Chapter 25: Her New Friend

Back in my seat, the first thing I did was to delve into Vicky’s romance novel which I took from her school bag.

“Desiree, are you okay? Are you looking for something?” Vicky asked me.

After searching for a long time, I found that the men in these romance novels were too gentle to say any masculine words. It wasted my whole morning.

At lunch, I finally couldn’t help asking Vicky, the so-called ‘love expert,’ “Since you have read so many novels, have you ever read a novel in which the man said to the woman, “You'd better forget about him soon because you're mine!” I wanted to know how the woman would reply in that situation.

She looked at the ceiling, contemplating for a while, then said, “It depends. It is cool to slap him and tell him: run as fast as you can!” It was cool. But when I think of how unruly and bold he was, I wept the cold sweat from my hands with my skirt.

"Any other answers?” I asked her.

“Who do you think you are? I think that’s a cool answer. Why do you ask it?” she said to me. Her eyes lit up and leaned close to me and asked, "Is there someone who said these words to you? Is he handsome?”

I replied, “What if that man was Jonathan Li?”

“What!” she choked, then she drank some water. “You can’t be serious,” she said.

"It is a hypothesis," I told her.

"Oh!" she said and patted her chest. I looked at her expectantly and she continued, “Then I can only say, follow your heart and listen to it.”

When the bell rang, everyone left, except me. I was alone in the huge playground. I sat under a tree next to the school fence with my back against the tree. Although my body was resting, my heart was still drifting aimlessly.

Adolescent girls like me are ignorant and yearn for love, fantasizing that someone would take their hand across the street or walk slowly under the streetlamp with them under an umbrella on rainy days. One of the guys that girls fantasize about was Steven Luo. I hadn't seen him for many years. I didn't expect him to be handsome or tall, but only hoped him to be gallant enough, like the prince in the Swan Lake who fought persistently for love. Unfortunately, he was out of my league!

Jonathan Li, no one could understand him more than I did. Once he swore that I belonged to him, there was no way for me to hide. I was afraid that he was determined to control me. Suddenly, I heard something and looked out over the fence and saw a woman lying on the rail and throwing up beside the fence. I reached out and handed her the mineral water I had just bought.

"Drink,” I said.

"Thank you!” she replied. As she spoke, I happened to see the tears in her eyes. She was a sexy beauty with heavy make-up, wearing a tight, red, low-cut blouse and tight, black pants which revealed her sensual body shape and wheaten color skin in the sunshine. I seldom saw women dressed like that. Her tears seemed to be so pure!

I handed her a tissue. "Thank you!” she took the tissue and sat on the ground, sobbing.

The feeling seemed contagious and tears were rolling down my cheeks. I didn't know what I was feeling, it sounds ridiculous. Two completely different types of girls, sitting opposite each other next to a fence, were crying at the same time.

"Why are you crying?" she asked me when the packet of tissues was used up.

"A man said I was his?” I looked at her and said, "What about you?"

"A man said I wasn't his anymore," she said. Then the two of us began to laugh. When she left, she told me her name, Lisa Wood, then she said that maybe we’ll meet again.

Then we did meet again! After that we became friends, I just knew that she was a dance major at an art school, a senior student. After school at night, she would dance in a very elaborate place.

Anyway, that day, I was punished by my teacher for an afternoon because of skipping a class. When I left school, I limped to the gate with my stiff and sore legs, seeing Jonathan’s car stopped in front of me. Suddenly, my foot was even more painful, and I moved slowly towards the car, step by step. I got in reluctantly.

"What's wrong with your foot?” Jonathan asked.

"I was punished by my teacher for being late for class," I said.

"Well...he answered casually and continued looking down at the papers in his hand, which seems a contract. I had tried several times to speak to him, but when I saw his serious face, I couldn’t say anything. When I plucked up the courage to speak again, I heard him say to me, "Say what you want."

"I... I'm only fifteen, I mean that I was too young to fall in love with you.” I said, hesitantly.

"You will grow up, he said.

"But...... I don't like you, " I replied.

Without raising his head, he turned over a page of the paper and said, "Gradually, you will like me."

I took a deep breath and said, “I will never like you, never, you’d better give up.”

He finally looked up and glanced at me casually, saying, "It doesn’t depend on you!"

Leaning back in my seat, I was unwilling to accept my fate, so I decided to take one last chance. “Do you remember you promised that you will give me whatever I ask for? Does that still count?”

"Yes!" he said and smiled. Then he leaned over and whispered, "Except for this matter, you are mine and always will be."

I gave up completely! You can guess what my life was like, how miserable I was with Jonathan! The only good thing was that the awful teacher in our class quit for no reason. I was never punished again after the new teacher arrived.