Chapter 13 - Preparing For The Exam
711 Words
"How do you feel?" Haoran asked suddenly as he handed his mock exam over to Emma. "Are you excited about the trip?"
"Hmm... what did you say?" asked the girl. She raised her head and looked at Haoran, prompting the young man to repeat his question. Emma was not paying attention because she had too many things on her mind.
Haoran smiled faintly. "You must be thinking of the day you'll arrive in Paris. It fills your mind to the brim. So, you cannot think of anything else."
"You're right," Emma looked at him and thought that in this world, the only one who would understand her the most was Haoran. Because, just like her, he was also missing a place that he couldn't visit.
Ah, at least, Emma would finally be able to come to Paris after dreaming about it for more than eleven years. Meanwhile, Haoran still could not meet his mother in China. It must be really hard for him.
Emma was immediately filled with sympathy for Haoran. She touched his hand and patted it gently.
"Haoran, you will definitely meet your mother someday," she said softly.
The young man looked back at Emma. Slowly, a faint smile formed on his lips and he nodded.
"I hope so," he replied quietly.
They had not really talked like this, with just the two of them, for quite a while. Today was the first time they shared this type of connection. After all, whenever they met, it was always for studying, with the other four boys around.
The two hours that they were together were always filled with lessons and discussions. Emma could see how serious Haoran was in his goal to move to class A. This determination was also shared by his four friends.
Emma could see that although Haoran did like her, based on what Alex told her, the young man was not yet trying to approach her seriously. It was because he felt that they were not yet equal, academic-wise. His current status was a mere student from Class F, with a reputation as the biggest failure in St. Catherine. However, Emma was one of the smartest kids out there.
Sometimes, Emma thought about what she herself actually felt about Haoran. He was her first friend, and their relationship was quite good. But she didn't know what she would do if Haoran someday openly approached her.
She knew from Alex that Haoran had liked her since they first met. Alex was always happy to gossip about his boss every time he drove Emma home after their tutorial sessions. Even so, Haoran was still behaving like normal towards her. He was always relaxed around her. He never tried to get her together with him, just the two of them, and never hinted going on dates with her.
"Ah, Emma ... why do you think about random stuff like that?" The girl scolded herself as her mind was distracted by thoughts about Haoran when she was supposed to study for the exam. "You have to focus on your two goals. The first one is to make sure your students get good grades. And the second one is to find information about your parents in Paris. You must not get distracted."
***
Time passed so quickly, and before they knew it, it was the exam week. Students from Class A and some from class B looked ready and excited. They lived for the exam!
While the students in class C, D, E, and F, mostly looked murky and desperate. They hated exams. They just hoped the exam week would be over soon.
[Good luck for today] Emma wrote the same message of encouragement to her five students. As their tutor, she felt just as pressured as them about their test scores. She really hoped they would do well.
[We won't disappoint you] Haoran replied to her text a minute later. [We will make our tutor proud.]
Emma smiled thinly when she read his reply. Mary saw her rare smile and became curious.
"Who sent you the message? Look. You are smiling like you are in love," she commented.
Emma furrowed her brows when she heard her friend's remarks. "I am?"
Maybe I am in love, she secretly said to herself.
- Writer
