I SIGH IN RELIEF. Because the lecturer is still nowhere in sight.

I look around, scanning all the seats, which remind me to park benches but a lot longer, or more like those in church but taller and thicker. They’re placed like stairs, starting from the lowest [the most front line], to the highest [the most back line].

I used to love the most back line in high school. But for now, I think, I’ll go with the middle one.

According to movies, the most back line is in danger of being called by the lecturer all the time. Meanwhile, the most front line is occupied by ambitious students. I want to keep myself away from that kind.

I sit at a quite middle line, 3 lines from the most back line. Nobody is on this line yet, and on all the lines behind it. Everyone is on the front lines only.

They’re cool students, then.

Or, maybe they’re testing the atmosphere for this is still a day 1.

“Sitting at the back for history? Cool!” I believe I didn’t see anyone coming here. It’s Xiao Gui, by the way. He’s sitting beside me while playing with his phone.

Just then, a very familiar sound of a game starts irking everybody’s ear. It’s really loud.

“Seriously? At least mute your phone first.” I groan.

He slides the mute button then continue playing.

It’s PUBG. I play it sometimes, and he kind of inspires me to open my phone and click on it now.

“Whoa, you’re playing too?”

“Uh-huh.” I nod, while clicking on the daily bonuses.

“We should team up, but after I win, of course.”

I peek at his screen. “You’re going to die, though.”

“What—“ And BAAM! He's dead because a coward someone that’s been hiding on the grass shoots him.

“T!!” He’s louder than the previous sound, so I see pairs of eyes glaring at our direction.

But they don’t last, thankfully, because the lecturer has finally arrived.

So I lock my phone and put it on the desk.

“Good morning class. Welcome to the History of Chinese Music. I’m Gao Xian, but students call me Professor Gao. In case you don’t know that.”

I’m hearing mumbles from my left. Thinking that he must be still playing that, I roll my eyes.

But I kindly turn to him, to warn him.

I lean closer. “Stop it already, the professor is here.” I whisper.

“No, we’re teaming up.” He’s whispering too, at least.

“You’re no safe to conspire with, forget it!”

He bumps my left arm. “What do you mean with that??”

I shush him, but it's too late. “Those at the back, please don’t disturb the ones purely excited to learn in this class. Should I lead you out?”

“N-no, sir. Please. We’re sorry.” I scoot to the right, distancing self from Xiao Gui.

This reminds me that we’re at the most back line. It’s cool, if only the professor hasn’t “favored” us already.

I’m still taking notes on things the professor says, when Xiao Gui bugs me with “You sure you don’t want to team up?” I believe he’s moved closer, because he sounds near.

I squint, but still looking at the front.

“How about now?” He pauses.

“Now?” Another pause.

“Now?” Come on!

I turn to him. “Shut up!”

“That’s it. Since you two have a more interesting topic to discuss, get out.”

I pack my books then storm out of the room. I could’ve just ignored him.

Why in the world.

I can’t differ between talking in my head and talking in real life.

I can’t differ between yelling and whispering.

---

I’m about to reach the hall when someone grabs my shoulder.

“Hey.” That’s the crispy low-pitched voice.

I don’t think I’m willing to turn.

“What is it.” I murmur.

“You left your phone.” He lets out his hand that’s holding my phone from behind; he puts it on my shoulder, in a way that it’s right beside my cheek now.

I still haven’t moved a hand, when all of a sudden, it buzzes.

And he pulls his hand back.

“Pay back the generous guy.” He reads my reminder. Dang it?

But, he’s being very stupid about it.

“Wait, have we met before?” He tilts his head, recalling something.

“I helped you or you’re in my guild?”

“Was it in League of Legends?”

“PUBG?”

“Or—“

I turn to him, about to yell, but end up taking in a big breath instead, because he really looks confused.

I press my eyes together in disbelief. Or pity.

“Seriously?” I pause. “It’s been only an hour and you really think we haven’t met before?” I wait for him to respond—or react, at least.

“Really? Nothing?” I furrow my eyebrow.

He’s been letting his mouth open. But he’s not gasping.

Is this his default mode?

I shake my head, twitching my face so my lips, nose, eyes, brows and forehead are all wrinkling. I shouldn’t do this to my face—especially the forehead because it’s one of the only assets I have.

“You drove me and nainai to the hospital. You even paid the bill. Also, you drove me back here.” I explain slowly.

“If you still don’t get it—“ I sigh. “Just go, because I don’t know what’ll happen.”

“Whoa, scary?” He chuckles. “What’ll you do anyway?”

I just roll my eyes.

“I remember, though.”

“I just don’t think you’d think of it as a big deal. It’s not like I help you push your rank or something.”

I frown. “Let’s go.”

It is a big deal.

---

I’m dragging him to our department’s canteen.

I’m pulling his bag, a G-brand waist bag on his chest. So, I’m like pulling his chest out right now, which is nice when I think about it.

The pull is nice, not the chest.

“Can you at least tell me about—“ He pauses. “Like, what exactly are you doing now?” He says that in a higher pitch.

I sigh, but I still reply.

“I kind of have to treat you.”

“What?!” He yells.

He should’ve expressed some gratitute or at least appreciation, instead.

At the canteen, I just “drop” him on some random chair, then put my bag on a chair in front of him.

As I start looking for my wallet in it, he blurts, “If you want to treat me, you should’ve brought me to some fancy restaurant, mall, or something.”

I don't know that rich people actually has this kind [of person] in real life. Some that I knew before weren't like this, at all.

Wait, I only knew one.

I roll my eyes, then just walk away from there—not out of the canteen, of course, but to the cashier.

His words about fancy restaurant are bugging me so much. I can’t help but fixing my eyes on the most expensive dish now—the beef steak.

“Can I write your order?” The cashier asks.

“Two sets of beef steaks please.” I randomly blurt. That's random because once I open my wallet, I gasp, that I only have $20.

“S-sorry, let me think again.”

The beef steak costs $8, so two of it = $16. But how will I eat the other days with $4??

I peek at the menu, looking for the cheapest one.

I find a rice porridge for $2.

If I’ll have $4 left, then it means I only can eat until Wednesday.

Who am I kidding?

I should at least have $2 x 4 days = $8, since my classes are on Monday to Friday, and I assume, I can just sneak into Lin jie’s place and beg for food on weekends.

To have $8 left, I have order anything below the beef steak for myself. But it can’t be too drastically tragic compared to Xiao Gui’s.

I scan the menu from top to bottom, and sees sweet and sour pork for $4 only. Great.

“One beef steak and one sweet and sour pork, please.”

$8 + $4 = $12. So, I’ll have $20 - $12 = $8 for my 4 days of porridge. Ok, it’s sad.

Someone whispers right to my ear, “Who said I want that?” It’s ticklish, but not ticklishly cute. His voice is actually cute. But clearly because of my 6 days of porridge, it makes me squint and scoot away from him instead.

I turn to him, just to mouth “Go.” Then I turn back to the cashier and start counting my money.

He suddenly pulls my hair and drags me away from there.

“AAAARGH!!!!!” I slap his hands.

“HAIR STICKS TO THE HEAD SO IT HURTS!!! ARE YOU DUMB OR SOMETHING??@$#" I yell.

He releases the grab and even hands me my bag, with a pretty apologetic look on the face like a puppy asking for—I don’t know I never talk to them.

In reflex, I sling my bag on my shoulders. But not long after that, he starts dragging my bag from behind. He can’t win, though. I take my bag off, then rush back to the cashier, with my wallet already in hand.

And he, again, manages to chase me. “What are you doing? Let’s—“ I cut him by grabbing both of his hands, to prevent him from pulling anything of me again.

I sigh, to calm myself a little bit, then says calmly, “They’re making my order already, so just sit back and accept it.”

Suddenly, he looks like he's about to say something in his defense, so my blood feels like boiling when I notice that.

I drop his stupid hands and shout, “JUST SIT YOU ING DUMBHEAD!”

That startles him a bit, and gets him stunned.

“Should I drag—“ I cough. “—lead you there?”

“N-no, thanks.” He shakes his head real quickly.

“I’m good.” He jets back to our table.

“Here’s your order, miss.”

“Thank you.”

---

As I put my tray on the table, I say, “I’ve paid this with my allowance. So, accept it.”

I actually didn't put but dropped the tray. It even made a sound. Sorry.

He mumbles, “Ah........” That’s a long one. “Alright.” So he's stuttering.

He seems to be shocked by my attitude right now. But sorry not sorry, because I believe I’ve done few good things this morning, and I keep having bad lucks for the past few minutes, which all related to him somehow.

If one did a good thing, one would get a good thing in return, right?

Isn’t that how the universe works?

“Did you happen to write things at the History class?” He asks.

“Hm.” It's a lazy yes from me. I've just started eating my food.

He seems to be a little bit hurt that I'm not really paying attention to him, so he adds, “You know, since I was busy winning—“ How random, winning my ?

“Can I borrow your notes? Just to snap a pic of it and I’m done.”

“Hm.”

But this time I actually halt myself from eating.

Lending notes is not a big deal.

I take out my book then put it on the table.

“Thanks.”

---

That startles me.

I’ve been a total jerk for not saying that word, even until now. He’s done many things to help me this morning.

I straighten my face, fix my eyes to look at him, and blurt, “Thank you, by the way.”

“Huh?” He rises one of his weird eyebrows.

“I said, thank you. Thank you very much.”

“F-for what?”

This dumbhead is literally dumb.

I’ve been trying so hard to put my most sincere face, but now I can't help but squinting at him.

“If it’s for the hospital, then you’re welcome.” He pauses.

“But, if it’s for the kick out, or the hair, or the bag, then you’re scary.”

“Forget it.” I groan.

---

He’s flipping the pages in my book, and snaps a photo of it.

But when he sees the photo, he starts doing bizarre things; he turns my book to left, right, then upside down, while making a weird face.

He’s actually giggling.

He even takes a peek at me and the book to like..... compare us.

Just then, he bursts into laughter.

He’s probably been holding it with the weird face.

You’re free to laugh over me or my book. But not this loud.

Attention seeker, much?

I snatch my book from his hands and leave.

---

My phone buzzes so much, that it brings more flames to the already-burning me.

Just what kind of message did wechat send me this much?

I take out my phone from my pocket, then click on the lock button.

I’m seeing many notifications from... weibo?

The first one says, Xiao Gui tagged you in a post. Then the rest is like, A commented on the post your tagged in, B liked the post your tagged in, and stuff.

I click on the Xiao Gui one and wait until it pops out.

Geez.

He posted the photo of my notes with caption:

Just witnessed the world’s ugliest writing ever 🙏🌊🙏 and it came from the Art Department.

I’m so in rage right now, but I can’t break a weibo.

People in this era just fight on the comment section.

So, I write on it, and he replies real quickly.

Me: WTH

XG: Yo ugly, you finally showed up!

Me: We’re in the Music Department. Dumbhead.

XG: LOL 😅🌊👨

I’m about to type a reply, but suddenly, a bunch of new notifications appear; they’re disturbing my calm phone.

I’m uninstalling this thing!

Just then, my phone becomes as calm as it’s used to be.

How did Xiao Gui know my account? He must’ve hijacked my phone at the class. I’m afraid, he’s “travelled” all of my apps, not only weibo.

I take a look at my wechat, PUBG, Mobile Legends, Fortnite; all of them display a new friend notice.

On wechat, he uses his real name. While on the two games he doesn’t. But of course it’s him, because, who am I kidding?

My calm phone suddenly buzzes, again. I groan, thinking that it must be from another app with the new friend.

But I was wrong. It’s a text.

I’m taking this one seriously, because Lin jie never contacted me unless she’s really in need of something.

But I was wrong, again.

It’s from some unknown number.

?: You’re mad?

Me: Who’s this?

?: Xiao Gui

Duh.

Who wants to communicate with him who’s caused one to not eat properly for 6 consecutive days?

?: Anw why did u spill ur department LOL

.....