William turned around and saw Ellie standing behind him.
She was wearing a milky white dress with a light purple cardigan, her apricot eyes like a fawn's, eyelashes curled, and lips rosy.
She looked really beautiful today.
Ellie looked at him, her breath hitching as she saw the blood on his face and the dirt on his clothes. She asked, "Did you get into a fight?"
For the first time in his life, William felt guilty. He replied, "Yes."
He must have looked frightening to her, all dirty and with blood on his face.
He was also afraid that Ellie would be angry that he had gone to fight again, especially since he had said he wouldn't study today.
A soft hand touched his face, and Ellie's voice was gentle. "Does it hurt?"
William looked at Ellie with some surprise, nodding and then shaking his head.
Seeing Ellie staring at the wound on his face, he finally spoke after a while, "I was afraid you were waiting for me, so I sent you a message. Didn't you receive it?"
"My phone died. I left it at home charging."
"I'm sorry for keeping you waiting for so long."
Ellie shook her head, "It's okay, I didn't bring my phone. You did send me a message." She picked up her bag and said to him, "Let's go to the pharmacy first, get some medicine on it."
She pulled up William's sleeve, intending to lead him out, and felt a dampness. She looked down at her hand.
It was red.
It was blood.
She grabbed William's arm, rolled up his sleeve, and saw a knife wound on his arm, long and with dried blood around it.
"William, are you stupid? Didn't you go to the hospital first when you got hurt on your arm?"
She knew he had been fighting.
But she thought William had only sustained some minor injuries on his face and hands.
She didn't expect there to be a wound on his arm.
A knife wound.
Ellie usually spoke softly and often called him by his full name, but William could tell she was angry.
William looked down at her, somewhat at a loss, and said, "I forgot."
Ellie looked up at him, not saying a word, her eyes that always curved with a smile showing no emotion.
"I'm sorry."
"Your own arm, what are you apologizing to me for?"
She was angry.
Really angry.
On the way to the pharmacy, Ellie pursed her lips and didn't speak, nor did she look at William.
William looked at her stern expression, feeling heartache. He really wanted to pull her into his arms and tell her he was wrong.
At the pharmacy.
Ellie held William's arm and said to the owner, "He has a wound on his arm and face, let's get some medicine on it."
The pharmacy owner said, "Roll up your sleeve and let me see."
William rolled up his sleeve himself.
The doctor leaned in for a closer look and said, "Come to the back, let's disinfect it and bandage it up."
William replied, "Okay."
Ellie followed them in.
The owner disinfected the wound on William's face and then said, "The wound on your arm is a bit deep, it will hurt, bear with it."
"I'm fine," William said, smiling at Ellie.
Ellie turned her face away from him.
The doctor pressed the cotton ball onto William's wound, and after a while, William felt Ellie approaching.
"Open your mouth."
William obediently opened his mouth.
Ellie threw a piece of candy into his mouth.
William smiled at her, but she looked at William and then turned her head away again, still not looking at him.
The candy melted in his mouth.
Sweet.
It was strawberry flavored.
William often got into fights and was used to getting hurt, even breaking his arm in the past, so he wasn't afraid of pain.
Seeing Ellie not looking at him, he hissed.
Ellie looked at him and asked, "Does it hurt?"
William nodded, "Yes."
Ellie offered her arm to him and said, "Grab my arm if it hurts."
William just gently held her arm; he couldn't bear to grip her.
After the medicine was applied, the doctor bandaged William's arm with gauze, tied a knot, and asked, "Are there any other injuries?"
William answered honestly, "On my back."
"Lift your shirt and let me see."
William took off his coat and lifted his hoodie.
Ellie glanced up and saw a red mark on his back, slightly swollen.
His back was exposed, showing the teenager's broad shoulders, slim waist, and well-defined back muscles. His butterfly bones were also very prominent. His skin was cold and white, making the red mark on his back very noticeable.
The doctor frowned at the wound on his back and said, "You have a soft tissue injury. I'll spray some medicine and give you some pills to take."
"Okay."
Ellie kept watching the doctor spray medicine on him, then realized and blushed, averting her gaze.
The doctor finished spraying medicine on William and prescribed a few boxes of medicine. He glanced at Ellie and whispered to him, "Fight less, it will worry your girlfriend."
William looked at Ellie and said, "I know."
"Anger can be soothed by coaxing, girls should be pampered, cherish the people around you."
William smiled, "You're right."
...
On the way out, Ellie still ignored him.
William carried the medicine and gently tugged at Ellie's clothes, saying, "Don't be angry, little prude."
Seeing Ellie not speaking, he tentatively called out "little teacher."
Ellie turned to look at him and said, "I'm not angry, I just think you don't take your body seriously enough, not because you were late or anything else."
William licked his lips and said, "I really forgot."
Or rather, he was used to it.
Injuries would heal on their own, and no one cared.
For the past few years, his injuries always healed and then reoccurred.
In recent years, he rarely got hurt when fighting.
William finished speaking, fearing she might misunderstand, and said, "Daniel was cornered today, it was urgent."
"I know you wouldn't bully others first, but it's really dangerous. Your arm was even cut by a knife today," she said, looking up at William and said, "So, can you fight less in the future?"
William replied, "I will fight less in the future." He finished speaking and added, "So, little teacher, can you forgive me this time?"
"I'm not angry."
"Okay, you're not angry." William gently tugged at her bag and said, "I'll carry it for you."
Ellie glanced at his arm and said, "I'll carry it myself."
"It's just a scratch, not like my arm is broken. I'll carry it, it's quite heavy," William said, taking off her backpack straps.
Ellie said, "Let's not go over the problems today, next time. What are we going to do now?"
"I'll treat you to a meal, as an apology for what happened today."
Ellie looked at him.