Philipa and Alex were sitting at the Richmond University canteen and eating.
When Philipa said "You need to eat more," she took a piece of chicken from her plate and put it on Alex's. His face burned as he thanked her. Then he concentrated on his meal. He was trying to clarify everything in his mind. He hastily finished his meal and said, "I'm going to go." After putting his plate in the area for dirty dishes, he quickly walked out of the canteen.
**
Over the next few days, as soon as he finished classes, he went to the auditorium to practice for the performance. He had no formal dance training, but he was flexible, with long, slender arms and legs. With the guidance of his teacher, he gradually became familiar with the dance moves.
He was always enthusiastic about rehearsals because that was where he got to see Leona. But because he had beaten Colin when they fought on the stage the previous week, Leona seemed to have a problem with him. Also, Colin was always there, and he stopped him from speaking to her. Alex rehearsed for more than ten days without managing to say a word to Leona.
Watching Leona and Colin sitting together discussing the details of the program every day, Alex became very depressed.
One particular day, Alex and his team were rehearsing on the rostrum of the stadium. They had permission to rehearse there because of the Colin. Otherwise, the sports department that managed that area would never have allowed another department to use it.
At one point, Colin went to the bathroom while Leona continued singing on the rostrum. Alex and the other two dancers were watching her from behind the barrier. Alex knew that Leona didn't like him, so he contented himself with secretly watching her sing.
Just watching her graceful figure made him happy.
As he was watching her, he let out a loud sigh.
Leona suddenly looked at him and her delicate features made his heart leap. He quickly tried to turn away, but he lost his balance and fell over the barrier with a loud cry.
The rostrum was more than two meters high. Fortunately, he managed to keep hold of the barrier while he fell, so he didn't land too heavily. But he still found himself lying on the ground with a badly bruised arm.
Alex couldn't help but cry out as he landed. It wasn't the pain that made him yell, but the shame of falling in front of Leona.
"Ha, ha, Alex, Alex, you are really a clown," said one of the other dancers.
"That was so funny, I can't believe you did that," said the other.
As the other two dancers looked down at him and laughed, the students who were training in the sports stadium at the time also burst into laughter.
He was so embarrassed that he just wanted to get up quickly and run out of the stadium without looking back. He didn't want Leona to see his humiliation.
As he was scrambling to his feet, he saw a figure walking toward him. He looked up and realized that it was her. From her worried expression, he knew that she must have seen what happened. He couldn't face talking to her, so he got up quickly and tried to leave.
"Did you fall?" she asked anxiously as she grabbed his arm. He realized that it was too late for him to leave so he bowed his head and replied, "I'm okay."
"But you've hurt your arm," she said when she saw a graze on his elbow with some blood starting to ooze out. With concern, she said, "Show me."
She grabbed his arm and when her hand touched his skin, his fluttering heart started to calm down.
He slowly raised his head and looked at her small face. He saw that her apricot eyes were shining. Her skin was white like ivory, and her lips were flushed. Her expression was serious. She didn't seem upset that he was staring at her.
If anything, she was staring right back.
Alex's heart returned to normal, and he forgot about the pain of his wound. His only thought was how kind she was.
"Come with me," Leona said, and she took him to the equipment room where there were some bottles of mineral water. She took a bottle and told him to sit on a chair. Then she said, "Stretch out your arm and I'll wash your wound."
Alex stretched out his arm. Leona unscrewed the bottle and gently poured water over his arm. She gently wiped it with her hand and blew on it with her mouth.
Watching her gently treating his wound, Alex could help but remember the meticulous care that she used to give him when they were in New York. He remembered one occasion when he had cut his finger when chopping tomatoes and she had gently cleansed his wound.
He was touched by his love for her, and his eyes welled with tears. The memory of them together in their kitchen was vivid in his mind as he gazed at her. In his heart he was asking her, "It is you, Debbie, isn't it? You're the only one who would treat me so gently. Why don't you recognize me?
A tear fell on Leona's hand. When she raised her head, she saw that he was crying. She was shocked and stood up quickly.
"Debbie," he said.
"What did you say?" When she heard him calling her by his girlfriend's name again, she was angry. But when she saw how upset he was, she couldn't bring herself to admonish him again.
At that moment, the other two dancers, Doug and Fiona, walked in. They looked at Alex and asked Leona, "What's he crying about?"
"I don't know. I just helped him clean his wound with water and he started crying," Leona replied.
"Really?" Doug was surprised and he said to Alex with a smile, "Alex, come on, you didn't get hurt that bad, did you? Why are you crying like this?"
Fiona said with a smile, "Hey, why are you surprised? Alex comes to rehearsals every day, and no one pays any attention to him. I'd be touched if somebody was kind to me when I was feeling low too."
"Well, I don't want to talk about it anymore. Let's go back." Leona knew that he was crying because he was thinking about his girlfriend whom he loved so much. She turned around and was about to leave. Then she changed her mind. She turned and said to Alex, "You should go to the clinic to have the wound checked."
"Okay," he replied and then watched her walk out of the room.
He wiped away his tears and looked at the bottle of water that Leona had just used to wash his wound. He held the bottle in his hand, thinking that it was the one that she had just used. He felt very happy. He left the equipment room and went to the medical clinic to deal with the wound.
About an hour later, he returned to the stadium.
When he stepped onto the rostrum, he found Leona and Colin sitting opposite each other chatting instead of practicing.
Ian Hardcastle, the student director of the new year's party, also walked in. Alex knew that he was trying to ingratiate himself with Colin.
"Oh, Alex is back," Doug said with a smile.
"He even comes to rehearse when he's injured. It seems that although his body is weak, we must praise his spirit," Fiona said, also smiling.
Alex ignored them both and sat down on a small bench to wait.
"I can't believe he fell over the barrier of the rostrum. What a genius," Colin muttered sarcastically. The others all laughed and looked at Alex.
Only Leona's face was solemn. She knew that he had fallen because he had been watching her. She saw that he was ignoring everyone's ridicule and could not help sighing to herself, "Well, at least he's resilient."
Ian said, "Colin, the new year's party is really soon, but the useless student union has only managed to find a few small businesses to sponsor it. The only contracts they've secured are for the banners and the mineral water. As you know, although rehearsals are in the auditorium, the actual party will be on the square in front of the library. We need money for stage construction, costumes, lighting, and make-up. The school board is refusing to pay for anything. I'm the party director and I'm worried to death about it."
Of course, Colin knew exactly what Ian wanted, which was to ask him for money, but he wasn't interested. The Pattersons were one of the top twenty families in D.C. and this party was too small to waste his time with.
"I'll talk to my father later. Do you want me to give you money to sponsor the new year's party?" he asked Ian casually.
"Thank you, Colin. Thank you very much," Ian replied graciously.
"We can go together to talk with the financial department," Colin told him.
"Colin, Leona, you've practiced for a long time today. You sing so well together, I'm sure you'll be the stars of the show. It's almost noon now. Why don't we all go for lunch?" Ian suggested.
"Well, there's a Michelin three-star hotel in Wanda Plaza, which is very good. Have you ever been there, Leona?" Colin asked with a smile. When she shook her head, he said, "Well, since Leona's never been there, let's go now. I'll drive you all there to eat together."
"That's great, Colin. We've never eaten in a Michelin three-star restaurant before either," said Fiona excitedly.
"Yes, all our friends will be so envious," agreed Doug.
They packed up their things ready to leave.
Colin had already called the valet to drive and bring his car over.
Colin and Leona walked in front, while Alex followed with the others. Ian saw that Alex was with them and asked, "Colin, do you want him to come with us?"
Everyone stopped as Colin looked at Alex with a cold smile. His look seemed to say, "You scrounger. You heard that we're going to a nice restaurant and you're hoping you can come too."
Alex didn't reply. In reality, the only thing he wanted was another opportunity to spend time with Leona.
"Leona, do you want him to come? Remember, there's only room for five people in my car," Colin asked.
Leona glanced at Alex and saw him staring back at her with deep affection in his eyes. She guessed that he was still thinking of her as Debbie. She became increasingly agitated and said, "Even if we let him come with us, he probably won't be able to afford it. Let's go without him."
She knew that Alex had no money, and that this would be a good excuse for him not to go. But she felt bad because she also knew that the other dancers often laughed at his poverty, and she felt she shouldn't use this to hurt his feelings. She regretted what she had said, but it was too late. She couldn't take the words back. She turned her head and tried not to catch his eye.
Ian said with a smile, "Haha, you're right. There's no way that poor loser can afford it." He knew that she was using money as an excuse to refuse Alex and enjoyed laughing at his expense.