When you pass me by,

I tremble so much.

You wake my heart up...

Like early flower petals,

you are building up in me.

"Woah..." Lea held onto her backpack straps, walking along the path as she passes by the blooming flowers that that brought her to awe. Those blooming flowers weren't just in one particular spot, but rather they all surrounded the path to her new private highschool.

"Are private schools always like this?" Lea mumbled to herself, looking at her surrondings. Lea was used to her public school during middle school, but now that her parents have sent her to a private one for high school, she felt the need to keep in check with her own behavior and act more composed than she's used to. She saw the students all walking in a formal manner, amazed by the charming looks. As Lea walks forward to the school, she saw a limousine stop by near the gates, where the driver gets out of the fancy vehicle to open the door for someone. Out of all the individuals Lea saw, this particular charming female getting out of the vehicle was one that Lea couldn't take her eyes away from.

"Good morning President!"

"Good morning." Lea, along with the rest of the students saw a group with red bands on their arms. The group approaches the female, who Lea saw also had a red band in her arm.

"Ah, it's the Student Council."

"Aish, I just got this new phone too!"

"Pfft. Good luck with that. President Cheng Xiao will definitely take it." Lea unintentionally eavesdropped at the conversation between the two students near her. Glancing at the female once more, Lea saw the female join the group in confiscating what they label as 'unessential' for their school.

I didn't know they had a student council, let alone did things like this...

Lea hesitantly walked forward to the gate, soon being confronted by one of the male student council, particularly the Vice President. The male was a bit taller than Lea, enough to make Lea uncomfortable. Lea took a step back as she saw the piercing stern look that the male was giving her.

"Jewelry is not allowed to be worn. Please hand it over." The male offered his palm, staring directly at the necklace Lea was wearing. As much as she didn't want to receive trouble, Lea didn't want to hand over her necklace. It was a simple ruby necklace to others, but to Lea it was much more than that. It was a necklace she received from her grandmother whom gave it to her after her last breath.

"Sorry! I am a new student, so I was unaware! ... If possible, can you please let me keep it for today? I promise you I won't bring any 'unessential' items tomorrow." Despite Lea's request, the male kept his stern look.

"That is unacceptable! Do you think that just because you're a new student, you get good treatment?"

"N-no, I-"

"How will I explain to the other students I confiscated from if I just let you off easily?" Lea's eyes look down as she kept shut. She knew she was asking for much, but her necklace was precious to her. Just when the male was going to ask again, Lea saw another person come between the two.

"That's enough Jun. Just let her go."

"But-"

"Don't make me repeat myself." Instead of continuing the argument with the female, the male shot a glare at Lea before heading to another direction to confiscate another's item.

"Sorry about that. Our Vice President can be a bit.. strict on things." Lea didn't pay attention to what the female had said to her, but rather paid full attention to the female's whole presence itself. Before the female could head to another direction, Lea subconsciously grabbed ahold of the female's two hands to stop her.

"Wǒ ài nǐ."

I have to act tough,

just in case you

suddenly confront me.

Cheng Xiao was one of the most favored person in the student body. Top 1 in academics, her elegance in Rhythmic Gymnastics, and her outstanding beauty had brought attention to the female. Cheng Xiao didn't mind the attention, but what annoyed her the most was the amount of confessions she received from the students. Including the confession she received from the new student.

"My name is Lea, nice to meet you all." Cheng Xiao heaved a sigh as she saw the new student introduce themself. She already expected the new student to sit next to her, especially since the desk next to hers was the only one not occupied.

"You can sit next to Cheng Xiao over there." The teacher instructed as Lea glanced her direction to the female before approaching her desk.

"Also Cheng Xiao."

"Yes?" The female stood from her seat, awaiting for what the teacher has to say to her.

"I have a staff meeting after class..would it be alright if you gave Lea here a tour of the school?"

"..Yes." Cheng Xiao sat back at her desk as the teacher then began her lesson.

"T-thank you.." Cheng Xiao heard the new student whisper to her, but decided to completely ignore it. The female opened her notebook and focused on taking notes of the lesson, unaware of the glances she was receiving from the new student.

Even though classes had began, Lea couldn't wait for it to be over. She thanked the teacher in her mind for giving the latter the opportunity to spend time with the person she admired. Even though she was indirectly rejected by the female, that only motivated Lea to not give up too easily. It was the first for her that someone was able to make her heart beat so rapidly, despite not doing anything. Even now, staring at the female beside her made her heart do full somersaults. What interrupted her moment was when the teacher threw a chalk directly at her forehead.

"Lea..I know you're fairly new, but it doesn't mean that you're allowed to daze in my class." Everyone besides Cheng Xiao lets out a laugh as Lea displayed an apologetic look.

...

After the bell rang for the end of class, Lea stood up from her desk, facing the female who was packing her materials to her bag. Subconsciously, Lea couldn't hide her excitement to tour around the beautiful school with none other than the most beautiful person she knew.

"Hey, you don't mind if my friend tours you instead? I have some student council work to do."

Eh?..

Lea couldn't hide being slightly disappointed, but she immediately covered it with a smile.

"I don't mind. Being the President keeps you occupied eh?" Lea tried to joke with the female, but Cheng Xiao merely finished packing up before heading her way out of the classroom. Lea lets out a sigh as she then was approached by the friend Cheng Xiao was referring to.

"Hey new student! Ready to tour the school?" Before responding to the female, Lea stared at the female. Similar to Cheng Xiao, the female in front of her was also beautiful, but for some reason it wasn't the same as when she would stare at Cheng Xiao. To the female's surprise, Lea suddenly held the female's hand, in which the female pulls her hand away.

"Yah!-"

"Haha sorry. Let's go." The female eyed the latter for her strange behavior before leading the way for the tour. In the meantime, Lea was occupied with her thoughts.

Weird, she's pretty and yet my heart doesn't beat the same..

Shaking her thoughts away, Lea focused on the tour, with the female who she found out was named Eunseo.

...

"Say.." Eunseo paused, catching the attention of the latter as their tour was about to end.

"Do you like Cheng Xiao?"

"Yes." With no hesitation, Lea answered the female's question with a gummy smile.

"..Even with the fanclub she has, you still like her?"

"Well. At least people recognize her charms. Just bec