With the arrival of spring rain, this difficult winter finally came to an end. However, this also indicated that my high school career was one step closer to the end.
After the principal held a motivational meeting for us before the college entrance examination, the atmosphere in the entire senior year became extremely depressing and tense.
In order to make us better engaged in learning, early morning and evening self-study became our must-do options. Many classmates complained, but I was fine. There was nothing wrong with leaving home early and returning home late.
Lu Mingyu complained about this. He didn't have the energy or time to use the mountain bike he had just bought, so he had to rely on a driver to pick him up when he went to and from school.
After a sleepless night, I regrouped and started again, telling myself that the college entrance examination is more important than anything else.
I don't know if it was because of me, but Lu Mingyu also started to take things seriously. He gave up his position as the main player on the basketball team to someone else, and rarely went out to play with that group of friends. He spent most of his time studying in the classroom with me.
The school beauty came to look for him several times, but all ended in failure. I don’t even know if he deliberately stayed in the classroom to study in order to avoid the school beauty.
The rumors about them just spread like wildfire. No one knew what had happened between them, and no one had time to explore what had happened between them.
Everyone is racing against time for their future, putting all their energy on those papers that can never be finished, and putting all their thoughts on that thing .
In this way, time goes by in an orderly manner, and all of us live our lives day after day, like being repeatedly fried in a frying pan.
Fortunately, this kind of life did not last too long. When midsummer came, I finally took the college entrance examination.
Thankfully, the exam was not as difficult as I had imagined.
After two days of intense exams, I felt like a wrung-out towel, relaxed from head to toe.
Lu Mingyu did better than expected in the exam, and his head teacher and his mother were extremely happy.
That night, Lu Mingyu, his friends and I went to a seafood stall.
Maybe they felt that they were finally relieved after decades of hard study, or maybe they felt that a group of good friends were about to part ways, so they drank more and more crazily, and when they were excited, some started singing and some started crying.
Lu Mingyu continued to drink sullenly, one sip after another, with infinite sorrow in his eyes.
I couldn't take my eyes off him. He knew I was worried about him, but he just patted my head as if nothing was wrong.
Perhaps, having gone through the same length of life as me, he tasted the sourness of youth earlier than I did, so his sorrow is so intense that it cannot be resolved.
I don't want to ask, and I don't dare to ask.
Later, seeing that he had drunk too much, I had no choice but to secretly pour out the wine. But after trying it many times, he caught me in the act. But at this moment, he was already drunk, his tongue was slurred and he couldn't speak clearly. He also looked like he wanted to vomit. I had no choice but to help him go to the toilet.
However, neither he nor I had thought that we would meet the school beauty like this.
Forgive my bad memory, I still can't remember her name, because she has a really difficult name. However, I do remember the person next to the school beauty, after all, he is the well-known academic master in the school - Chen Jialing.
"Hi - hello guys!" The drunk Lu Mingyu leaned against me wantonly and waved at the school beauty with a playful smile.
The school beauty's face turned red and white, and then she fixed her eyes on me.
I don't know what happened between them, so I can't interpret the meaning in her eyes.
At this time, Chen Jialing walked to the other side of Lu Mingyu, supported him, and said to me: "Do you want to help him go to the toilet? Do you need my help?"
It would be a lie to say that I didn't need to go in. After all, it was a men's restroom and I was too embarrassed to go in. I forced a grateful smile at him, and then, under the cold stare of the school beauty, I helped Lu Mingyu into the restroom with Chen Jialing. Then, I stood outside the restroom with the school beauty waiting for them.
The atmosphere suddenly became extremely awkward. I leaned against the wall uncomfortably, my eyes always wandering.
"How long have you two been together?" the school beauty suddenly asked.
"We are not together, I don't have a relationship." I said in a very small voice. I don't know why I looked so guilty, in fact, I didn't do anything at all.
"Humph." She suddenly sneered, and then squeezed out two words from between her teeth, "Shameless."
My face suddenly turned red. I didn't know how to explain it, and the thorny look in her words made me not want to explain it to her.
Fortunately, Chen Jialing and Lu Mingyu came out one after the other at this time. Chen Jialing tried his best to support Lu Mingyu, but Lu Mingyu seemed to be much more sober and pushed him away without any appreciation. When Lu Mingyu saw me, he rushed over without any scruples and pressed his tall body on my shoulders.
"Lu Mingyu, get up quickly! You're crushing me!" I slapped him angrily.
But he just laughed: "Hey, we finally graduated from high school, I can hug you!"
This sentence made my already shy face even hotter.
The school beauty standing by was immediately furious when she heard this and pulled Chen Jialing away.
But Lu Mingyu didn't react at all, he just held me tightly.
But even so, I knew that Lu Mingyu was angry with her.
He had liked her, even once.
But that is his love, I have no right to interfere.
At this moment, I finally understood what that sour and wet emotion felt like. Even if he no longer liked her, even if she would not be with him now, they had each other. And I was just an outsider from beginning to end.
I reached out and patted Lu Mingyu's back gently: "Be good, let's go back."
He buried his head heavily in my neck and said to me softly, "Little star, you are so kind."
In the days after the exam, Lu Mingyu took me everywhere to have fun. If it weren't for him, I wouldn't have known that this seemingly cold city actually had so many fun places.
But there is a saying that goes "too much joy leads to sorrow", because it was soon time to announce the results. My estimated score was almost the same as the actual score, but Lu Mingyu's score was much lower than expected. He was like a dehydrated radish, and he wilted immediately.
It is worth noting that the top scorer in the provincial college entrance examination this time, as expected, went to our school. Yes, he is Chen Jialing, the boy with a score that is beyond the reach of others. His grades could have allowed him to go to the best university in China, but as everyone knows, he had already been admitted to a famous foreign university in advance. This made countless people envious, including Lu Mingyu, who usually took these things lightly. His hostility towards Chen Jialing soared after that night. It seems that the dissatisfaction and resentment between boys are also like this.
After the results were announced, we had the graduation ceremony.
The whole auditorium was filled with students from the whole school. We, the students who had just gone through the college entrance examination, sat in the front. Chen Jialing represented the senior year and gave a wonderful speech.
For the first time, I discovered that although he looked cold and indifferent, he had a different kind of good looks, which was different from Lu Mingyu's slightly aggressive good looks. He was like a trickle of water, which would slowly flow into your heart. I think this was probably the reason why he could compete with Lu Mingyu, who was so delicate and good-looking, in school.
The girls who listened to his speech cheered for him loudly, as if they had seen a superstar or celebrity.
I don't know if Lu Mingyu is feeling uncomfortable, he has been in a very depressed mood. I want to comfort him, but I don't know how to start. As soon as the ceremony ended, Lu Mingyu ran out. I know he has a craving for cigarettes, because I can always smell the faint smell of tobacco on him recently.
I was planning to wait for him in the corridor, but Chen Jialing suddenly appeared out of nowhere and grabbed my arm.
I turned around in surprise and he was smiling at me.
"Are you free? Let's chat?" He said casually, completely ignoring the ambiguous looks that people around us were giving us.
My mouth subconsciously opened into a circle, and before I could refuse, he simply pulled me out of the auditorium.
Although he wasn't as tough as Lu Mingyu, he also didn't want me to resist. He didn't let go of my arm until we were at an unnoticed corner not far away.
"Have you decided on your college entrance examination choice?" he said straight to the point.
"Not yet," I said.
"So where are you going?"
His tall stature blocked a large area of ​​sunlight in front of me, and his eyes looked straight at me, which made me feel a little nervous.
"Not ready yet."
"I see that your scores are quite high. Have you ever thought about studying abroad?" His voice became very soft, and there was something vague in his eyes.
"I don't have money to go abroad." I answered honestly.
As if he knew I would answer like this, he said confidently: "With your grades, you can definitely apply to a school that offers scholarships. I can help you with that."
"Ah?" I didn't expect him to say this so seriously, and I didn't know how to answer. After all, I had barely spoken to him, and we didn't have much of a relationship.
"The educational environment abroad is very good. After you come back from abroad, you will definitely have better development." He patiently encouraged her and even moved a little closer.
I don’t know if his action was too misleading, but at this moment Lu Mingyu, smelling of cigarettes, rushed over, pulled me back, and protected me firmly behind him.
"What are you doing?" His words were full of unfriendliness.
When Chen Jialing saw him coming, his expression gradually turned .
He was never a pleasant man, I knew that.
"Nothing, he just asked about my grades." I pulled Lu Mingyu, hoping he wouldn't be so angry. After all, with such a strange relationship between the two of us, if they started fighting, I wouldn't be able to stop them.
"So, have you thought it through?" Chen Jialing's seriousness made me feel nervous.
After hesitating for a few seconds, I spoke again: "I'm sorry, I don't think that's the way I should go."
At that time, I was young, reckless, stubborn and stupid, and I never thought about the impact this simple choice would have on my life.
But at that time, Chen Jialing seemed to have seen through everything, and even more so my stupidity. In the end, he sighed helplessly and shook his head gently.
"Thank you." I said softly.
Chen Jialing glanced at Lu Mingyu indifferently, then left without saying a word.
"What did he say to you?" Lu Mingyu asked me nervously.
"Nothing, just concerned about my application." I spoke vaguely, not wanting Lu Mingyu to know what we had just talked about.
Lu Mingyu casually put his arm around my shoulders and said to me very seriously: "He wants to pursue you."
"What nonsense are you talking about?" I pushed him angrily.
He chuckled and said, "Chen Jialing has always been very interested in the girls around me." After that, he patted my head and said, "Come on, I'll take you to eat shaved ice."
I didn't say anything else, just let him pull me out of the school, but my thoughts drifted uncontrollably to a few days ago. I think he must not remember that day when he drank too much at the party and asked me, "Xiao Xingxing, why did everyone cry sadly, but you didn't shed a single tear?"
I said, because I won't leave you.
After hearing this, he laughed happily, then lit a cigarette and smoked it hard.
I looked at him carefully through the smoke rings he exhaled, the boy I fell in love with for the first time in my life.
Maybe the path Chen Jialing mentioned is really better, but it doesn’t matter to me at this moment.
I already have a place that I want to be.
Even that place has never had a place reserved for me.