WriterFreak001:
Sorry for the delay! XD
Note: Dialogue is in Italics to indicate the Chinese spoken language.
Note #2: Because this school year has an extensive plot line, I'll be writing it into two or three separate chapters to split it up so that it's not as lengthy to read in one sitting.
TRIGGER WARNING: This chapter contains a small segment at the end of physical / non-sexual abuse.
I Like You
* Part Three (2): Eighth Year – Junior Secondary School (8th Grade) *
致我们单纯的小美好
QIAO LU
So far, her plan was working wonderfully. She never did go to Li Wei's Cram School; they had already let the proctor know about Li Wei's planned absence the day prior. Instead, she worked on setting up the next part of her plan. She convinced Li Wei's mother not to meet Li Wei at the school but to show up about an hour later at the hospital to check on her daughter. Li Wei's mother easily agreed, having things to do anyway and said she would go to the hospital after dinner once she's finished with her paperwork. The hospital was at least thirty minutes from Li Wei's house, and if rush hour traffic was accounted for, then it could take Li Wei's mother about an hour to arrive from when she would leave.
Then, she called her brother, who was a doctor at the very hospital, to be the attending doctor to Li Wei. When he questioned her, she simply said she didn't trust anyone else and explained that Li Wei's mother wouldn't be there until late so it would be best to stall any X-Rays until after her mother arrives for parental consent. Her brother agreed and said he would look after Li Wei, seeing as he heard a dispatch saying she was on her way there.
The last part of her plan was coming together smoothly. All she needed was for Lu Yang to leave that stupid café so that Xiao Xi would end up going home alone. Her cousin, Qiao Heng, who was two years older, peaked around the corner.
"So that's her, huh?"
"Yes," Qiao Lu nodded with a smirk. "Did you dispose of her bike like I asked you to?"
Qiao Heng chuckled. "By now, it's at the bottom of the river downtown."
"Good," Qiao Lu curved her pink lips to a twisted smile. "Now remember, the plan is to scare her, not to hurt her. If you hurt her, you could get in trouble, and if you get in trouble, I could get in trouble. So, don't hurt her. Just scare her."
"And how would you like me to do that?"
Qiao Lu shrugged. "Follow her, hide in the shadows and make strange noises. Then, when she least expects it, wear this," Qiao Lu shoved a wolf mask into her cousin's gut, "and confront her. Just don't physically harm her, okay?"
Qiao Heng nodded with a glint in his eye. "Seems easy enough."
She grinned. She couldn't wait to see how Xiao Xi reacts.
XIAO XI
"Too bad Jiang Chen couldn't come. I was really hoping to show him my latest avatar project," Lu Yang sighed as he turned off his computer. "Anyway, I've gotta leave. My parents don't like me being out this late."
"What time is it?" Xiao Xi asked as she shut her computer down too. She yawned and stretched.
"Almost nine."
"Nine!?" Xiao Xi exclaimed and scrambled to gather her things. "I was supposed to be home at seven!"
"I live down the street a little ways… Do you want my parents to give you a ride? You live about fifteen minutes away by bike, don't you?" Lu Yang stretched as well and then picked up his backpack. "I can't believe I missed dinner!"
"Thank you for the offer, but I can manage on my own. It may seem far, but it really isn't." Xiao Xi flashed a smile and then waved to the nice café worker. "See you tomorrow!"
"Let's go." Lu Yang said, gently grabbing Xiao Xi's arm and pulling her outside the café. "Looks like it's going to rain soon. Are you sure you'll be all right?"
"Yes," Xiao Xi laughed, grinning. "I'll be fine." But then she blanched. "Where is my bike?!"
"Where did you put it?" Lu Yang frowned as she gestured exactly where she was pointing. "Did you lock it?"
Xiao Xi nodded, distressed. "I saved my money for that bike! How could someone steal something that was locked?!"
"Desperate situations call for desperate measures, I guess." Lu Yang shrugged and then said, "Since your bike is missing, we'll go to my place, okay? My dad will give you a ride. Promise."
Xiao Xi shook her head. "No. My father told me once that if I lose my bike, then I would have to walk home as punishment, no matter when and where I was… so… that's what I have to do."
"Surely your father was kidding," Lu Yang cocked a brow. "Or he didn't' think you'd actually take him literally."
"My father is a very literal person," Xiao Xi sighed. "Goodnight, Lu Yang. I'll see you in the morning." And before Lu Yang could say anything, she was already off, heading the opposite direction, oblivious of the one following her from the shadows.
JIANG CHEN
(A FEW HOURS AFTER THEIR ARRIVAL TO THE HOSPITAL)
"Thank you for keeping my daughter company until I could arrive. I apologize for being so late, but since I was told it was nothing but a minor injury, I decided to finish up some work first. Didn't think it would take so long. I'll take care of things from here," Li Wei's mother bowed, and Jiang Chen's classmate looked horribly embarrassed for the way her mother was acting.
"It wasn't a problem," was all he said before he headed for the door before turning towards Li Wei. "Now that your mother is here, I will be going first. If your absent from school tomorrow, I'll inform the professor properly."
Li Wei nodded slowly, knowing he couldn't possibly stay any longer, and he left, wishing her mother had arrived sooner. As he descended the elevator to the first level, his phone went off.
It was Lu Yang.
"Hello?"
'Still at the hospital?'
"Just leaving," Jiang Chen replied as he stepped off the elevator and made his way towards the main entrance.
'Li Wei must be dying for you to be over there that long,' Lu Yang muttered under his breath, causing Jiang Chen to smirk a little.
"No. She's not dying. Her mother took forever to arrive at the hospital, and I was stuck keeping her company, so I wouldn't look like a jerk to her for leaving before knowing she was in good hands." Jiang Chen walked up to the bus stop and spotted the bus coming around the corner, thankful he wouldn't have to wait long. After boarding the bus and paying his fare, he sat down and said, 'You and Xiao Xi just leaving the café?"
'I'm home,' Lu Yang said and added in his defense, 'Since Xiao Xi's bike was stolen, I offered her to come to my place so that my dad could give her a ride home since she lives farther, but she insisted on walking home. Said something about her father telling her to walk home as punishment if ever her bike was stolen. Told her that was stupid, but she ignored me and left on foot, determined to follow her father's orders. Silly, huh?"
Jiang Chen checked his watch. Almost 9:25. "How long ago did the two of you part?"
'Hm… about half an hour ago… she should be home by now, right?"
Jiang Chen smacked his head against the glass window. "Knowing Xiao Xi, she's not even halfway there… She doesn't like the dark, and because she gets scared easily, she walks slowly… I'm surprised she didn't take your offer."
'Guess she didn't want to get in trouble with her parents.' Lu Yang surmised, but then said, 'But would her parents really get upset with her for getting a ride when it's dark and cloudy?'
Jiang Chen sighed, "Xiao Xi doesn't always think when she's stressed. Don't worry, as soon as I get off the bus, I'll make sure she gets home all right."
'Cool. Text me if you need my help.' Lu Yang replied before ending his call. But Jiang Chen couldn't wait for the bus to bring him closer to home, and at its next stop, he hopped off and began running, hoping he was worrying for nothing.
That girl was going to be the death of him one of these days.
XIAO XI
She thought she was going crazy. Before it began to rain, she heard odd noises coming from behind her, and she could have sworn there were the occasional foot falls, but whenever she would turn around, no one would be there.
Xiao Xi had texted her mom, telling her she was on her way home so that her parents wouldn't worry, but she didn't mention about the bike, not wanting them to lock her out of the apartment for her carelessness. (Because in her mind, they would do that). They have done that.
She was nearing the apartment complex, and she constantly reprimanded herself for taking the short-cut through the dark alleys of town, but the less amount of time she had to spend outside at night, the better.
And then her phone rang, causing her to nearly scream. With shaky fingers, she reached for her phone and then fumbled to answer the call, not paying any mind to who was calling her. "H-Hello?"
"Xiao Xi?" It was Jiang Chen! "Xiao Xi, where are you? Lu Yang called and told me you were walking home by yourself."
Xiao Xi held her phone close to ear and smiled. 'He was worried about me,' she thought, feeling all floaty inside. When he called out her name again, she shook her thoughts away and spoke softly. "I'm taking the short-cut home… I'm almost to the complex… maybe five or ten minutes out…, but I feel a lot better now that you're on the phone…," she bit her lower lip as he audibly sighed. "Jiang Chen?"
There was a pause. 'Hm?'
Her heart pounded against her chest. "Don't hang up."
'… Okay.'
There was a small, comfortable moment of silence between them as both continued walking from where they were. Eventually, Xiao Xi said, "Are you still at the hospital with Li Wei?"
'No. When her mother finally showed up, I left.' Jiang Chen replied as Xiao Xi swallowed thickly. She could hear them clearly now, thick footsteps following her, only stopping when she stopped. Cautiously, she turned around slowly, but no one was there. As if on autopilot, she faced forward and started walking faster.
"Jiang Chen?"
"Hm?"
"How far did you say you were?" The footsteps began again, and her heart began punching against her but it wasn't because of the boy next door.
"I didn't. I'm about ten minutes from shortcut you were talking about. Why? Is something wrong?"
She blew out a shaky breath, deciding not to tell him. After all, even if she did, what could he do about it? Maybe she was just being paranoid; maybe the streets at night had always been creepy – that she didn't notice anything until now because she was either always on her bike or with Jiang Chen. And besides, Jiang Chen already had a lot going on; she didn't need to bother him with something that could be nothing.
She shook her head in a delayed response. "No. Nothing's wrong. I just wanted to know if you were nearby."
"I can be if you want me to be," Jiang Chen responded instantly, causing her to blush a little. "What I mean is, I can catch up if you need me to."
She smiled gently as she slowed down her walking, touched by his concern. "If I keep walking, I think I'll be all right. I see the complex so I'm not too far." She lightly bit her lip. "But I'll wait for you outside the complex if you want."
There was a short pause, and Xiao Xi could hear Jiang Chen slow breaths over the phone. "No. It's okay. Your parents are probably worried about you so don't let them wait any longer."
"Ah. Right." Xiao Xi agreed, remembering the last time she came home very late from the internet café. Her parents had called the police an hour after she was supposed to be home. It was a crazy, hot mess; something Xiao Xi really didn't want to happen again… Somehow, she had a feeling her punishment for being late was going to be extreme…. "Good night, then."
Another pause.
"Good night."
Xiao Xi locked her phone and slipped it into her pocket as she approached the complex. The recent conversation with Jiang Chen energized her, and the next thing she knew, she was skipping down the street, a little too gleefully.
But her joy was short-lived when suddenly, something gripped her hair and yanked down hard, forcing her backward. The back of her head smacked against the dirty asphalt, causing thick black spots to float around her as the air left her lungs. She gasped for a breath, any breath, as a large fist smashed squarely into her face.
Tears fell as her face stung with pain. Her breath began to slowly return to her until she felt a sharp kick to her ribs.
"My younger sis told me not to hurt you, just to scare you, but I couldn't resist. It's a turn on seeing a young damsel in distress." A haunting voice spoke, followed by an unnerving chuckle. "Now… what should I do next?"
Xiao Xi wanted the ground to swallow her whole as the shadowy-looking force moved closer to her. With as much strength as she could muster, she kicked at him as she painfully scooted herself away from him.
And then…
"XIAO XI!"
Both Xiao Xi and her assailant turned towards the way she came and saw Jiang Chen standing there, huffing and puffing, his fists balling with anger. As he sprinted towards her, her attacker scrambled away from her, and as he leapt to run away, the front of his boot whacked her in the temple before everything went dark.
WriterFreak001:
I'm sorry. I had to end it here. I'm going to try to update more frequently so expect the next chapter in the next few weeks or so. Working a full-time job leaves very little time to write fanfic. Please let me know what you think.
I know the ending is somewhat sickening, but rest assure, the next chapter will be good-feely. I promise.