Bloom in Summer(5)

13

The news that Tianna was back caused a sensation in the school. According to the wall of love, Tianna, Josiah, and I became the talk of the town.

After spring began, summer seemed to follow quickly. The PE class happened when the sun was most intense. Since the teacher probably also wanted a break, he asked us to disband after doing some exercises.

The boys in the class wanted to play ball with Josiah. However, the latter slipped away, citing not wanting to get all sweaty as an excuse. Then, he accompanied me as I leaned against the railing and chatted in the shade of the corridor.

It wasn't actually that hot. A cool breeze would occasionally blow. His eyes were narrowed like a lazy and tired cat.

The two of us were aimlessly chatting when I saw a group of girls walking down the stairs behind him.

I had not expected Tianna, a Grade 10 student, to get along with the girls in the class so quickly.

The girls were talking and laughing, but when they passed by us, they suddenly went quiet.

So, the cat was out of the bag.

Josiah did not see anything because he had his back to them. Finding it amusing, I wrapped my arms around his neck and pressed against him.

I did not kiss him, but we were so close I could feel his breath. A soft laugh escaped from my throat.

From Tianna's point of view, it probably looked like we were sharing a passionate kiss.

When he realized what was happening and looked back, he only saw a skirt and several girls exchanging glances. He smiled helplessly as he gently rubbed the tip of his nose against my cheek.

"Aren't you ashamed?"

So many girls were still standing here. I wondered why he was not ashamed of rubbing against me.

The girls probably felt embarrassed if they continued staying, so they quickly slipped away. Josiah put his hand on my waist when he saw them leave. He wasn't about to let me go so quickly.

I approached him and stared into his eyes.

"How do you feel? Did I help you get your revenge?"

He licked his lips. "Thank you."

I wondered why his eyes were so dangerous.

With his hand holding my waist, my nose almost touched his chin.

"Happy to help. I'll see this to the end."

He leaned close to my neck and lowered his voice, breathing against my skin and causing it to tingle.

The words I had intended to say got stuck in my throat.

Josiah, who smelled pleasantly of soap, filled my nose. The whistling sound on the sports field was long, and the birds in the distance seemed to melt in my summer forever.

14

I did not expect Tianna to take the initiative to contact me.

We decided to meet at the famous ritzy restaurant in the city, where the average person could spend hundreds of dollars. When I told her it was far too expensive, she told me it would be her treat.

The only reason I agreed to meet her was so that I could tell her to stop bothering Josiah and me. It was definitely not going to be a luxurious afternoon tea.

However, the moment she saw me, she instantly said, "Can you quit coming between me and Josiah?"

I hadn't swallowed the walnut cookies in my mouth yet. After thinking for two seconds, I chose to eat them first.

"No."

"Why are you acting so self-righteous when you're the third wheel in our relationship?" Although her voice was warm, her words were anything but. Someone even turned to look at us.

"I'm not trying to be the third wheel. Moreover, we're not together. Anyway, aren't the two of you also not together?"

"But don't you think Josiah hangs out with you because you look like me? I was the reason why you were with him."

I was unable to refute her words.

"If this is what you came here to tell me, I think you overspent on the afternoon tea. Unless you throw me a check for 1.5 million dollars, I won't leave Josiah."

Frowning, she then looked at me. After a while, she said, "Okay." Then she got up and left without looking back.

She was completely unhesitant.

I thought she was skipping the check, but the waiter told me she had already paid it first. That was fine. I sat there and finished the dessert at the table before leaving.

When I returned to school after the weekend, Josiah and I were criticized by the school.

The reason was that we were in a relationship. Hence we had to be sentenced to public punishment, and they had to keep records.

They were completely mistaken because we were not in a relationship.

However, it was unsurprising that they would think that since we were inseparable and behaved intimately.

The dean personally admonished us.

The dean was a bald man who could even make gangsters cry. Even though I did not have experience facing off with teachers, I was slightly afraid of him.

I did not expect him to hit Josiah on the head with an ashtray as soon as he arrived. Josiah ducked and rubbed his forehead.

The sound of the ashtray hitting the ground made me feel as if it had hit his head. The dean would probably have to call an ambulance.

"Both of you refused to act responsibly! Is this the time for you to be in a relationship? Did you ever consider your future? Let me ask you, what's your mid-term rank this time?" The dead pointed at me.

"I came in third."

The air seemed to be quiet for a moment.

"You didn't even get first place!"

I was speechless.

"Do you think springtime has come for you guys to be in love at a young age? What kind of relationship can you have? Huh? Do you know what love is? You want to play and satisfy your curiosity!"

I kept quiet.

The dean chattered for more than half an hour before he roared at us. We hurriedly retreated and hurried away.

When we got to the corridor, Josiah made a hissing sound.

I went to check it out. His temple was grazed it had turned red. It looked quite terrifying.

"Wow, you should tell your parents about what the dean did to you!"

Josiah's eyes were full of sadness. After a while, he sighed. "He is my father."

I had not known that the dean was his father and thought it was a coincidence that the dean had the same last name as his.

"Then, shall I try to make the pain go away?

He looked at me and laughed. "I was criticized by my father. That's all."

He moved his forehead to me obediently.

I stepped forward and blew on his temple carefully. After a while, I asked him, "Is it cool or warm?"

"What?"

"I vaguely remember the physics teacher saying that a light puff produces a cool breeze." I puffed and blew quickly. "A big puff produces warm air," I said as I blew on his forehead more.

He laughed, and his shoulders trembled. I thought all the depression I felt from being called to the teachers' lounge wouldn't be healed. But it all disappeared when I saw his smile.

"Alas, we're unlucky. Lilly, I don't even have a name for our relationship. My legs will be broken when I go back." He straightened up and smiled as if he was merely going back for a meal.

Later, I said goodbye to Josiah. I thought we would meet tomorrow as usual since we were in the same class. Unexpectedly, Josiah was transferred to Class 5 the next day.

Within the arts track, it was the furthest class from Class 1.

Well, it really was different to have a dean as a father.

Class 1 and Class 5 never had any activities together, and stairs separated them across a corridor. Thus, the fewer chance of seeing Josiah.

Every time he looked at me from a distance, he could sometimes see me looking at him. He would smile at me every time. However, there were times when he couldn't see me at all.

When school ended, I saw him holding his chin and talking with a blondie in the open space behind the mini-mart. It was the place where the gangsters frequented to mingle and smoke because it was fairly close to the school.

He put his hand on the shoulder of the blondie next to him. I had no idea what he was talking about. Sometimes I felt that Josiah's definition was always vague, just like now, when he took out a steel rod and suddenly fought with the blondie. The scene felt normal to me.

When he spotted me, he was briefly stunned before he hooked his finger at me.

"Lilly."

He sat on the steps and looked up at me. His uniform was not properly worn. When I walked in, I found that he had several more injuries on his face, and his school uniform was also dirty.

"What happened?"

"Josiah was expelled from the house and has been on the street these days," the blondie answered.

"What's wrong?" I walked to him and rubbed his short black hair.

"My father told me not to get so close to you. I said it was impossible. You are his future daughter-in-law. How can I lose you? Hence, I fought with him. He really fought back with me even though he's so old. I got kicked out after that."

I was bereft of words.

He held my hand. Due to his sitting position, his head came up to my stomach. The summer clothes were thin, and the feeling of his short hair rubbing was apparent.

He just held me in his arms.

"It's not easy for you and your father. If it weren't for your father, would you be a completely bad boy now?

He laughed dully in response.

Eventually, the people around us left.

Soon, we were the only ones left.

Josiah hugged me and stood up. I could tell from his wound that he was making a big noise and felt a little worried.

"Are you going home tonight?"

"What's up?" he asked, arching his eyebrows. He suddenly got close to me. I looked into his amber eyes which reflected the red clouds in the evening. "Are you going to take me in?"

"Okay."

"Hmm?"

"My mother won't be home anyway."

He smiled and tilted his head to look at me. There was still a wound on his face, which made him look even more serious. "Aren't you afraid I'd gobble you up?"

"I'm not afraid."

There was a wind that always blew in summer.

At that time, I didn't know what to think. I looked into his eyes persistently and earnestly. I held the collar of the school uniform with my hand, pulled it outward a little, and showed my skin to him.

"Will you come?"

He suddenly grabbed my hand. His voice was slightly hoarse as if he was enduring something. "Lillian, I'm not a good person."

I tilted my head. "So, Is Mr. Lewis not a good person? Are we going or not?"

For a moment, his eyes darkened.

He kissed me, but today he seemed to be a little ruthless. I was half-pushed on the steps by him. He held my waist and put his hands into my clothes. The unknown touch almost made me numb, but I was disturbed by the thunderous heartbeat in my ears.

I shrank back reflexively as his hand reached my thigh, causing him to stop moving. With his head buried in my neck, his voice was hoarse as he said, "Lilly, let's wait until you come of age."

I gently ran my fingers through his hair as the leaves were carried away by the evening breeze.

It felt good when I propped my chin on top of his head.

"Mhm."

Summer days constantly filled our memories. All of a sudden, I realized that Josiah made up all my summer days.