Stranger in the Hallway
The unexpected breakup with Ye Zhixia plunged my heart, which was already in turmoil due to the high school entrance examination, into another turmoil.
It was a very strange feeling, even though I was still overwhelmed by test papers and review materials every day.
Classroom, cafeteria, home, it's a busy routine.
But there is a void in a corner of my heart, and I feel a sense of melancholy that things and people have changed.
However, life did not give me much time to chew on this loss.
The countdown numbers for the high school entrance examination are getting smaller day by day, like the sword of Damocles hanging over our heads, urging everyone to move forward with all their might.
"Hey, what are you daydreaming about?"
Lulu poked my arm gently with the pen cap and handed me a small package of torn bear cookies that she had just secretly brought back from the canteen.
"Here, I'll give you half. It'll help you get some sugar and make your brain work faster."
They said nothing and did not ask what happened at Ye Zhixia's house that day.
But I think they all know.
Because from that day on, we all tacitly agreed not to mention Ye Zhixia again.
The days before the high school entrance examination are like clockwork, monotonous and tense.
Piles of test papers, endless knowledge points to memorize, and countdown numbers on the wall getting smaller day by day are making people feel suffocated.
————
When the high school entrance examination finally arrived as scheduled, midsummer had not yet begun.
The bell rang, the papers were collected, and I graduated from junior high school.
Like a grand fireworks display, after the splendor, only cold debris remains on the ground and the lingering sense of melancholy in the memories.
The corridor was packed with cheering people.
Someone tore up the review materials that they had accumulated for three years into pieces and threw them down from the upstairs. The white pieces of paper fluttered in the sunlight, like an untimely snowfall to commemorate youth.
I looked down and watched my shadow being crushed and pieced together by the noisy crowd, and found that it was indeed much longer than it was three years ago.
You've graduated from junior high school already?
I feel empty and unreal inside.
Lulu rushed over from behind, shouting with joy, and hugged my neck tightly, almost strangling me to the point that I couldn't breathe.
"Finally free! Let's go have a good meal to celebrate. I'm starving!"
I turned around and saw Lu Xingye and Jiang Yuanzhou standing behind her with their arms around each other.
They smiled too, with that familiar, slightly silly smile.
"As I walked along, I found that fewer and fewer people stayed around me." Looking at them, I suddenly sighed without any reason.
Lulu paused in stroking her hair, then nudged me lightly with her elbow.
"Why are you so sad all of a sudden?"
"No," I shook my head, and suddenly felt my eyes a little sore, so I quickly looked up at the sky.
"It just feels like... it seems like just yesterday we were squatting in the sandpit, arguing over whether a broken rock was a 'holy stone' or not."
Jiang Yuanzhou and Lu Xingye laughed heartily.
"Are you stupid?" Lulu patted my head. "Okay! Stop thinking about it!"
Lulu pulled out a crumpled KFC coupon from her pocket like a magic trick and waved it proudly. "It's my treat today! Celebrate our successful graduation!"
“You only know how to eat…”
Lu Xingye next to him habitually frowned in disgust, which immediately earned him a fierce glare from Lulu and a gesture as if she was about to hit him.
We walked down the stairs side by side and merged into the noisy crowd.
As the sun sets, our shadows become very long.
————
When the high school entrance examination results were finalized, our names appeared on the admission list of Hanchuan Experimental High School. After three years of hanging in the balance, our hearts finally settled down.
The air was filled with the laziness of surviving a disaster and a vague longing for a new stage.
The nerves of several mothers, which had been tense for a long time, finally relaxed, and they even had the leisure to make an appointment to go to the Guiyuan Temple in the neighboring city, which was said to be very spiritual, to worship Buddha and burn incense.
"What do you think they will wish for this time?" Lulu tilted her head and fanned herself with her hands, extremely curious.
I looked not far away and saw the mothers enthusiastically discussing the incense, candles and seasonal offerings to be prepared.
"What else can I wish for? I just hope that we can get into a good university in the end." I smiled.
"The pattern is too small," Jiang Yuanzhou said from the side.
"I think my mom is so impatient that just getting me into college isn't enough for her. She'll definitely ask me to find a good job in the future. Maybe even get me a good wife soon."
We couldn't help laughing as we imagined Aunt Su muttering to herself in front of the Buddha statue, wishing she could arrange her son's entire life.
Judging from Aunt Su's personality, I guess so.
————
In the autumn of 2014, the leaves of the sycamore trees at Hanchuan Experimental High School began to turn yellow.
On the first day of high school, I walked through the bustling corridor carrying a stack of brand new textbooks I had just received.
The corridor was crowded with students wearing the same blue and white school uniforms, and the sounds of laughter and playing were mixed together.
I lowered my head and counted the textbooks in my arms, afraid that I would miss any one.
But he bumped into Ye Zhixia unexpectedly at the corner.
She also stood in front of me, holding a stack of new books.
She had her hair cut short, with the ends slightly curled up.
The school uniform jacket was not worn properly, hanging loosely on the shoulders, revealing the white T-shirt underneath.
Their eyes met for a brief second.
Actually, I'm not surprised that she is also at Henkel.
Hanchuan is so small, and Hankao is the best high school. If nothing unexpected happens, we will still be in the same school.
That second seemed to be stretched infinitely.
She didn't say anything, just turned slightly and walked past me.
No greeting, no smile, not even a hint of hesitation.
"She really didn't say a word?"
At noon in the school cafeteria, Lulu bit her yogurt straw and listened to me briefly talk about my encounter in the morning. Her voice was a little muffled.
"Hmm" I poked the rice on the plate. I felt hungry just now, but now I have no appetite.
"I saw it too. She seems to be in Class 3." Jiang Yuanzhou interjected.
We all fell silent.
In fact, compared to losing my friend Ye Zhixia, I am more sad because I don’t even know when we started to drift apart...
Lulu put down the milk tea cup heavily, making a slight "clang" sound.
"Forget it," she said, taking a deep sip of her drink, making a loud slurp. Then, she waved her hand, "It's not worth sacrificing your appetite for someone who doesn't care about you! Eat quickly. We have to clean up this afternoon."
I looked at her angry expression, then looked at Lu Xingye and Jiang Yuanzhou, who didn't say anything but obviously slowed down their eating speed, and felt very warm.
I know that some things have been left behind forever.
But the people who are with me at this moment, their laughter and body warmth are so real, enough to support me and move towards the next unknown intersection.
High school life has just begun and there is still a long way to go.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
