𝙋𝙝𝙤𝙩𝙤𝙜𝙧𝙖𝙥𝙝 ➝ Zhuo Zhi

39: Being Bullied

White and faded blue.

Those were the two colors that greeted her as Jia Li stepped foot inside the huge building. Glass walls surrounded her, her eyes following the endless trail of the staircase heading upwards. An intimidating feeling nag inside her, rubbing her hands to emit heat to counter the chilly air of the airconditioned building. The hallways were pretty much empty, except for the janitors roaming around to polish the area neatly. Jia Li gripped the strap of her backpack, fumbling with the ribbon of her uniform as she took tentative steps toward her designated classroom she had visited last orientation.

As soon as the teacher ushered her to come in, a wave of silence washed over her new classmates before they burst in hushed whispers with judging looks. Of course, with the reputation of being one of the best schools, Xing Yao High School students tend to also be included within some sort of reputation as well.

And she was definitely labeled amongst the lowest and poor.

For months, Jia Li could feel their gossips burning behind her back, purposely letting her hear it all out. But she didn't mind it one bit. Her self was focused in just studying and avoiding people from getting to know her. These students were gossiping about her because they knew nothing, merely spreading only false theories of her like being an adopted child, a young mother, or someone poor who flirted her way to enter this school.

If that were a test, the students would have failed because none of their theories were correct.

She never told any of this to her family, feeding them lies how she was being treated all right in her school. Jia Li didn't want anyone to worry about her. She felt like depending on other people if she would just share these small issues if it meant she could resolve it on her own.

But she didn't.

Jia Li just left the issues circulating about her alone, not bothering to stand for herself and let the students bully her. Her only thought was that it would gradually pass, and they would eventually forget about her.

However, that didn't happen.

And that was the time Ji Jing Wu entered her life.

"Jia Li," Jing Wu breathed out in relief. "It's good to see you again."

She simply stared at him with a blank expression, mixed emotions bubbling within her. She didn't know whether to feel relieved seeing her old friend as well or succumb in nervousness from crossing paths with him again.

Today was supposed to be her Saturdate with Xing Zi, who had invited her over, claiming that she had gotten bored of seeing her brother and his team everyday. Jia Li was waiting for her as she had arrived earlier, not expecting to bump into Jing Wu.

"How have you been?" He asked.

Jia Li blinked, casting her gaze downwards and mumbled, "I've been good."

Jing Wu smiled at her response and tried to reach out for her, but she flinched and took a step backwards, placing a frown on his face as he slowly retracted his hand. "I didn't know you transferred to your brother's school."

"I didn't think you'd be interested to know." Jia Li mumbled. "After all, aren't I just a nuisance to you?"

"Ji..." His voice trailed off, a troubled look overtaking his features. "What you heard that day wasn't true."

She snapped her eyes up to look at him, "Then, what's the truth?" Jia Li kept her blank facade, refusing to let her troubled emotions to break it.

It was in that same park when she bumped into Jing Wu, who was running late for practice. He had almost yelled at her for being clumsy but instead, he bit back the string of curses and helped her up. She didn't say anything other than the usual thank you, which made him curious about her since most girls he had met usually fawn over his presence. He wanted to ask her name, but Jia Li had already walked away from him, knocking him back to reality that he was already late.

Their second meeting was at the library. Jia Li was reviewing for their upcoming exams when Jing Wu casually entered the room, one hand inside his pocket and the other playing with a pencil. He strolled around as if he owned the place, settling his eyes down on her, who happened to be sitting three tables away from him. Realization crossed over his eyes upon recalling where he met her. He wouldn't admit it, but he was intrigued about the girl, which was something very uncommon of himself.

So, from then on, whenever he'd occasionally see her in the school premises, Jing Wu would follow her curiously, anticipating how she was as a person. He noticed that she was quite reserved, silent, and mostly alone. Her head was always facing down, and she'd quickly maneuver her way through crowded places as if she was avoiding someone.

That someone turned out to be the students at Xing Yao High School. He had witnessed how she was being bullied, called names, and made fun of. But despite those mocking her, he had never seen Jia Li fight back, which made him wonder why she wouldn't stand for herself. She'd just brush them off and ignore it like nothing happened. He hadn't even seen her break down from being treated like that.

She was a strong girl.

One time when his practice had just ended, Jing Wu decided to take a detour through the hallways to retrieve something from his locker. The area was already deserted except for the Student Council and clubs that had meetings. When he had taken up his books and packed them inside his bag, his ears suddenly perked up as he heard voices. Of course, being the intruder he was, he followed it and found himself standing near the entrance. His eyes focused on the four figures bent over one, who was plainly sitting on the ground. Jing Wu squinted his eyes and went near them, only realizing that it was the girl, who was being bullied, again.

"Hey!" He yelled, startling the four other people, who were hunched over the girl, "What do you think you're doing?"

Their eyes widened and he could clearly hear them muttering his name before scurrying off to the other side, leaving the girl alone. Jing Wu watched as the girl simply stood up, hugging her books to her chest. She mumbled a thank you then left before he could utter a word.

But because of his stubbornness, he refused to be ignored especially by a girl. So, he followed and pestered her, constantly annoying Jia Li whenever he had the chance to see her. She was completely annoyed at him as she began receiving inappropriate stares on how she became close with Jing Wu. But she eventually got used to it for two reasons: one, because she knew Jing Wu would never stop annoying her anymore, and two, because she was also grateful that despite him being a popular person in the school, he befriended her, resulting to people bullying her less and less.

Though, she really refused to be saved by him always.