innocence → sicheng ✔

one

"48." The student answers, getting the answer right yet again.

"Xaoxi, that's 20:0." My friend whispers to me. I shook my head in disbelief . How is that even possible? Since the beginning of the year one specific kid had raised his hand for almost every question and got every question that he had the chance to answer correct. My best friend, Lee Jing and I have been keeping track with tallies ever since a month into the second semester.

His name is Dong Sicheng. He never spoke other than to answer a question. When he was paired for a group project he did all the work himself without saying anything. I've never seen him do anything immoral ever. He seemed overall like a nice guy. In my eyes he was innocent. He answered yet another question. "21:0." Lee Jing told me, adding another tally.

When class ended I collected myself and my stuff, and walked to my locker. While exchanging my books out and in, with Lee Jing at my side doing the same, another one of my best friends, Qian Kun made his way over to us. "Guess what~" He slurs with a bright smile. "Lucas is having a party and he invited us to come." Lee Jing and I make eye contact.

"Lucas?" I ask .

"Lucas? Wong Yukhei? Don t you know him?" Oh! Yukhei, that popular guy.

"I don't know... " Lee Jing says unsure. "I don't trust Yukhei, to be honest." She puts her books in her locker.

"Come on, don't be a downer." Kun drags out, with a hint of aegyo in his voice.

"I'll go." I tell him, closing my locker. Normally, I wasn't someone who would attend parties but Kun had always wanted to go to one and he rarely got invited to these things. So I wanted to make him at least slightly happy for once. I look at Lee Jing to see what her final answer would be. Eventually, she gave in and Kun ended up giving us the details for the party. It was at 9 pm at Yukhei's place. That's really all he knew, which was sketchy but Lee Jing and I decided not to question it.

💫

9 pm rolled around. Lee Jing and I were at her place, getting ready for the party while waiting for Yukhei to pick us up. "Xaoxi." I hear Lee Jing say as she finished up her make-up. "Are you sure about this?" She asks me. I couldn't really bring myself to say yes, nor could I bring myself to say no.

"Kun really wants to go." I say whatever baloney would come to my head. "Might as well let him have a good time." I finish putting light make-up on before looking over at Lee Jing. She has a skeptical look on her face but she seemed to be biting her tongue. "You know, if you really don't want to go, you really don't have to. I'll just tell them you were feeling sick. "

Lee Jing nods. "Would you do that for me?" I nodded in certainty, I would never be one to push my friends into something like this, especially someone as fragile as Lee Jing. Lee Jing has been my friend since he beginning of college, when we got lockers next to each other we would see each other everyday so naturally we started talking and became each others first college friends. I was thankful for her, I had no one else by my side before we met at that time. Lee Jing thanks me, giving me a tight hug before helping me get ready. Eventually, it was time for me to go.

When I entered Kun's car and told him the lie I had made up he was disappointed but seemed to understand. That was the exact reaction I expected out of him so of course it worked. He drove us to party, blasting the club music he was overly into listening to. Naturally, we got there later than the others but no one really seemed to care. When we entered through the door there was music already pumping and drinking games being played like beer pong and never have I ever. People were dancing and talking and overall having a good time. Wong Yukhei ended up making his way over to us.