Without reali
Oarely audibles
you
it, I
Sn’t as
Merkeapaign from behind me.
bad
as
you
”
a while EMCHANA NA HANAHA PS
of
I closed
control.
at
up
eyes, all I saw wNG LOT
09.11 0
were bizarre, fragmented images. Disconnected memories flickered through my mind. I felt like a
campus.
[Thanks for
care
of
to
OF
My phone was
big
for two
Then it erupted in
a
series
of
Before I could even look, someone
“Flora.”
vibrating
Callo
name.
F
I thought for-
a
moment and added:
Christian was standing
Lin
front
of
- me. He had changed
into
a
t–shirt and looked fresh and clean.
“Going to the library?” Christian asked softly, his voice gentle and clear.
I hesitated. “Yeah. I figured since I fell at the library, maybe revisiting the scene will jog
Christian understood. He nodded. “I’ll go with you.”
The library was quiet, with only a few people scattered about.
I ran my hand along the staircase railing, and a faint image
“Christian, Mr. Evans said this morning that Rhea and
had
OF
a
my memory.”
face girl’s
appeared in my mind.
problems. Is that true?”
Christian was my childhood friend, so of course, he knew Rhea. Derek would do anything I said, so if I asked him, he’d just tell me what I wanted to hear. Compared to Derek, Christian seemed like he would be more objective.
He frowned slightly. “Did you remember something?”
I shook my head. “No. I just have a bad feeling about
We walked out to the second–floor terrace before he finally spoke. He recounted my history with Rhea from a detached, third–person
Childhood playmates who, upon meeting again in high school, became rivals. I couldn’t stand my parents always praising Rhea, and I was jealous of the complime- nts she received for her beauty. I often used her status as the housekeeper’s daughter to mock and bully her in front of others. But Rhea couldn’t be bothered to ue with me, treating me like an immature child, which only infuriated me more.
Listening to his straightforward account, I was so embarrassed I wanted the ground to swallow me whole
“So, what kind of person is Rhea?”
Christian thought for a moment, his eyes on the book in his hands. “I don’t know her very well. When we were kids, she only ever played with
“After she grew up and went to school back in her hometown, I didn’t see her again.”
“I remember you mentioning her a few times. You said you were curious about her.”
“You looked so happy when you said it. I never understood why you started targeting her later.”
you.”
arg-
Christian didn’t like to gossip, so I didn’t press him.
He sat with me in the library. In the quiet atmosphere, the lush green plants outside the window were like
I watched Christian’s focused expression as he read and couldn’t help but ask in a small voice, “When I was
a
thick, vibrant mist,
full
of
the
courage
of
new life.
so horrible before, did
you
ever hate
me?”
From our brief interactions these past few days, I had a feeling that Christian wasn’t as cold as he appeared on the surface.
The hand turning the page paused.
He was silent for a moment.
“I wouldn’t say hate. More like… I was very surprised.”
I felt a little embarrassed. “I probably bullied you a lot back then too.”
Christian chuckled, his tone light.
A
HE
If running my errands, getting my food, saving my seats, and copying my homework, only to be ‘bullied‘ by you into accepting gifts that you knew were my favorite
1
