soda
The chirping of cicadas wove an impenetrable web in the sweltering air, and the graphs of functions from math class twisted into bizarre shapes on the blackboard. Chen Yu buried his face in his arms, his hair covering his eyes, trying to block out the glaring sunlight outside the window.
Last night was another sleepless night. In the empty house, the hum of the refrigerator's cooling air was particularly clear. He sat all night holding his parents' old photo album, his fingertips repeatedly stroking his parents' smiling faces in the photos, until the morning light crept through the curtains and he realized with a start that it was already dawn.
Suddenly, there was a light touch on the back of his neck, like the brush of a feather. Chen Yu looked up suddenly, and met Jiang Yizhou's playful gaze. He hadn't known when the other person had changed seats and was now sitting behind him, his elbow resting on the back of his chair, twirling a black fountain pen in his hand.
"Teacher has been watching you for a long time." Jiang Yizhou lowered his voice, and his breath swept across Chen Yu's earlobe, bringing a hint of the coolness of mint candy.
Chen Yu hurriedly turned his head to look at the podium. Sure enough, the math teacher was staring at him, his brows furrowed like a twisted rag. He immediately sat up straight, but the tips of his ears turned red uncontrollably, and even the skin on the back of his neck was hot.
Jiang Yizhou laughed softly and said nothing more.
Chen Yu, however, lost interest in the lecture. The vague gaze from behind him felt tangible, making him uneasy. He didn't understand why Jiang Yizhou had suddenly changed seats, and even less why he had spoken to him—they had only had a less-than-pleasant encounter in the corridor yesterday.
As soon as the bell rang, Shen Yu stood up almost immediately, wanting to escape this suffocating attention. As soon as he walked out of the classroom, his wrist was grabbed by someone.
The force was not strong, but it carried an irresistible meaning.
Chen Yu froze and turned around to see Jiang Yizhou lazily leaning against the door frame, his other hand in his trouser pocket, a crumpled leave request tucked between his fingers. "Would you like to pick up anything for the canteen?"
The sunlight poured in from behind him, coating his body with a furry golden edge. Against the light, Shen Yu couldn't see his expression, but felt that his eyes were astonishingly bright.
"No need." Shen Yu tried to free his wrist, but the other party let go, as if he had expected him to refuse.
Jiang Yizhou raised his eyebrows, turned and walked towards the stairs, "Then I'll go by myself."
Watching his disappearing back, Shen Yu stood where he was, with the warmth of his fingertips still lingering on his wrist. It wasn't hot, but it felt like it was burning on his skin and wouldn't go away.
He did not return to the classroom, but went around to the grove behind the teaching building. Few people came here, and there were only a few old locust trees and a stone table with peeling paint. It was his secret base that he had accidentally discovered.
Sitting in the shade of a tree beside a stone table, Chen Yu took a deep breath. The air smelled of grass and earth, much better than the chalk dust in the classroom. He fished a crumpled piece of bread from his schoolbag—this was his lunch for the day. After his parents left, he rarely ate properly, mostly just a quick bite.
Just after taking a bite, he heard footsteps above his head. Shen Yu looked up vigilantly and saw Jiang Yizhou standing under a locust tree not far away, holding two bottles of iced soda in his hands. Seeing him, he was stunned for a moment and then walked over.
"Are you hiding here and slacking off?" Jiang Yizhou sat down on the stone bench opposite him and pushed one of the bottles of soda in front of him. The water droplets condensed on the outer wall of the glass bottle left a small wet mark on the table.
Shen Yu didn't say anything, just stuffed the bread into his schoolbag.
"Here." Jiang Yizhou pushed the soda bottle towards him again. "You look as bad as a ghost. Will you die if you take some sugar?"
His tone wasn't exactly friendly, but his eyes held no malice. Shen Yu hesitated for a moment, then reached out and took it. The cool touch from his fingertips relaxed his tense nerves a little.
"Thanks," he whispered, unscrewing the bottle cap and taking a sip. The orange-flavored bubbles exploded on his tongue, carrying a hint of sweetness as they slid down his throat, dispelling some of his fatigue.
Jiang Yizhou leaned against a locust tree, sipping soda with his head tilted back. The curve of his Adam's apple was particularly clear in the sunlight. "You always stay alone?"
Chen Yu tightened his grip on the soda bottle and didn't answer. This was considered as a tacit agreement.
"Are you afraid of people?" Jiang Yizhou asked again, his tone as casual as if he was chatting about the weather.
Shen Yu raised his head and met his gaze. Jiang Yizhou's eyes were bright and inquiring, but without sympathy or curiosity. He simply looked at him calmly, as if he were an ordinary classmate.
This made Shen Yu feel a little relieved. What he feared most was that others would look at him with cautious and pitying eyes, as if he were a glass doll that would break at the slightest touch.
"No." Shen Yu whispered, "It's just... I'm not used to the hustle and bustle."
Jiang Yizhou said "Oh" and didn't ask any more questions.
The two of them were silent for a moment, the only sounds being the chirping of cicadas and the rustling of leaves in the wind. Chen Yu looked down at the soda bottle in his hand, his own blurry shadow reflected on the bottle. Next to him was the tip of Jiang Yizhou's shoe, half stained with grass debris.
He suddenly felt that such silence was not so uncomfortable.
"Hey," Jiang Yizhou suddenly said, "We have physical education class this afternoon, want to go together?"
Chen Yu was stunned. Physical education was his most troublesome subject. He always hid in the stands beside the playground, watching others run and play, like an outsider.
"I'm not very good at..."
"You don't need to know anything," Jiang Yizhou interrupted him, his tone a bit nonchalant and certain, "Just run a couple of laps with me. If you stay still all the time, you'll get moldy."
After saying that, he stood up and threw the empty soda bottle into the trash can next to him with a clang. "Let's go, class is almost time."
Chen Yu looked at his back, then looked down at the half-full bottle of soda in his hand, the sweet orange flavor still lingering on his tongue. He hesitated for a few seconds, then stood up and followed him.
Sunlight streamed through the gaps in the locust leaves, casting mottled shadows on the ground. Chen Yu followed Jiang Yizhou, watching his shoulders sway slightly as he walked, and suddenly felt that this midsummer seemed to have a different color.
Perhaps, some people and some things are not as difficult to approach as he imagined.
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