A golden leaf fell to the ground. A sudden gust of wind swept through, carrying other golden leaves into the air, spinning together before drifting down.
"Did you hear the news? That Giang from class 10A1 and his sidekick—Owl—just defeated Kien!" (Whispers around the school.)
"Boss! Some guy just beat that kid Kien." (Intelligence report.)
"Hey, have you heard the latest rumor in our school?" (News spreading.)
"Giang, that bastard… I don't think he'll live long." (Someone smirked, speaking with dark amusement.)
"Is that guy handsome? Hehe~" (A curious girl giggled excitedly.)
Time flew by terrifyingly fast. Three days had passed since the fight. Giang was strolling through the schoolyard with Owl. As they walked, all eyes were on them.
I shivered. This feeling was so strange. Everywhere I went, people were staring at me, like a celebrity stepping onto the red carpet. My hands started to tremble—I wasn't used to this kind of attention. It was both exciting and unnerving. Stammering, I turned to Owl and asked:
"Owl, don't you think this is weird? Everyone's been staring at us nonstop."
"Hic… hic…"
"Hey! Why are you crying all of a sudden?!" (I panicked.)
"I'm crying tears of joy! They're looking at us because of that fight! We're the champions! Hic… hic… I haven't even taken you out to celebrate yet!" (Owl sniffled, grinning ear to ear.)
I sighed in exasperation. This feeling was so unfamiliar… but maybe I'd get used to it someday. And eventually, everything would fade into oblivion.
A while later, Owl and I wandered around the school. At the end of the hallway, I spotted Mai—the girl I liked—carrying supplies for a teacher along with a group of girls. Seeing her struggling with the load, my heart ached for her.
I hurried over and greeted her enthusiastically:
"Mai! Hey there!"
She turned and smiled brightly at me.
"Hey, Giang!"
My face turned red as I stammered:
"Y-you're helping the teacher? L-let me… give you a hand."
The moment those words left my mouth, I felt as if I had just pulled a thousand needles out of my skin. Such relief! But then, the anxiety hit me all at once. Mai simply smiled and replied:
"It's okay, I can handle it."
She continued walking, leaving me frozen in place. Scratching my head, I decided to respect her decision.
Beside me, Owl had been watching the whole scene unfold. He flashed a mischievous grin. Immediately, I gave him a light kick to the leg, but that grin never faded. Too embarrassed, I quickly walked away, pretending nothing had happened.
After wandering for a while, I started to feel uncomfortable. Turning to Owl, I grimaced:
"Hey, wanna go to the restroom with me?" (I flashed a confident smile.)
"Okay! I'll wait outside." (Owl nodded eagerly.)
I entered the restroom and pushed the door open…
And froze.
Inside, thick white smoke filled the air. The stench of cigarettes mixed with the scent of e-cigarettes assaulted my nose. Three or four guys were huddled together, cigarettes in hand, casually blowing smoke into the air.
I shuddered.
They were blocking the way. I immediately turned around, ready to leave, but a cold hand suddenly grabbed my arm, holding me in place.
My heart pounded violently.
"You saw us smoking, didn't you? Listen, if you even think about telling the teachers… you won't last long in this school." (One of them took a drag and exhaled near my ear, his voice deep and threatening.)
Outside, Owl sensed something was wrong and stepped in. He was about to shout when I quickly signaled him to stop.
Two guys from the group moved toward Owl. One of them held a still-burning cigarette, while the other had an e-cigarette, blowing a cloud of smoke directly into his face.
Owl flinched away from the smoke, but before he could react, another guy slammed the door shut and locked it.
Damn it!
Panic surged through me. My heart was like a ticking time bomb, beating furiously inside my chest. Cold sweat dripped down my forehead.
The leader of the group slung an arm around my shoulder in a mock-friendly manner, leaning in close. With a sinister chuckle, he whispered in my ear:
"Hey, aren't you the guy everyone's been talking about lately?