Queen of the Campus

10

On my way back to the dorm, I kept thinking about Sophie's words: "If you need anything, you can ask him; he's a nice guy." What exactly is their relationship? Could they really be a couple? Thinking about this made me feel a pang of sadness. But I didn't really understand why I felt sad. You can't expect someone to report to you just because you consider them your older sister! Frankly, they just don't trust you because you're a couple years younger. Think about Molly—she turned on you in just one day! Luke, wake up!

I made up my mind that I would never ask Tyler for help again, no matter what trouble I encountered. It sounds childish, but I just didn't want to lose face. Why should I ask him for help? Maybe one day he'd be fawning over me. Of course, at this stage, it's all just wishful thinking.

Back in the dorm, the other five were already back. It seemed like they had become good friends. They subtly led the group, calling Tyler "Brother Lei" all the time—it was a bittersweet feeling. Unlike before, when they would ignore me, today Biaozi actually spoke to me, "Hey kid, you're pretty close to Su Xue, huh?" The more I looked at him, the more he seemed like a sleazy guy. If I didn't know I couldn't beat him in a fight, I would have slapped him across the face. I pursed my lips, wanting to retort, "What's it to you? Go away," but I held back.

"Oh, pretty arrogant, huh? Looking at you like that, you're not happy about it, are you?" Biaozi looked a little embarrassed when I didn't reply, and slowly walked towards me.

"Alright, Biaozi, don't bother with a kid," Erniu said.

I smiled gratefully at him. Wasn't the city's No. 1 High School supposed to be a top-tier school? Why are there so many violent kids here? I should have applied to the experimental high school across the street. But I guess no school is entirely innocent. Kan couldn't hold back any longer, "Hey, Xiao Liu, how did you meet Sophie? Tell me. You know Sophie is Tyler's..."

"Shut up!" Tyler yelled, and Xiao Kan stopped talking. A wave of despair washed over me. Sure enough, they really were that kind of relationship. Otherwise, why would Sophie ask me for his help? A chilling feeling washed over me; before any hope had even begun, disappointment had already washed over me. I sat blankly on my bed.

After a while, I noticed that the other four people in the dorm were all staring at me. Although Tyler tried his best to hide it, he seemed to care too. I pretended not to see it and just wanted to continue spacing out.

"You're asking for it! Are you going to tell me or not?" Biao was about to angrily come up and hit me again, but this time no one stopped him. I got angry too. What did I do to deserve this? Why is everyone picking on me?! They say there's always a reason someone is pitiful. Screw that! If you were just walking down the street and got hit by a drunk driver, would that make you hateful? Who the hell invented that saying?!

"What are you going to say?" I retorted irritably.

Brother Biao was about to rush over when Tyler spoke up, "Tell me about your relationship with Su Xue." Although his tone was calm, it was a commanding statement, which annoyed me.

"Didn't you tell me to shut up?" I mumbled again. Good heavens, what's wrong with me today? I dared to talk back to Molly, dared to talk back to Brother Biao, and now I've even talked back to the dorm leader. They say alcohol is a catalyst for l**t, and beauty is a curse. Thinking about it, isn't that true? Because I met Molly, I offended Skinny Bamboo. And because I took Su Xue as my god-sister, I offended the fair-skinned Tyler. Do I even want to stay in this world anymore?! "Are you an i***t, Lei? That's to shut Biaozi up," the patient said menacingly.

I really wanted to say, "You're the i***t, your whole family is." During my year of junior high, I also learned to swear. Sometimes I even felt a little satisfying, especially after someone bullied me. Cursing them in my mind made me feel much better—a typical example of Ah Q's mentality.

"Fine, fine, I'm in a good mood today, so I'll tell you all." I reassured myself and explained the general situation to them. Of course, if Sophie asked me to ask them for help, I absolutely wouldn't tell her—I couldn't bear the embarrassment! And of course, I wouldn't say Sophie was my god-sister.

After listening, everyone clearly didn't believe me. "That's how it is, Sophie helped you," Kan said enviously, drool dripping from his mouth. "If I'd known, I would have had someone block her in the classroom too."

Liu Bingren glared at her, and Kan glanced at Tyler, immediately falling silent.

"I believe Sophie is a really kind girl," Tyler said, then stood by the dormitory window, lost in thought. I mentally scoffed at him, acting like he knew Sophie so well—what a show-off!

Okay, okay, I admit it, I'm jealous, really jealous.

Damn it, the entire lunch break was spent listening to them bombarding me with questions about Tyler and Sophie's relationship. I wanted to sleep, but I was also interested in this topic, and Tyler kept stammering and giving vague answers, which was really infuriating. Just as I was about to fall asleep, the bell rang. I hurriedly put on my school uniform, got up, and saw that everyone had already left. With dark circles under my eyes, I went to the desk, but Molly sat there nonchalantly, showing no intention of letting me in.

Whatever, I squeezed in, leaning against her. I clearly felt my little brother rubbing against her jeans the instant I entered. Since you're so mean, don't blame me for being ruthless. I've decided to do this from now on.