Why He Tian does what he does (a 19 Days Fanfic)

Mind playing tricks

As every other day, He Tian woke up sharp at 6 am. He did not need an alarm. Sitting on the bed, he looked around his room, with its one bed in the middle of the floor, completely bare of anything but necessities. As he pushed the curtains aside, bright sunlight slapped him in the face. He laughed hoarsely in his throat as he prepared to start his morning training. The musings of his previous night felt childish and silly. What was he even thinking...

Lithe and fit in his exercise shorts and shoes, he carefully positioned himself in front of the glass windows. That was the one thing he liked about this place: as he worked out there, it felt as if the whole city was lying beneath his feet. Cardio, lifting and finishing it off with some Taekwondo practice.

He took his bowl of cereals to the window and stood there munching, lost in thought. It was fortunate that he got involved in the basket ball game. It had created expectations about him: he could see it yesterday in the eyes of the giggling girls and the senior boys who praised him grudgingly. He was going to be the popular guy, tall and athletic, with good reflexes and better looks, someone that girls batted their eyes at and boys looked up at envy. He was almost thankful for having been saved the trouble of crafting a persona from scratch. Slipping into roles was easy. He had been trained for it.

And thus, the fourth day of his middle school started.

His nerves were strung high. Popularity in school was something of a self-fulfilling prophecy. He knew that if he could make others believe he was popular, he would truly become popular. But, for all his determination and confidence, He Tian was not sure how much of an success he was going to be in this. Luckily for him, the first person he ran into was a boy from the game yesterday.

"Yo!" They fist-bumped each other.

"You are a pro, man. Why don't you join the basketball club?"

"Are you a part of it?"

"Yeah, I joined yesterday. Come on! You would not even need to cool your heels on the bench!"

"Hmm. Basketball is not really something that I play seriously." He Tian smirked. Slightly arrogant, but friendly, I am doing it right.

"Man! Just listen to you!" The boy shrugged, half in admiration, half in annoyance, reacting just as he had hoped.

By this time, some more people had come into the class room. He Tian decided to let his voice carry.

"Well, you, yourself are not half as bad." Praise him, so he praises me back.

"Nothing in comparison to you, bro! He Tian, right? You really were awesome yesterday."

"Hey, Shuang! What's up", another boy called out to him. Shuang, so that's his name.

"Yo, bro!" Another fist bump.

"Awww, what are you guys discussing..." a girl joined in, and tugged at his elbow. He Tian turned and gave her his most charming smile, "Nothing so important that you can't interrupt".

As the girl tittered, he felt his heart sink. So this is what he would have to keep up, day after day, every day. Blending into the background was so much more easier in comparison to this.

...

He excused himself during lunch and went off in search of Jian. Once he spotted the golden blob, beside the usual brown shaggy one, he took the nearest stairs to the terrace where he could have a quiet smoke and keep an eye on the brat at the same time. Picking the lock was easy. He settled down by the edge and lit a cig, letting the nicotine fume fill up his lungs. He did not intend to establish any contact today, he was far too exhausted for that, and also, because, it would probably seem a little off, could make Jian suspicious.

He exhaled contently, his eyes fixed on the pair below. Jian Yi greeted Zhang Zheng Xi with all his usual enthusiasm, clinging to him like there was no tomorrow, while the latter tried his best to brush him off. He had long suspected that Jian liked Zheng Xi. And slowly he was becoming convinced that Zheng Xi reciprocated his feelings, but was too shy and tongue-tied to actually convey it to him. He continued observing them as Jian Yi calmed down a bit, and the duo settled down for a peaceful lunch.

He Tian frowned. He knew that the blonde was attracted towards Zheng Xi, but then, why did he not then just jump the boy already? Right now would be a good opportunity. Nobody was around. Well, he was, but they did not know that. He could not understand what Jian Yi was waiting for. Why not just lean over, and kiss him!

The bell rang shrilly, signalling the end of the break period. He straightened up and stretched, about to get up and leave, when the terrace door opened and closed behind him, making him jump.

Someone else had been there all this while! He gave it a few minutes, and then, blood pumping through his veins, his body ready to react to any possible threat, He Tian sprang like a cat and opened the door... only to see a flash of red hair disappear around the corner of the stairs.

For a moment, he stood rooted to the spot, convinced that his mind was playing tricks on him. Then he sprinted down the stairs. As he came running out of the building, he saw the boy in the distance, moving towards a class room. He could not believe his eyes, Red, his Red, here in this school, so near him.

He Tian felt his face heating up.
He turned, jumped and punched the air before taking off towards his own classroom, running as fast as he could, dizzy and deliriously happy.