Chapter 2 - Ch -2 The class we entered together☆

(𝗣𝗢𝗩 : 𝙻𝚒𝚗 𝚃𝚒𝚊𝚗𝚡𝚒𝚗)

There's something about the smell of a new classroom that makes your stomach twist– not in a bad way, but in a butterflies -wearing -school -uniform kind of way.

Class 6. New faces, new desks and the same pencil I always chewed on when I got nervous. My mom had braided my hair too tight that morning and said, "Don't cause trouble on your first day." As if that was a choice.

The moment I stepped in, all eyes turned to me. I knew that look– curiosity, boredom, maybe even judgement. I wasn't new to it. I had always been the girl who made friends fast... but lost them even faster. My voice was too loud, my stories too long, and my laughter didn't fit neatly into most people's idea of quiet girls.

But then I saw them in the second row near the window.

Zhou Rui, my quiet shadow from the old neighborhood, stared with surprise and the tiniest smile.

Lin Junxi, my cousin brother, slouched coolly like he owned the place, barely reacting.

And then... him.

Shan Jiasheng.

The same irritating boy who once tied my shoelaces together. Now taller, smugger and unfortunately... still very much Jiasheng.

"Whoa", he grinned., looking at me like I was a returning villain." They let you in this class? "

I narrowed my eyes. "Only because they needed someone to balance out your brainless energy. "

The class laughed. And just like that – I belonged.

The teacher made me sit right behind Jiasheng. Worst luck. He leaned back in his chair halfway through the lesson and whispered, "Hey, new girl. Don't miss me too much."

I wanted to stab him with my pencil. But deep down, a little piece of me was smiling. I had come back to the people who knew me before the world tried to change me.

And maybe this time, I'd stay longer.

 ⏪ 𝘾𝙝𝙞𝙡𝙙𝙝𝙤𝙤𝙙 𝙁𝙡𝙖𝙨𝙝𝙗𝙖𝙘𝙠 ⏪

Back in Huali Town, our childhood was stitched together with laughter and scraped knees.

I was always the loudest, climbing walls, chasing dogs and getting scolded by my mom, Lin Huizen -who yelled first and also after cares for me later. My dad, Lin Dening, just laughed and bought me popsicles. He always loved me.

Junxi, my cousin, was cooler than ice. Lazy, car - obsessed, and impossible to drag into my silly games. Zhou Rui was my quiet balance always listening, always calm, peeling mangoes while I talked endlessly.

And Jiasheng? Don't get me started. He teased me nonstop, showed his Rubik's cube in which he is good at, and called me 'crybaby' when I got lost at the Lantern Festival. But he found me. He always did.

We weren't perfect, but we had each other. And that was more than enough.