TURBULENCE

Chapter 1: First Meeting...Kind Of

Yue

The sky is clear. The fresh breeze is blowing softly... rustling the leaves of the trees... making some of them fall all around me... as I sat here, on my favorite bench, shaded by two, hundred year old, willow trees whose vines and roots gives out a creepy vibe...as this spot became a common setting for campus ghost stories... while campus people steer clear... away from this place... which is in fact very beneficial for a recluse person like myself.

I laid my head on the table... making a makeshift pillow out of my short, thin arms... while I adjusted my wire rimmed glasses perched on my little nose... trying to stifle a yawn... putting down my copy of "The Time Keeper" by Mitch Albom on the empty space at the table infront of me... giving me a clear view of the empty basketball court accross the street... With its cracked cemented floor, it's markings almost non-existent... It's fiberglass board, marred by mildew and ugly grafitti...and its basketball hoops rusty... with its nets missing...

What a sad looking court...I quietly thought to myself, that If only I had a ball right now, I would have played in it... though basketball... or sport in general... is really not my thing... I am the book and sketch type of girl... those things that you do best when you're alone... yep that's me... Shen Yue the loner ... I love being alone... I enjoy the peace and the quiet... the calm and the serenity of being by myself... And contrary to what my family and my friends are always worried about... I am just alone... but I am never lonely... because for me... those two words are very different things...

Just like now... I am alone... by myself... in this creepy, lonely place... yet I don't feel lonely.. or sad... or gloomy. Rather.. I feel at ease and calm and peaceful... I enjoy this kind of existence...

Don't get me wrong.. I am not anti-social. I have friends... like  JiaQi and ZiWei for instance... I enjoy having their company and the way they make me feel comfortable, with their lively and cheerful attitude...

But still... my comfort zone has always been being by myself and hanging out solo, with just my paperbacks or sketchbook to pass my time... I believe that I could live the rest of my life doing just that... without anyone noticing me... to be very honest... what I hate the most is drawing attention to myself... I am a nobody... I love being one and I don't have any plans of changing this kind if existence.

I was about to stifle another yawn when I was distracted by sounds of loud, boisterous laughters... making me sit in attention. I caught a glimpse of three tall boys... having a cheerful conversation while passing by... all of them with knapsacks on their backs, wearing streetstyle fashion... I know them.. they are popular in this University... especially the loudest one, wearing a bright yellow hoodie over black skinny jeans and red AJs... a black cap covering his head while he played with a basketball on his hands... spinning it on his point finger from time to time... Wang HeDi... the University Superstar... being the star player of the basketball team... he had always been very popular... especially with the girls... having dated more than half of MingDe's female population. He is every inch a womanizer... A chick magnet through and through.

His friend XiZi, the small skinny one with smiling eyes must have said something funny... making the boy and his other friend XiZe... the tall serious looking one, wearing spectacles like those of Harry Potter's... laugh some more... as HeDi almost toppled over... tripping on the cracked pavement, making him lose control of the ball as it rolled away from them towards my direction... the rowdy boy running for it. When all of a sudden, my phone started ringing... making me turn around to retrieve it from my sling bag... discovering ZiWei was on the other line...

"Yueyue...you're there at that creepy place again.. aren't you?" her stern voice echoed in my ear as I answered my phone.

"Of course I am... and how many times do I have to tell you that this place isn't creepy... it's deserted.. yes but it isn't scary at all... I feel safe here... besides.. it's quiet... I could read my books and do my sketches without distractions..." I reasoned out making me hear "tsk" -ing noises on the other line...while I smiled to myself... ZiWei is worried... she had always been that caring, "mother hen" type of friend who does the nagging and yet worries about you all at the same time... and I love her for that... I don't have an older sister... but ZiWei is that older sister I never had.

"Yeah... right... it isn't scary... will you just get out of that quiet place and get your loner ass here... Jia had been here for almost an hour... We're suppose to be making that reaction paper for Literature... or have you forgotten about it again?" Here she goes again with the nagging.

" Oh... shoot... I'm really sorry Wei... I totally forgot about it... I'm running there now...tell JiaQi, I'll be there in a few. "I said while rummaging on my things.. stuffing my book inside my sling bag, as I hurriedly left... not noticing the basketball stuck beneath the table and the voice calling me... trying to catch my attention.

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HeDi

"Go get it Didi!" I heard XiZe shouted still laughing like a hyena as he and Xizi snickered behind me while I ran for the ball heading towards the picnic bench underneath the twin willow tree with creepy vines and branches which is believed to be haunted... but then I noticed a petite girl, wearing a lavender knitted sweater over a white button down shirt.... Her ebony... disheveled hair, barely reaching her shoulders, in a halfmoon pony, tied at the back of her head with a dark blue ribbon. She's talking on the phone with her back at me... her melodious voice... calm and a little amused as she conversed with someone on the other line... made me a little curious...

Who is this girl??? she doesn't look  familiar... Is she a new student? It is so unlikely that I have never seen her around... having dated majority of the girls here in MingDe University... I am very familiar with every girl here, unless.... she's new.

"Hey Miss!" I called out... barely paying attention to the ball I lost... which is now stuck beneath the table... my interest focusing solely on the girl who is now hurriedly running off to somewhere, to my utter disappointment. I was not able to have a glimpse of her face. The ladies man in me, moaned silently in discontent... as I defeatedly walk towards the bench to retrieve my basketball.

My friends noticed the sudden change in my disposition as I returned. Walking slowly, while dribbling the ball. Unconsciously frowning to myself.

"What's wrong? Did the evil spirits in those trees took over your body now? Hey! are you still our Didi?" Xizi said... jokingly shaking my body... while I shrugged his hands away.

"Shut up Xizi... Of course its still me... It's so surprising that you believe in those sh*tty haunted stories...." I said... continuously dribbling the ball on the cracked pavement.

"Ahhhh... man... quit picking on our Didi... can't you see... he just got curious. Did you not see that petite chick sitting on the bench? She ignored our brother over here... and you know Didi... he just can't take it, when women don't take notice of him... right Di? " Xize said... resting his arms on my shoulders... as he stated the obvious, that XiZi failed to see... but of course... XiZe would notice... he is observant like that... plus with the length of time that I have been with him - we've been friends since kindergarten - If there is someone who knows me inside out... it would be him. But of course I will not admit to the fact that the small girl had unconciously ignored the Great Wang HeDi.

"F*ck off Man!" I said shrugging off his arms... making him and XiZi laugh in unison...

No one... and I mean NO ONE had ever ignored my presence... Me... Chick Magnet Wang HeDi had always taken every woman's attention... and that litttle ignorant girl will not be an exemption... I'll find her.. get to know her... and just like everyone else... overwhelm her with my mere existence...

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Author's Note:

Ni Hao Guys!!!

Here I am again with another DiYue story...

I know this is cliche... but I enjoy writing this genre...

I hope you would like it too as much as I do...

Enjoy Reading!!! Lafyue all! 😘😘😘

-Joan