You And I

Chapter 12: New Semester

Summer vacation was over, and a new semester had begun. As I woke up that morning, I couldn't help but smile, knowing I was going to see Mei again. All the fun we had at the resort, the quiet moments we shared-it all made me more excited for this new chapter.

When I arrived at school, something unexpected happened. Mei was standing at the entrance, waiting for me. My heart skipped a beat. This was the first time she'd ever waited for me, and I couldn't help but wonder if it meant something. Trying to stay calm, I walked up to her.

"Morning, Mei," I greeted, attempting to sound casual.

"Morning, Levi," she smiled, her eyes lighting up as she saw me. "I thought we could walk to class together."

My heart pounded in my chest, but I kept it cool. "Yeah, sure, let's go."

We walked together to the classroom, our conversation light but filled with a new kind of comfort. Just as we reached the door, Ryan spotted us. He didn't miss a beat and rushed over to Yvonne, whispering something in her ear. I already knew what was coming.

Within seconds, they both turned towards us, grinning ear to ear. Yvonne was the first to speak. "Well, well, well, what do we have here? Mei, waiting for Levi at the entrance? How romantic."

Ryan chimed in, "Looks like things really changed over summer, huh? Are we missing something, Levi?"

I could feel my face turning red, and Mei, who was usually calm, looked a little flustered too. "We just... walked to class," I mumbled, trying to shrug it off, but it was no use.

"Oh sure," Yvonne said, dragging out her words with exaggerated suspicion. "Just walking to class. That's all it ever starts with."

Ryan gave me a playful nudge. "You're not fooling anyone, man."

Mei, finally regaining her composure, laughed softly and added, "You guys are ridiculous."

Despite their teasing, it felt good-like we were all picking up right where we left off before summer. But there was something different now. The teasing didn't feel as one-sided, and the time Mei and I spent together didn't feel as casual. It felt... special. And that only made me look forward to this semester even more.

The class had started, and we went to our designated seats. I couldn't focus much on what the teacher was saying, but somehow, the morning passed by quickly. After class, we made our way to the club room for lunch. It was becoming our routine-hanging out together in the club room, laughing, eating, and just enjoying each other's company.

Just as we were finishing up our food, there was a knock at the door. I wasn't expecting anyone, so I was surprised when two girls stepped inside. They introduced themselves as Jane and Kris. I didn't know them, but Ryan did. He jumped up and greeted them.

"These are Jane and Kris. They're interested in joining our club," Ryan explained with his usual enthusiasm.

We all welcomed them, and after a few minutes of chatting, they officially became part of our tabletop games club. It felt good to have new members. The more, the merrier, right?

After lunch, Kris challenged me to a game of chess. I thought it would be easy, but as we played, the game got more intense. By mid-game, I realized she was a tougher opponent than I'd anticipated. Still, after a long and difficult battle, I managed to win. We shook hands, and I let out a sigh of relief.

That's when I glanced over at Mei. I could see something in her eyes-anger? Frustration? Her brows were furrowed, and she was definitely not her usual calm self. I was taken aback. Had I done something wrong?

Before I could say anything, she looked away, pretending to focus on something else. But I could still feel the tension in the air. I couldn't figure out why she was upset, but it bothered me more than I'd like to admit. Maybe it had something to do with me playing chess with Kris, but I wasn't sure.

I mulled over why Mei might have seemed upset earlier. The only thing that came to mind was jealousy, but I quickly dismissed the thought. It seemed impossible-why would she be jealous of me playing chess with Kris?

Despite my doubts, I decided to challenge Ryan to a game of chess, hoping to distract myself and prove a point. As we started, Mei walked over and asked if she could watch. I was caught off guard and felt my heart race. "Yeah, sure," I managed to say, trying to sound casual.

Ryan smirked, clearly noticing my nervousness. He took advantage of my distraction and ended up winning the game. We shook hands, and as usual, Ryan rushed to Yvonne to share the news, leaving me sitting there, trying to process everything.

Mei sat down next to me, and I could feel the warmth of her proximity. Ryan and Yvonne were laughing about something, and Mei asked, "What's so funny?"

"Oh, nothing," Ryan said with a grin. "Just that I beat Levi."

They continued to laugh, and I was left stunned, my thoughts a jumbled mess. Mei's presence next to me was overwhelming; I could feel her skin brushing against mine, which made my heart pound even faster. I slapped my face to shake off the goofy grin that had formed.

The rest of the day seemed to blur together as I struggled to focus. Mei's earlier reaction and her closeness during the chess game kept replaying in my mind. Could it really be that she was jealous? The thought was both thrilling and confusing. As the day ended and we went our separate ways, I couldn't help but wonder if there was more to her feelings than I had initially thought.

That night, I couldn't shake the thoughts swirling in my head. Was Mei really jealous? When I played chess with Kris, she had seemed upset, and when I was with Ryan, she had been unusually clingy. I tried to piece together these fragments, but the more I thought about it, the more confused I became.

Was it just my imagination? Could it be that Mei's behavior was just a coincidence? The questions plagued me as I lay in bed, trying to make sense of everything. I knew I had to stop overthinking and get some rest.

I forced myself to push those thoughts aside, taking deep breaths and focusing on calming my mind. Eventually, exhaustion won over, and I drifted off to sleep, hoping that tomorrow would bring some clarity about Mei's feelings and our complicated situation.