Campus Tragedy Love Story
“Lin Yu, if you skip class, I’ll tell your dad,” Lin Zhi blocked me as I was about to sneak out.
I didn’t expect her to use my dad as a threat. She knows I’m most afraid of him. No matter how wild I get outside, I behave obediently in front of my dad. “Fine! Always tattling,” I mumbled. I was unhappy but didn’t dare to argue with her.
I felt quite frustrated. Ever since her mom married my dad, I hadn’t had a good day. Lin Zhi was the kind of perfect student that teachers loved, classmates admired, and parents adored.
“Lin Yu, how is it that you and your sister are in the same class, but your grades are so far apart?” “Lin Yu, if only you were half as sensible as your sister, I’d be relieved.” My dad said things like that so often, it made my ears sore.
My mother died in a car accident many years ago, leaving my dad to raise me alone. I was young at the time, and after grieving for a while, I slowly moved on. But my dad, who had to play both roles of mother and father, struggled. Before remarrying, he asked for my opinion. I didn’t oppose him getting remarried; I had grown up and couldn’t selfishly stand in the way of his happiness.
I didn’t care who he married as long as they loved each other. But I never imagined that the woman would be Lin Zhi’s mother. I knew her father had passed away when she was in elementary school, and my dad met her mom at a school parent meeting.
Their marriage would have been fine, except Lin Zhi was too perfect. Just like my dad said, not only was she smart and well-behaved, but even her smile was warm and comforting. Back when we were just classmates, I didn’t dislike her, but I never imagined that one day she’d become my sister. This change in relationship was something I couldn’t accept.
Our classmates found out somehow, and some nosy boys came over to ask, “Lin Yu, are you and Lin Zhi really sisters?” I knew what they were implying—Lin Zhi topped the class in the midterm exams, while I was nearly at the bottom. The gap between us was like heaven and earth.
Rolling my eyes, I snapped back, “Your dad’s tall, but you’re shorter than me. So, are you really his son?” That boy, embarrassed, walked away dejectedly. But as he left, he muttered, “If only you were half as gentle as Lin Zhi. You’re bad at studying and act like a shrew.” His words infuriated me, and I grabbed a book and threw it at him. He dodged it, but it ended up hitting Lin Zhi on the head. She had been happily chatting with Zhang Yuhang, the school heartthrob, and didn’t expect to get hit.
She turned angrily, saw my furious expression, and said, “Lin Yu, what are you doing? Trying to give your sister a concussion?” “Sorry!” I muttered, but inside, I was thinking bitterly, Of course, everyone loves you. Still fuming, I slapped the desk to vent.
“Lin Yu, why take it out on the desk? Let’s walk home together after school,” she said with a smile before turning back to continue her conversation with Zhang Yuhang.
I was livid. Who does she think she is, scolding me in front of Zhang Yuhang like that? “Is she really your sister?” Zhang asked, curious. “Yes, she’s Lin Yu, and I’m Lin Zhi. How could we not be sisters?” Lin Zhi answered. My seat was only two desks away, and I could hear every word clearly. Even our names were similar—both had the surname Lin, and our given names were just single characters. No wonder people thought we were real sisters. But who could understand how complicated the situation really was?
On the way home, Lin Zhi asked if I needed help with my studies, offering to tutor me. But all I could think about was how I wanted her to set me up with Zhang Yuhang. “How did you score so low? You could easily do those questions,” she said kindly. “It’s not my fault! You’re always top of the class, and the pressure on me is enormous!” I replied. “Okay, blame me. Little miss, if I score fifty points less next time, will you be able to catch up?” She rolled her eyes.
“I’ll try my best. But I need you to do me a favor first,” I said, trying to sound sweet. “What favor?” she asked. “Introduce Zhang Yuhang to me,” I said. She stared at me, making me feel embarrassed. “You’re hopeless. How old are you anyway?” she sighed and walked away.
She criticizes me, but if boys were always swarming around me, I wouldn’t have to make the first move, would I? I stood there angrily as the scorching sunlight made my eyes hurt.
A few days later, to my surprise, Lin Zhi actually agreed to help me. When she told me the good news, I hugged her excitedly. “You’re the best, sis!” “Ugh! So cheesy,” she playfully screamed.
I tickled her, and she giggled as she rolled around on the bed, begging for mercy.
“Lin Yu, how dare you bully me when you need my help?” she said.
“I won’t! I won’t!” I quickly let go.
“I’m willing to help, but whether Zhang Yuhang will like you, I don’t know. You know, he’s handsome, smart, and a lot of girls like him. How do you plan to win him over?” Lin Zhi asked seriously.
She had a point. Not only in our class but also in other classes, girls often passed him notes. “As long as you don’t go after him, I have a chance,” I said.
Lin Zhi rolled her eyes. “I promised to help you. Do you think I’d sabotage you?”
“Then what should I do? I’ll follow your advice,” I said, quickly cozying up to her and pretending to be obedient.
“You’ll really follow my advice? No backing out?” she asked, staring into my eyes.
“Yes! I promise,” I answered confidently. I was ready to do whatever it took for Zhang Yuhang.
“First, catch up with your studies. Aim to make the top 200 in the final exams. Do you think you can do it?” Lin Zhi said.
“Top 200? Can I really do that? Jump ahead of 300 students in one go?” I felt doubtful.
“With me helping you,” Lin Zhi said confidently. “Besides, you’re not dumb.”
“I’ll listen to you, sis.”
Early the next morning, as I was still enjoying a dream, Lin Zhi woke me up. “Get up! Hurry!” she said, yanking off my blanket.
Rubbing my sleepy eyes, I mumbled, “Just a little longer…”
“On the first day, you’re already slacking off? How do you expect to win over the school heartthrob?” she teased.
“Alright!” I shot up quickly, unwilling but awake.
We started with 200 jump ropes each, then moved on to memorizing English words. I yawned constantly. After all these years of school, this was the first time I’d gotten up so early to study. It was exhausting. Lin Zhi, though, was completely focused, her face thoughtful as she muttered to herself. The early morning sunlight glowed on her smooth face, giving it a porcelain-like sheen. I was mesmerized.
“Are there words written on my face? It’s only day one, and you’re already slacking off,” she glared at me. Embarrassed, I quickly looked away and started memorizing yesterday’s lessons just like she did.
Lin Zhi’s top-of-the-class achievements didn’t come easily. Since our secret pact, I followed her schedule and realized that besides being smart, she put in a lot of hard work.
Good habits form gradually. Under Lin Zhi’s guidance, my grades steadily improved. Even the teachers were surprised at my rapid progress. When one asked me in a doubtful tone, Lin Zhi stood up and said, “Teacher, Lin Yu has been studying really hard lately.” After speaking, she glanced back at me, and we exchanged a smile.
We had truly become a pair of sister flowers. Whether it was because of living together for so long or something else, we were about the same height, and when we wore matching clothes, we really did look like sisters.
That nosy boy came by again, asking, “Lin Yu, what’s your motivation? You’ve really turned things around!” “Go ask my sister. She’ll give you the answer,” I said, smiling. He actually went to ask Lin Zhi, and she, after thinking for a moment, said, “We’re sisters, and sisters share the same shine. If I’m so outstanding, how could Lin Yu be any less?” I didn’t expect Lin Zhi to joke around like that. Hearing her, I shouted, “Exactly!”
On the way home, Lin Zhi asked if I still liked Zhang Yuhang. I nodded, then calmly said, “I want to be like you—an outstanding girl. That way, I won’t have to worry about boys not liking me. Haha, I think I’d rather enjoy being the one chased.” “So shameless!” Lin Zhi teased, playfully tweaking my nose. When she wasn’t looking, I tickled her, and
our laughter echoed in the wind…
Thank you for reading! ” Sitestorys “
