Wizard of Oz || Zuo Hang✓

Twenty-Seven

On Monday morning, Yanni was surprised as she walked through the halls. Everyone was staring at her, like she was someone they hadn't seen before. Yanni didn't understand, she was wearing makeup as she usually did. It wasn't as if there was something different about her.

People started to whisper as she walked past them, but she couldn't find the confidence to ask anything. She continued to walk past them.

She noticed Zhixin and Xinhao standing by Zhixin's locker and taking out his books for the first period. She turned to him, and was surprised when he didn't exactly give her an ecstatic look.

'Zhixin,' Yanni finally spoke to him. 'What's going on today?'

Xinhao also didn't exactly say anything, he was just staring at her.

'Oh I think now I understand why you wanted to take a break, it wasn't about what happened with Zuo was it?' Zhixin finally spoke.

'What? I mean...yeah...'

Zhixin nodded. 'It's fine. I guess long distance relationships don't really work anyway.' Zhixin closed his locker. 'I get it.'

'Huh?' Yanni felt herself shaking quite a bit, she hadn't told Zhixin that she was moving. How did he know?

'You were just embarrassed to say it right?' Xinhao commented next.

'How'd you know I'm moving?' Yanni finally asked.

'What do you mean? Everybody knows.' Zhixin answered her. 'They were talking about it on the school gossip group.'

Yanni checked her phone with shaky hands. She realized that they had removed her from the school gossip group a few days ago. She looked back up at Zhixin and Xinhao with teary eyes.

She started to walk away from them without saying anything, and stopped in her tracks when she saw the excerpt of the school newspaper stuck on the notice board.

"Princess Yanni's fall from grace," The heading read. Yanni couldn't help but pull it off the notice board, scrunching it in her hands and throwing in the trashcan. She didn't care about what the people who had seen her thought, she was just sad and confused. How could the issue get out like that?

'Zhixin, I think we have to talk to Yanni,' Xinhao told his friend as they walked to the classroom from the locker.

'Why should we? She didn't tell us and we're now obviously in two different leagues. Countryside girl? Come on.' Zhixin replied.

'I know...but she was still our friend while she was here.' Xinhao told him.

'Yeah fine whatever,' Zhixin agreed. 'You're kinda right.'

Another person who had no idea what was going on was Zuo. He had no interest or time to read what was on the school gossip group. He was late for class, so he quickly ran to his locker to take his books and rush to class. To him, it was just another ordinary day.