She Asked If I Liked Her, and I Said No

Before the high school entrance exams, Jiang Xi asked if I liked her. I said no. She left. When I started high school, I ran into her again, and also met Xu You, a desk mate who had to stick her nose into everything. One was the person I had missed my chance with. The other stayed by my side. One taught me regret. The other taught me courage. That year, I learned how to say “I like you” out loud. (Of course, that’s another story.)