𝐃𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 ||

ғᴏᴜʀᴛᴇᴇɴ

As we walked, I let out a deep sigh, and Mr. Han asked, "Is he your boyfriend?" I looked at him in disbelief.

"No!"

"Or I think he likes you

, but he doesn't know your [name]," Mr. Han remarked, and my heart began to race.

"No, he doesn't. He likes Meiying," I responded, my heart pounding.

"Liar," he said in Chinese, and I looked at him puzzled, asking, "What?"

"Your eyes tell me that you like that boy, and I sense that he likes you too, but he is just confused," he explained, and I regarded him with a mix of surprise and skepticism. "So, you're not just a kung fu teacher, but a fortune teller as well," I scoffed.

"You can't keep your feelings hidden from him forever; you have to tell him after the tournament," he said earnestly, and a complex mixture of emotions washed over me.

"I know," I replied as we entered the apartment. I waved goodbye to Mr. Han as I walked through our apartment door, only to realize that my mom was still at work.

s I clenched my fist and huffed angrily, my senior approached me. "What's the matter with you, Cheng?" he asked.

"Nothing," I replied curtly as we resumed walking. Liang couldn't help but voice his curiosity, "Why is she with him?" Zhuang chimed in, trying to provide an explanation. "Like she said earlier, it's [name]'s coach. Maybe they're close," he suggested, and I clicked my tongue in annoyance.

"Goodbye, see you tomorrow," I bid farewell as I arrived home. Opening the door, I found my grandma engaged in conversation with a woman with curly hair and tanned skin.

"Oh, Cheng," my grandma greeted me, and I smiled back, giving the woman a confused look.

I furrowed my brow, and grandma chuckled. "He is my grandson, the one I was talking about," she explained, referring to me.

"Hi, Cheng. My name is Sherry Parker," the woman introduced herself, clearly astonished. "You're [name]'s mother?" I nervously asked, and she nodded.

"Oh yes, I remember you went to the same school as my dau—" Sherry began, but her conversation was abruptly interrupted by a ringing phone. She quickly excused herself, answering the call.

"How's your day, Cheng?" I heard her ask before leaving the room. I smiled back and replied, "It's fine, Grandma. I think I need to go to my room. See you at dinner."

I quickly kissed my grandma's cheeks and smiled at Sherry while she was occupied on the phone. Then, I made my way to my room.

Upon entering, I switched on the lights and activated the dinosaur-themed stuffed toy that rested on my bed. I lay down and grabbed the toy, which [name] had left behind after our trip to the theater.

Deep sighs escaped my lips as I groaned in frustration. No matter what I did, I couldn't escape thoughts of her. Sometimes, I even hallucinated, seeing her presence in my room. It drove me to the edge of madness, especially since I never caught sight of her at my grandma's store.

I also couldn't help but notice that I found myself looking at [name] more often than at Meiying. At times, I even caught myself yearning to kiss [name], as if her lips were somehow similar to Meiying's.

"Fuck, I'm not gay," I whispered to myself, pushing myself up from the bed and glaring at the wall in front of me. "I don't like boys, and I like Mei—"

My gasp filled the room as I tumbled to the floor, spotting a girl smirking at me from within my room. "You like Meiying, but what about me?" she pouted, her words teasingly innocent.

I began to back away, feeling my back press against the bed, while she stood up and glared at me, smirking. She bent down to my eye level, and I shook my head, trying to dismiss her presence.

"Shit, I must be hallucinating," I muttered, trying to convince myself, but then I felt her touch against my chest. "Cheng, I asked, what about me?" she pressed, her voice dripping with mischief, leaving me dumbfounded.

"I-I like you," I blurted out, taken aback, and she widened her smirk, patting my head. "That's right, you like me, not Meiying," she declared.

As she leaned in, smirking mischievously, someone suddenly kicked her in the face, causing her to retreat. I scanned the room for the person who had

intervened and saw [name] standing there, holding a hair clip.

[name] locked eyes with me, then grabbed my collar, forcefully throwing me onto the bed. I groaned in pain as he positioned himself on top of me, glaring intensely.

"You want to kiss me?" he questioned, gripping my wrists and pinning them beside my head. My eyes widened, and I vehemently shook my head.

"No!" I exclaimed, but he tightened his grip on my wrists. "I don't mind," he responded, his gaze unwavering, and I stared at him in disbelief. Despite my denial, I felt butterflies fluttering in my stomach as he stared at me intently.

As he began to lean closer, I turned my gaze toward the wall, determined to avoid a kiss on the cheek. I caught a glimpse of her looking at me with disbelief, and then she nonchalantly examined her nails.

A scream escaped my lips when I felt lips on my neck, and just as my grandmother burst into my room, I found myself tangled in confusion. She looked at me with concern while Sherry glanced my way. My eyes darted around the room, but I saw no trace of [name] or the mysterious girl. I finally turned to face my grandma.

"I think I'm going crazy, Grandma," I confessed, and she scowled at me. "I think you're just tired. Oh my, this kid," she remarked, pulling Sherry along with her. I groaned in frustration.

"That's crazy. I hate him. Fuck," I muttered to myself, trying to make sense of the whirlwind of emotions and experiences that had just unfolded.