The summer uniform for Peiya’s junior high division is a light blue short-sleeved shirt, while the high school division’s is white. The winter knit vests are also in these two colors, so over time, everyone started using the uniform colors to refer to the junior and high school divisions.

Everyone was looking for their class spots. After a whole summer apart, the first thing the girls did when they gathered was gossip—after all, it’s always a favorite topic.

“Did you see the confession wall last night?”

“No, who was it this time?”

“A second-year junior high student, confessing to Ryan Cooper from the senior class. Wrote a ton, said she’d had a crush for a whole year.”

“Wow, the school heartthrob... that takes guts.”

“Does our school even vote for heartthrobs? I’ve never voted.”

“No, but Ryan Cooper is pretty much recognized as one. I’ve never seen him get close to any girl, not in junior high, not even in high school.”

Hearing Ryan Cooper’s name, Ethan Clark felt a bit happy, but also a little awkward. His face itched, so he ruffled his hair and looked around, slowly following the crowd. The class monitor had everyone sit on the ground; Ethan Clark sat at the back of the boys’ group, while the girls in front shifted their gossip from the explosive topic of a junior high girl confessing to a senior to a debate about how many heartthrobs Peiya actually had.

“Then people started arguing under the confession wall post. Someone said Ryan Cooper always has a poker face and ignores everyone, and that he’s not as good as Ethan Clark from junior high. I almost died laughing—eating melon seeds and the drama lands right in our own class.”

“What do you mean ‘not as good’? Lele is really good-looking, isn’t he? That mixed-race face is gorgeous! And he’s got a great personality too.”

“Some people just say he’s too young. But after a while, the argument turned into each division having their own heartthrob, so there was no more controversy.”

“Hahaha, true, the two of them are like premium skins in a crowd. When will they stand together for a comparison?”

“Doubt they’ll ever be in the same frame, they have zero overlap.”

Jack Harris perked up his ears, listening back and forth, clicking his tongue, “Little Lele’s not bad, huh, already on par with Ryan Cooper.”

Ethan Clark was too busy craning his neck, searching the audience for Ryan Cooper, and didn’t hear any of the girls’ gossip about him. When Jack Harris called him out, he was a bit confused, “Huh?”

Just then, a girl sitting diagonally in front turned around, face full of gossip, “Lele, what do you think of Ryan Cooper? Aside from his personality.”

This was the first time since starting junior high that he’d been asked about Ryan Cooper at school.

Ethan Clark realized he was feeling guilty, the same feeling as when he’d hidden in the sun waiting for Ryan Cooper. He blinked faster without realizing, trying to give an answer that sounded like he barely knew him.

“Ryan Cooper is really handsome, and his grades are great too.”

But in the end, he couldn’t help but defend him, “And I think his personality isn’t a problem.” Ethan Clark’s tone was unusually serious. “He just doesn’t like to talk, and not talking doesn’t mean he has a bad personality. Even though he looks a bit intimidating, he’s actually a really good person...”

The girl listened and started to feel something was off, interrupting with suspicion, “Wait, how do you know he’s a good person?”

Definitely not good at hiding things.

Ethan Clark was at a loss for words, but Jack Harris jumped in, “No, really, Ryan Cooper is actually a bit nicer than I thought. He was on duty today, found Lele’s name tag and didn’t report it, even helped him keep it from the proctor.”

“For real?”

“A lifesaver!”

“No wonder he’s the handsome guy!”

The ceremony began, and the class monitor at the front reminded them not to talk, finally putting an end to the gossip. Ethan Clark breathed a sigh of relief—he’d almost been exposed. With the way they gossiped, if they ever found out about his relationship with Ryan Cooper, they’d never let it go.

Every year, the opening speeches were pretty much the same, and the leaders’ speeches on stage made his soul drift away. After a while, the junior high student representative took the stage—it was the top girl in their class. Ethan Clark sat up straight and tried hard to listen, but the gym lights were so bright that he gradually drooped his head again, like a sunflower wilting under the sun.

Maybe he’d eaten his bread too fast, but his stomach felt a bit uncomfortable, like a lump of cotton stuck there, neither up nor down.

He rubbed his stomach and stared at a small dirty spot on the tip of his canvas shoe. As his gaze focused, the spot seemed to spread and grow, like a cloud of low pressure rolling in. Applause for the end of the speech sounded around him, like boiling water pouring into his ears, burning his chest, steam swelling in his lungs.

A small commotion broke out among the students. His throat felt dry and itchy, like a feather was stuck there. Ethan Clark lowered his head to clear his throat as the new student representative walked onto the stage.

As he approached the microphone, a sharp screech of feedback came from the speakers, like a dramatic prelude.

The next second, a low voice came from the usually uncooperative microphone.

“Sorry.”

Ethan Clark immediately looked up at the person on stage, his chest rising and falling.

“Good morning, everyone. I’m Ryan Cooper from Senior 3, Class 5.”

His heart started racing—pathologically fast.

Just like the girls said, Ryan Cooper’s good looks were universally acknowledged. But his narrow, angular features, long eyes, and sharp eye corners gave him a strong sense of pressure and distance.

It was hard to find much emotion on that face.