My Whole Youth

Chapter 3: An Unexpected Change

That afternoon, when Amy arrived at class, she immediately heard from other classmates that Clara had been injured and hospitalized. After school, she rushed straight to the hospital to visit her.

As soon as she opened the door, Amy barreled in, tears streaming down her face, and flung herself into Clara’s arms on the hospital bed. “Clara! Are you okay? I only asked you to swap duty for one day—how did it end up like this?”

Before Clara could even process what was happening, she felt the little whirlwind bury her face against her, sobbing. Once she steadied herself, she tried to comfort her. “Hey, what’s wrong? Why are you crying like that, all tears and snot? I’m fine—it’s just a small scratch because I was careless.”

Amy looked up and finally saw the large white bandage wrapped around Clara’s head. Fresh blood had soaked through the gauze, making her look pitiful.

“You’re lying! Your head’s still bleeding like that, and you say you’re fine? Do you think I’m a three-year-old kid?”

“I’m not lying. The doctor said it’s nothing serious, so I told you I’m fine. I wouldn’t trick you.”

“But what happened? I only asked you to swap one afternoon of duty. How did it turn into this?”

“It’s nothing big. My aunt came over, and I got a little dizzy while tidying up. I wasn’t careful, and the first aid box fell from the top shelf and hit my head. That’s why I’m here getting stitches.”

“Are you serious? How could I smell any deception here?”

“Deception? Are you seriously thinking I got into this because I messed with someone?”

“And when you fainted, I heard Damien carried you to the nurse’s office, right?”

“How would I know? I was out cold. How could I be aware of who was carrying me?”

“And the duty swap… If I suddenly faint like this, who covered for me? If the teacher finds out I asked you to take my shift, we’d both be in big trouble.”

“Don’t worry. When I arrived, Damien had already cleaned everything perfectly—every speck of dust gone.”

“You mean… Damien covered my duty?”

“Of course. Isn’t that what you said? Besides, don’t you usually do duty together? Why are you surprised?”

“Oh… nothing, I just didn’t expect him to voluntarily take over for me.”

“Forget that for now. You look like this; you probably won’t be able to return to school for another month. Tomorrow, I’ll go to the school and beg the teacher to let you rest longer.”

“Stop that! The doctor said I just need a few more days’ rest before I can go back to class normally.”

“My brother is just being cautious—he wants me to rest the whole week. Otherwise, I could have been back by Friday.”

“Cautious? I think he’s right. At least rest the whole week. You’re the top scorer, everyone knows, but a few days off won’t make you fall behind.”

“Top scorer or not, I’m still human—not a dinosaur, don’t worry about me losing anything.”

“You don’t need to worry about losing notes. This afternoon, Damien even asked the teacher to let you rest for a few days and voluntarily stayed attentive in class to copy notes for you.” Amy then pulled a stack of notebooks from her bag and placed them in front of Clara.

“What?! You’re kidding!”

“Shocking, right? I was just as surprised. Not only us, but even the teacher couldn’t believe it.”

“Everyone knows Damien is famous for slacking off, only good for his hotboy looks, and never actually studying. But today, he diligently copied notes for you, and I even peeked—he wrote neatly, more carefully than he would for himself.”

“It feels surreal. I’m the one who got hit on the head, yet the one making everyone worry is Damien?”

“I don’t know… He also asked me to give these to you for checking. Tomorrow, I’ll bring them back for him to continue copying. He didn’t force me, promise.”

“Just leave them here. I’ll copy them myself.”

“No way… You’re still injured, so it’s better to focus on resting. Besides, Damien promised to buy me ten bubble teas, and if I don’t deliver these intact, he’ll probably flip out.”

“Alright then, rest up. I have things to do, so I’ll go first and come back to see you tomorrow.” Amy didn’t wait another second and bolted out, leaving Clara unable to respond.

“Heh… good thing I ran fast. If she had insisted on keeping these notebooks, I’d have lost out on ten full-topping matcha teas. Lucky me, I escaped in time,” Amy muttered.

Meanwhile, in the hospital room…

“This kid… only ten bubble teas, yet she ran faster than in PE class. Seriously, I’m speechless,” Amy remarked.

“Finally… it feels so good to be back at school. I’ve missed the girls in the cafeteria so much, it’s unbearable,” Clara muttered to herself.

After a tedious week of recovering at home, her convalescence finally ended. During that time, Amy often came by to chat, each time bringing a few notebooks to let Clara check Damien’s progress in copying notes.

Clara had to admit—he was meticulous. Just a glance at his handwriting revealed how careful and precise he had been with every stroke. He even rewrote small annotations and labeled the notebooks clearly to help her study faster. Though she hadn’t exactly wanted to be stuck at home, the thoughtfulness lifted her spirits considerably.

As she approached the classroom door, she saw a familiar male figure, back turned, intently wiping the blackboard. At first, the sight made her want to give up and ignore him entirely, but suddenly, everything changed so quickly that she couldn’t help feeling surprised.

Clara shook off her chaotic thoughts and stepped lightly into the classroom, greeting sweetly, “Hello everyone, Clara Evans is back!”

At the sound of her soft, almost coaxing voice, Damien froze mid-motion, hand on the board. Panic flashed briefly in his eyes before he slowly regained composure and turned toward her.

The morning sunlight streaming through the window lit up her figure, making her appear radiant and graceful, a stark contrast to the sickly pale version he had last seen. Her rosy cheeks brought him a small sense of relief.

Ever since she had been rushed away in the ambulance, he had been tormented by worry and guilt, even tinged with fear—fear that she might really come to harm because of his reckless carelessness. Damien’s anxiety only eased slightly when Amy had relayed that Clara was safe. But seeing her now, healthy and smiling, standing before him, lifted a huge weight off his chest.

Once Clara settled at her desk, Damien slowly stepped down from the podium and took his seat neatly beside her. Still lingering with the desire to ask after her well-being, yet hesitant, he was suddenly interrupted.

“For you… thanks so much for copying notes for me.” Clara spoke softly, almost tenderly, extending a small box of coffee-flavored cookies she had baked the day before.

Damien froze. He hadn’t expected such a reaction from the girl he had accidentally sent to the hospital. It took him a moment to process before he let out a laugh at her innocent simplicity. She had been injured because of him, yet she bore no resentment. Not only that, she had taken the time to bake cookies as a token of gratitude.

Originally, his copying for her had been driven by guilt and the need to atone for his mistake. But now, this naïve, kind-hearted girl appreciated it, even putting effort into a sweet gift for him. Her thoughtfulness surprised him and made him laugh outright.

“What are you laughing at? Do you think I’m funny?” Clara pouted, flustered by his sudden laughter.

Seeing her misunderstanding, Damien quickly stopped laughing and spoke in a warm, gentle tone, almost as if coaxing a child: “I’m not laughing at you. It’s just… you’re kind of adorable, Clara, I couldn’t help it.”

“You’re not mad at me?” she asked. “Why would you even get me a gift?”

“Mad? How could I be? Being mad wouldn’t undo the pain, would it?”

As he spoke, Damien unconsciously reached out to touch the prominent white bandage on her forehead.

“Does it still hurt? Are you in pain?” he asked gently, his voice carrying a hint of urgency and concern.

Though slightly surprised by the unusual tone, Clara responded politely, “It doesn’t hurt much. The doctor said it would just leave a small scar and won’t affect my health at all.”

Even so, hearing her confirm it made his heart clench involuntarily, a sharp pang of guilt.

Since that day, Class 6A1 had witnessed a completely different Damien Carter. The once cold, careless, and rebellious boy was gone. In his place was a loyal, obedient presence, always attentive to Clara’s instructions.

If she told him to go east, he wouldn’t dare go west. If she told him to stand, he would never sit. And now, after taming his impulsive streak, she had turned her attention to improving his grades and study habits. In short, after a single reckless mistake, this adorable girl had him under her careful guidance—and he would endure it for a long time to come.