Page 22 of Didn't See That Coming

“How the hell did I besmirch your stupid reputation by having fuckingcake,you obnoxious twat?”

There’s a collective gasp, and too late, I realize I haven’t just overstepped my own personal rule of not letting Jonas get under my skin; I’ve smashed right through it. And just then, things go from bad to catastrophic, because someone at the door clears his throat, and we all turn to see Mr.Tan, glowering at me.

“Did you just call a fellow student a ‘twat’?” he says in a tone of voice full of poison.

I know I should be groveling, I know what the culture demands, but my insides are boiling: someone took a video of me, for god’s sake, and posted it on TikTok. Surely that’s themost messed-up thing here? “Yes,” I say, raising my chin and meeting Mr.Tan’s eyes.

“Kiki,” Liam mutters, “don’t—”

“But don’t worry,” I continue, “it’s only because he fully deserved it.”

Mr.Tan’s mouth drops open. A couple of students gasp. The tension in the room solidifies. Then Mr.Tan says, “Comehere.”

Dread coils up my leg muscles, and I swear I practically forget how to walk, but somehow, I manage to make my way to the front of the classroom.Whatever,I tell myself,so he’ll give me detention. Big deal.

But when I get to the front, Mr.Tan says, “If you like being the center of attention so much, you can stand here for the rest of the period.”

A few of my classmates groan. “Mr.Tan,” Jonas says, “she’s kind of blocking the board.”

“Well, you have Miss Siregar to thank for that.”

My cheeks are burning so hotly it’s a wonder my entire head hasn’t exploded into flames. Of course they wouldn’t just give me detention at Xingfa, oh no, they believe in public humiliation here. I look down at my shoes, my toes curling with shame, and Mr.Tan says, “No, you can look straight ahead at your classmates so you know exactly how disruptive your behavior was.”

Tears prickle my eyes, and I focus on sipping air in through my mouth to keep from crying as I raise my head and stare straight ahead.Just focus on the back of the classroom,I tell myself.Ignore everyone else.But I can’t pretend not to see their judgmental faces as Mr.Tan begins the lesson. Thankfully, after about ten minutes of lecture, Mr.Tan tells us to break into our groups to continue discussing our group projects. I take a relieved step to join my group, but Mr.Tan tells me I have to remain standing where I am.

“But my group—”

“—will just have to survive without you for this period.” Mr.Tan narrows his eyes at me. “You have to understand, here at Xingfa, we take students’ conduct very seriously. ‘Purity in character, diligence in practice’—that’s our school’s motto. You can spend the rest of the hour thinking about what that means and how your actions have affected your group.”

I glance at my group, the only one with three students instead of four, and my stomach lurches. Because it hits me thenthat maybe they’re actually glad to not have me in there fighting with Jonas about our game. Maybe without me there, they can get on with it and go along with Jonas’s awful game idea. And maybe that’s for the best. “Purity in character, diligence in practice.” Ugh, what the hell kind of motto is that? Mingyang’s motto is “Service and Truth,” which is kind of meh, but also, no one ever quoted it. I doubt that half the school even knows what the motto is.

When the bell finally rings, I hurry to my seat, keeping my eyes down as I pass by the rows of students. Some of them whisper as I walk by, and I mentally golalalaso I don’t have to hear whatever mean thing they’re no doubt saying about me. I refuse to meet Liam’s eye as I slide into my seat. For the duration of the next class, I keep my eyes firmly on my desk.

But somehow, despite the no-phones-in-class rule, someone has managed to record me shouting “You obnoxious twat!” at Jonas.

By recess, it’s all over TikTok. A looped clip of me shouting “Obnoxious twat! Twat! Twat!” over and over, with Gwen Stefani singing in the background “This shit is BANANAS! B-A-N-A-N-A-S!” tagged with #CrazyKiki. I can hear it as I walk through the hallway. I’d been planning to go to the canteen for recess, but after the fourth time I hear “B-A-N-A-N-A-S!” I’m so overwhelmed that I duck into the nearest bathroom instead. Of course, because it’s break time, the bathroom is filled with girls fixing their hair and chatting, and they all have their phones out, so even in here, I can’t escape Gwen Stefani’s voice. They all look at me. Someonegiggles, and I rush out of the bathroom and hurry down the hallway, barely aware of where I’m going. I turn one corner, then another, until I find myself in a quiet part of the school.

I look around me. My breath is still coming in and out in rapid spurts. There are no classrooms in this part of the building. I vaguely remember that Xingfa had a new extension built a handful of years ago, and that’s where their library and science labs are located. I guess this is where I’ll have my physics and biology classes tomorrow. I wander down the deserted corridor until I find the entrance to the library, then I walk inside, reveling in the air-conditioned silence. A librarian looks up and gives me a quick, polite smile before turning her attention back to her computer screen.

Xingfa’s library is impressive: modern and bright, with high ceilings and shelf after shelf of books. The entire space somehow smells both clean and yet heavy with book scents, and I immediately love it. I guess I’m now someone who spends her recess time in the library. I release a shuddery breath and wander down a narrow space between bookshelves, trying to shake off the memory of everyone laughing at me. To my horror, now that I’m in a space that finally feels safe, I feel my nose tingling and my eyes filling with tears once more.Stop it,I scold myself, but one tear rolls down my cheek, then another and another, and I can’t believe I’m crying in the library on the second day of school.

Someone taps me gently on the shoulder, and when I turn around, I’m met with a piece of baby wipe. A baby wipe that’s being held by Liam. Oh god,whyyy?

He looks just as mortified as I feel as we stand there, staringat each other, my face streaming with tears and snot. Then he clears his throat and says, “This has cucumber extract onit.”

Okay, so of all the things I thought he might say, this might possibly have been the last.

“The wipe, I mean,” Liam says. “Um. So. Yeah.”

I take it from him and wipe my face with it. “I can’t smell the cucumber extract.” I have no idea why I just said that, other than that my brain is probably misfiring neurons all over the place.

“Well, I doubt they put actual cucumber extract on it. But the package comes with a very refreshing image of cucumber slices.”

“Ah, that’s all that matters.” Despite myself, the corners of my mouth turn up in a small smile. “Thanks.” I look down at the wad of damp baby wipe. “Didn’t expect anyone to walkaround with a packet of baby wipes on them.”

Liam shrugs. “It became a habit during the pandemic.”

I nod. Our eyes meet, and we immediately look down again.

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