Chapter 2

Chapter 2

When school ended at noon for lunch, I slung my school uniform jacket over my shoulder, looking unrestrained and casual — nothing like a new student who had just arrived at the school.

If I weren't wearing the school uniform, I would have looked like a street youth wandering around.

Before I even reached the school gate, I heard two female classmates whispering behind me.

Somehow, their voices, which should have been drowned out in the noisy crowd, reached my ears clearly.

When it came to people gossiping behind others' backs, I would prick up my ears to listen — after all, who doesn't love gossip?

"She doesn't look like that at all. She would never walk so swaggeringly. Even though they look the same, their personalities are completely different," one said.

"Do you think she came back? And changed her personality after going through something traumatic?" the other replied.

"Shh, don't talk nonsense. I saw her with my own eyes......"

"Could this be a ghost haunting us?"

"Why don't we test it out and see?"

I didn't know who the "her" they were talking about was, but their conversation really piqued my interest. I was listening intently, wondering how they were going to "test it out," but then they suddenly stopped talking.

Well, their conversation was disconnected and fragmented, which just whetted my curiosity for nothing.

I might as well go home early and eat the braised pork ribs Mom made!

Just as I was about to step out of the school gate, the words "Luna Chen" rang out from behind me, not too far or too close — it sounded like they were calling me. But I didn't stop or turn around; I didn't even slow down my pace. I kept walking at my usual speed and stepped out of the school gate.

Then, the two of them started whispering again, and their voices reached my ears once more.

"She didn't react when we called her? She didn't even stop for a second," one said.

"Can there be two people who look this alike in the world? Do you think she's faking it?" the other asked.

"We'll find out if she's faking it tonight," came the reply.

......

As I walked faster and faster, or maybe because the two of them were heading in a different direction from my home, their voices gradually faded away in the crowd of people eager to get home.

However, the thing they were discussing was really interesting. A smile of amusement tugged at my lips.

Two people who look exactly alike? The world is truly full of surprises!

The lunch break was two and a half hours long, and afternoon classes didn't start until 2 o'clock.

I really liked this schedule — going back home not only allowed me to have a meal but also take a nice nap.

I had a habit: I always liked to go to the bathroom before class started. No matter if I needed to go or not, I would go and sit for a while to prevent myself from wanting to run out to the bathroom during class.

It was ten minutes before the afternoon class started, so there was no one else in the bathroom except me.

But soon, it turned out that I was wrong about there being no one else.

"Did you get the money when you went home at noon? Hurry up and hand it over!"

I had just put on my pants in the bathroom stall when I heard a familiar female voice.

So, I squatted back down — it would have been awkward to go out now.

Next, I heard another familiar female voice, with the same arrogant and cocky tone that didn't match their age. But it was obvious that this arrogance was just an act.

"That's all? Didn't I tell you to get more! Only fifty yuan — that's not even enough for us to have a good meal at a restaurant!"

"B-but... I already asked Mom for money last time. If I ask again... she'll get suspicious......"

Wasn't that the voice of my deskmate, Chloe He?

Robbery was happening openly in the girls' bathroom of a key high school in broad daylight.

As a person who stood for justice, I would never just sit by and do nothing.

"Then you need to come up with a good excuse! You can't be stupid enough to use the same excuse every time, can you? Use that pig brain of yours to think! If you only bring this little money next time we ask for it, my bestie and I won't be nice to you!"

"Who are you going to be 'not nice' to!"

I slammed open the bathroom stall door and stared at the three people in front of me.

At that moment, the girl wearing overalls who sat right in front of me was slapping Chloe He's face repeatedly with that green fifty-yuan bill. The girl in the white T-shirt standing slightly in front of her had her arms crossed over her chest and her legs apart, looking like those "delinquent girls" I had seen in videos, with a look of disdain and contempt on her face.

I didn't know who the girl in white was looking down on, but from an onlooker's perspective, I thought she really deserved a beating.

And Chloe He just stood there, like a little white rabbit, not daring to move. Her thick bangs and glasses covered half of her face. Even though I couldn't clearly see her expression, I knew she must be very nervous.

"New girl, I advise you to mind your own business," the girl in overalls pointed at me with the fifty-yuan bill, her eyes full of arrogance and threats. The girl in white also turned around, directing her disdainful gaze at me.

Some people are just born with a face that looks disdainful and contemptuous. There's no way around it — it's ingrained, something they were born with, and can't be changed.

Facing the provocation from these two, I just stared straight back at them. This morning, their staring made me feel uncomfortable, and now they were asking for trouble by bumping into me.

She was pointing that fifty-yuan bill straight at me, so close — it would have been impolite of me not to take it.

So, I unceremoniously snatched the fifty yuan from her hand.

"Do you believe I'll report you to the teacher for threatening and robbing a classmate in private?" I said. I admitted that in their eyes, this might have made me look like someone who would tattle to the teacher. But I had no intention of telling the teacher at all.

When I took the money they had robbed, the girl in overalls gave the girl in white a look. The girl in white immediately pounced on me, reaching out to yank my ponytail. But I knew exactly what to expect from this kind of opening move by bullies.

As for why I knew — maybe I learned it from my dreams.

So, I anticipated her move. I dodged sideways and lifted one leg to trip the girl in white as she lunged at me.

She fell straight onto the bathroom floor, which was stepped on by countless people. I knew falling on the tile would hurt, but I wondered if the bathroom tile had any strange smells — like, had the janitor's mop been used to clean other places......

"Damn it!" When the girl in overalls saw the girl in white fall, she cursed nonstop, picked up a mop from the cleaning bucket nearby, and threw it at me.

This time, I didn't dodge. Watching the mop flying towards me, I firmly caught the wooden handle of the mop.

"Teacher!!! Someone is fighting here!!!" I shouted as the class bell rang.

I looked at them triumphantly. The teachers would definitely pass by the bathroom on their way to the classroom. They must not have expected that I would dare to shout so loudly.

So, the two of them ran back to the classroom obediently. But before leaving, they didn't forget to give me a warning look and threaten me.

"You just wait and see."

After the two of them left, I turned to my deskmate, who had been standing there without daring to move.

She also tried to run out, but I blocked her at the bathroom door with my arm.

"W-what do you want?" she asked, looking at me in panic. I didn't know what she was afraid of. I had just helped her, but instead of being grateful, she was scared?

"Here, your money," I held out my hand to give her the fifty yuan. She took it and quickly stuffed it back into her pocket.

I had even prepared to say "You're welcome, deskmate. It's only right for classmates to help each other. After all, we have zero tolerance for school bullying" when she thanked me.

But she didn't. She just said to me, "You need to be careful from now on," then ran off without even asking me to come along.

When I returned to the classroom, I found out why Chloe He didn't wait for me.

It turned out she was afraid that the two bullies in front would think she was on my side.

The girl in overalls proudly showed me that the fifty yuan was back in her hand. The girl in white next to her had her arm slung over the overalls girl's shoulder, looking provocative and chewing gum loudly.

I felt a little angry and stared at Chloe He sitting behind me.

She still looked timid and submissive, and I couldn't tell what expression was on her face.

But at that moment, I suddenly thought that maybe she deserved to be bullied.

Just like my sister......

My sister was just like her — when she was bullied, she didn't dare to fight back. She would only appear in my dreams again and again, begging me for help.

If I hadn't found her diary while sorting through her belongings, I would never have known what kind of life she had been living at school.