It was the first day of school after summer vacation, which he barely rested from since he had to work at his uncle's restaurant.
Because of the accumulated tiredness, he barely had the strength to get out of bed and just stayed still staring at the ceiling. He wore a blue pajama that seemed too small for him now; the cutest thing was the crocheted teddy bear beside him.
It was so quiet that he slowly closed his eyes.
Slo.. wly...
— Wake up, you lazybones!
Nu Xian shouted from behind the door.
Startled, he got up.
— Again with this brat.
He murmured. He stood up and stretched a little, then opened the door.
— Could you speak like a normal human being?
— I don't want Dad nagging me because of you.
He rubbed his eyes before saying:
— Give me just a few minutes.
He gave a little pat on her small shoulder, then headed to the bathroom, still trying to wake up.
He looked at his reflection in the mirror; the dark circles under his eyes seemed so strong, and even washing his face vigorously didn't make them go away. He gave up and went to take a shower.
. . .
— Finally out of the bathroom, I thought you had died in there, Yang Yang.
His sister said when she saw him come down the stairs.
— What a great sister you are, huh.
He replied sarcastically.
— And don't call me Yang Yang.
— Stop joking around.
Their father said a little rudely while reading his newspaper.
Nu Yang hated his father's attitude but couldn't deny he had inherited that damn temper. He took a deep breath, grabbed a toast, and bit into it.
— I'm going.
He said with bread in his mouth.
— Aren't you waiting for me?
She grabbed a toast and followed him.
. . .
A new school year was about to start; he tried not to draw too much attention but failed miserably. Nu Yang was a senior in high school, about 1.80 m tall.
Many thought he was a bully because of his unfriendly expression. Unlike his sister, Nu Xian, who was a popular girl in the second year and had many friends.
— Can you change that face?
Nu Xian murmured.
— Is there something wrong with it?
— This is your last year, no friends, no girlfriend, you need to change your look.
— Like your concrete face? Did you really need to wear so much makeup?
She got so mad she tried to slap him, but being short, she only hit his stomach.
— Want a mushroom?
She joked, mocking her sister's height.
— You idiot.
The school bell started ringing.
— Let's go, I don't want to be late because of you.
Nu Xian walked ahead quietly; Nu Yang stretched his leg and pushed the back of her knee, making her fall.
Nu Yang ran away before she noticed.
. . .
Nu Yang sat by the window; he had sat in the same spot since the first year. He was thoughtful, watching birds fly and leaves dance with the wind.
He briefly remembered his sister's words; it wasn't his fault he had no friends or girlfriend. Since what happened in the last year of middle school, his life had become true loneliness.
He struggled with anger control, which made people see him as aggressive. Those who knew his problem looked at him as someone undeserving of affection, a crazy person no one should approach.
Nu Yang seemed unaware of his surroundings until...
The teacher entered the classroom with a boy.
— Everyone, this is your new classmate. Please introduce yourself.
The teacher handed him a piece of white chalk. He looked nervous but took it anyway.
He wrote on the green board:
"Xiao Xing"
— Nice to... meet you all.
The teacher noticed Nu Yang wasn't paying attention.
— Nu Yang, pay attention!
Startled, Nu Yang woke up; classmates laughed, but something happened when their eyes met.
Xiao Xing's brown eyes were as clear as crystal seas, his hair like cotton candy. He was small and pale like a doll.
Nu Yang felt his heart beat fast and quickly looked away.
Xiao Xing, looking at him, seemed confused.
. . .
It was break time; he couldn't stand being in class anymore. He hated attending lessons; he felt like he didn't belong there. He remembered that before starting high school, he had been asked about his future.
Which university do you want to enter? What are your plans for the future?
He decided to stop thinking about it, thinking he would know by his final year. To be honest, he had no idea what to do with his life; every passing day brought him closer to death.
People seem afraid of dying, but it is as natural as breathing.
He looked for Nu Xian all over the school but didn't find her. He returned to the classroom and searched for the container with the sandwich he had prepared the night before.
— I can't believe I forgot, damn it.
He only grabbed the juice box he had and went to the terrace.
— Finally, some peace.
He said, leaning his back against the railings, watching the boys stroll with their partners and groups of friends causing a ruckus.
— It must be nice to have someone to talk to.
He soon finished the juice box.
Nu Yang was still leaning on the railing when he noticed something at the far corner of the terrace. There, some third-year boys surrounded Xiao Xing, who looked smaller and more vulnerable among those bigger, rough figures. Loud laughter and subtle pushes did not go unnoticed.
A tightness in his chest made Nu Yang move away from the railing. Not wanting to draw attention, he quietly walked to a corner near a pillar, where he could watch unseen.
From there, he could hear the teasing laughter and the deep voice of one of the boys.
One of the boys grabbed the lunchbox Xiao Xing had and threw it on the ground, scattering rice balls everywhere.
Nu Yang tried not to intervene, not wanting to get into trouble on the first day. But seeing Xiao from afar made his heart rage uncontrollably.
He walked up behind the boy who threw the lunchbox, grabbed him, and punched him hard in the face, knocking out a tooth.
— Who do you think you are, huh?!
Said another aggressor.
When he was younger, Nu Yang was a boxer, considered a prodigy. But because of his anger, he had to quit.
He dodged blows easily, always hitting back. The boys seemed too weak to get up from the ground.
Nu Yang walked to the biggest of them, grabbed him by the tie, and just before landing a final blow, Xiao stopped him.
Xiao ran and hugged him from behind, seemingly crying.
The boys fled, but Nu Yang stood still. His heart no longer raced.
Xiao let go and started picking up the rice balls; Nu Yang offered to help, but he refused without saying a word.
. . .
He felt like trash for losing control, luckily nothing worse happened. At the end of the class, the teacher chose who would be responsible for cleaning the room. In all the years he had studied at the school, he had never been called for that; he didn't complain.
— The people responsible for cleaning today are...
— Nu Yang and the newbie Xiao Xing.
He couldn't believe what he had just heard; he had tried hard to avoid him since the terrace scene. Really, the day was not going well for him.
He felt a little strange being alone in the room with him and kept trying to avoid him until...
— Hey...
— Did you say something?
Nu Yang thought he was hearing voices.
— Sorry to bother you.
Xiao Xing couldn't look him in the eyes.
— You didn't bother me at all. I just couldn't let them do whatever they wanted.
He went to his backpack and took out his lunchbox, then opened it.
— These are the ones that didn't fall on the ground.
He said, pointing.
— But why didn't you eat?
Xiao didn't answer, so Yang took one of the fallen rice balls and put it in his mouth.
— Don't do that, you'll get a stomachache.
— That was the best thing I've ever eaten.
He said, showing a gentle smile.
Xing looked downcast.
— I didn't want to bother anyone.
He was trying to hold back tears.
Nu Yang quickly hugged him, not understanding why he was doing it, as if his heart had taken control of his actions.
— Please don't blame yourself, I know exactly how you feel.
— They always tell me that, always try to pretend they understand me.
His voice cracked each time he spoke.
— So, to really understand how you feel, I'll be your friend.
— Friend?
Xiao Xing remembered when he was a child, thrown to the ground with a bruised face.
He hugged him back.
— Thank you, friend.
For the first time in years, Nu Yang truly smiled. Little did he know that this "thank you" would change everything in his life.