Page 21 of Didn't See That Coming

“That stands for nondisclosure agreement,” Sarah Jessica says with all the earnestness in the world.

“I know what an NDA is, I just—why do we have to signone?”

“Because like Sarah Jessica said, we’re not technically allowed to date at Xingfa, and Sarah Jessica and I need to protect ourselves.”

I nod slowly. “You know, when George told me to keep an eye out for you, I think he got it wrong.”

Eleanor Roosevelt grins. “Oh, he one hundred percent meant keep an eye out ON me, not for me. See you, Ci Kiki! And welcome to Lil’ Aunties!” And with that, Eleanor Roosevelt and Sarah Jessica leave, chattering excitedly.

My second day at Xingfa isn’t as bad my first; in fact, it’s worse. I arrive at my classroom with renewed resolve to be my awesome self and make new friends, but as soon as I step inside the room, Jonas calls out, “Hey, Gigi, c’mere. I need to talk to you.”

Gigi? Fuck this guy. Then I recall that—oh god—there is an actual real possibility that Jonas might be Sourdawg, and my insides twist so tightly I almost hurl.

“No thanks,” I say, ducking my head, refusing to even meet his eye. I head straight to my table, keeping my head down. I don’t even bother saying hi to Liam.

“Hey, seriously, I’m not joking around,” Jonas says, louder this time. “This is me talking to you as your class prefect.”

The easygoing noise in the classroom suddenly subsides. Everyone is watching us. Liam straightens in his chair, and I get the feeling that he’s trying to catch my eye, but I’m too busy glaring at Jonas. I grip my shoulder strap tightly and take a breath before saying, “Yeah? What can I help you with, Jonas?”

“Here at Xingfa, we take our school’s reputation very seriously.”

What is this guy doing, giving a speech? “Okay,” I mumble.

“Have you read your student handbook?”

“Jonas, take it easy,” Liam says.

I glance at Liam, then back at Jonas, who’s apparently still waiting for an answer. “Yeah.” Well, I’ve definitely read the cover anyway.

Jonas says the most theatrical “Huh” in the history of huhs, like HUH, REEEALLY? “That’s funny, because on page thirty-seven, section fifty-one A, it clearly states that you are not allowed to wear your school uniform out in public.”

“What?” My gaze snaps up to his face, and I immediately regret it, because there it is again, that ever-present smirk that makes the back of my neck prickle with the need to punch him in the face. I shake my head. “That doesn’t make sense. Are we supposed to change out of our uniform before leaving the school?”

Jonas rolls his eyes. “No, when you’re in transit—that is, traveling between your house and the school, that’s fine. But you’re not allowed to make stops at the mall, or the supermarket, or a café, while you’re wearing the Xingfa uniform.”

“What?” I spit out. My head spins with how ridiculous this rule is. Back at Mingyang, the girls and I were always going straight to the mall after school. Jonas must be making thisup.

“Hey, I don’t make the rules,” he says, as though reading my mind. “I’m just saying, it’s embarrassing that you got caught breaking the rule your first day of school.”

“What?” I say again. I seem to have run out of other words to say. Around me, my classmates are still staring.

“Jonas—” Liam says with a sigh. “Come on, man.”

“Stay out of it, okay?” Jonas says. “I’m trying to make sure the new girl knows the school rules. What if a teacher had seen her out in public in her school uniform? Do you want her to get suspended?”

Next to Jonas, Peishan is shaking her head at me, like,Girl, you should’ve known better.

With a long-suffering sigh, Jonas takes out his phone and opens up TikTok. He taps a couple of times before brandishing the phone at me. Music blares from it.

My mouth drops open. It’s a TikTok of me and Cassie at Cake Ho, laughing over cake. The caption reads: “Anak jaman skrg, pulang sekolah langsung ngopi ngabisin uang. #Xingfa.”Kids nowadays, as soon as they get out of school, they go straight to a café to waste their money.

“Wha—” It feels like my mind has imploded. There’s so much to unpack here. “We were at a café having cake. It’s not like we went to a karaoke lounge and started flinging cash at everyone. And who the hell took that video? That’s so creepy.”

“You were at a café called CakeHo,” Jonas says, emphasizing the “Ho” with obvious relish. “And the rules are clear: you can’t wear your uniform outside the premises, aside from when you’re traveling to and from your home.”

“I think she got it,” Liam growls, but Jonas isn’t done with his speech.

“When you wear the Xingfa uniform, you represent ourschool. You have to wear it with pride, not besmirch our hard-earned reputation.”

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