โThe bike sheds at Woodvale Academy are a more reliable source of information than the school newsletter.โ
Instead of vague updates about the rowing regatta or the new netball court or the teacher whoโs leaving because of โunforeseen circumstances,โ you can find the real news scribbled in bright markers over the walls.
Breakups, betrayals, scandals; whoโs popular this week and whoโs dating someone new. Itโs 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 thereโs more writing than blank space on the gray bricks.
And weโre supposed to clean it all up.
I let the bucket and brush Iโm 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 weโre quickโand judging from
the way Julius is holding the hose like itโs a dead snake, we probably wonโt be.
In fact, I doubt Julius has scrubbed a single thing in his life.
โThis is ridiculous,โ he says, shaking his head. โThis is just the schoolโs excuse to make us do manual labor.โ
โWell, 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. โWhat?โ
โNothing. Iโve just . . . never seen you with your hair down before.โ I feel myself bristle. โAnd?โ
โWhat do you mean,ย and?โ His mouth puckers. โIt was only an observation.โ
โWith you, thereโs always anย and,โ I tell him, fighting the sudden urge to touch my hair, to flatten it, to check it in a mirror. Itโs true that I never wear my hair down at school, partly because the rules donโt allow you to if your hairโs any longer than shoulder-lengthโthough the younger, nicer
teachers donโt really careโand partly because it gets in the way when Iโm jogging or taking notes. โYour entire existence is basically a runโon
sentence.โ
At this, his expression readjusts itself into a familiar sneer. โAnd here Iโd thought youโd already used up every possible insult in your emails.โ
โDonโt worry, I can always think of more.โ I pick up the brush again and step forward before he can respond. โOkay, for simplicityโs sake, letโs split this between us. You can hose down the walls, and Iโll scrub.โ
โWhy me?โ he demands. โWhy canโt you use the hose?โ
I breathe in deeply through my nostrils. I canโt 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. โBecause,โ I say, keeping my tone as neutral as possible, โto be honest with you, I donโt think you
know how to scrub.โ
The corner of his lip twists farther down. โOf course I know how.โ โRight,โ I tell him, unconvinced.
โIโll prove it to you.โ As he speaks, he pulls out a pair of black gloves from his pockets and starts snapping them on.
โWhat is that?โ I frown at him. โWhy on earth are you wearing gloves?
Weโre not here to rob a building.โ
โProtecting my skin. I have very nice handsโas you have already observed in the past. It would be a shame to ruin them.โ
My face flushes despite myself.
โHere.โ He throws the hose to me and takes the brush in his perfectly gloved fingers. โWatch.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 heโs managed to smudge it further.
โWhy are you massaging the wall?โ I ask him.
He stops. Spins around with a scowl. โForgive me for not attacking it like someย animalโโ
โYouโre 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
โI can still do it better than you,โ Julius insists, moving the brush over a pair of initials that readsย AJ + BH FOREVER. Itโs since been crossed out and replaced by the wordsย AJ + LE FOREVER.
My frustration boils fast inside me. โOh my god, youโre so stubborn.โ โYouโre so bossy,โ he shoots back.
โDifficult,โ I seethe. โDemanding.โ
โArrogant.โ โImpatient.โ
โCynical.โ I speak over him, my fists clenching around the hose as more water spews out. โSnobbyโโ
โOvercritical,โ he jeers at me. โManipulativeโโ โJudgmentalโย Hey, watch it.โ
I jerk back and lower the hose, but itโs too late. The waterโs 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.
โSadie.โ He says my name like itโs 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.
โIโmโsorry,โ I squeeze out through my giggles. โI didnโtโmeanโโ
His eyes narrow, but itโs hard to take him seriously when the front of his shirt is plastered to his skin. โIf I didnโt know better, Iโd think you did that on purpose.โ
โI swearโit wasnโtโโ I clutch my stomach, breathless with laughter, and it hits me out of nowhere that this is the first time Iโve really laughed in almost two days. Itโs like my body is a rubber band, stretched too tight in every directionโand now itโs 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. Itโs 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 Juliusโs face. Heโs smiling now, evidently pleased with himself.
โIโll kill you,โ I decide on the spot. โIโm 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.
โGive it,โ I snap. โNo way.โ
โI said,ย give itโโ I jump and manage to wrap one hand around the end. He doesnโt let go, though, just pulls it back as if weโre playing tugโofโwar, and next thing I know weโre wrestling with it, and the waterโs still pumping out, drenching us both. Iโm choking and shivering and yelling at him but
somehow Iโm laughing too, because of how ridiculous this is. Because I
havenโt had the chance to do something so ridiculous in a while, to behave like a child.
Itโs only when weโre both soaked from head to toe and breathing hard that he steps back. Takes one look at me. Then abruptly twists away.
โWhat?โ I say, confused.
โOur 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.
โSince when were you interested in textiles?โ
He ignores my question. โAnd white polyester,โ he says, his voice strained, โonce wet, becomes transparent.โ
Iโm pretty sure some small part of me dies right there and then. Simply implodes. Disintegrates into ash. My skin is so hot I donโt 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 isnโt there. I left it inside my locker, all the way on the other side of campus. Because thatโs my life now, apparently.
Just when Iโm contemplating whether I should dig myself a ditch, Julius says, โMy bag. My blazerโs 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. Thereโs no way heโs making an offerโ
Except he continues, with some impatience, โThe front compartment.
Just donโt rifle through any of my stuff.โ I donโt move. Surely, this is a trap.
He sighs. โIf you wonโt get it yourself, Iโm going to have to turn around
โโ
โNoโdonโt you dare,โ I say hurriedly, even though his head remains
bowed, his eyes fixed on the grass. โI-Iโll 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, itโs 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 donโt mind it though. Itโs 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. โThanks,โ I say, willing my voice to sound normal. โYou 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 heโs swallowing something sharp. โYou better not lose it,โ he says at last. โAll my badges are pinned on there, and many of them are limited editions. You couldnโt replace them if you tried.โ
Whatever spark of gratitude I felt toward him flickers out. โIโll give it back to you tomorrow morning, all washed and dried. Happy?โ
โYou donโt have to wash it,โ he says carelessly. Then, as if sensing my surprise, his eyes narrow. โI donโt trust you to. Youโll 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 heโs 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. โDo you . . . need to change?โ โOh, good point,โ he says. โLet me just find the spare uniform I always
keep on hand in the event that my cocaptain attacks me with a hose.โ โSuit yourself,โ I grumble, reaching for the brush. โNeither of us is
allowed to leave until the job is done.โ
This time, he doesnโt protest. He turns the water back on without another word and hoses down the wall to my left. Itโs probably less that he concedes Iโll do a better job and more that heโs concerned Iโll spray him again, but at least weโre 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 donโt either.
Weโre close to finished when I notice the message scrawled on the corner of a brick.
Itโs 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.
โWhat is it?โ Julius asks, coming over.
Dread churns through me. He canโt see. I canโt bear the thought of him reading it, of him laughing at me or agreeing or rubbing it in. Itโs too humiliating. Iโll die from it.
โNothing,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.
โWhat 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 theyโve 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?
โShow me,โ Julius says.
โNoโโ My voice comes out small, shaky. โDonโtโโ
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 doesnโt say anything.
The quiet is maddening. Iโm too scared to glimpse his face, to see any signs of contempt or glee. โI guess youโre 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 canโt know how much it hurts me. How easy it is to hurt me.
โThat handwriting is hideous,โ Julius says finally. His tone is indecipherable. โIt must be Dannyโs.โ
โWho?โ
โDanny Yao, from history.โ
The name settles in the back of my mind like silt. Danny. Iโd 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. Heโd only thought to email me and let me know after the test was over, after Iโd panicked and begged anyone I could find for a spare protractor. Funnily enough, it was Julius whoโd handed one to me in the endโor, more like, heโd thrown it at me.ย Itโs 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 wonโt 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.
โDoesnโt matter who did it,โ I mumble. โItโs what everyoneโs 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 havenโt 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 wouldnโt cry, ever. I wouldnโt add to her sadness, wouldnโt drag her even further down. I would be the good daughter, the strong one, the one who kept everyone afloat.
โWell,โ Julius says from behind me, โitโs 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 canโt stop myself from glancing at the message again. Itโs 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.
โDone,โ he says, letting his arm fall back to his side. โSimple as that.โ But nothing about this moment feels simple. I open my mouth, though
Iโm not sure what I plan to tell him.ย Thanks? Please forget this ever happened? Do you think Iโm a bitch too?ย Before I can make up my mind, heโs walking away. Not with his usual slow leopardโs stride, as if itโs a gift to mankind to simply see him in motion, but with purpose, like thereโs
somewhere he needs to be. Someone he needs to find.