Sophie was preparing to leave the study room.
She grabbed her backpack, popped a piece of gum into her mouth – a basic habit to ensure she left no trace of food scent. Although her elegance went unnoticed, she didn’t seek anyone’s admiration.
Often, pleasing oneself is more than enough.
With her backpack slung over her shoulder, she walked out of the study room and descended the stairs. Lunch breaks were short, so after a quick meal and rest, it was almost time to return to the classroom.
Outside, the bustling crowd was met with brilliant sunshine, which Sophie found repulsive, inexplicably irritating. Especially the glaring light, refracting off the tall buildings’ glass, would abruptly remind her of Sam’s handsome face.
Why did he suddenly come to mind?
Perhaps it was because he unexpectedly showed up in the study room today, as annoying as the glaring sun.
Without dwelling on it, Sophie entered the academic building, ready to head back to her classroom for the exam.
At the stairwell’s corner, a cacophony of footsteps blended together. It was like a multitude of radio frequencies, each person tuned to their own channel.
But there was one frequency, so starkly different, that caught Sophie’s attention instantly. She looked up at the corner of the staircase.
A beautiful white pleated skirt, like a spread-out lotus leaf, capable of stirring the hearts of any man. She lifted her gaze.
The girl was slightly taller than Sophie, with a look of arrogance and disdain in her eyes that overshadowed Sophie’s. The dense, soft hair couldn’t hide the pride and contempt in her gaze. Their meeting seemed like an encounter between similar beings.
But they were not the same.
Sophie knew instantly who the other girl was.
She never took the initiative to understand someone, whether male or female. She only cared about herself and Sophia.
The reason she recognized the other girl so quickly, even at a glance, was because too many people linked them together, as if bound by some fate.
Angel…
A girl whose background was almost the polar opposite of hers.
A girl as beautiful and poised as she was, yet someone towards whom Sophie felt no fondness.
Sophie disliked Angel, much like the disdain evident in the latter’s eyes at that moment.
Angel probably saw Sophie as a Cinderella in crystal shoes, while Sophie thought of Angel as a wolf in sheep’s clothing.
Their eye contact sparked a silent clash.
But Sophie didn’t intend to linger her gaze. Their occasional meetings were mere accidents. The idea that their lives could significantly intersect seemed impossible.
Unexpectedly, as Sophie was about to brush past her, Angel spoke.
“Sophie… I hope I’m not mispronouncing your name.”
Sophie frowned and looked at Angel, who was gazing back with a playful glint in her eyes.
“Is there something you need?” Sophie asked, her tone flat, devoid of any respect.
Angel didn’t seem to mind the discourtesy.
“Just curious about something.”
“What’s that?”
“Do you know Sam?”
Sam?
Of course, Sophie knew who Sam was. She had even felt troubled by him, as she distinctly sensed their recent interactions increasing.
Subconsciously, she felt it was a bad sign, yet she seemed unable to stop this growing proximity.
But why would Angel mention Sam’s name? On the surface, Sam and Angel’s worlds were worlds apart.
Sophie didn’t answer, just furrowed her brow and stared at Angel.
Angel just gave a slight, scornful laugh.
“It’s nothing. Just that you both seem to frequent the study room lately.”
How did Angel know about her interactions with Sam? Their encounters in the campus were limited, confined mostly to the study room and convenience store…
Was Angel stalking her? Or had someone been assigned to watch? And who was the target of this surveillance, her or Sam?
Sophie detested such invasions of privacy, the ease with which power could intrude into others’ lives.
Annoyed, she said, “What exactly are you trying to say?”
Angel’s smile, though charming, paired with her deep eyes, appeared particularly menacing.
“Nothing much, just a heads-up to keep your distance from him. Sam is mine, that’s all.”
With that, Angel walked past the somewhat stunned Sophie, disappearing around the corner with ease, leaving Sophie bewildered.
Sam is yours? What does that have to do with me?
The relationship between Sam and Angel seemed implausible. But what did it have to do with her? Neither of them mattered to her.
Yet, why was she inexplicably annoyed? Knowing someone like Angel would certainly be troublesome.
If Sam truly had such a relationship with Angel, Sophie doubted they could ever be happy. Angel’s personality, after all, would only spell disaster for any boy by her side, forever oppressed and unable to stand tall.
But was she any better? Wait, why was she comparing herself to them?
Sophie paused, then frowned in irritation.
She didn’t need a man. She could live well on her own. She had survived times without rescue, years without asking for help.
No need for it now. It was all too late.
Sophie returned to her classroom, momentarily pushing aside her irritation, focusing on the upcoming exam.
Exams were easy for Sophie, despite her frequent absences due to health reasons. She always managed to achieve top grades, a fact she couldn’t quite explain herself.
But she was confident that this was her edge against Angel.
Sophie breezed through the math exam, finding it even easier than she had anticipated.
Normally, she would have just handed in her paper and left school early to relax at home. However, suddenly, she found herself recalling what Sam had said to her in the study room.
Damn it… Why think of him?
What value could there be in recalling the words of an underachiever to a top student?
Yet, her hand hesitated as it gripped the pen, a rare moment of indecision in her life.
Forget it, better check the paper again.
With that thought, she picked up the test and began to review it, though she wasn’t sure why.
At first, Sophie was fine, but as she reread, her eyes began to blur strangely, as if heralding the onset of nearsightedness, forcing her to focus more intently on the exam paper.
Rubbing her eyes while trying to see clearly didn’t seem to help much. This process continued for ten minutes!
After she finished reviewing the paper, the blurriness in her eyes receded like a tide, leaving as mysteriously as it had appeared.
Perplexed, Sophie wondered if this was due to recent eye strain.
Just as she harbored this suspicion, Sophie suddenly looked down, her expression completely changing.
In a soft voice, audible only to herself, she murmured, “Sister… how strange.”
“What is it?”
“I think… I just saw Sam…”
