoneford High, surrounded by friends and other familiar faces, but instead, I have to be the new exchange student at friggin Valley High. I sighed sadly and tapped my fingers on my desk, an unbreakable habit of mine which I do when I am either bored or upset. I’m going to be a loner or something…nobody’s going to want to be friends with me…and I’ll get lost on the way to every single one of my seven classes, just watch…and- “Hey, I’m Hou Cheng. What’s your name?” It took me a while before I finally realized that the boy was talking to me. “I’m…Li…Hua…Huang Li Hua,” I said, looking down with little confidence. Ha! I’m so nervous that I couldn’t even say my name for a minute there! I looked up at the guy who had introduced himself as Hou Cheng, and was startled for a moment. He’s cute! “So you’re new here, huh?” Cheng questioned. His eyes are such a deep, entrancing brown…Snap out of it, Li Hua. Answer the guy’s question. “Yeah, I just got transferred from Stoneford High…” I replied nervously. The name of my old school was foreign to my tongue. I hadn’t said it in the longest time, because I had tried to avoid reminding myself of my old school. Suddenly I got this empty feeling in my stomach. Stoneford High was a part of me, and I a part of it. “Oh, cool! I have a couple of friends that go to Stoneford,” Cheng said with a smile. My heart skipped a beat. That smile of his is irresistable. Any girl back at Stoneford would be soooo jealous of me right now. I couldn’t help smiling. “Oh, really? Who?” I asked him, unable to contain my curiosity. “Pang Xion and Chi Mi Lan...they’re good buddies of mine,” he replied cooly. Oh my gosh…he’s kidding. He’s got to be kidding. Pang Xion and Chi Mi Lan were both soooo popular at Stoneford. I remembered vaguely the day I got a fainting spell from the heat, which I get every once in a while, and Pang Xion brought me to the office…according to my friends, at least. I wish I had been conscious…haha. So Cheng must be one of those popular guys…one of those guys that is every girl’s dream guy…Wow, and just think…I’m talking to him right now! ^-^ “After this class, you wanna meet some of my buddies? I know it’s hard to be new…” Cheng said in an understanding voice. Awww…he’s so sweet. Just look at that face. How could anyone possibly resist? “Okay then…thanks for understanding.” I said with a smile. Maybe a new school won’t be so bad after all… “Sure, anytime,” Cheng said with what seemed to be…relief? Cheng’s POV~ Li Hua… From the moment she walked into the classroom, I knew. Who says there’s no such thing as love at first sight? Ever since she said “I’m…Li…Hua…Huang Li Hua,” I knew for sure that she was different from the other girls. Don’t ask me how. I just knew. It was the strangest feeling…I can’t think of how to describe it. I feel light headed, and every step feels light too. It feels as though I am having a dream, and am walking in midair. She’s still sitting at the seat next to me, at this very moment. I can’t help but turn my head to look at her. She’s so beautiful… She must’ve sensed my gaze, because she turned to look at me, with a questioning look on her face. I immediately snapped out of it, and turned my head, pretending to be listening intensely to what the teacher was saying. Li Hua’s POV~ After first period ended, Cheng led me to a group of guys. “Hey, everyone, this is Li Hua. She’s new here…just transferred from Stoneford. Li Hua, these are my buddies…Chang Jun Fai…” Cheng gestured towards one of the guys. “Nice to meet you,” smiled the tall figure who stood up to greet me. He had such a friendly face that you’d just have to smile if you saw him. “Meng Jie Guang…” Cheng continued. “Hey there, cutie! Don’t call me Meng Jie Guang…go ahead and call me honey.” Jie Guang said cheerfully, with a lopsided grin. I opened her mouth for a moment, then shut it, unable to think of something to say. Umm…what am I supposed to say to that? Cheng looked at me, and said with a laugh, “That wasn’t necessary, Jie Guang. Don’t scare her like that!” I managed to smile, not knowing until now that Jie Guang had only been joking. Then he concluded, “And Wen Le Liang…” I looked into the pair of cold brown eyes, filled with loneliness and emptiness. His glare sent shivers down my spine, and I felt discomforted by the sudden silence. “Hi…” I managed to say in an unsteady voice. When I got no answer, I looked away, unable to look into the unhappy eyes any longer. Le Liang frowned, then turned to his friends. “Don’t you think we should be getting to class now…?” “You guys go on ahead. I’ll catch up with you later,” Cheng told them. When they were out of sight, I started, “What…what did I do that made Le Liang-” “It’s not you. Le Liang just happens to have an issue with some girls he meets…from a past experience he’s had,” Cheng interrupted. “Don’t worry, just give it some time, and before long he’ll get used to you. Then it’ll be easier for the two of you to talk,” he quickly added. “He’s just naturally against girls that resemble-” he stopped suddenly, and didn’t finish his sentence. “Oh…” I said quietly. Certain girls? What makes me different from any other? As hard as I tried, I could not get the image of Le Liang’s dark, cold eyes out of my head. “I guess I’ll see you at lunch. Don’t want to be late for 2nd period,” Cheng said with a smile, and the two of us took our separate ways. Le Liang’s POV~ What the…is it even possible for two people to look so much alike? My breathing quickened, and my heart raced. It couldn’t have been her. It couldn’t be. Le Liang...listen to yourself, it’s ridiculous. You’re supposed to be over it. It’s been five months already. What are you doing, reminding yourself of her like this… *flashback* “Le Liang…we have to talk,” Jia Ling said quietly, her usual bright, lively eyes now completely serious. “Sure…what do you want to talk about,” Le Liang said, noticing that Jia Ling wasn’t her usual self. “Look, a shooting star! I wish for…” he turned to Jia Ling. “ I wish that we will be together forever. I wish that nothing will ever tear us apart.” Jia Ling bit her lip. “Le Liang, I… I wanted to talk about… I wanted to talk about us.” “My favorite subject,” Le Liang said with a smile. “Now what is it about us that you want to talk abou-“ “No, stop it. Le Liang, stop it,” Jia Ling said angrily. “What’s wrong…” “Us…it’s just…it’s not working out,” Jia Ling said abruptly. “What do you mean…there’s nothing that-“ Le Liang started. “Don’t you understand, Le Liang? I met…I met a guy. He’s the best thing that’s ever happened to me…I just…I want to break up,” her eyes were expressionless, without evidence of relief or sadness. “ I have never loved you before, and I never will.” *end of flashback* This Li Hua…just looking at her makes me ache all over. Why must she look so much like Jia Ling? Why must she look like the one who broke my heart…Why… Li Hua’s POV~ I followed the flow of students into my next class. I chose the nearest vacant seat and sat down. A cheery looking girl with long hair was sitting at the desk next to me. I noticed that the girl studied me for a moment, then said, “Hi, are you the new student from Stoneford?” “Yeah, that’s me. I’m Huang Li Hua.” “Nice to meet you, Li Hua. I’m So Xue Fang,” the long-haired girl smiled. “So you must be the girl who people are talking about.” What?! I was stunned. “People are talking about me?” “People all over school are talking about you. It seems that Hou Cheng is very fond of you,” Xue Fang told her. “Haha…oh, is that all? Everyone’s talking about me merely because I talked to Cheng and he introduced me to his friends…” I said in complete disbelief. Xue Fang’s mouth fell open in shock. “You talked to his friends too?” “Well, yeah. But I wouldn’t say Cheng or his friends are fond of me. They’re just trying to help me adjust to Valley High.” I don’t get what the big deal is… Xue Fang shook her head. “You don’t understand. I would do ANYTHING to even TALK to any of them! Only those snotty stuck up girls talk to Cheng, Jun Fai, Jie Guang, and Le Liang.” So I’m snotty and stuck up, huh? Oh great… I couldn’t help but smile though. Wow…most girls have never talked to them before, and here I am, talking to them all on my first day here! But then I thought of something. “Hey, Xue Fang, how would you like to meet all of them at lunch?” Xue Fang’s eyes widened. “Can…can I really?” Three other periods dragged on, and lunch finally came. I scanned the cafeteria tables. “Hmmm…I don’t see any of them…” Xue Fang took my arm and pulled me away. “They usually eat outside.” Sure enough, outside under the shade of a tree, sat Cheng, Jun Fai, Jie Guang, and Le Liang. “Li Hua! Over here!” Jie Guang shouted to me. Cheng and Jun Fai looked up and waved, but Le Liang went right on eating. “Hi…this is my friend. Would you mind if she ate with us?” I said. Surely they wouldn’t mind eating with another girl. “Of course not. Cuties are ALWAYS welcome,” Jie Guang said playfully. “*sigh* Don’t get Jie Guang started again,” Jun Fai rolled his eyes. “Xue Fang, come sit over here,” Jun Fai told her, motioning for her to sit next to him. “How…how’d you know my name…” Xue Fang inquired. “Yeah…Li Hua said she was a friend of hers, but didn’t say her name…how DO you know her name,” Cheng asked Jun Fai, smiling knowingly. “I…well…I just…knew,” Jun Fai said nervously. He gave Cheng a look as if to say ‘you know perfectly well why I know it.’ Xue Fang smiled as she sat down next to Jun Fai. “If you say so,” she told him. I turned to Xue Fang. “Can I talk to you for a second?” “Sure,” Xue Fang said, and I dragged her to a spot earshot of the guys. “Soooo…what’s this with Jun Fai?” I asked my new friend. “Jun Fai?” Xue Fang looked at a spot in the sky with a dreamy look on her face. “Nothing, really.” I knew she was lying to me, and sighed. “Yeah right.” Xue Fang smiled. “At least not yet. I’ll be sure to tell you if anything happens.” We laughed, and walked back to the tree. Le Liang was talking rapidly to the other guys, and they all looked like they were having a great time. I had never seen Le Liang smile before, and was a bit dazed and confused. “Oh, look. The cute ones are back,” Jie Guang commented. Le Liang looked up and our eyes met. He looked away, and stopped talking altogether. I’m going to make it so that Le Liang can actually smile and talk around me, I promised myself. I hate that he suddenly becomes cold and silent whenever I come. Suddenly the bell rang, and after quick goodbyes, everyone went to their 6 period classes. I trudged on to my P.E. class, which I had with Xue Fang and Le Liang. “My name is Mr. Chong, and I will your physical education teacher this year. Physical education is usually not seen or thought of as an important class, but maintaining a healthy body is essential to each and every person. You will be able to do most activities in groups of twos, which I have already chosen for you, so there will not be any problems. The groups go as follows…Men Chi Yon and Chu Ming Yue, Lu Ting Wan and Chiu On Ling, Huang Li Hua and Wen Le Liang…” I didn’t hear the rest. I didn’t even pay attention. Out of all of the people in my P.E. class, I had Le Liang as a partner! I didn’t know what to make of it, whether to be happy or upset. I looked across the gym at Le Liang. His eyes were colder and darker than before, if even possible. P.E. finally ended, and I was relieved to go to my last class of the day, science. I found that I have the same 7th period class as Le Liang and Jun Fai did. I looked at the students around me, who either had their heads down or stared at the ceiling, and knew that nobody was listening to Mrs. Chio’s boring lecture. All I heard her say was, “I require all of my students to do experiments outside of class as well. You will have to do at least one per week, and I will collect full reports every Monday.” After class, Jun Fai walked up to me. “Hey, Li Hua, you want to do an experiment together? I already have one in mind.” I thought he liked Xue Fang…arghhh…why are boys so unpredictable?’ I thought with frustration. “Ummmm…maybe…Xue Fang can come along too?” Jun Fai said abruptly. I laughed. “Okay, sure. I’ll bring Xue Fang along.” “Really?! I mean…okay, cool. Do you two have time today at 6:00?” “6:00 it is,” I agreed. We discussed that it would be at Jun Fai’s house. It was already fifteen minutes past the end of school, and all of the guys were outside waiting. Cheng seemed to be pacing back and forth worriedly. He looked up, and saw me and Jun Fai coming. “There you are! Are you okay Li Hua? What happened…” Cheng said in a breath. I was surprised to see Cheng so worried. “I’m fine. Jun Fai and I were just talking about this science thing. Sorry we kept you waiting,” I explained. Cheng sighed with relief. “It’s alright. As long as you’re okay.” Aww…what a cutie. He was so concerned about me! “Xue Fang left already. She said she had something to do at home,” Jie Guang commented. “Oh no…I don’t have her phone number…I forgot to ask for it…I guess she won’t be coming then,” I said, turning to Jun Fai. His face reddened. “it’s okay…I…er…I have her phone number.” I couldn’t help but smile. “Oh, can you give it to me? I need to write it down somewhere.” “Sure…it’s…(828) 764-9436,” he said, not even looking at a piece of paper. “You memorized it?” I asked in disbelief. “I…memorize a lot of people’s phone numbers,” Jun Fai said, trying to cover for himself. “Suuuure. The only numbers you have memorized are your own and Xue Fang’s,” Jie Guang said with a laugh. “Li Hua, you walking home?” Jun Fai said quickly, obviously trying to change the subject. “Yeah. What about you guys?” I answered. “We all walk home too. You’d better walk with us, Li Hua. It’s dangerous for a pretty girl to be walking home by herself,” Jie Guang said, grinning. After walking for about ten minutes of so, we arrived at Jie Guang and Jun Fai’s houses. (They are next door neighbors) “Take care, cutie. See ya tomorrow!” Jie Guang told me playfully as he went into his house. “6:00, Li Hua. Don’t forget to call Xue Fang,” Jun Fai said as he went into his. All that was left was me, Cheng, and Le Liang. Le Liang kept trying to talk to Cheng individually, probably trying to avoid me, and Cheng kindly tried to include me in conversation. We walked for another 10 minutes, when we reached Cheng’s house. I waited for him to say bye, but instead, he said, “I…have some extra time. I’ll just walk the two of you to your houses.” Le Liang shrugged, and said, “Okay, sure. It’d be nice to have someone to talk to.” I was enraged. Someone to talk to? I’m someone to talk to! *sigh* so he’s still not willing to talk to me… We kept walking for a couple of minutes. “Well, here’s my house. See you tomorrow, Cheng,” Le Liang said, as if I wasn’t even there. Cheng and I kept walking, in an uneasy silence, when Cheng spoke up. “I’m sorry…I told you, Le Liang just isn’t used to you quite yet.” “Yeah, I know. It’s alright,” I said quietly, and we arrived at my house. “Thanks for walking me home, Cheng,” I said when we reached my front porch. “Er…sure,” Cheng said, unsure of himself. “I guess I’ll see you tomorrow,” I said. “Yeah, tomorrow,” Cheng managed to say, and turned around to walk back to his house. Cheng’s POV~ What’s wrong with me…I should’ve said something else! I could’ve asked her out, or asked her how her day was, or…ugh. But no, I chose not to say anything. My brain and my heart freeze whenever I’m near her. I just don’t know what to say or do when she’s here… Li Hua’s POV~ 828, 764, 9013. *Rrrring rrrrring* “Hello?” Xue Fang’s voice came from the other end of the receiver. “Hey, Xue Fang! It’s me, Li Hua. You have Mrs. Chio for science, right?” I said excitedly. “Oh, hi! Yeah I have Chio…why ask?” “Jun Fai invited the two of us over to his house to do an experiment together for Mrs. Chio’s class.” “Oh my gosh, did he really?” Xue Fang asked in incredulity. “haha…yeah, he sure did,” I said, laughing. “It’s today at 6:00. Sorry we didn’t let you know earlier. You left early, so I didn’t get the chance to tell you.” “It’s all good,” she said, “Wait…you said 6:00? Oh no…what am I going to WEAR?!” Xue Fang exclaimed. “I have to go choose out an outfit. See you at six!” Xue Fang said excitedly. *click* Hmmm…Xue Fang cares a lot about what she’s going to wear today. I’d better make sure I look decent. I changed my clothes, then glanced at my reflection in my full-length mirror. My new pair of navy jeans went great with my brown top, which complimented my eyes and brown platforms. Quite decent, I thought to myself with a satisfying smile, then looked up at the clock. 5:40! I’d better hurry if I wanted to be able to walk and still get there on time. I rushed out of the house, and walked in the direction of Jun Fai’s. Along the way, I passed Le Liang’s house first. His house had the prettiest front yard. I hadn’t noticed it when I walked past it the first time. The flowerbeds blossomed with tulips, marigolds, and irises. They were so beautiful. I kept walking, and reached Cheng’s house in a couple of minutes. I stopped for a little bit, and heard the sound of a speedy, intricate song being played from a piano. It must be Cheng. Wow, I didn’t realize that he has a musical talent as well. I walked farther, and finally reached Jun Fai’s house. I walked up to the door and knocked four times. I don’t know, it’s just out of habit. I always knock on doors four times, for some reason. “I’ll get the door, Jun Fai,” I heard a voice say. The door opened, and there I was face to face with Le Liang. We were both taken aback for a moment. The two of us nearly jumped at the sight of each other. Le Liang’s POV~ Great…what is she doing here…oh no…don’t tell me Jun Fai invited her too. I looked at the ground. “What are you doing here…” I asked her dully. “I could ask you the same question...” she said simply, and just then, Jun Fai and Xue Fang arrived at the door. “Li Hua! You’re here!” Xue Fang said to Li Hua with a smile. Jun Fai also smiled at her. “Come on in,” he said. Arghhh…Can Jun Fai seriously not tell that I don’t want to be around this girl? How dare he invite Li Hua… We all went into the living room. Xue Fang and Jun Fai sat on one couch, and Li Hua and I sat on the other. Oh…great…I’m sitting next to her now. Well at least she’s not sitting across from me. Then I’d have to look at her. She looks so much like Jia Ling, I wouldn’t be able to stand that… And she’s so pretty… wait, what am I thinking? Anyways… At least I won’t have to talk to her one on one. Jun Fai and Xue Fang can keep her enough company so that she doesn’t bother me. But just then, Xue Fang got up and said she needed to use the restroom. Jun Fai stood up also, saying that he needed to get the science experiment stuff ready. Oh…this is just…ughhh…what rotten luck. Now we’re here in the living room all alone. She’s bound to talk to me. “Hey,” she said with a forced smile. See? I knew it. I knew she’d talk to me. I just frowned and looked away. “Long day today, huh?” she tried again. She shifted around, and I knew she was becoming uneasy. She has such beautiful eyes…Ahh…why do I keep thinking like this? Xue Fang and Jun Fai came in, looking around for something. “Has anybody seen a glass beaker? I was sure I bought it the other day…” Jun Fai said. “We’ve looked everywhere, never mind. Let’s just go to the school and borrow one from the science department. We can talk to the staff, they’re always still on campus at this time, and they’d be glad to help,” Xue Fang said, and before I knew it, she and Jun Fai had gone walking over to school. Now it’s just me and Li Hua again…this is just…arghhh… I yawned, tiredly. Today had been a long day, and I had slept too late the night before. Before I knew it, I had fallen asleep. The next thing I see is outrageous. I wake up to find myself leaning on Li Hua, who must have also dozed off. She’s so pretty when she’s sleeping…looks just like a sleeping angel. My heart skipped a beat, and my mind froze for a moment, just the way I was when around Jia Ling. Wait…what am I thinking? I suddenly realize that I had fallen asleep on her shoulder earlier. Ahhhhh! She may be a girl I’m trying to avoid, but she’s still a girl. I have NEVER had this happen to me before. I fell asleep on a girl’s shoulder…my gosh…if any of the guys saw this…Cheng, Jie Guang, Jun Fai- Oh no. Jun Fai…I glanced up, scared of what I would see. Yeah…it seems that luck has run out on me this whole day. Jun Fai and Xue Fang were sitting there on their couch, working on the science experiment. I could see them suppressing laughs, and I knew they were actually paying more attention to me and Li Hua than they were to the experiment. I didn’t know what to do, so I just got up and pretended nothing happened. “I must’ve dozed off,” I told them. Li Hua began to stir from her sleep. Li Hua’s POV~ Whoa…everyone’s here. I saw that Xue Fang, Jun Fai, and Le Liang were all working on the experiment. I must’ve fallen asleep. Well…today has been a tiring day, meeting all of my teachers, finding all of my classes, etc. Funny, I can’t remember dozing off like that…Suddenly, it hit me. *flashback of half an hour ago* “Hey,” I said, putting on a fake smile. Le Liang just frowned and turned away. “Long day today, huh?” I tried again. His silence started to make me feel uncomfortable again. Xue Fang and Jun Fai came in, apparently searching for something. “Has anybody seen a glass beaker? I was sure I bought it the other day…” Jun Fai said. “We’ve looked everywhere, never mind. Let’s just go to the school and borrow one from the science department. We can talk to the staff, they’re always still on campus at this time, and they’d be glad to help,” Xue Fang said, and she and Jun Fai had gone walking over to school. “Sooo…do you have a lot of homework today?” I asked, trying to start a conversation again. I heard only silence again, so I turned away to stare at a large landscape painting hanging on the wall. I knew I couldn’t use up time by staring at the painting forever, so I turned around to talk to Le Liang again. His eyes are closed, and he seemed to collapse on my shoulder. He’s tired, I thought with a smile. Sleeps like a baby. But then I realized that he was still leaning on my shoulder, so I tried to move. I couldn’t though. As hard as I tried, I couldn’t. He was too heavy. My gosh, what do these boys eat… *end of flashback* And that is all I remember. I must’ve dozed off a little while after that. *sigh* I’d better help the three of them work on the experiment. We worked on it for a while longer, then finally completed it. We wrote a complete report, then all went to the door to leave. “Thanks for inviting us to your house, Jun Fai. I’m glad we have that experiment over with,” I said with gratitude. “Yeah, thanks so much, Jun Fai…See you tomorrow,” Xue Fang said, smiling. “Thanks, man. It’s getting late. I gotta go,” Le Liang said to Jun Fai with a nod, and we all left. Xue Fang lived on the other side of the school, so she said goodbye to me and Le Liang, and walked off in the opposite direction. As for me and Le Liang, we walked towards our houses quietly. He’s so quiet. I wonder what he’s thinking about… From those eyes of his, I cant tell that he must’ve been hurt deeply. Not physical pain, but emotional… We continued to walk in complete silence. I slowed my pace as we walked by Cheng’s house, wondering if he was still practicing the piano. Le Liang looked at me with those cold eyes of his, and said flatly, “You like Cheng, don’t you.” “I…don’t know. Haven’t known any of you long enough,” I said quietly, surprised that he had asked me such a question. Really, I didn’t know. What DID I think of Cheng? He’s cute, he’s thoughtful, he’s sweet…but do I like him? Le Liang seemed to roll his eyes, and turned away. We finally reached his house, and he entered it without a word of goodbye. I walked home by myself, a little bit disappointed and upset that he still wouldn’t talk to me. Cheng’s POV~ When I got to school the next morning, a strange thing came over me. Suddenly I didn’t feel like looking for any of my friends. I had to find Li Hua. “Cheeeeeng…” Wang Min called to me sweetly. She held my arm and leaned on my shoulder, like she expected me to protect her or something. Frankly, I don’t give a care. “You didn’t talk to me at ALL yesterday!” she pouted, and continued,” I missed you so much.” Ugh…someone get her off of me. Another voice rang out. “THERE you are!” Chio Yang grabbed my other arm and held it tightly. “My Cheng…” she sighed contentedly. Normally I’d love it to have all of these girls slobbering over me, but today? It just filled me with disgust and irritation. Then I saw Li Hua. The feeling came over me again…I was floating in air once more. “Hey!” she said to me cheerily, but when she saw Wang Min and Chio Yang clinging to me, her voice softened, and her gaze dropped. One thing people must know about me… When I like a girl, I often make her jealous by talking to other girls and stuff. I don’t do it on purpose, honestly I don’t. It just happens…naturally. I’m not proud of myself for it…I think it’s really mean, but, seriously…it’s a faster way to get a girl. But that look on Li Hua’s face… I couldn’t believe that I had hurt her…it just pierced through me. I didn’t want her to be jealous. She’s not lke the others…how could I do such a thing… Li Hua’s POV~ Wait…what just happened? I feel really weird…the moment I saw Cheng with those girls…I just… gosh…am I jealous? No…that can’t be it…I guess I’m just disappointed in him. I was so relieved that Cheng wasn’t this type of person, but I guess I was wrong. “Li Hua! C’mere!” I heard Jie Guang’s voice call me. I couldn’t even look at Cheng, with those girls…I didn’t want to see it again, so I walked over to Jie Guang, without saying another word to Cheng. “How’d your little get together at Jun Fai’s house go yesterday?” he said with a mischievous grin. “Umm…it was okay, I guess,” I said. “Just okay? Nothing special happened?” What was he hinting…I had no clue. Nothing special had happened! “No…” I said, confused. “Oh,” he said, sounding a little bit disappointed. “I heard that you and Le Liang-“ he stopped himself, and didn’t continue. Cheng ran over to me. What was he doing here? What about those girls of his… “Li Hua, I’m so sorry…I didn’t mean for…” I put on a forced smile. “What are you talking about? What’s to be sorry?” He looked at me with puppyish eyes. “You know what I’m talking about…I’m really sorry. I’m not that type of person…I…” “Aww…it’s alright,” I said, unable to resist his adorable puppy dog look. [1 month later] Li Hua is adjusted to her new surroundings at Valley High, and has become popular as well…you would too if you befriended Jie Guang, Jun Fai, Le Liang, and Cheng. Li Hua and Xue Fang quickly become best friends. Le Liang still won’t talk to Li Hua, but does not ignore her as much as he used to. Li Hua’s POV~ *BEEEEEP* The bell rang, and I blissfully walked out of the school building and ran out to the front of the school, where everyone was waiting for me. The crisp, cool autumn air announced that it was October, and leaves crunched underneath me in every step I took. I love it here at Valley High! I hurried over to where everyone was waiting, and I could see Cheng’s eyes lighten when he saw me. Hehe…it’s so cute! “Li Hua! I have to tutor a family friend today, so I can’t walk home with everyone. Will you be alright walking to your home alone?” For practically every day of this entire month, Cheng has walked with me until we reached my house, then turned back to walk to his own. “I’ll be fine, thanks. Don’t worry so much,” I said brightly. He looked at me with questioning eyes. “You sure you’ll be okay?” I nodded with a smile. He really didn’t need to worry. My house is only a few minutes away from Le Liang’s, so I’ll only be walking alone for those couple of minutes. So Cheng walked back into the Valley High school building, and Xue Fang walked in the direction of her house. Jie Guang, Jun Fai, Le Liang, and I were the only ones left. The sun beat down on us, and it was so humid that I couldn’t process the conversations that were going on. Mmmm…it’s autumn, alright, but the summer sun hasn’t left us just yet. I saw Jie Guang, Jun Fai, and Le Liang’s mouths moving, but it was so hot that to me, it sounded like their words were mixed together. I just heard a couple of random words here and there, which was causing me a nasty headache. We reached Jun Fai and Jie Guang’s houses, and I tiredly managed to wave goodbye to them. It was just me and Le Liang now, walking in complete silence, which wasn’t anything new. At least I wouldn’t have to worry about my headache worsening, because Le Liang surely wouldn’t say anything to me. The sun continued pouring its rays over us. It’s a DESERT over here…forget the cool autumn breeze I thought I felt earlier! My head continued to throb, when I suddenly collapsed. I stumbled forward, and then all I saw was black. Le Liang’s POV~ We were just walking home, when she suddenly fainted. I jumped forward, and caught her in my arms. *sigh of relief* That was really close. I must’ve stood there for about 10 minutes or so, just thinking over and over with relief that she hadn’t fallen onto the concrete pavement below her. Then it finally hit me that I was still holding her motionless body. Great…I caught her…now what do I DO with her? I was going to carry her to my house since it’s closer, but decided against it. She’d freak out if she woke up there, and her parents would worry if she didn’t come home from school. So I picked her up, and carried her towards her own house. Why am I so concerned about her…it’s not like she’s my Jia Ling. She just looks like her, is all. I look down at Li Hua’s cherubic face, and my mind races back to a moment in time. *flashback* Jia Ling smiled playfully. “Wait up, Le Liang!” She raced after Le Liang, but when she finally caught up with him, she fell silent. He stood there waiting for her to say something, and she finally whispered, “It’s beautiful over here…” The green meadows stretched as far as the eye could see, blossoming with flowers of all kinds and colors. “Yeah…sure is beautiful here. But not nearly as beautiful as you are…” Le Liang answered quietly. Jia Ling blushed. “You have NO clue how sweet you are, Wen Le Liang.” “I love you…” Le Liang said in a hushed whisper. “I love you more!” Jia Ling shouted to him, and continued, “I’ll love you forever and ever…” *end of flashback* Jia Ling’s face fades away, and is replaced with Li Hua’s, who is still lying in my arms. I suddenly feel a burst of the same heavenly era I’ve always felt around Jia Ling. My heart stops beating, and begins to become so light that it seems to be slowly floating away from me. I am lost in words…my voice will not obey the commands I have given it. I feel a surge of joy….something I had not felt in a long time. I had not felt any of these things ever since the day the world came crashing down on top of me – the last day I was with my Jia Ling. Suddenly, it hits me. D@mn it…Li Hua isn’t Jia Ling. Why the heck am I being so mean to her and acting as though she’s the one that hurt me? A wave of guilt poured on top of me…I shouldn’t make Li Hua pay for what Jia Ling did to me! She deserves a chance, doesn’t she? I’ll be nicer to her and …I swear it. I finally reached her house, and knocked on the door four times. “Li Hua’s home!” I heard a voice say. I heard footsteps approaching, and a woman that was obviously Li Hua’s mother answered the door. She looked at Li Hua in shock, and gasped, “What happened to her?!” “She fainted on the way home from school. I think it’s from today’s heat,” I tried to say as calmly as possible. A sigh of relief came from her mother. “Thank you for bringing her home! Fainting can be very dangerous… she could’ve fallen into a coma if she had been out there alone! Thank you so much, young man. Why don’t you come in?” “Thank you, Mrs. Huang.” And I stepped into the house. Well…what was I supposed to do…I couldn’t refuse the offer, since I was still holding Li Hua. Mrs. Huang showed me to Li Hua’s room, and I delicately placed her on her bed. I took the nearby seat and sat down by her bedside, just watching her. Why am I doing this? Just sitting here watching her in deep sleep…I surprise myself with my queerness sometimes. I’m not bored or restless or anything. I’m just sitting here, dazed, and not able to take my eyes off of her. I hear a sound behind me, and turn to see Mrs. Huang come into the room with a glass of water. She smiled when she saw me, and asked, ”So what’s your name, young man?” I stood up to greet her and introduce myself. “My name is Wen Le Liang.” Mrs. Huang smiled and nodded. “Nice to meet you, Le Liang. I’m Li Hua’s mother.” “It’s a pleasure to meet you. I guessed you were Li Hua’s mother. Your daughter looks so much like you.” “Yes…how do you know Li Hua?” “I’m a…” Dang…what the heck am I anyway…”friend of hers.” “Well it’s nice to know that Li Hua has a good friend like you to look after her.” When I didn’t say anything for a while, she said, “It’s getting late. Do you live far from here?” “Actually, I live just on the next street. I should be getting home now, my parents will start to worry. Thank you, Mrs. Huang. It was nice meeting you.” I told her. She smiled and said, “Why don’t you join us for breakfast next Monday?” “I’d like that, Mrs. Huang. Thank you.” I had been taught not to turn down invitations…it was impolite…even though personally, I don’t think Li Hua would like it if I ate breakfast at her house. “Goodbye, Le Liang. And thank you again for taking care of Li Hua.” Li Hua’s POV~ I woke up to the smell of pancakes and syrup… mmm …my favorite! I still can’t believe I fainted on the way home from school on Friday. I didn’t go outside yesterday or day before…I usually stay indoors on the weekends. But today it’s Monday. I’d better not get another fainting spell to or from school… I’ve gotta watch out. I got out of bed and walked downstairs. As I walked by the front door, I saw a pair of shoes that I had never seen before. We have company so early in the morning? I heard the voice of a boy about my age come from the kitchen…hmm…wonder who it could be? “Morning mom, morning dad-“ Le Liang?! What was he doing here…”What are you doing here?” “That’s no way to talk to a guest!” my mom scolded. “I’m sorry…” I started. “It’s alright. Your mom invited me over for breakfast,” he explained to me softly. Whoa… that’s got to be the most he’s ever talked to me at once. But…my mom? Invite him over for breakfast? Why?…she doesn’t even know Le Liang! “Sit down, sit down,” my mom instructed, and motioned at the chair next to Le Liang. Oh great…I get it now. I don’t know what exactly he did, but Le Liang must’ve done something that made my mom think he’d be perfect for me. I hate when she does this… She’ll try to set me up with whatever boy impresses her. The first time it was my neighbor, until I told her how much of a jerk he was, and she finally believed me when he talked to her curtly. The last time, it was a family friend, who I must admit, was pretty cute. But we found out that he already had a girlfriend, so never mind. And now she was doing it again…to Le Liang, I felt sorry for him; one: because he didn’t have a clue of my mom’s evil plan. He was another victim of this ridiculous thing my mom does for me, and he didn’t even know it; and two: because of all of the people that this can happen to him, it is me …the person he hates. Wait no…”hate is a strong word”, I could hear my mother’s voice say to me in my head. Arghhh...yes… he just ignores me and refuses to talk to me because he greatly dislikes me! I see my parents staring at me, and I notice that I had not yet sat down. I sit next to Le Liang… just so I won’t get in trouble later. I look at my dad for help, because usually sees how little sense stuff makes. But he looks impressed with Le Liang too. This is terrible… I can’t believe they’re both doing this to me this time. My mom motions for my dad to leave, and I hear her whisper to him, “Let’s give the kids some time alone.” Mom desperately needs to work on her whispering skills. Her so-called whispering was really loud. It was soooo audible. I heard it loudly and clearly, and I’m sure Le Liang did too. My parents both stand up, and my dad announces, “Well I have to get ready to go to work. Li Mei, don’t you have to get ready too?” Pshhh…some excuse! My parents leave the room, but I know better. They are NOT getting ready for work. They’re actually just leaving because they want me and Le Liang to have some privacy. But I thank them for that part at least. Privacy is good. “So… what ARE you doing here?” I ask Le Liang. “I told you already…your parents invited me over for breakfast.” Yeah right… Like I’m going to believe that! But I’ll play along anyway - just to see what you have up your sleeve. “Oh yeah. Why’d they all of a sudden decide to invite you over?” Le Liang’s face flushed. “Oh, you don’t remember…” What was that…was that disappointment that I sensed in his tone of voice? What don’t I remember? “Remember…what…” “Oh, sorry. My bad… of course you don’t remember. I guess I just figured you would,” he told me. Wow… This is definitely new. He’s talking to me…. normally! “We should be leaving for school now, don’t you think?” he asks me, glancing at the clock on the kitchen wall. I nod my head in silence. Wow…what’s this? Is Le Liang actually willing to walk with me to school? This is really scary…whatever it was that happened… whatever it is, has changed him a LOT. “It was nice meeting you, Mr. Huang. Thank you for inviting me for breakfast, Mrs. Huang. Li Hua and I had better get to school now. We don’t want to be late.” My parents smiled approvingly, and hurried to the door to say goodbye. “You’re welcome here anytime, Le Liang,” my mom said, smiling from ear to ear. “It was nice to meet you too, Le Liang,” my dad said with an acknowledging nod. We walked off in the direction of school. I expected it to be like any other day, with me and Le Liang walking a distance apart, acting as though the other isn’t even there. I’m pretty much used to it now, and have accepted the fact that Le Liang will never talk to me. But today…today was weird. I found that Le Liang was walking NEXT to me, and he would look at me occasionally, too. Whoa…uncanny… *shiver* Oh…I’ve lived in southern California for all of my life, but I’m still not used to the weather here. It can be scorching hot one day, and freezing the next. The weather’s so unpredictable… I began to shiver a little bit, now sorry that I hadn’t accepted the sweatshirt my mom had told me to bring to school today. Suddenly in a split second I feel warm…I can’t feel the breeze at all, and I am swept in this warm, cozy feeling. What a random feeling…must be in my head… But then I realize that I’m not cold anymore because there’s a jacket over my shoulders. What the heck… I look around, confused, and see that Le Liang is wearing a short sleeved shirt. Reality hits me. He took off his jacket to give to me to wear! Oh my gosh…now I HAVE to find out what happened yesterday. Not only is Le Liang not ignoring me…but he’s being really nice, too. “Thanks,” I say to him quietly. “Sure,” he responds, surprisingly not ignoring me like he usually does. We keep walking quietly, and pass his house, then reach Cheng’s. I walk up to his front door, and knock on the door four times, like I always do. “Le Liang’s here!” I heard a voice call, and Cheng opens the door. “Hey Le Liang - Li Hua…wow, it’s you,” he said, with a tone of surprise in his voice. “Yeah…why were you so sure I was Le Liang…” I questioned curiously. “He always knocks four times on the door…Umm…it’s kind of weird, I know. But I just recognize when he knocks,” Cheng said, confused himself. “Wow…I always do that for some reason…I knock on doors four times. Always,” I said, shocked that Le Liang had the same habit as I do. Cheng, Le Liang, and I continue walking in the direction of school. Cheng keeps looking at me, hesitantly, then finally manages to say, “Aren’t you wearing Le Liang’s jacket?” “Oh…this…I…yeah. Le Liang…” I didn’t know how to finish my sentence. “I thought she was cold, so I let her wear my jacket,” Le Liang explained for me. “Oh…” Cheng said, in what seemed to be a…what was it…sad tone of voice? Oh well, I must’ve heard wrong. Whatever. We pick up Jie Guang and Jun Fai, and we all arrive at school in a couple of minutes. “Why are you wearing Le Liang’s jacket, Li Hua?” Jie Guang said the instant he saw me. Umm…okay…it’s just a jacket… Why is everyone…oh, never mind. “I didn’t bring a jacket today,” I said simply, hoping he’d take that for an answer. But he didn’t. “Oh, is that so? Mmmm…I think Le Liang is so concerned that you might be cold that he gives you the jacket he’s wearing…So that if anyone catches a cold, it’s him,” Jie Guang said, grinning. Jie Guang’s POV~ Ahh…so it has finally happened. I knew Le Liang would start falling for Li Hua. I just KNEW it. Li Hua’s pretty, smart, and she kind of looks like Jia Ling, too. It’s about time Le Liang found a new girl…now he can start getting his mind off of Jia Ling. Maybe now he can get away from being so down and depressed. Now the only question is…does Le Liang KNOW that he’s falling for her? HeHe…from the looks of it, I think he already knows. So no worries about that. On the other hand…I think Cheng has been falling head over heels for Li Hua ever since he met her on the first day of school. Two best friends falling hard for the same girl…this can’t lead to anything good… Cheng’s POV~ What the heck?! What does Le Liang think he’s doing, letting Li Hua wear his jacket like that… He’s never liked Li Hua before…why start now? He’s always hated her. She reminds him too much of Jia Ling, I suppose. Wait…why am I stressing over this little issue? Li Hua was cold…and it’s not like I was there, so Le Liang was only letting her wear his jacket out of the goodness in his heart. Secondly, Le Liang’s my friend. I can’t let something like this start an argument or something. Li Hua’s POV~ Okayyyy…today’s definitely pretty weird. Oh, good. There’s Xue Fang. “Hey Li Hua!” she shouted to me. “Hey Xue Fang!” Xue Fang paused to look at me for a moment, then gave me a suspicious look. “What are you up to now…” “What do you mean…” “I know you’re up to something! I can tell…” she persisted. So I just told her about how strangely Cheng and Le Liang were acting today. She didn’t much of it. Whatever. [the next week] Li Hua’s POV~ *BEEEEEEEP* Drat. Time for class. Cheng and I have the same first period, so we sat down at our desks (which are next to each other). Why does Cheng keep looking at me…it’s making me nervous. He sees that I caught him staring, so he quickly turns his head away from me. “Cheng…” I called quietly. “…Are you going to wear that jacket this whole entire day?” Cheng finally blurted out. Whoa…that’s not at all the answer I expected. So what if I’m going to wear it this whole day? Doesn’t make a difference, does it… “Why ask?” I question. His face reddens, and he looks away. HeHe…he’s so cute when he’s blushing! Okay, then again, he’s cute when he’s not blushing too. Seriously, if I were still at Stoneford…any of the girls would kill to be friends with Cheng! Lucky me… I must’ve been smiling, because Cheng noticed, and said, “Whatcha so happy about?” “Oh, nothing…” I said, smiling. Cheng got a really curious look on his face. He glanced up at the teacher, to make sure she wasn’t watching, then leaned over my desk. “Tell me!” he urged. I shook my head, still smiling. “Li Hua…tell me!!” he said a little bit louder. I shook my head again, and he raised his voice again as well. “Come on! Tell me!” “Mr. Hou, just what is it that you are so eager to know that Miss Huang knows? Would you mind sharing it with the class?” the teacher said in an impatient voice. “So sorry, Mrs. Jien. I didn’t mean to…” “You don’t have to apologize now, Mr. Hou. You’ll have plenty of time to do so during lunch tomorrow in detention,” Mrs. Jien said flatly, and continued class. It’s all my fault that Cheng got a detention…I feel horrible. I looked over at Cheng, who acted as though he hadn’t even gotten a detention. He pulled a piece of paper out of his desk, and held it up for me to read. It said… TELL ME! ? Hahaha…I couldn’t help myself, and laughed, softly so that Mrs. Jien wouldn’t hear. I slipped out a piece of paper out of my binder, and wrote a quick note. Cheng~ Haha. Alright, alright. I’ll tell you. I was smiling earlier, because I was thinking about how all of the girls back at Stoneford would be soooo jealous if they saw me right now. They’d give anything to talk to you as much as I do! HeHe… ~Li Hua Mrs. Jien turned her back towards the class to write something on the whiteboard, and I shoved the note onto Cheng’s desk. He grabbed it quickly, just before Mrs. Jien turned back around. Whew! I looked at the expression on Cheng’s face as he read the note…it was something between total surprise and total bliss. The rest of the day passed quickly, and soon it was the 6th period, the second to last class of the day. Mr. Chong, the P.E. teacher, announced in his usual clear, shouting voice, “On the first day of school I assigned each of you to a partner. We haven’t done anything in groups of twos for all of September, but we’re going to start doing some more group work now. I hope you remember who your partner is..” Of course I remember. Le Liang… Mmm…I hope he talks to me in P.E. as naturally as he did this morning! “Hey…” I said quietly. He looked at me with those dark eyes of his, strangely softer today. Hmm…must be my imagination. He actually responded to me! “Hey,” he said, looking at me. Le Liang’s POV~ What the h3// is with me now…I have that light, floating feeling in my heart again…I’m lost in words…my voice won’t obey the commands I have given it. What am I in her eyes…All I’ve ever done is avoid her, ignore her, reject her…How could I have been so mean, so cold, so heartless… I look at her, and my heart throbs with excitement and anxiety. Whoa…I haven’t felt this in a while… Snap out of it, Le Liang. Better get to work doing whatever we’re supposed to be doing in this stupid p.e. partner thing… It turns out, we’re supposed to help each other pass the physical education exam in the end of the year. In other words, we have to do sit ups, push ups, pull ups, chin ups, climbing, running, sprinting, jumping…wow, practically everything. And I get to do all of these with Li Hua, I thought with satisfaction. My gosh…why am I happy about that? Ahh…this is confusing me…this weird feeling I get around Li Hua…it makes no sense. “Okay…so today we’re doing…climbing,” Li Hua says, and I find myself nearly trembling at the sound of her voice. What the heck is wrong with me recently… “Yeah…sure…You want to go first? Or you want me to…” I manage to say. “I guess I’ll go first,” she said, sounding surprised that I had said something to her. I watch her give a couple of struggling attempts to climb the rope attached to the gym ceiling. She can’t even get ON the thing…I guess I should help her, since we’re partners and all. “Just grab onto the rope with this hand…” I showed her, “and then use your other hand, and pull yourself up, like this...” She gives me a soft, innocent look. As if she’s confused as to why I’m helping her…Ummm…what am I supposed to do… “There…that’s it.” I watch proudly as she finally gets on to the rope, and begins climbing up rather quickly. “Your turn, Le Liang,” she said, and I swallowed. My reflexes are practically DEAD when I hear her voice nowadays… After a couple of seconds of an awkward silence, I finally manage to respond. “Okay.” I grab the rope and climb to the top with ease. Then I climb right back down, as if it had been nothing. Which…it had been nothing, actually. Physical education if one of the easiest A’s at school…for me, at least. Soon it’s the end of school, and we’re all outside talking about what we’re gonna do for the rest of the day. “Hey, I know! Let’s go get smoothies,” Jun Fai said, smiling. “No way, man. It’s too cold today,” Cheng said coldly. What’s up with him today… “Then let’s go watch a movie!” Jie Guang said. “No good movies playing right now,” Cheng said rudely again. “Alright then…let’s go play some soccer,” I suggested. “Not in the mood today,” Cheng said, glaring at me with eyes of fire. Hmm…I have a feeling he’s mad cause of me. Well…whatever did I do to him? “Umm…how about we go to the park today, then?” Li Hua says quietly, as if expecting Cheng to turn it down as well. Cheng’s eyes softened, and he looked kind of embarrassed…okay…weird. “Yeah…let’s do that.” I nodded. “And we can stop for your smoothies on the way, Jun Fai.” “Sounds like fun, let’s go!” Xue Fang said cheerily. Jun Fai grinned at her. “Come on, Xue Fang…let’s go right now! Apparently, nobody else is in a hurry to go to the park.” Pretty soon we arrived at the city park. We walked along the marked trail through the endless rows of trees. We have soooo many trees at this park…it’s more like a forest. One could get lost in here! If you get off the trail, there’s no way you’re gonna find it again…it’s practically covered in weeds and grasses. Jie Guang had brought two girls from school: Wang Min and Cho Yang, the same girls that fighting over Cheng in the beginning of the year. Jun Fai and Xue Fang walked in the front, happily chattering and laughing. Wang Min talked to Jie Guang nonstop, giggling and smiling at every single thing he said. Cho Yang came over to me and did the same. Ugh…her annoying little voice pisses me off… “Leeee Liangggg…What if I got lost in this scary forest…would you come find me?” What the heck… Of course NOT. But I had to play along…”Yeah, sure.” Cho Yang smiled, obviously trying to look pleased and surprised, even though she knew I would say yes. She chattered on and on, and I just looked at Li Hua, right in front of me, walking next to Cheng… ~Cheng’s POV~ Good. Cho Yang’s got Le Liang occupied. I have Li Hua all to myself… She’s so pretty… “Brrr…it’s so cold today,” Li Hua said aloud, and shivered. I was thinking rapidly of what I was supposed to do, when she suddenly remembered something. She stopped walking, and waited for Le Liang and Cho Yang. “Le Liang! I forgot to give you back your jacket. I’ve been meaning to give it back earlier, but I kept forgetting. I’m sorry…you must be cold,” she said. She sounded rather worried, I fumed. The four of us (Li Hua, Le Liang, Cho Yang, and I) fell silent, waiting for Le Liang to say something. His face turned slightly red, then he said, “It’s alright, I’m not cold. You just wear it for now.” WHAT THE H3// LE LIANG…just take your jacket back already, you idiot… She’s already had it for a week. Quit it with all of this cr@p. Just take it back, and Li Hua can wear MY jacket… I saw that Cho Yang also looked upset. She tugged on Le Liang’s arm. “Le Liang… But I’m cold…” she pouted. Yes! Way to go Cho Yang! Let’s see what Le Liang can say to that… But he didn’t. He just ignored her. Arghhh…Cho Yang wasn’t satisfied either. “WEN LE LIANG!” “What…” Le Liang said flatly. “I’m colddd…” Cho Yang continued. “I’m sorry to hear that,” he said quietly, dropping the subject. “You still cold, Li Hua?” he then asked Li Hua. “No, I’m fine, thanks. Sweet of you to ask, though…” Li Hua said, smiling. I’m not sure which it was…her smile or her words, but my heart erupted then and there. Le Liang can’t steal her away from me like this…I won’t let him. Without another thought, I let out a punch. Le Liang caught it. “What was that for…” he asked me, his voice threateningly soft. We glared at each other, until Li Hua stepped between us. “You guys, don’t fight. Come on…” Neither me nor Le Liang were willing to leave though. “Please…for me?” she asked us desperately. I refused to stop glaring at Le Liang, but he abruptly stopped when he heard Li Hua’s words. He turned away from me, and we walked a distance apart from each other. Li Hua seemed confused as to which one of us she should go talk to. She settled for talking to Le Liang, and I felt a stab through my heart. Li Hua’s POV~ Why were they going to fight… None of them said anything wrong, did they? What was said before Cheng let out a punch…umm…oh my gosh. My own words rung in my ears… “No, I’m fine, thanks. Sweet of you to ask, though…” Cheng had been jealous?! Oh no… this is not good… I’M the cause of this! *sigh* At least they’re walking apart from each other… in case something else happens. Should I talk to Cheng… or should I talk to Le Liang… Le Liang, I guess. “I’m sorry…” I told him. Le Liang smiled at me, obviously trying to pretend nothing had happened. “Whatever for?” He has the cutest smile ever… WHOA…and this has got to be the first time he smiled at me, too! I couldn’t help but smile to myself. “It’s all my fault…” I said guiltily. “No it’s not…not your fault at all. I’m just having a couple of…personal conflicts with Cheng right now,” Le Liang said, looking at me gently. I knew he was lying…but it’s okay…he’s just trying to make me feel better, I know. I felt myself began to melt inside. He’s so…nice to me now. It’s really surprising. But it’s so awesome! “Oh…like what kind of conflicts…” “Er…” Le Liang’s face turned a shade of red, and I now knew for FACT that he had lied earlier. It was TOO all my fault!’ “Isn’t it great here…” he said, changing the subject. “It’s beautiful over here…” I said. The expression on Le Liang’s face changed entirely… his mouth dropped open. “What’s wrong?” I asked, concerned. “You just…you…just sounded like…never mind,” he said quickly. Okayyy…that’s weird. Oh well, it’s alright. ANYWAYS… “Ummm…I’m gonna go talk to Cheng for a little while, okay?” I questioned. “Sure…” I could tell that Le Liang was disappointed. But what could I do about it, right? I have to go talk to Cheng for a bit, I really do. So I ran to catch up with Cheng. “Cheng!” He stopped walking and turned around immediately. “Yeah?” “Would you mind if I walk with you for a bit?” “What’s the matter, got bored of Le Liang?” he asked…somewhat hopefully, I think… “Um. No. I just thought I’d come over and talk to you for a while…” I said, unable to think of what else to say to that. “I see… So you’re just here to talk to me for a bit until I bore you, then you’re gonna go back to Le Liang. Is that how it is?” I sensed a surprising amount of scorn in his voice. He had never raised his voice with me before… “No, of course not,” I said quietly, surprised by his anger. Cho Yang ran over to us. “Chennnng! Come on, let’s go…” she hooked arms with him, and shot me a satisfied grin. I put on a fake smile. “Okay, apparently you’ve got company that you actually WELCOME now…so I think I’m gonna go.” I saw a look of regret in Cheng’s face as I turned around and started to walk away. “Hey, Le Liang. I’m back.” I said cheerily. “Hey! You were gone for a while…I missed you,” he said quietly. Then his face turned white at the realization that he had let the last part slip. “Did you really?” I asked incredulously, smiling on the inside. “Er…yeah…” he stammered. HeHeHe…Le Liang’s so cute! Wonder why I didn’t notice it before… Jun Fai’s POV~ We had been on the grassy meadows of the center of the park for about…20 minutes, but Le Liang, Cheng, Li Hua, and Cho Yang haven’t come yet. How strange…wonder where they are. “Jun Fai!” I turned to see Xue Fang, offering me a sandwich. Xue Fang’s so pretty…I’m a lucky guy. Well…at least I think I am. I don’t for sure whether or not she likes me, but I think she does! Haha…well, no matter. I took the sandwich that she offered me, and flashed her a grin. “Why thank you, young lady.” She laughed, and said to me, “Why you’re welcome, young man.” She looked up, and waved. “Oh, there they are!” I looked behind me, and saw Cheng and Cho Yang coming up the trail. “Hey, man. What took you so long?” He glared at me. “Nothing.” “Um…okay. Well, you two had better eat your sandwiches,” I said, handing each of them one. “Oh…where are Le Liang and Li Hua?” Both Cho Yang and Cheng glared at me this time. Umm…okay. Maybe I should get off of this subject. I looked at Cheng. He just stared in the direction of the trail, probably waiting for Li Hua. He didn’t even touch his sandwich…just left it sitting there next to him. I guess he lost his appetite too? Le Liang’s POV~ “I’m curious…Why are you so much nicer to me recently?” Li Hua asked me. “I…well…I realized what a jerk I’ve been. And I’m sorry for being like that,” I responded quietly. She smiled at me. I could feel her presence…I could feel it inside of me. A wave of warmth came over me, and I listened intently to her words. “You don’t even have to apologize. You haven’t been a jerk at all, Le Liang… But who is she?” “She? What do you mean…” I asked, confused. She looked at the floor. “I can tell, Le Liang…I’m not stupid.” “Tell…what…” I said, honestly confused as to what she was talking about. “Oh well, it’s okay. I guess you should tell me about her when you’re comfortable enough to do so. Take your time,” she said quietly. Was she talking about Jia Ling? No…she must’ve meant something else… We finally arrived at the meadowy center of the park, where everyone was already eating sandwiches and drinking smoothies. “Hey, guys! Sorry we’re late,” I shouted to them. “Come on, Le Liang and Li Hua! There isn’t much food left…hurry!” Xue Fang shouted back. She was right…there were only two sandwiches and one smoothie left. “Hey, I thought we bought enough smoothies for everyone…” I thought aloud. “We HAD enough for everyone. Until…well, JIE GUANG…wut DID happen to them?” Jun Fai asked, grinning. “Aww…you didn’t…Gee thanks, man. You owe me a smoothie!” I called to Jie Guang. Jie Guang grabbed another sandwich, and took a bite out of it. “JIE GUANG! Ugh…there were only two sandwiches left, and we saved them for Li Hua and Le Liang! Now there’s only ONE sandwich and ONE smoothie for the two of them…” Xue Fang scowled Then she turned to me and Li Hua. “So sorry, you two…” “It’s alright,” me and Li Hua said at the same time. Li Hua’s POV~ Le Liang grabbed the last sandwich and the last smoothie. Oh great…well, whatever. What was I expecting? Boys are so self centered, why should Le Liang be any different. It’s okay…skipping one meal won’t hurt me, right? “Here, you take them both,” Le Liang said, startling me from my thoughts. I finally realized what he meant, and was shocked…I guess I was wrong! “But you’ll be hungry…you take them.” He smiled at me, and I felt my mind freeze. Oh my gosh… I’ve never had this feeling before…ughhh…what IS it? I feel all tense inside, my heart is racing, my mind already froze, and I can’t think of anything to say… “Nah…I don’t want them. You’re the one who needs them,” he said kindly. Aww…seriously, he’s sooo adorable! HeHeHe… I thought about it for a moment. “Let’s share,” I finally compromised. He looked unsure. “Alright…but you get the bigger half of the sandwich, you hear?” I laughed. “Okay, okay.” I glanced at Cheng, who looked…unlike any way I had ever seen him. He looks so…hurt? Depressed? Heartbroken? Aghh…heartbroken…that’s got to be the one… I’m talking to Le Liang again… ugh, I feel horrible… “That’s not necessary. Here, Li Hua. Take my sandwich. I’m not hungry at all,” Cheng told me. Whoa…umm…okay…”Are you sure?” “Yeah…here,” he handed me the sandwich, and smiled before he walked back to the other side of the picnic blanket. Poor thing! I feel sooo bad… “Cheng, come sit over here next to me?” I asked sweetly. I knew he couldn’t resist the offer. “Okay, sure,” he said rather happily, and came back to sit next to me. Now Le Liang was the one who looked hurt/depressed/heartbroken. But I’m not sure which one it was for him. “Hey, Li Hua. Let’s share the smoothie, okay?” “Alright,” I said, giving him a smile. So there I was…sitting on top of a low, flat, meadowy hill, with two really cute guys sitting next to me. Cheng on my right, of whose sandwich I ate, and Le Liang on my left, of whose smoothie I shared. I’m so confused…I wish I knew what exactly they each are thinking. I glanced at Cheng, who looked away quickly when I turned to him. I smiled to myself, then looked at Le Liang, who was looking at me too. I got caught in his gaze, noticing that his once-cold, empty, and dark eyes were now a deep, entrancing brown… It feels like I’m dreaming or something… Wow, this is crazy. We’re just staring at each other…how long have we been doing this…a couple of minutes, at least… He’s finally the first to look away, but only because Wang Min had sit down on the other side of him and had laid her head on his shoulder. He looks surprised…like he didn’t even know that Wang Min was there. Pshhh…I bet he’s pretending. How can you not notice if someone comes over and sits next to you? I look to my right, and see that Cheng had left. Aghh…never mind…I take it back. Le Liang didn’t notice Wang Min come, and I didn’t notice Cheng leave… I guess we were just caught in a moment. “Let’s play soccer!” Jun Fai shouted. We all agreed, and began to play. The teams were me, Cheng, Jie Guang, and Wang Min against Le Liang, Jun Fai, Xue Fang, and Cho Yang. I got to be the half back for my team. Jun Fai dribbled the ball quickly towards me, and startled, I just kicked really hard, not even looking for the ball first. “Dang!” Jun Fai shouted, as the ball went flying across the field towards their goal. “I got it! I got it!” Cho Yang shouted. (she was the goalie for their team) But…she didn’t. Score!! Yayy…the score’s 1-0. I scored a goal…my team’s winning! “Hey, you guys, hang on a sec. I’m gonna go to the restroom, alright? Just play without me,” Le Liang told us, and walked off in the direction of the park restrooms. “Yeah, I’m gonna go too,” Cheng said, and walked after him. Whatever…and we continued to play soccer without them. Le Liang’s POV~ After I went to the restroom, I started heading back for the meadow. But I heard Cheng behind me. “Le Liang…let’s go. You and me, one on one…” Confused, I turned around, and saw that Cheng wanted to fight. Umm…random…but…okay… “Is that a challenge?” I questioned. “You bet it is…let’s go,” Cheng said with anger. “What for, though…I have no reason to fight you, and you have no reason to fight me,” I told him. Cheng scoffed. “No reason to fight, huh? You call Li Hua no reason to fight?” Oh…Li Hua…well then, that just explains it all. Alright, let’s go Cheng. You wanna fight for her? Let’s go. “Alright, let’s go,” I said to him, accepting his challenge. Li Hua’s POV~ They’ve been over at the bathroom for a long time now. Wonder what happened… “Hey, you guys. I’m gonna take a break. I’m gonna go look for Le Liang and Cheng, okay?” I told Xue Fang, Jun Fai, Jie Guang, Wang Min, and Cho Yang. They nodded absentmindedly, and I went to go look for them. Le Liang’s POV~ Cheng was the first to throw a punch. I knew it…he always is. He has no patience, is the thing about him. I caught his punch again. He forced me to let go of him by punching my stomach with his other fist. I recoiled, clutching my stomach. We’ve fought before, but I usually beat him fairly easily. Ughh… I didn’t think he’d be fighting so much better when fighting for Li Hua. I punched him really hard in the arm, then plunged my fist into his stomach. He too clutched his stomach. *sigh* It’s horrible that two best buddies still have to fight like this at times… I was still thinking, when he got up and began punching my stomach uncontrollably. He was treating me like his personal punchbag… I began to feel sick to my stomach, and fell to the ground in a heap. I tripped him, though, and he too landed on the dirt with a thud. I was barely conscious, when I saw a shadow loom over me. One more blow, and I’m gonna be waking up in a hospital… He punched, but he didn’t punch me… Next thing I know, I see Li Hua kneeling next to me, close to tears. I see Cheng kneeling next to her, unexplainably sorry and mad at himself. “Li Hua!! Are you okay?!” he yelled. She continued kneeling next to me, not moving. “Just…go…Cheng…” she managed to say. I watched as Cheng, hurtfully nodded. He balled up his fists until they turned white. “Cheng…stop… just go get the others,” Li Hua whispered. Cheng nodded, and walked off in the direction of the meadow. After he left, Li Hua looked at me through glassy eyes. I knew she wanted to cry. “Are you okay, Le Liang?” she asked me quietly. “I’m alright. Don’t worry about me, I’m used to this…worry about you…why’d you…you didn’t to…” I started. She gave me a weak smile, then said, “Yeah, I did. I know Cheng wouldn’t stop even if I told him to…he was way too angry. That was the only way to make him stop, to have him hit me instead of you.” Though I didn’t want to admit it, I knew she was right. Cheng really wouldn’t stop if she just told him to. She looked at me with worried eyes. “I’m alright, really. How are you feeling…” I comforted her. “I’m…okay. Cheng punches harder than I expected…” her voice trailed off. “I’m sorry, Li Hua. It’s my fault too. I shouldn’t have accepted his challenge,” I admitted. She shook her head. “There wasn’t anything you could do. He’d fight you even if you didn’t accept.” I knew she was right this time too. I looked up to see everyone coming our way. Wang Min and Cho Yang ran over to me. Ughh…it figures. “Le Liannnng! Are you okay?” Cho Yang asked me. “My Le Liang! How are you feeling…” Wang Min questioned. Jun Fai and Jie Guang looked at me, then Cheng, and shook their heads. “Man, you two…you didn’t have to FIGHT each other…” Xue Fang ran over to Li Hua. “Oh my gosh! Are you okay, Li Hua?” Cheng sat on the floor, with his head buried in his hands. Though I was mad at him for hurting Li Hua and I, I felt sorry for my buddy. All he did was like Li Hua…that’s not a crime. He had no control over the anger that was directed towards me. And it wasn’t his fault that Li Hua interfered and got hurt herself. Nothing was his fault, but I knew he thought it was. I pulled myself over to him, and patted him on the back. “Cheng…it’s alright. I know there wasn’t any way to control your anger. It’s not your fault.” He nodded. “Thanks, man.” Jun Fai and Jie Guang helped me on the long trail back to the parking lot. Cheng helped Li Hua. Li Hua’s POV~ “It’s not your fault,” I said, breaking the silence. Cheng looked at me with a look of guilt in his eyes. “Actually, it is.” I sighed. “If there’s anyone to blame, it’s me.” They never would have fought if it wasn’t for me… “You? Why do you think that…” he asked me, his voice softened and his eyes lowered. “Because that’s what caused the fight in the first place. It’s all my fault…” I said quietly. Cheng looked shocked. “o.O Where…where’d you hear that…” “I figured it out myself…” I said. “Well…it’s…it’s not your fault at all. Le Liang and I, we…Listen, it’s just not your fault, okay?” “It’s not your fault either, so stop blaming yourself,” I pointed out to him. He paused to stare at me for a moment, and there was a minute of silence. Then he gently lifted my shirt a little bit. WHAT THE HECK DOES HE THINK HE’S DOING… “I can’t believe I actually did this to you…” he said quietly. And I saw that he was talking about my side. There was a shaded outline, marking exactly where Cheng had punched me… “I deserve to die.” o.O My head began to spin at his serious words. How can I cause such a catastrophe…a fight between two best friends, now one of whom is injured, and one of whom feels so guilty that he wants to commit suicide. I just tore into their friendship without warning, the day I arrived at Valley High. Why couldn’t it be a different city…any other city…Why did I have to arrive here and ruin both Le Liang and Hou Cheng’s lives like this…I’m the one that deserves to die…A tear escaped my eyes, unable to hold back anymore. I felt someone wipe my tear away, and looked up to see Cheng, looking at me sadly. “Don’t…don’t…you don’t deserve to die, Cheng…” I forced myself to say. He looked down and mumbled something, which I made out as “Not like you care anyways.” O.O “What makes you think THAT?” Cheng’s eyes widened. “You heard what I said…?” “What makes you think I don’t give a care about you?!” Cheng’s face reddened, and he looked away. “I have reason to think so.” “Like WHAT…” Xue Fang’s POV~ I think Li Hua and Cheng must’ve forgotten we’re still here. All this time that they’ve been talking to each other, Wang Min, Cho Yang, and I were standing right here, within earshot. Wang Min and Cho Yang are to busy whining to each other about how Le Liang is hurt to pay any attention. However, I was listening carefully and intently to Cheng and Li Hua’s conversation. Hmm…what would make Cheng think Li Hua doesn’t care about him? “I have reason to think so,” he said, as if to answer my question. “Like WHAT…” Li Hua persisted. He turned around without saying anything, stared at the floor, and walked in my direction. “Because Le Liang’s the one you care about,” I heard him say quietly, a nearly inaudible whisper. He said it really softly, but no doubt about it, I heard it correctly. o.O Li Hua has to hear this…Cheng must’ve felt my eyes on him, because he stopped walking and looked up at me. OH DANG IT…I looked away immediately, then turned my head back. “Ohhh…Cheng! Didn’t know you were still here…” -.- He’s not going to fall for it…ughh… I saw Li Hua look up at me too, startled. “Xue Fang? What’re you doing here…” HaHa…I knew neither of them remembered we’re all still here! Li Hua’s POV~ (the following morning) Rise and shine! *yawn* *sigh* There’s school today again. Ughh…I’m so tired though…Still wearing my PJs, I went downstairs for breakfast. *ding dong* There’s the doorbell…as if on cue. *yawn* Why’s the door so far away…I walked slowly and sleepily over to the door, and opened it. A pair of soft, entrancing brown eyes gazed into mine. I felt my heart get light. LE LIANG?! What’s he doing here?! What’re you supposed to say to a guy who just shows up randomly at your doorstep in the morning? “Ummm…” I said, still unable to think of anything to say. “Morning Miss Huang Li Hua…” he told me, smiling. ARGHH why is his smile so CUTE?! I couldn’t help but smile myself. “What brings you here?” FINALLY…good girl, Li Hua, you said something! “HaHa…your parents invited me over for breakfast again. That’s not a problem, is it?” Problem? Why? “Of course not ^-^. Ohh…come in, come in,” I remembered my manners kinda late. As soon as he came in, Le Liang seemed to look me from head to toe, and got a strange expression on his face. Something between puzzled, surprised, and happy. Then he all of a sudden looked embarrassed, and turned to face the other direction. What the…wonder where that came from- OH GOSH DARN IT. I’m still wearing my pajamas! FREAK…dang it dang it dang it…I ran upstairs into my room, leaving him standing there, still turned around. OHHH DANG IT IS RIGHT…I was wearing my silky white PJs, with really short shorts and a tube top. I immediately changed into NORMAL clothes. Oh my gosh that was bad…really really bad…I hurried back downstairs, to find my parents there already, talking to Le Liang. Bombarding him with questions, more like. Ohhh this is even worse now. Poor Le Liang…When my parents saw me, they excused themselves with that lame have-to-get-ready-for-work excuse AGAIN. “Erm…sorry about that. I completely forgot I was still wearing my pajamas…” Wow that sounded SO dumb. Why did I say that…aghhh stupid stupid stupid stupid. Le Liang smiled at me, and I felt a current of warmth run through me. “You looked hot.” O.O WHOA…did he just say what I thought he said- His smile disappeared instantly, and was replaced by a look of panic. “I mean…THAT’S WHAT I THOUGHT.” An awkward silence filled the room, probably because he knew he had slipped, and I knew it too. Wow that was really weird…someone say something…any one of us, either one of us…*SILENCE* “Soooo…” both of us said at the exact same time. Woww…that just made it even weirder. “Uhh…did we have any homework for Chio?” he asked uncomfortably. “Ummm…I don’t…think so,” I responded, equally uncomfortable. Suddenly he seemed to remember something, because his face lit up and he instantly spoke. “Oh…we’re all going to the beach tomorrow…Don’t think we told you. Wanna come?” Tomorrow…Saturday…beach? “Oh okay! That’s gonna be SO much fun! ^-^” “Sure is,” he said, looking me straight in the eyes. I felt every muscle in my body tense. But then he looked away, seeing my parents coming back into the room. Ughhh… “Would you LOOK at the time! We should REALLY be heading over to school now,” I told Le Liang. After some quick good-byes, we were finally outside. “Oh, here’s your jacket, it’s not cold right now. Sorry…I’ve had it forever.” He smiled, and somewhat…reluctantly, I think, took back his jacket. We arrived at Cheng’s house. Cheng’s POV~ *ding dong* Oh, they’re here! Soon the three of us were walking side by side, Li Hua in the middle -.- Le Liang looked rather smug on his side of her. But I was pleased to see that he was holding his own jacket now. Looks like Li Hua gave it back. I looked her up and down. “Wowww…Huang Li Hua is looking very beautiful today…” Cr@p …d@mn it…that was soooo lame. She gave me a weird/confused/pleased look. Le Liang shot me an icy glare. Li Hua smiled, shook her head, and slapped me on the arm. Not that lightly, I might add. “Ahhh…Ow!” I said, rubbing my arm. It really did hurt… Li Hua’s eyes widened as she looked at me. “Are you okay Cheng?!” HaHa…it didn’t hurt THAT bad…it just hurt a little is all…I saw Le Liang’s eyes, rock hard, his glare sending chills up my spine. D@mn it he’s scary when he’s mad at you…I swear he can see right through me… Li Hua took my arm and examined it. “Where’d I hit you?” “Wait…you know what would make me feel a LOT better?” “What?” “A hug…^-^” I felt my face burn red. I didn’t need to look at Le Liang to know he was burning with anger…I could practically feel his eyes burning me. “o.O On second thought, you’re a big boy and can take care of yourself,” Li Hua said to me. Pshhh…I gave her my puppy dog look. We arrived at Valley High Campus. “*sigh* Don’t give me that look…OH, look look look! Here come Wang Min and Cho Yang. Ask them for hugs, I’m sure they’ll give you plenty.” “But I want one from YOU…” I whined. She broke into that smile of hers, and for a minute I completely forgot what we were talking about. Li Hua’s POV~ “Just one…pleeeeeease?” *sigh*. How can anyone resist THAT? I gave him a short, little hug. Just to shut him up, mind you -.- An incredible current of warmth rushed through me. HaHaHa…he’s soooo cute! Still smiling, I turned around, to see Le Liang with a lost, helpless look on his face. I’ve never seen him so…hurt looking. My smile dropped. Awww…NOW look what I’ve done…DANG IT…Le Liang and I stood there in complete silence, with Cheng and his ever-so-blissful expression. ^-^ HeHeHe…But Le Liang… “Can I talk to you Le Liang?” We walked to the side of the school, where nobody ever is. How should I cheer him up…umm… ‘You want a hug too?’ HaHa…jkjk. Ummm…But instead of using my remaining brain cells to think (actually, I’m convinced that they’re ALL dead now), I blurted my random thought out. “You want a hug too?” GOSH DARN IT…I was just kidding…Why the heck did I say that out LOUD?! “Sure, why not.” HeHeHe! I gave him a little hug as well, but it sure wasn’t short. Because when I pulled away, he held me close and wouldn’t let go. And the same current of warmth I had felt when hugging Cheng rushed through me now. He finally let go of me, and I was left with my mind light and floating. The expression on Le Liang’s face pretty much matched the way I was feeling…He looked sooo happy and somewhat lost, as if in a dream world of his own. HeHeHe…dang it, but what the heck is wrong with me?! I give one guy a hug because he begs, and another one gets one because…because I asked if he wanted one, oh my gosh! Something is definitely wrong with me. My thoughts faded and I came back to reality. I found Le Liang still standing there, staring at me with those entrancing brown eyes…I felt as though I was having a dream…such a moment COULDN’T be happening in real life! He lifted my chin, and his touch caused immediate butterflies in my stomach and chills up my spine. I knew what was going to happen next… His perfect, flawless face leaned slowly towards mine. *BEEEEEEP* O.O School’s starting! Both of us, startled, hurried back to the front of the school. Le Liang had such a confused look on his face… “I’m sorry about that. I wasn’t thinking…” he told me apologetically, his head hanging. “It’s all right,” I gave him a smile. Then I walked off to my first period class. Cheng lifted his head when I came into the room, and wouldn’t quit looking at me. “Where were you…I was waiting for you until the last bell!” “I was talking to Le Liang…member?” “Yeah but…you mean you were STILL talking to him? You must’ve been talking for 10 minutes at least!” I just nodded my head in silence. What did he care… His voice softened. “What’d you two talk about…” Umm…”Nothing much.” I don’t know…what was I supposed to say? “What kind of nothing much…” “Ask Le Liang.” After all, he’s the one who made our talk NOT just ‘nothing much’. Cheng gave me a weird look, and then seemed to stare at a spot in the air, with a dreamy look on his face. I laughed. “And you’re thinking about…?” “Whether I’ll get another hug from you or not,” he said, grinning. “Weeeell?” “NOW what great deed have you done that merits you another hug?” He seemed to be in thought for a moment, then spoke. “My, you are looking reeeally pretty today. You’ve gotta be the smartest, prettiest girl I know…by far.” HaHaHa! But I saw a bunch of girls in our class turn and glare at me. A couple girls look angry enough to tear me apart right now…O.O I did my best to ignore them, and laughed. “So your complimenting abilities have got you thinking you’ll get another hug!” “Ahem…Mr. Hou, Miss Huang…If the two of you would care to join the rest of the class, and get out of your little dream world…” she glanced at her watch, “that you’ve been in for about 10 minutes of MY class time…I would appreciate it. I’ll see you at lunch detention for the first time, I believe, Miss Huang…and Mr. Hou, I will see you there AGAIN.” Aghh…detention?! It hit me as to why Mrs. Jien had said ‘Mr. Hou, I will see you there AGAIN.’ He had gotten that one detention from me just a couple of days ago…and now, I just got him another. Ugh I feel bad. This sucks… Le Liang’s POV~ Hmm…it’s lunchtime. Where’s Li Hua? I looked around, unable to find her. I got restless and didn’t’ even have much of an appetite because she wasn’t here…Where is she?! I stood up and leaned against a tree, holding my gaze towards the school building, with people constantly swarming inside and out. “She got a detention,” I turn around to see Xue Fang. What the h3//…no way! “For what?!” “HaHa…for talking in class. It’s alright, she’s fine.” I looked around, and I couldn’t find Cheng either. I asked, even though inside of me, I knew the answer. “Where’s Cheng?” I asked. “Don’t ask me a question you already know the answer to.” I looked down. D@mn it, Xue Fang’s too good at reading people. How does Jun Fai put up with this? It’s like she knows everything and can hear thoughts or something -.- …It’s kinda freaky. “I’m curious…why do you all of a sudden like her?” the all-knowing one questioned. I knew there was no avoiding the question. Might as well tell her. “I don’t know…I guess one day it just hit me that she’s not actually…” “the girl who broke your heart.” O.O What is WRONG with her? I just dropped the conversation. I don’t want to talk about Jia Ling…-.- Li Hua’s POV~ Ahhh…detention was blah. At least I had Cheng there to keep myself entertained and occupied =D. The remaining two classes of the day sped by quickly. So after Chio (my last class, science), I walked out with Le Liang and Jun Fai. Hmm…Jun Fai keeps walking reeeally slowly and lagging behind us. Okayy…o.O Le Liang and I walked side by side, in a silence that was neither awkward nor upsetting. I feel as though I’m in heaven ^-^… “Those look heavy…here, let me carry them for you,” he said, looking with concern at the thick textbooks I was holding. Awwww what a sweetie! I smiled my thanks, and he took my textbooks. Girls from Valley walking past us, seeing Le Liang carrying my books, shot me cold glares. “Who’s that girl walking next to Le Liang…-.-” “Huang Li Hua, new to Valley this year. Turns out BOTH Wen Le Liang and Hou Cheng like her!!!” “O.O I don’t see what’s so great about her.” “Neither do I.” *sigh*. My position as ‘adorable hot guy stealer’ has given people QUITE an impression of me…I’ve made quite a few enemies that I’ve never even talked to before! (the following morning) I yawned and sat up in bed. Ahh forget it…I’m too tired…I plopped back onto my bed and tried to catch a couple more minutes of sleep. It is, after all, a Saturday. Wait…Saturday? Beach beach beach! I jumped out of bed surprisingly awake, and got ready really quickly. I hurriedly threw everything I needed into a bag and went outside. I sat down on my patio and my mind drifted elsewhere… *I saw the deep, entrancing eyes gazing into mine once more. I heard the constant rhythm of his heartbeat…or was it mine? And then-* “Li Hua…come on.” Startled from my thoughts, I looked around to find myself still sitting on my patio. I looked upwards, and my eyes locked with the very brown eyes I was daydreaming about just seconds ago. The eyes filled with concern. “You feeling okay?” “I’m perfectly fine, thanks,” I responded. Course I’m okay! Le Liang, being the sweetie he is, felt my forehead just to make sure. “Hmm…your temperature’s a bit high. I think you have a mild fever…” HaHa he sounds so concerned. Fever? No way…I feel perfectly fine…My head started to swoon. Darn it…maybe not PERFECT, but I don’t feel THAT bad. “Maybe we shouldn’t go to the beach…” he rather stated than suggested. “We?” o.O He gave me a smile, and my heart froze for a second. “Yes WE…who better to take care of you than me?” Umm what am I supposed to say to that ^-^? HeHeHe… “Awww…but I want to go to the beach with everyone else!” I gave him a sad look. He studied me for a minute, then finally said, “*sigh* fiiine…But I’m keeping my eyes on you, you hear?” I nodded my head happily. I win! “Don’t want you fainting like last time.” “Last time?” What last time… “Yeah…in the beginning of the school year, when you fainted on the way home from Valley.” “OH…wait…you weren’t there…all you did was walk with me for a while, then I fainted and my parents brought me home,” I told him. Wait isn’t that what happened? “Umm no…Actually, I- never mind,” he shook his head. “Alright, alright…shall we go now?” “HaHa…okay, let’s go,” I agreed with a laugh. “Would it be okay if we went to my house for a little bit first?” he asked really really quickly and hurriedly, as if trying to get it out of his system. Hmm…wonder what… “I…er…my parents…want…to…meet…you.” O.O Wow whoa why?! “…Okay, sure.” Le Liang opened the passenger seat car door for me, and only now did I see his car. I’ve never seen his car before…didn’t even know he had one, how pathetic of me! But woww…mercedez…his family must be reeeally rich. Oh boy…they’re not gonna be easy to please at all…But I can’t help wondering why his parents would want to meet me…He must’ve told them about me ^-^