Being locked in the classroom somehow made the three of them closer.
After that day, it just became natural that they would sit together, walk together after school sometimes, and complain about homework together almost every day.
It wasn't something they discussed.
It just happened slowly, like how winter turns into spring without anyone noticing the exact day it changed.
One afternoon, the cafeteria was completely full.
"There are no seats," Zhao Ming announced dramatically, holding his lunch tray like a lost traveler.
Su Ran stood on her toes, looking around.
"Why is everyone eating at the same time today?"
"Because it's lunch time," Jiang Chen replied.
"That was not helpful," she said.
After walking around for two minutes and finding absolutely nowhere to sit, Zhao Ming pointed toward the stairwell.
"There. Emergency staircase restaurant."
So the three of them sat on the stairs, lunch boxes on their knees.
"This is actually kind of nice," Su Ran said. "Private restaurant. Only VIP allowed."
Zhao Ming nodded.
"Yes, very exclusive. The stairs are very comfortable too. Five-star experience."
Jiang Chen just quietly opened his lunch box.
Su Ran leaned slightly to look inside.
"You always bring lunch from home?"
"Yes."
"It looks good."
"My mom makes too much food," he said. "I can't finish it alone."
Zhao Ming immediately moved closer.
"Don't worry. We are here to help you."
Su Ran nodded seriously.
"Yes, we are very helpful people."
Jiang Chen looked at both of them for a few seconds, then pushed the lunch box slightly toward the middle.
They didn't even say thank you.
They just started eating from it like this had always been normal.
Dreams and Bad Grades
Halfway through lunch, Su Ran suddenly sighed very loudly.
"What?" Zhao Ming asked.
"I got my math quiz back."
"And?"
"I don't want to talk about it."
"That bad?"
She held up the paper.
42
Zhao Ming started laughing immediately.
"That's not a score, that's a temperature."
She kicked his shoe lightly.
"Be quiet."
Then she turned toward Jiang Chen.
"You got full marks, right?"
"Yes."
She dropped her head onto the lunch box.
"Life is unfair."
He looked at her paper for a moment.
"You lose marks because you skip steps."
"I skip steps because I don't know the steps," she replied.
Zhao Ming laughed again.
Jiang Chen thought for a moment, then said,
"I can help you study after school sometimes."
Su Ran immediately lifted her head.
"Really?"
"Yes."
She smiled so suddenly that even he looked slightly surprised.
"Okay," she said. "Then I will pass math because of you. When I become successful in the future, I will remember you."
"You don't even know what you want to be," Zhao Ming said.
She thought for a moment while chewing her food.
Then she said,
"I think I just want to be someone who remembers school as a happy place."
Neither of the boys replied immediately.
Because for some reason, that sounded like a more difficult dream than becoming rich or getting full marks.
The Small Habit
After lunch, they walked back toward the classroom together.
From that day on, something small started happening.
Every morning:
Jiang Chen would arrive first.
Su Ran would arrive second and talk a lot.
Zhao Ming would arrive last and complain about being tired.
Every lunch:
They would sit together.
Zhao Ming would talk the most.
Su Ran would laugh the loudest.
Jiang Chen would listen and sometimes smile.
Every time there was homework:
Su Ran would struggle.
Zhao Ming would copy.
Jiang Chen would explain.
And slowly, without anyone saying it out loud, the last row became their place.
If one of them wasn't there, the last row felt strange.
If all three were there, school felt shorter.
One afternoon, while Su Ran was copying math notes from Jiang Chen's notebook, she suddenly said,
"You know what?"
"What?" Zhao Ming asked.
"I think when we grow up, we won't see each other every day like this anymore."
Zhao Ming shrugged.
"That's normal. People grow up."
She nodded slowly.
"Yeah… but I think when we're like 30 or something, we'll still remember sitting in the last row."
Jiang Chen closed his book and said quietly,
"I think so too."
Zhao Ming looked at both of them and said,
"Why are you two talking like this is the last day of school? We still have like a million exams before that."
Su Ran sighed dramatically.
"You ruined the emotional moment."
"I save emotional moments," Zhao Ming said proudly. "I am a hero."
She rolled her eyes, but she was smiling.
None of them knew yet how fast time would pass.
None of them knew how many things would change.
But at that moment, sitting in the last row,
copying homework, talking about nothing important,
laughing for no big reason…
It felt like those days would last forever.