To my: Lover

5. An old friend

  "Why wouldn't she talk to me.." Ningguang thought.

  It had been a few hours. PE was really different. Usually Beidou would go up to Ningguang and start laughing and talking to her. But this time, she was talking to the other classmates. Laughing and joking around with them.

  When it was time to pick teams for the basketball match, nobody picked Ningguang. She was always Beidou's first pick despite being unathletic. But now, she was benched. Far away from the court. She was at the verge of tears, she wished her best friends were by her side to gossip with her and help take her mind off things.

  She felt someone tap her right shoulder lightly.

  She turned and saw a boy with dark brown hair. Zhongli sitting next to her, giving her a warm smile.

  "Hello Ningguang, you alright?" Zhongli asked, caringly.

  Ningguang quickly wiped away her tears and smiled back at him.

  "What're you doing here? I thought you had to do your part time job?" she asked.

  "Yeah, well, this is it." he replied. "I thought I told you idiot." His tone now changed from formal to more casual.

  Ninggaung liked this side of Zhongli. The formality sometimes creeped her out.

  "MR ZHONGLIIIII BEIDOU HIT MEEEE!!!" A certain annoying voice came from the court.

  It was a boy with hair like an orange coloured bird's nest and eyes as blue as the sea. He was commander for the school's scouts. Tartagalia. He had also had a handful of his own rumours spread. It was said that he was dating a boy from the neighbouring school, Diluc Ragvindr but no one actually believed that because Tartaglia was never seen near that school before.

  Zhongli blew a whistle to stop the game.

  "Beidou, did you REALLY hit Tartaglia?  Please tell the truth. I do not wish for any of you all to get into trouble."

  Beidou rolled her eyes at Childe, who was complaining non-stop about how hard Beidou hit him, and then she looked at Ningguang.

  The pair locked eyes.

  Ningguang felt her heart beat speed up. Everything else was blurry. It was just that girl with beautiful brown hair. Everyone else didn't matter, it was her and only her.

  But that blur immediately dispersed and went back to normal. The dispute had already ended. Zhongli was trying his best to escape from Tartaglia, who was hugging him tightly while all the other students were getting ready to leave.

  "Everybody please pack up! You wouldn't want to be late for your next class!" Zhongli shouted, he was finally free from Childe's evil clutches and was shouting like it was no one's business.

  Ningguang had no classes next. So she wanted to try and catch up with what her senior with what she had been up to these few months. Zhongli agreed and the two went over to the canteen together.

  "Oh my god, that Tartaglia really is the same, no matter how many times I tell him to stop hugging me, HE WOULDN'T STOP!" Zhongli ranted. Ningguang couldn't help but giggle.

  "So how is it between you and Bei? I saw the posters, are you two now-?"

  She went red.

  "No, she hates me even more now.. I want to fix things with her but.. I don't know.."

  "Oh dear, do you want me to help? I was told I'm a good couple therapist."
  I smiled as I shook my head.

  "I think I can deal with it, if I do need help, I'll ask the 'couple's therapist' myself."

  The two shared a laugh together and chatted until the bell rang.

  "Do you have class now?" Zhongli asked the blonde.

  "Yea , I do. I have business studies now. It was nice talking to you, bye!" She said as she rushed off to class.