"Sang Zhi!" The sound of homeroom teacher Li Hongmei's high heels clacking down the hallway set a hurried rhythm. "When exactly is your guardian getting here?"
Outside the door of Class 3, Grade 9, Sang Zhi was on tiptoe, peering out the window. Her ponytail hung crookedly to one side, and chalk dust stained the hem of her uniform. The class monitor had shoved her and marked her down for sneaking spicy strips in the back row just moments ago.
"Ms. Li, my brother really can't make it today." Sang Zhi turned around, her eyes dewy as a little deer that had been wronged. "He said he's preparing for his graduate school interview..."
"That's what you said last time, too!" Li Hongmei smacked her lesson plan. "Look at your monthly exam results! Twenty-nine in math, eighteen in physics, dead last in the entire class!"
A sudden commotion rose from the far end of the hallway. Sang Zhi stuck her head out to look and saw three boys surrounding a tall boy in a black hoodie. He had his back to her, one hand in his pocket and a basketball spinning in the other. His hood had slipped down, revealing a silver chain that gleamed coldly.
"That's Duan Jiaxu!" a girl in the front row whispered. "Sang Yan's roommate. I heard he got a full scholarship!"
Sang Zhi's heart skipped a beat. She had seen a photo of him on her brother's computer last week, when Sang Yan was video chatting with him. The background had been a messy boys' dorm. Duan Jiaxu had been slouched in a chair, smoking. The smoke blurred his features, but when he smiled, two pointed canines showed.
"Sang Zhi!" Li Hongmei's voice suddenly rose. "Are you even listening?"
"Teacher, I've got an idea!"
I really liked listening to it before, and now I finally have a new one