Lollapalooza | Zhu ZhengTing

twENty

"What is wrong with you?!" Meirong huffed as she pulled her wrist free from ZhengTing's grip. Now that they've arrived at the parking lot, and no high schoolers were in sight, ZhengTing calmed down.

He shrugged in response to the girl's question as he strolled ahead.

"You can't tell me you just felt like running to the parking lot," she continued as she caught up with him, "You're being weird."

"Am I now?" ZhengTing rolled his eyes, his neighbor was being bothersome.

"Yes, and you're too busy freaking out over a bunch of harmless students to realize it," Meirong sassed before gasping, "Don't tell me you were running because of them."

ZhengTing stared at her, a little bit of guilt evident in his expression. 

"So you were," Meirong shook her head, "You're seriously being weird."

The next day in the library was horrible, at least for ZhengTing. Curious eyes followed him everywhere he went. And while he was greeted with admiring gazes, Meirong was shot with cruel glares from jealous high schoolers. But the girl didn't notice, she was too immersed in her job to care.

In a week from now, she'd get her first paycheck. In a week, she'll buy her own router and she'll be free to watch as many dramas as she wants to. 

Freedom is coming in a week.

Well, not full freedom; she still has to work to pay for her rent. But at least, she wouldn't need to use her neighbor's Wi-Fi anymore. 

As she pushed her cart around the library, she spotted a group of high schoolers standing up from their table and leaving a pile of books behind. She changed her route and headed towards the books like a shopper who spotted the sales section.

Girls in their plaid uniforms narrowed their eyes at her when she came between them but Meirong remained unbothered. She was never the type to involve in childish drama.

A bit far away, ZhengTing found his paranoid self an empty, isolated place to sit. He plugged in his earphones and busied himself with his phone, a habit he gained from non-other than his neighbor.

But the drama playing on his phone didn't stop him from nervously checking on his surroundings. More specifically: the high schoolers who stole glances at him.

Nothing was out of the normal. Not until he raised his eyes to see a trio of high schoolers approach Meirong.

He watched them intently, the expression on his face gave off the impression that a fight was about to unfold. He didn't know if he was worried from the stalkers or worried for them. Meirong isn't a person to mess with and he knew from experience.

He watched as the girls sent his neighbor frightening glares, only to have her dismiss them and walk away.

Meirong passed by them as if they were some awfully designed furniture she regretted looking at and ZhengTing couldn't prevent the grin on his face from rising, he didn't even try to stop it. There was his neighbor, leaving people baffled in her wake while she walked out victoriously once again.

Before any of the girls could notice him looking their direction, ZhengTing brought his gaze back to his phone and checked the time. 

Fifteen minutes to lunch break, he thought, his stomach grumbling at the thought of lunch. He had a sad meal of cereal for breakfast and he was wishing for something other than the regular noodles Meirong ate almost every day.