He grabbed his belongings, walked toward me, and said to the head teacher, "I want to sit with my roommate."He shot a meaningful glance at my current deskmate—clearly indicating he wanted to sit with me.My deskmate looked like he wanted to object, but before he could act, the boy had already placed his things on the desk and taken off his sports jacket.
When my deskmate saw the firm muscles under his shirt, he simply pressed his lips together and left with quiet dignity.
Honestly, I didn't want anything to do with him. But the head teacher said nothing, which meant she silently approved.
He sat beside me, and once again, the familiar scent of mint toothpaste and Safeguard soap surrounded me.
Leaning in, he whispered, "Sorry! But my last deskmate's feet smelled so bad I couldn't stand it… so maybe we can be good partners."
He held out his hand to shake mine. I ignored it, busying myself with organizing my books and tidying up the desk.
He didn't seem embarrassed at all.Still smiling, he introduced himself. "Hi, I'm Lihua. Let's get along from now on."
"Ding Yi," I replied, just to be polite.
After we finished organizing, the head teacher returned and assigned us our first task—cleaning the classroom. It had been unused for the entire summer vacation and was filled with dust and spider webs.
Thankfully, I was paired with a girl to clean the windows, while Lihua was assigned to the corridor. At last, I had a moment away from his exhausting energy. He talked too much—I just wanted some peace and focus.
The girl was pretty, with large, expressive eyes. She smiled softly and handed me some newspapers, our cleaning tools. It felt pleasant to work with someone like her—quiet and concentrated.We divided the work naturally: I cleaned the outside, she cleaned the inside.
As I watched her meticulously wiping the glass, I felt a sense of calm.Through the glass, I saw the sweat beading at the tip of her nose.Her eyes held a quiet depth that drew me in without effort.
Suddenly, a slap on my back jolted me.I turned to see Lihua grinning with a broom in hand, sleeves rolled up.His biceps flexed, like solid hills pulling me back from the quiet world the girl had created.
Startled, I lost my balance on the window ledge and slipped.And yes—just like in some cheesy romance drama—Lihua caught me, like a male lead catching his heroine.
I landed in his arms.The scent was all too familiar—I could now easily tell what part of him it came from.But this time, sweat mixed in with the mint and soap, and strangely, it smelled… good.
A crowd of classmates gathered quickly, cheering:"One kiss! One kiss! One kiss…!"
Lihua looked like he might actually go for it.He leaned closer.Our noses touched.Screams erupted.
I turned my face away and caught a glimpse of the window-cleaning girl staring at us, eyes full of curiosity.
I shoved him off me and ran.But his scent—and the touch of his nose—lingered in my mind.
I found shelter under a camphor tree near the gym, trying to make sense of what had just happened.
Why did he keep bothering me?Was he just trying to be the center of attention in the class—or even the school?Had he dragged me into his little performance to boost his popularity?
I hated those games.In middle school, all I ever wanted was to be invisible and focus on my studies.
But now that I'd been forced into his spotlight,I made a decision:If this was a game, I'd play it right.I'd show him who really knew how to win.