Evanescent Dreams

1. Night in the library

Sneeeer. Sneeer.

Tick.  

"Siyun."

Chen Siyun's grey face came out from the darkness of the computer screen and textbooks cramped in front of her. 

"What did you say?" she pulled out one of her noise cancelling earbuds.

"Ah, sorry."

"Oh," Chen Siyun glanced at her earbuds and glanced back. "It's fine. What were you asking me?"

"Do we still have to tour the new transfer student tomorrow?"

"Ye Zhen?" Chen Siyun pondered for a moment, "I don't think so. The teacher didn't say anything about it."

I hope not. Please no. 

"Ok, nice."

Lin Xingren and Chen Siyun, friends but  puppets, were given the honorable duty this morning to give the new transfer student, a puppet at first sight, a tour of the school that they weren't much familiar with. The result was a speechless, half-hearted walk, with backs towards each other, around the third floor hallway. It was a humiliation that only the three puppets felt. 

"I'm going to the restroom, let's leave after I come back, " Chen Siyun got up. 

 Lin Xingren and Chen Siyun were working on their group project in the library after school. They had split the work and Chen Siyun was already done. 

"Sure."

Lin Xingren listened to the vanishing footsteps of Chen Siyun as it softly plodded across the rows of Romance, Mystery, and Fantasy. 

After Chen Siyun left, Lin Xingren realized the whole library was dead silent. She could only hear the sneering cicadas outside and the ticking of the second hand.

If it were me, I'd rather die than become a transfer student. It's a very rare situation, and everyone gossips about his appearance, his past, and his personality. Then they forget about him. But it's not like he has a choice. There's only two reasons why someone transfers schools in the middle of the semester: he either got in big trouble in his last school and is too embarrassed to stay, or...he got expelled. 

Anyways, what should I write about today?

Today, I was handing over a quiz back to my professor  and saw that the classmate besides me was handing in his with trembling hands. The professor thought that he was nervous or something about our little formative quiz. The situation was utterly hilarious, to be honest. But I couldn't laugh...it is depressing. Anyways, that's why we need coffee pills these days. They make us feel less depressed being more of who we want to be, who we should become. And the story all begins with a methylxanthine compound disgusted with adenosine...disgusted with sleep, norepinephrine, and dopamine...

Pit-pat.

Pit-pat.

Pitter-patter--

A light drizzle started outside. Lin Xingren lowered her phone and laid her head on her shoulders, which spread out on one of the library tables. She closed her eyes, feeling the peaceful atmosphere brought by the clock and rain's gentle sounds. 

Ye Zhen...Ye Zhen? That name and mine weirdly fits together ...We're all nuts!

(The "Zhen"(榛） character in Ye Zhen means Hazelnut in Chinese, and "Xingren"(杏仁）means almond.)

"HAHAHAHAH--"

Lin Xingren, who unknowingly spilled out her thoughts, immediately closed her mouth. She awkwardly lifted her head and glanced around, making sure that no one in the library caught her weird and sudden laughter.