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Chapter no 8

I Hope This Doesn't Find You

โ€ŒThe bike sheds at Woodvale Academy are a more reliable source of information than the school newsletter.โ€Œ

Instead of vague updates about the rowing regatta or the new netball court or the teacher whoโ€™s leaving because of โ€œunforeseen circumstances,โ€ you can find the real news scribbled in bright markers over the walls.

Breakups, betrayals, scandals; whoโ€™s popular this week and whoโ€™s dating someone new. Itโ€™s almost artistic in an avant-garde way, the blend of cute, curly fonts with sharp, angry letters and doodled hearts and struck-out

names and half poems. By now thereโ€™s more writing than blank space on the gray bricks.

And weโ€™re supposed to clean it all up.

I let the bucket and brush Iโ€™m carrying thunk to the ground. For a moment, I can only stare with horror, processing the sheer scale of our job.

This will take us hours at the very least if weโ€™re quickโ€”and judging from

the way Julius is holding the hose like itโ€™s a dead snake, we probably wonโ€™t be.

In fact, I doubt Julius has scrubbed a single thing in his life.

โ€œThis is ridiculous,โ€ he says, shaking his head. โ€œThis is just the schoolโ€™s excuse to make us do manual labor.โ€

โ€œWell, we better get started.โ€ I tug my hair free from its usual high bun, flipping it over my head and smoothing it with my fingers before retying it into a ponytail. I straighten in time to catch Julius staring at me, a strange, faintly confused look on his face. โ€œWhat?โ€

โ€œNothing. Iโ€™ve just . . . never seen you with your hair down before.โ€ I feel myself bristle. โ€œAnd?โ€

โ€œWhat do you mean,ย and?โ€ His mouth puckers. โ€œIt was only an observation.โ€

โ€œWith you, thereโ€™s always anย and,โ€ I tell him, fighting the sudden urge to touch my hair, to flatten it, to check it in a mirror. Itโ€™s true that I never wear my hair down at school, partly because the rules donโ€™t allow you to if your hairโ€™s any longer than shoulder-lengthโ€”though the younger, nicer

teachers donโ€™t really careโ€”and partly because it gets in the way when Iโ€™m jogging or taking notes. โ€œYour entire existence is basically a runโ€‘on

sentence.โ€

At this, his expression readjusts itself into a familiar sneer. โ€œAnd here Iโ€™d thought youโ€™d already used up every possible insult in your emails.โ€

โ€œDonโ€™t worry, I can always think of more.โ€ I pick up the brush again and step forward before he can respond. โ€œOkay, for simplicityโ€™s sake, letโ€™s split this between us. You can hose down the walls, and Iโ€™ll scrub.โ€

โ€œWhy me?โ€ he demands. โ€œWhy canโ€™t you use the hose?โ€

I breathe in deeply through my nostrils. I canโ€™t believe the principal

thinks this plan will help usย bridgeย our differences. If anything, my desire to throttle Julius has only tripled since this morning. โ€œBecause,โ€ I say, keeping my tone as neutral as possible, โ€œto be honest with you, I donโ€™t think you

know how to scrub.โ€

The corner of his lip twists farther down. โ€œOf course I know how.โ€ โ€œRight,โ€ I tell him, unconvinced.

โ€œIโ€™ll prove it to you.โ€ As he speaks, he pulls out a pair of black gloves from his pockets and starts snapping them on.

โ€œWhat is that?โ€ I frown at him. โ€œWhy on earth are you wearing gloves?

Weโ€™re not here to rob a building.โ€

โ€œProtecting my skin. I have very nice handsโ€”as you have already observed in the past. It would be a shame to ruin them.โ€

My face flushes despite myself.

โ€œHere.โ€ He throws the hose to me and takes the brush in his perfectly gloved fingers. โ€œWatch.โ€

I do. I turn the hose on and spray a small patch of the wall and watch, incredulous, as he moves the brush around in a pathetic circular motion. The bricks are darker, the surface shining with water, but none of the marker comes off. Actually, I think heโ€™s managed to smudge it further.

โ€œWhy are you massaging the wall?โ€ I ask him.

He stops. Spins around with a scowl. โ€œForgive me for not attacking it like someย animalโ€”โ€

โ€œYouโ€™re wasting time.โ€ I tip my head up, scan the sky. The light has already started to fade from a brilliant cerulean to a heavy indigo, and most of the cars have pulled out of the parking lot across the oval. Panic pinches my stomach. My mom will be waiting for me to get home and make dinner. I still have to defrost the pork ribs and turn the rice cooker on and stew the soupโ€”

โ€œI can still do it better than you,โ€ Julius insists, moving the brush over a pair of initials that readsย AJ + BH FOREVER. Itโ€™s since been crossed out and replaced by the wordsย AJ + LE FOREVER.

My frustration boils fast inside me. โ€œOh my god, youโ€™re so stubborn.โ€ โ€œYouโ€™re so bossy,โ€ he shoots back.

โ€œDifficult,โ€ I seethe. โ€œDemanding.โ€

โ€œArrogant.โ€ โ€œImpatient.โ€

โ€œCynical.โ€ I speak over him, my fists clenching around the hose as more water spews out. โ€œSnobbyโ€”โ€

โ€œOvercritical,โ€ he jeers at me. โ€œManipulativeโ€”โ€ โ€œJudgmentalโ€”ย Hey, watch it.โ€

I jerk back and lower the hose, but itโ€™s too late. The waterโ€™s sprayed everywhere, soaking through half his shirt and his hair. By some stroke of luck or dark magic, the black strand hanging over his forehead remains unmoved. But everything else about him is disheveled. His sleeves are

wrinkled from the damp, his tie unraveling from his collar. As he stands there, dripping wet, blinking fast against the water in his eyes, and wipes a gloved hand over his face, a bubble of laughter lurches to my throat.

โ€œSadie.โ€ He says my name like itโ€™s in itself a curse, his features tight with shock and disdain. And maybe all the recent drama has messed with my brain, because rather than tripping over myself with apologies or fretting over lost time, I double over, cackling.

โ€œIโ€™mโ€”sorry,โ€ I squeeze out through my giggles. โ€œI didnโ€™tโ€”meanโ€”โ€

His eyes narrow, but itโ€™s hard to take him seriously when the front of his shirt is plastered to his skin. โ€œIf I didnโ€™t know better, Iโ€™d think you did that on purpose.โ€

โ€œI swearโ€”it wasnโ€™tโ€”โ€ I clutch my stomach, breathless with laughter, and it hits me out of nowhere that this is the first time Iโ€™ve really laughed in almost two days. Itโ€™s like my body is a rubber band, stretched too tight in every directionโ€”and now itโ€™s finally snapped, the tension released. I gulp down the cold, sweet air, filling my lungs with it.

Then he grabs the hose faster than I can react and turns it on me. I yelp.

The violent blast of water is so cold it almost burns. Itโ€™s in my nose, my half-opened mouth, the inside of my shirt. I can feel it running down my spine, pooling into my shoes. And the only clear thing in my blurred vision is Juliusโ€™s face. Heโ€™s smiling now, evidently pleased with himself.

โ€œIโ€™ll kill you,โ€ I decide on the spot. โ€œIโ€™m literally going to kill you.โ€

I lunge for the hose again, but he holds it up high over his head, out of reach. Taunting me.

โ€œGive it,โ€ I snap. โ€œNo way.โ€

โ€œI said,ย give itโ€”โ€ I jump and manage to wrap one hand around the end. He doesnโ€™t let go, though, just pulls it back as if weโ€™re playing tugโ€‘ofโ€‘war, and next thing I know weโ€™re wrestling with it, and the waterโ€™s still pumping out, drenching us both. Iโ€™m choking and shivering and yelling at him but

somehow Iโ€™m laughing too, because of how ridiculous this is. Because I

havenโ€™t had the chance to do something so ridiculous in a while, to behave like a child.

Itโ€™s only when weโ€™re both soaked from head to toe and breathing hard that he steps back. Takes one look at me. Then abruptly twists away.

โ€œWhat?โ€ I say, confused.

โ€œOur school shirts are made from polyesterโ€ comes his bizarre reply. He appears to be staring at the trimmed grass beneath his feet with extreme focus.

โ€œSince when were you interested in textiles?โ€

He ignores my question. โ€œAnd white polyester,โ€ he says, his voice strained, โ€œonce wet, becomes transparent.โ€

Iโ€™m pretty sure some small part of me dies right there and then. Simply implodes. Disintegrates into ash. My skin is so hot I donโ€™t even register the ice-cold water anymore. I wrap my arms around myself in a futile attempt to cover up and make a frantic dive for my schoolbag before remembering that,ย of course, my blazer isnโ€™t there. I left it inside my locker, all the way on the other side of campus. Because thatโ€™s my life now, apparently.

Just when Iโ€™m contemplating whether I should dig myself a ditch, Julius says, โ€œMy bag. My blazerโ€™s inside.โ€

I pause. On their own, the words make perfect sense. But strung together, and coming from him, they might as well be an alien language. Thereโ€™s no way heโ€™s making an offerโ€”

Except he continues, with some impatience, โ€œThe front compartment.

Just donโ€™t rifle through any of my stuff.โ€ I donโ€™t move. Surely, this is a trap.

He sighs. โ€œIf you wonโ€™t get it yourself, Iโ€™m going to have to turn around

โ€”โ€

โ€œNoโ€”donโ€™t you dare,โ€ I say hurriedly, even though his head remains

bowed, his eyes fixed on the grass. โ€œI-Iโ€™ll grab it.โ€

My hair is still dripping water as I unzip his bag, leaving dark splotches in the fabric. His blazer is folded neatly at the top, ironed smooth. On him, itโ€™s a perfect fit, practically tailored to his frame, the lines straight and sharp

at the shoulders. But when I drape it over myself, it falls around me like a cape. I donโ€™t mind it though. Itโ€™s warm and dry and it smells like him: like mint and cedar and the beginnings of something sweet, familiar, something that reminds me of summer when we were fourteen years old. Then I catch myself inhaling, hugging the soft fabric closer to my shivering body, and freeze.

There must be water lodged in my brain for me to be acting this way. โ€œThanks,โ€ I say, willing my voice to sound normal. โ€œYou can turn

around now.โ€

He turns slowly. His gaze catches on the blazer where it ends just above the knee, covering up my skirt. A slight movement in his throat, like heโ€™s swallowing something sharp. โ€œYou better not lose it,โ€ he says at last. โ€œAll my badges are pinned on there, and many of them are limited editions. You couldnโ€™t replace them if you tried.โ€

Whatever spark of gratitude I felt toward him flickers out. โ€œIโ€™ll give it back to you tomorrow morning, all washed and dried. Happy?โ€

โ€œYou donโ€™t have to wash it,โ€ he says carelessly. Then, as if sensing my surprise, his eyes narrow. โ€œI donโ€™t trust you to. Youโ€™ll probably end up shrinking it anyway.โ€

I would come up with a retort, but it occurs to me that what he said about polyester applies to him too. Now that heโ€™s fully facing me, I realize just how thin the school shirt is. The silvery-white material clings to the

narrow curve of his waist, the lean cords of muscle in his arms.

When I speak again, I speak to the wall. โ€œDo you . . . need to change?โ€ โ€œOh, good point,โ€ he says. โ€œLet me just find the spare uniform I always

keep on hand in the event that my cocaptain attacks me with a hose.โ€ โ€œSuit yourself,โ€ I grumble, reaching for the brush. โ€œNeither of us is

allowed to leave until the job is done.โ€

This time, he doesnโ€™t protest. He turns the water back on without another word and hoses down the wall to my left. Itโ€™s probably less that he concedes Iโ€™ll do a better job and more that heโ€™s concerned Iโ€™ll spray him again, but at least weโ€™re being efficient. We work in silence, falling into a

steady rhythm. He sprays one area, and I scrub it right after, scraping away secrets, names, curses, wishes. My hair has started to stiffen, hanging in thick, heavy clumps over my shoulders, and my shoes squelch unpleasantly every time I shift position. But Julius makes no complaints, so I donโ€™t either.

Weโ€™re close to finished when I notice the message scrawled on the corner of a brick.

Itโ€™s new, the black marker bold and fresh. Just five words, and my stomach drops out.

Sadie Wen is a bitch.

My ears ring. I blink at it, and the cold seems to congeal over my skin. My clothes are too itchy, my throat too tight; an awful, sick sensation builds inside me, swelling up to my chest, squeezing the breath out of me. I feel nauseous.

โ€œWhat is it?โ€ Julius asks, coming over.

Dread churns through me. He canโ€™t see. I canโ€™t bear the thought of him reading it, of him laughing at me or agreeing or rubbing it in. Itโ€™s too humiliating. Iโ€™ll die from it.

โ€œNothing,โ€ I say. I block it with my hand, but his eyes fall on my face first, and he glimpses something there that changes his demeanor at once. His gaze sharpens. His shoulders tense.

โ€œWhat is it, Sadie?โ€ he asks again, but in a different way. Lower, more serious. Urgent.

I just shake my head, my fingers splayed over the words. But even with them concealed, I can see them as if theyโ€™ve been etched into my own skin.

Sadie Wen is a bitch.ย How long has the message been here? How many people have walked past it already? Did someone write it right after my emails were sent?

โ€œShow me,โ€ Julius says.

โ€œNoโ€”โ€ My voice comes out small, shaky. โ€œDonโ€™tโ€”โ€

His long fingers wrap around my wrist, pulling it down, and then the

words are there, exposed, starkly visible to the both of us. Shame stings my

skin like acid, roils deep inside my gut.

For a long time, he doesnโ€™t say anything.

The quiet is maddening. Iโ€™m too scared to glimpse his face, to see any signs of contempt or glee. โ€œI guess youโ€™re not the only one who hates me now,โ€ I comment, just to fill the silence withย something, to try and pass it off as a joke. He canโ€™t know how much it hurts me. How easy it is to hurt me.

โ€œThat handwriting is hideous,โ€ Julius says finally. His tone is indecipherable. โ€œIt must be Dannyโ€™s.โ€

โ€œWho?โ€

โ€œDanny Yao, from history.โ€

The name settles in the back of my mind like silt. Danny. Iโ€™d written him an angry email as well, even though it was three years ago. He had borrowed my protractor right before a big math test and lost it. Heโ€™d only thought to email me and let me know after the test was over, after Iโ€™d panicked and begged anyone I could find for a spare protractor. Funnily enough, it was Julius whoโ€™d handed one to me in the endโ€”or, more like, heโ€™d thrown it at me.ย Itโ€™s giving me a headache, watching you run up and down the school, he had drawled, barely even looking in my direction.ย And this way, you wonโ€™t be able to make any weak excuses about being

unprepared when I beat you.

I wonder if he even remembers. I wonder if he keeps as clear a record of our every exchange as I do.

โ€œDoesnโ€™t matter who did it,โ€ I mumble. โ€œItโ€™s what everyoneโ€™s thinking.โ€

I can sense him watching me. My eyes burn, and I stare up at the violet sky, forcing the tears to recede before they can spill. I havenโ€™t cried since I was seven, since the day my dad left and I found my mom weeping quietly into her hands, curled up on the couch in the empty living room. The air in the house was so heavy it threatened to crush me. I had sworn then that I wouldnโ€™t cry, ever. I wouldnโ€™t add to her sadness, wouldnโ€™t drag her even further down. I would be the good daughter, the strong one, the one who kept everyone afloat.

โ€œWell,โ€ Julius says from behind me, โ€œitโ€™s a very uninspired choice of words. Such a basic pejorative denotes low intelligence.โ€

This, of all things, jolts a weak laugh out of me. But I canโ€™t stop myself from glancing at the message again. Itโ€™s a masochistic thing to do, foolish, like stretching out a broken leg to test how bad the damage is. My breath

lodges in my throat as a fresh wave of pain washes over me.

Sadie Wen is a bitch.

It looks so ugly. Like a bloodstain.

As I stare, my stomach sinking lower and lower, Julius moves closer and loosens the brush from my stiff fingers. Then he brings it down hard over the brick and begins scrubbing, using so much force the muscles in his shoulders flex beneath his damp shirt. Unlike his previous attempt, he

erases all the marker in one go.

โ€œDone,โ€ he says, letting his arm fall back to his side. โ€œSimple as that.โ€ But nothing about this moment feels simple. I open my mouth, though

Iโ€™m not sure what I plan to tell him.ย Thanks? Please forget this ever happened? Do you think Iโ€™m a bitch too?ย Before I can make up my mind, heโ€™s walking away. Not with his usual slow leopardโ€™s stride, as if itโ€™s a gift to mankind to simply see him in motion, but with purpose, like thereโ€™s

somewhere he needs to be. Someone he needs to find.

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