Parker lowered his head, suddenly forcefully fixing my school uniform collar, his tone somewhat pitiful:
“Forget him, Zoe, let’s start over.”
10:35 AM
<
44
Luke had been beaten into the hospital by Parker.
The moment I pushed the door open and saw Luke lying pale on the hospital bed, my breath became light.
“Luke.”
He opened his eyes, saw me, and chuckled lightly: “How did you find me? Sorry to worry you.”
Luke was from out of town, studying here alone.
His brother had brought him here without notifying his
parents.
“This is my fault,” he propped himself up. “I was stupid yesterday, deliberately provoked him, and this bastard fights dirty. I couldn’t beat him. But he’s not much better off. Don’t worry, it’s just a small injury.”
I touched the small scar at the corner of his eyebrow.
Recalling Parker’s pitiful demeanor in front of me earlier, I felt
no joy at all.
Seeing Luke, I couldn’t help but feel heartache.
“This can’t be left unresolved.”
I said, my tone firm: “Luke, I’m going to make him apologize to you.”
He laughed: “How? He still remembers you. Don’t let one apology cost me a goddess of a girlfriend.”
But I didn’t laugh.
I took out a USB drive from my bag and handed it to him:
“Luke, letting this continue is hurting him too.”
45
“Zoe.”
! met Parker at the bottom of the hospital.
He knew I had come to see Luke, he had followed me all the way, not stopping me, not following me upstairs either.
He walked towards me, but I stepped back a few steps: “Parker”
Parker stopped, staring at me steadily: “Zoe, I was foolish before, will you teach me to be better?”
I shook my head: “Have you forgotten? I tried to teach you before. That time in the internet cafe, you cursed at me for meddling, told me to get lost.”
His words faltered, his Adam’s apple bobbed, as if wanting to say something but couldn’t.
I smiled slightly: “Parker, go apologize to Luke”
The smile in his eyes completely disappeared.
Parker took two or three steps forward, grabbed my shoulders, his voice slightly trembling: “You really like him?”
“Parker, this has nothing to do with liking or not liking.”
I pushed his hands away: “You should see a psychiatrist.”
<
I pushed his hands away: “You should see a psychiatrist.”
“Even you think I’m sick?”
“Parker, I know about your family situation, this is just an objective suggestion. You beat Luke like that, he could totally report you to the police.”
Parker let go: “Zoe, don’t choose him, okay? You teach me, I don’t know how, you teach me, okay?”
“It’s too late,” I looked at him, at this young man who had become so different from before, “I just realized, I didn’t like you, I liked that slightly tsundere, soft–hearted little boy from before. So I tolerated you again and again, but what I got in return was your escalating behavior.”
“I can guess that after your family issues, you started to envy me. You hated that I had a happier family than you, hated that I lived openly, hated that someone like me, who pursued you, seemed high and mighty in front of you, not willing to say a soft word.
“Parker, I saw it that day, you pieced together that torn love letter, carefully braided that lock of my hair into a red string. But you still hated me so much, I couldn’t understand why, until that day I heard your mom on the phone with my mom, saying you had been diagnosed with bipolar disorder.”
I heard Parker’s increasingly heavy breathing.
Finally, stepping back, I waved to Parker’s mom who was hurrying over behind him.
“It’s okay, you just need to rest well.”
