Dressed in a baggy hoodie on her rumpled oversized uniform and worn-out shoe, Mae stood behind a locker slightly sticking out her head, peeking with her eyes darting around the hall through her sunglasses.
Her hand trembling in her mouth as she chewed on her fingers.
"How do I escape all these people and get to class?". She thought to herself. Her breathing paced as she rests her back against the locker, blinking excessively.
"Sigh, was the school ever this populated?" she emitted a long, deep audible breath expressing anxiety.
The thought of bypassing the busy students in the hallway kept on taunting her.
Bang!
She startled, holding unto her chest as her heart almost flew out of her rib cage when Chen banged his fist on the locker.
"Oh my God! You scared me" Mae said, exhaling deeply.
"Haha, did I startle you, chica?" With his hand on the locker, guiding her side, he gazed at her with raised eyebrow, smirking a little with one side of his lip raised just a bit, the other closed.
"Um... Um.." she stuttered, stroking her fingers in her hair.
"Let me see those." He took the sunglass from her face and tried it on his.
"Give it back" She attempted to reach out for it, shielding her eyes with her other arm.
"Uh.. No, no." he held back her hand asking "What brand is this?"
"Uhm.. I don't wear brands" she said in a low and depressed tone, blinking excessively as she looked away.
"How do I look?" he grinned.
"Um..." She stares at him. Mae could hear her heart rhythm as she wished she could look good in anything like him.
Two girls passed and whispered inaudibly amongst themselves. Then she wondered what they were on about as they keep on looking back slightly at her from the corner of their eyes, as they talked, blocking the side of their mouth with one hand.
"Are they gossiping about me?" she wondered.
"Hello... I'm right here" Chen waved his palm over her face.
Ring! Ring! The school bell rang.
"Em.. Ahem!" she cleared her throat. "I must head to class now. You don't look bad at all. Thanks for your time" Mae took off her dark shades from his face, bowed and ran off.
"Hey Cinderella, wait up! We can actually go together you know..." Chen spoke loudly from a distance.
"Um.. why does she always run away from me?" he thought to himself sniffing his armpits. Then he raised and lowered his shoulder.
"I don't look bad at all?? What does she mean I don't look bad at all? Tsk!" he sighed, shaking his head.
__________***__________
Immediately Mae entered the classroom, the rowdy market tuned to a graveyard. The students ominously went silent, turning to look at her as she walked through them uncomfortably, looking down at her shoes.
They started whispering to each other, some chortled whilst others gasped like they heard something shocking or amusing.
She felt overwhelmed, her heart skipped a beat when she saw her seat-mate, Liang Fang. She got to her sit, dropped her bag on the desk and sat down, sighing in relief.
"Hi, goodmorning. I didn't expect to see you in class today" she showed a radiant smile.
"Why? I school here" he said in a flat tone without turning to look at her.
"Oh yeah.. right" the smile faded gradually on her face.
"What is wrong with you Mae, sheesh! Be cool" she said in her thought as she exhaled a long deep breath to stay calm.
"So... what are you doing today? Got plans?" she asked.
"Shit, shit shit, what is wrong with you Mae? Are you trying to ask him out?" Be cool, be cool..." she pinched her lap, closing her eyes and lips tightly.
"Nothing" he answered in a flat tone without turning to look at her.
"So... So..." she tapped her foot on the ground rapidly, squeezing her fist. "about yesterday...." she gulped.
Mr. Muyi stomped into the classroom with a journal in his hand.
"Good morning students!" he slammed the journal on the table.
Without waiting to get a response from the students, he continued.
"I am not pleased with the obnoxious act of you kids. Do you love to be nuisance or you just don't know why you are here. Hey you! get up quickly, tell us why your parents sent you to school" he pointed to a girl, snapping his fingers sharply.
She stood up and replied "I am in school today to acquire knowledge, learn skills and become productive to society in the end". Then she bowed and took her seat.
"You see that? You see that right there? Productive. Underline the word productive in capital letters. How do you intend to achieve that when you destroy school properties and disorganize the learning structure? Huh?" he paused and look at them in the eyes, one after the other.
"Now tell me, who started it?"
The students turned their heads from side to side but did not want to snitch on themselves. Jade Qing gulped in her seat, rumpling her ironed skirt in her fist.
"So nobody is gonna say anything huh? Okay. The principal reports for you all to join a club in school. Seems like you have so much free time in your hands eh? No leisure hour!" Mr. Muyi banged his fist on the table and the students heart almost jumped out of their chest.
He continued "Starting from tomorrow, choose a club you want to belong to. We have the cheerleading team, basketball club, archery, sword fencing, chess club, choreography... the list goes on and on. Before noon, you'd see the list pasted on the notice boards in the hallways. Sign... in!" He gave a grimace of frustration.
"Question sir, is it compulsory to sign in?" a guy behind slightly raised his hand.
Mr. Muyi aggressively turned to look at him. Then he walked gently with his hands clasped behind his back to where the boy was sitting.
He spoke softly... with the sound of his voice changing after every word pronounced "Yes.. It is MANDATORY!!!" He yelled in his ear and the students were frightened.
"Ques-question sir.... Can a student sign into more than one club?" Jade trembled, raising her hand slightly without turning to look at the teacher behind.
He walked gently towards her, counting his steps. Then he bent to answer "Yes my darling.. as many as you want. If you have the time" he added.
Then he turned to face the class "Any more questions!".
The class was as quiet as a graveyard. The students bowed their heads, avoiding eye contact with Mr. Muyi.
"Yasss! That was what I thought." he nodded and then adjusted the tie on his neck, clearing his throat "Ahem! Bring out your writing materials. It's time for a pop quiz".
"Aww" The students grumbled, scrubbing their feet on the ground as they murmured.
__________***__________
At lunch...
Mae ordered for her regular; dumplings and steamed buns. She walked with the trey of food in her hands, her eyes scanning through the cafeteria looking for a suitable table to sit at.
Then her eyes met with Chen. He smiled, waving at her, making hand gestures, beckoning for her to come sit with them.
He was sitting with Jade and her clique of friends plus some other cool dudes in the class.
Mae shook her head and turned around. Then she sighted Liang Fang eating alone at a table. Her lips quirked up as she approached his table.
"Is this seat vacant? Can I sit here with you?" Her cheeks turned red in that hidden smile as she sat down without waiting for a response from him.
She watched how he ate for a while, smiling subconsciously as she admired his glossy lips obtained from the fried chicken he was eating. She watched how he picked up and munched food decently and how he could handle cutleries appropriately.
He had been observing the humans and their environment, studying how they do things on Earth.
"Oh, you have something there.." she stretched out her hand and wiped a piece of food hanging on the corner of his mouth and licked her finger.
He stopped eating and looked blankly at her.
"What?" she let out a smile biting her bottom lip.
Liang pushed the plate of food to the side. With a mere expression on his face, he dabbed his lips with a serviette and walked away.
"What really is wrong with her" he thought, feeling irksome.
"Did I do something wrong?" she wondered.
"Oh gosh!" she hits her head, biting hard on her lips when she reflected to how she had acted around him. "Jeez, stupid! stupid! You turned him off ugly duckling". She cursed, slapping her palm against her forehead repeatedly.
Then she brought out her mobile phone typing on Google "My boyfriend walked away because I wiped off a food particle on his mouth. Did I do something wrong?"
"Hey, what are youuuu tyyyyping...." Chen stretched his head to look at her phone screen.
"Nothing!" she hastily put her phone to her chest, pressing the lock button and then put it down on the table to enjoy her meal.
"Em.. Okay. You seem pretty excited, what's up chica" Chen teased, poking her arm.
"Um, nothing" she blushed, tucking her hair behind her ear.
"Haha, is it about a boy? Who are you texting?" he picked up her phone on the table and flashed it at her face.
Beep! Beep! Face ID unlocked.
"Give it back!" She rushed to take back the phone from his hand but he ran around with it, scrolling to see what was displayed on the screen.
"Give me back my phone. Please give it to me" she wailed, following him around.
Jade snatched the phone from Chen and looked at it. Then she scoffed, turning to Mae "Really? You have a boyfriend? Wow ugly duckling, great achievement."
Jade stopped to think "Who would it be? Who would want to go out with a loser if not a loser? Hmm lemme thinking..." she looked up, tapping her finger on her lips.
Then she turned to Mae pouting her lips "Who is your boyfriend, ugly duckling? Does he go to school here or he is just some loser kid helping your blind grandma at home?".
"Give me back my phone" Mae's voice trembled.
"Or else what?" Jade reluctantly said.
"Hey everybody, come look at this. Ugly duckling here is in a "relationship" " she held up her fingers in quote, and then applauded in mockery.
The students in the cafeteria burst into laughter.
"Is it you pretty boy?" she pointed at a handsome dude.
"Yuck!" he responding, acting like he wants to throw up.
"Is it you honey?" she asked one of the cool dudes at her table.
"Hell no.. that is my boyfriend" a blonde girl acted defensive holding onto the guy. Then she turned to him "If you ever go out with that trashcan or any other girl, I'm breaking up with you!"
"Not a chance baby" he French-kissed her lips.
"Get a room will ya?" a girl single to a stupor scoffed and rolled her eyes.
"I saw her wiping food from the new guy's mouth" One girl in their midst said loudly.
"What? Liang Fang?" Will Liang Fang go out with this scumbag or she's just being delusional?" Jade puzzled.
She turned to Mae "So you like Liang, eh?" Then she climbed onto a table and spoke at the top of her voice "Hey! Everybody, Mae has a crush on the new dude".
"Omg, what? This is a twisted tale, the beast has fallen for prince charming? Hahaha" one guy jest with his friends at the table.
"I doubt they are dating. Is he that blind to notice me?" a girl said under her breath. Grunting and stabbing the chicken in her plate with a fork.
"How can he look in the eyes of that dirty thing. Did he not hear she is living with a deadly disease that is why her pupils turned purple?" another girl said in the crowd.
"Oh my... I thought that bitch got HIV" her friend responded to her.
"No way. I heard she is a witch... She drinks blood at night" a goth girl added in a hollow voice, causing the others to shriek in terror.
Mae stood still, her pupils dilating in confusion. She was gasping for air, with her feet trembling and could no longer carry her weight. Sweat dripped out of her pores profusely as she watched the students gasped and jabbered amongst themselves.
Chen was mesmerized, yet entertained with the show. He was expecting a reaction from Mae Li.
"Why is she just standing there doing nothing? Isn't she the one that possesses the almighty amethyst?" The thought of this baffled him.
Jade dimmed her eyes, smirking. "Nobody get the most handsome guy in this school unless I" she said to herself.