School Romance Stories: “Most” Youthful Moments
He joined Class 1-4 after the military training, becoming Lin Shihan’s deskmate. In a school where the atmosphere felt stifling, rare mixed-gender seating arrangements excited Lin Shihan. So, when the teacher finished introductions, her first words to him were, “You’re Yu Mu (Elm), right?” Yu Mu nodded woodenly. Lin Shihan laughed; from now on, he would be her Elm, her very own Elm stump.
Which girl hasn’t given someone a nickname in her heart? Naturally, that Elm stump couldn’t possibly know, but Lin Shihan would never forget. Some words are locked in memory forever, like a certain person’s name.
That was a summer that demanded sleep. The teacher’s droning on the podium mingled with the weakening cicada sounds outside, dull and drawn-out. Lin Shihan took off her glasses, rubbed her tired eyes, and slowly, the hand holding her glasses dropped. Her other arm lay across endless worksheets, where lines waiting to be filled tangled before her eyes. As her head drooped, an arm lightly nudged her. Lin Shihan ignored it. Another nudge. Impatient, she turned her head the other way and continued her dream.
It wasn’t until the teacher pulled her up that Lin Shihan fully awoke from her dream. She blamed the Elm stump in her heart for not waking her. But seeing Yu Mu’s troubled expression, Lin Shihan realized the meaning behind those two nudges, though it was too late.
To follow the education department’s initiative, the school decided to teach all first-year students a friendship dance. Normally hating formalities, Lin Shihan got excited because she thought about holding hands with a boy. After a moment of blushing and heart-thumping, she got nervous again: who would it be?
It turned out that this friendship dance lesson was worthy of being written into her “most” youthful moments. Her dance partner was Yu Mu. In the rehearsal hall, the teacher said, “Follow me, one, two, three, four…” Almost instantly as the music began, Yu Mu took Lin Shihan’s hand. The girl was so focused on the boy before her that she completely forgot her footwork and kept stepping on Yu Mu’s feet.
“Relax a bit.” Yu Mu’s voice had more curves than his wooden appearance, pleasantly ringing in Lin Shihan’s ears. She could only respond with an awkward smile. But the teacher had come over, nodding at Lin Shihan, “You don’t need to dance, switch partners.” Like getting an electric shock, Lin Shihan pulled her hand back and placed it behind her. A girl by the door naturally walked over and took Yu Mu’s hand.
As the music started again, Lin Shihan stood in the corner, bored, looking out the window. She unintentionally looked back and saw the girl’s angry face: Yu Mu kept stepping on her feet.
Later Yu Mu said, “Seeing you alone over there, I thought, since we’re deskmates, if one of us gets eliminated, we should both be eliminated together!”
During evening self-study, a cool breeze blew in. The fresh soap scent from Yu Mu’s white T-shirt made Lin Shihan feel like every pore on her body could breathe freely. So, passing by the supermarket after school, Lin Shihan ran to the soap shelf, patiently smelling each one, searching for that familiar scent.
Finally, graduation season arrived, and the air grew thick with the sadness of parting. Lin Shihan received a letter from Yu Mu. It said, “It truly was fate to be deskmates for three years… I will always remember you helping me clean the desk, organize test papers, take notes… Your forever deskmate, Yu Mu.”
“Forever deskmate,” Lin Shihan suddenly felt relieved. The long journey was ending soon, and she had finally found the perfect conclusion for her story.
Thank you for reading! ” Sitestorys “
