Queen of the Campus

26

Finally, it's quiet. The classroom can't accommodate me, others look down on me, but nature's embrace still welcomes me!

"Luke." Just as I was about to drift off to sleep, I heard someone call my name.

I sat up abruptly, my face almost touching her lips. It was Lillian.

"Oh, what brings you here?" My tone was indifferent, because I no longer wanted anything to do with her. Naïve girls are the least likely to know their place. If I wanted to live a good life, this seemingly innocent and cute girl's ability to cause trouble was something no one could match!

Because some people make you wary when they approach you! But some people you don't even notice. Often, the people you disregard are the ones you find yourself remembering.

"I saw you coming to the playground while I was eating, so I came to check on you after I finished. I didn't expect you to still be here," the little one said to herself. I was getting impatient and simply lay back down.

Since when did I stop caring about having friends? Seeing that I didn't speak, the little girl said, somewhat aggrieved, "Were you angry this morning? But I asked many people, and they all didn't know why you were angry. They even said you're petty."

"Lillian, I wasn't angry, but I really am petty. Your classmates are right. Please don't come looking for me again; I'd be grateful." She didn't even know why I was angry, so what was there to worry about? Saying this made me feel much calmer.

Making friends and writing are the same principle; it's all natural, a stroke of genius. What's the point of deliberately making friends?

"But didn't you promise to be my friend?"

"I already said I'm petty, and I might go back on my word. You have so many friends, why bother someone as unrelated as me?"

"But everyone else seems very willing to be my friend!" The little girl still didn't understand.

I understood. Actually, it didn't matter to the little girl whether she was my friend or not; she just couldn't understand why I had rejected her. How could someone who is cherished and pampered possibly bear to be rejected?

I stood up from the lawn, dusted myself off, and headed towards the classroom. Going back to the dorm at this hour would be suicide, since it was during the teachers' room checks. But Little One didn't seem to care at all. Well, she's so popular, and most of the teachers checking the rooms are male; they just ask questions and don't actually go in. Unlike the boys' dorms, where even after the lights are off, the teachers will still knock on the door—it's incredibly annoying.

"Hey, what's wrong with you? You haven't answered me yet!" Little One asked me fiercely, hands on her hips.

“If you really wanted to be my friend, you wouldn’t have been so harsh with me,” I looked at her, carefully choosing my words. “Friends should be independent individuals, but you’re used to being bossy, do you understand, little one?”

“So you don’t want to be my friend?”

“Fine, after all that, you still don’t understand. Okay, I’ll tell you one more time: you don’t consider me a friend at all, and in fact, you don’t have any friends at all. Boys fawn over you only because they like you, and girls like to play with you only so they can get more attention. Do you understand? You’re no better than me; you don’t have a single true friend either.” With that, I didn’t look at the little one standing there dumbfounded and walked towards the classroom.

The classroom was quiet. I could clearly hear the clock ticking, and the math teacher’s ink was still on the blackboard. I tried to shake off my frustration and even started looking at his solution steps. During class, I couldn’t concentrate at all, but now I found it all made sense. I picked up the eraser and restored the blackboard to its original darkness.

After that, I lay down on my seat and fell asleep.

This was the most peaceful noon I'd had in a long time.

"Luke?" I looked up, and Sophie smiled sweetly at me. Clean hair, a clean face, clean clothes—everything about her made me feel incredibly comfortable.

"Sis, why are you here so early?" I checked the time; it was only one o'clock, an hour before class. She must have sneaked out as soon as the dorm supervisor left.

"Tyler texted me saying you didn't go back to the dorm at noon, so I came early. I didn't expect you to be here." Sophie sat in Molly's seat. "What's wrong? Tell me, can I, as your older sister, help you?"

"Sis, I want to ask you a question. Can you answer me honestly?" I looked at her; I'm someone who can't keep a secret.

"An honest answer? When have I ever lied to you?" Sophie wrinkled her nose, looking incredibly cute. She seemed like a rather elegant princess, yet she made such a cute gesture—the other boys in the class didn't have the chance to see it.

"Some people say you're deliberately acting close to me to use me to get rid of Tyler's advances. Is that true?" I was going to risk it. If I didn't get this answer, it would be like a fishbone stuck in my throat, a chill running down my spine; I'd always feel uncomfortable.

"Do you believe that?" Sophie asked calmly. "Molly told you, right?"

"How did you know?" I was a little embarrassed. I had intended to keep it a secret; I'm not the type to gossip behind people's backs. Since she guessed it, I couldn't be blamed.

Sophie gave me a rather amused look. "Little brother, sometimes I think you're quite smart. How come you can't figure out such a simple thing?" Seeing my confused look, Sophie slowly explained, "It seems that besides me, only your deskmate talks to you in class. Who else could it be?"