Chapter 1
Momo was my best friend during my three years of middle school. I didn’t have many friends, but at least he was truly good to me. Over the years, many people have come and gone around me, regardless of their intentions.
This made me feel honored that so many people stayed by my side. I am a stubborn person who values feelings greatly. If there are no feelings, I believe the friendship will not last long. Without feelings, even if we are together, there will be nothing to say.
Chapter 2
Momo was not tall, only about 1.7 meters. His appearance was pure, with delicate features and a clean, clear face. When he smiled, he looked carefree, like the blue sky and white clouds. He was a kind-hearted person; it is said that kind-hearted children are easily hurt.
Momo was also a lonely person, enjoying listening to music or reading a book quietly, or walking through the bustling night markets. I didn’t like living alone, so everything about him initially attracted me to want to understand him. Back then, I thought people were afraid of being alone. In my heart, he was always lonely.
Chapter 3
Momo and I were both boarding students. Strictly speaking, his home wasn’t far from the school, which puzzled me. I envied those classmates who could go home every night and see the night sky. If the beautiful sky could give me the courage to survive, then the night sky would ignite my endless imagination.
When shooting stars streaked across the desperate darkness, when angels walked gradually over the starlight. No one likes living day after day in replicated time, and boarding school life is the best illustration of this.
One day in class, I couldn’t resist my curiosity and asked him why he was a boarding student. He was silent for a long time and then said he often didn’t like walking alone on the long streets. He didn’t want to hear the cold wind rustling the leaves in the middle of the night or see the endlessly extending dark alleys by the roadside, even if the streetlights were bright or the moon was high in the sky. This made him feel sad and panicked.
Chapter 4
Momo still liked Mu Xiaoxi; no one else knew except me. He liked her very much, even though they had been apart for a month. Momo’s bed was next to mine, and we both liked to fall asleep listening to music every night.
That night around eleven, the scene made me remember it easily even many years later. He lay on his bed, patting me, who was listening to music, and seriously said, “A Zhe, I miss her again.” I took off my headphones and looked up, seeing his sorrowful eyes gazing at me, deeply imprinting on my heart. The entire dormitory was silent, like a quiet mourning hall after a long death.
The cold night wind forced its way through the windows, sticking to our bodies, making me feel waves of sadness. I wrapped myself in the blanket, feeling sad, whether because of the wind or his words. Through the window, I saw the exceptionally bright starlight in the night sky, whispering worldly sorrows, just like Momo’s sorrowful eyes at that moment. I didn’t speak. “I want to go find her,” Momo continued.
I knew Momo hadn’t spoken to her for a long time. In the vast campus, all kinds of people pass by each other every day, strangers, familiar faces, and friendly faces… Without exception, they all wear masks skillfully, some with layers thick. Just like Xiaoxi, covered in a thick layer of armor, wearing a heavy mask, still an innate performer, making Momo deeply infatuated and unable to extricate himself. “I once thought that after we broke up, we could still be friends, so every time I saw her, I would try my best to smile at her warmly.
But she always ignored me, making me cry when I thought of her alone at night. I can’t stand this strange distance; I still like her, so I will go find her,” Momo said firmly. People always miss the beautiful things they have lost, leading to many words of remembrance. It’s laughable that when they realize it, it’s too late, and they can never go back to the past.
I knew Momo was still deeply immersed in the happy memories of being with Xiaoxi. No matter how long it has been. His current state worried me; I didn’t want him to be hurt more deeply. Just like the statue of the girl at the school gate, stretching out her arms to embrace the unattainable distance, staring at the endless sky, like an ephemera’s longing in the clouds, like fallen leaves drifting, withering.
Momo still went to find her the next day. I saw them sitting on the green lawn of the playground, Momo quietly talking about something while Xiaoxi had a nonchalant attitude.
The school’s broadcast was playing Fish Leong’s “Ask.” I looked up at the sky, which was filled with a sense of wandering sorrow, traceless. It was evening, with a soft wind blowing, the hair fluttering, making the world before my eyes seem hazy. The red sunlight was somewhat dim, quietly shining on them, giving me a beautiful and peaceful illusion.
Xiaoxi was still as I remembered, with long hair draped over her shoulders, wearing headphones, one in her ear and the other hanging on her shoulder. I didn’t go over; I just sat down a short distance from them.
When I arrived, I saw Momo taking out a folded letter and handing it to Xiaoxi. She accepted it without refusal, then smiled at me strangely, while Momo kept talking to Xiaoxi, oblivious to my presence. I glared at her, and she immediately listened attentively. Of course, Momo didn’t notice this subtle change. After I sat down, I lay flat on my back facing the sky.
Calming down, I began to imagine Momo’s plain yet sorrowful voice, slightly urgent. I closed my eyes and then opened them again. Memories wavered like reflections in the water, fragmented. When Momo left, he saw me behind him, somewhat startled. He didn’t speak but looked at me with complex eyes. I closed my eyes, not daring to look at him until he left.
I don’t know what Xiaoxi said to him; maybe he already knew everything. I didn’t speak. Later, Xiaoxi asked me to the playground and showed me the letter Momo had given her. Only then did I realize how heartbroken, or rather, desperate, he had been.
He wrote in the letter: “Xiaoxi, we eventually separated, didn’t we? We’ve been apart for so long; we’re strangers now, aren’t we? I don’t know what I did wrong to make you hate me so much now. The world is so big, meeting you was such a rare thing. I can’t get used to the days without you, just as you used to rely on me so much.
Now I’m very afraid of silence because, in silence, I can’t control my thoughts. I remember you once said that if a person can’t break the shackles of their heart, they won’t feel free even if they have the whole sky. Yes, we are free now. We no longer need to miss anyone, no longer need to argue over trivial matters, no longer need to perform with emotion knowing the ending.
People say that painful memories will fade over time, but they always silently spread in my heart at night. I don’t know if I’ve gone mad or if those illusory scenes will keep calling me from the depths of my dreams. What makes me afraid to pursue love again? Is it fear of being unworthy, or is it greedy anticipation of a better future? What makes me persistently wait for a love that might never return? Is it a destined love or selfish unwillingness to let go of my youthful years?
Haha, I still remember the feeling of loneliness and loss that overwhelmed me the day you broke up with me, as if everything was blown away like clouds by the wind. Maybe years later, when I think of you again, those moments will still be as beautiful in our memories. Yes, right or wrong, we have already walked through it.
I hope you are no longer the stubborn you, and I am no longer the wandering me. Do you remember? You said you cried many times for me. I don’t know how to make it up to you. I will repay you double the tears you shed for me. Finally, I wish you happiness. Momo.”
Chapter 5
The sky was a bit gloomy. I let go, and the letter swirled away with the wind. By then, Momo had been gone for more than a month. He left and would never come back. Perhaps leaving meant never coming back, or maybe coming back was destined to leave again.
Looking back, I saw the light slipping away through the gaps of time and space, like a dream, seemingly traceless yet unforgettable. Beside me was Xiaoxi, holding my arm, laughing in the sunshine. And I, like the statue of the girl at the school gate, raised my head, stretched out my arms, embracing the distance…
Thank you for reading! ” Sitestorys “
