The First Love of the Jacaranda Tree
There was a jacaranda tree on the back hill of the school, and in my spare time, I always liked to go there alone to watch the sunset.
I wasn’t handsome, I didn’t do well in school, I didn’t like sports, and I wasn’t very sociable. But I had one enviable advantage: an amazing talent.
In class, just as I was drifting off, a piece of chalk thrown by the teacher hit me squarely on the head. Not this trick again! Can’t he come up with something new? I picked up the chalk to hand it back to the teacher, only to see that today, he was beaming with an unusually bright smile on his normally fierce face.
“Class, today we have a new student joining us. Her name is Zitong, a charming girl with a retro ponytail who looks a bit naive. She will be sitting next to you and helping you out,” the teacher said, pointing to the seat next to mine. “Zitong is very excellent.”
Sure enough, it wasn’t long before her reputation spread throughout the school. First, she won the long-distance running competition. Then she became the class monitor, and shortly after, she scored the highest marks in the entire school. However, as she achieved such excellent results, I, her deskmate, became the biggest victim. The class troublemaker, I was tamed by her strict supervision.
I found myself enjoying being managed by Zitong. This couldn’t go on. I tossed her a note that said, “Stop being so full of yourself and presumptuous. I don’t believe you can really control me. Stay out of my business at school from now on, and stop pulling my ears. It’s embarrassing!”
She smiled slightly at me, “Soon you’ll become addicted to this feeling.”
Zitong was beautiful and outstanding, capturing the hearts of many boys and causing an influx of love letters in our class, disrupting the previously calm environment. It was hard to imagine someone could be so excellent and outstanding. Even more frustrating was that despite my initial dislike for her, I began to be fascinated by her.
One morning, the vice class monitor gathered everyone in the class, excluding Zitong, for an emergency meeting. He announced something important for today. During the self-study period, he suddenly stood up, called out to Zitong, “I love you,” and handed her a bouquet of flowers. The whole class turned to face Zitong, urging her to accept him. She glanced at me fiercely, then smiled and accepted his flowers.
That evening, I lay in bed, unable to sleep. Was it envy or jealousy? I realized that at some point, I had fallen in love with her. The thought of her being with the vice class monitor pained me. Whenever I felt troubled, I would sit on the stone bench under the jacaranda tree, staring quietly at the sky. This time, a petite figure was already there. “Why are you here? This is my territory.”
“I’m watching the stars,” she said. “Whoever arrives first claims the spot.” She looked at my face and mischievously smiled. “Why is your face so red? Do you like me?”
“Hmph! No, I don’t. Don’t you like the vice class monitor?” I said, running away without looking back.
Soon after, Zitong announced something shocking at school: if any boy surpassed her in the end-of-month exams, she would date him. The boys went crazy and started studying intensely, including me. For the happiness of the one I loved, I was determined to beat her in the exams.
Perhaps because I studied hard, Zitong stopped supervising me. Whenever I got a difficult question right in class, she would encourage me with a sweet smile.
Today, the results of the end-of-month exams were announced. When my name appeared at the top with a score of 575, just 0.5 points higher than hers, I didn’t know whether to be happy or sad. In class, Zitong held up the report card, announcing that she would keep her promise to be my girlfriend, and the whole class applauded. I snatched the report card and tore it to pieces. This wasn’t what I wanted. After I rejected her, Zitong left the classroom in tears.
A few days later, our lives returned to normal. But news of the fool who gave up the most outstanding girl spread throughout the school.
“Do you regret it?” Zitong asked me.
“No, I don’t. I know you like me too, right?”
“Yes,” Zitong smiled and lifted her head, as if recalling something…
In the days that followed, after school, Zitong and I would go to the jacaranda tree to chat and watch the sunset.
Epilogue:
Not long after, Zitong left, quietly and without telling anyone.
I found a letter in her desk:
“I love you, did you know? From the first time I saw you, I liked you. I love your playfulness, your cuteness, everything about you. But now I have to leave. I won’t be around to supervise you or twist your ear anymore. But you must study hard, okay? Maybe someday we will meet again. Under the jacaranda tree on the back hill are my most beautiful memories.
Love, Zitong.”
Thank you for reading! ” Sitestorys “
