In the glow of the evening sunset, the straight mountain path was just the two of them.
Ryan glared at her, his tall figure somewhat rigid. For some reason, he often found himself simply staring at her, struggling to think of any other expression that felt appropriate.
Her delicate hand gripped his large palm tightly.
His hand was a bit warm.
Hers felt cool, like the fine rain from last night.
Emily released him, brushing her hair back awkwardly and clearing her throat. "Well... I'll head back now. You really need to look at those notes!" With that, she slung her backpack over her shoulder and turned to leave.
He watched her retreating figure, feeling a strange tightness in his chest.
"Hey! Stop!"
Ryan called out, his expression clouded with frustration.
This time, she obeyed, turning back to look at him.
"Yes?"
"You—"
She tilted her head, puzzled.
"Did you come just for the notes?!"
"Um, not exactly."
"Then why?"
"I wanted to know how you're feeling," she replied earnestly.
"I told you, I'm fine!"
To Emily, it felt like a drunk person insisting they weren't drunk, or a madman denying their madness. She stuck her tongue out in a playful manner, thinking to herself.
"Anything else?" Ryan glared at her fiercely, his tone sharp.
"Anything else?" Emily scratched her head, searching her mind. Her face flushed a bit as she hesitated. "Well, it's just that... I haven't seen you for a few days, and I—"
"Anything else?" Ryan interrupted, trying hard to ignore the sudden surge of happiness swelling inside him, but he kept his face stern.
Emily blinked, staring at him with wide, innocent eyes. "No, that's it."
"Are you trying to fool me? I asked you, what else?"
"What else?" she stammered, clearly confused.
"Figure it out yourself!"
She stood there, tugging at her hair in frustration, her mind spinning as she tried to understand what he was getting at.
"Hurry up and say it!" Ryan barked.
Emily sighed in frustration, pulling at her hair harder now. "What else? Just tell me already! I seriously don't know what you mean!" She sneaked a glance at him and recoiled—he looked terrifying, his eyes practically shooting flames. He seemed so furious that he might just lash out and smack her any second now.
"Emily!"
Ryan lost his patience. She shrank back, taking a cautious step away from him.
"Sorry about that... my brain's kind of malfunctioning right now. Could you maybe give me a little hint? Just a tiny one?" Emily flashed him an awkward, pleading smile and retreated another step under the intensity of his gaze.
Ryan took a deep breath, desperately trying to calm the burning anger coursing through him, but the moment he spoke again, his voice still came out in a low growl—"Who is he?"
"Who?"
"That guy—who is he?" He could hardly control his temper right now.
"Oh! You mean Howie?"
Howie. She said his name so casually and intimately. Ryan suddenly felt like someone had clenched their fist around his heart.
Emily cautiously glanced at him, her voice soft as she asked, "Are you jealous?" His expression looked so gloomy and awkward.
"Jealous? Me? What a joke!" he snapped.
"Well, I didn't think you were that dumb," she teased.
Ryan glared at her, his breathing quickened. His fists clenched so tightly that the notebook in his hand creaked under the pressure.
Emily kept smiling. "Howie is just my neighbor. We've known each other since we were kids, and we've always been in the same class. So yeah, we're a bit more familiar with each other, but that's all."
"He likes you." Ryan's voice was cold and sharp. He had seen the way that guy looked at her, like he wanted to devour her. The possessiveness in Howie's gaze was so obvious, even from fifty meters away.
"Yes," she nodded.
"You know that, right?" Ryan narrowed his eyes, his chest tightening.
"Yes."
"And you..." You still let him get close to you? You still let him hold your hand and walk away right in front of me? A chill ran through Ryan, sharp pain spreading from his heart, as if needles were piercing every part of him.
Emily's voice was calm and soft, her smile light but steady. "If I liked him, I wouldn't be here at Elm Academy. If I haven't liked him in the past ten years, it's not going to suddenly change now. So, if you're upset because of him, then you're just a fool."
Her clear eyes locked onto his, as if to confirm that, yes, he was the biggest fool in the world.
Ryan stared at her, speechless.
Emily playfully stuck out her tongue. "Still mad?" she asked.
Ryan continued glaring.
Emily scratched her head and glared back, mimicking him. "Fine, just stay mad. I'm leaving." She turned around, waved over her shoulder, and with a bright smile said, "Bye. Don't forget to look over the notes tonight."
The evening sky was bathed in a drunken red glow.
Emily had already walked far down the road.
Ryan looked down at the crumpled notebook clutcpphed in his hand. He flied it open, revealing the neat, delicate handwriting inside. Each word was penned with such care, as if the writer feared the reader wouldn't be able to make out the smallest detail.
He turned to the last page.
In the empty space at the bottom, one line was scrawled across the half-blank sheet:
"Make sure to study hard! If you fail the exams, I'm going to laugh at you!"
Damn it, she's mocking me. Ryan snapped the notebook shut in frustration and lifted his head, only to catch a glimpse of Emily's white dress disappearing at the bend of the mountain road. In the golden-red light of the setting sun, her figure seemed to blur, as if she were turning translucent, like an angel with invisible wings fluttering behind her.