I was now an eleventh-grade girl. Because my grandparents had spinal degeneration and couldn't use the stairs, my family moved into a small house deep inside an alley.
I heard the landlord had sold the apartment block at a dirt-cheap price to some hospitality company. Still, they couldn't sell off the memories I kept inside me. I often rode my bike past the place whenever I got… a bad grade.
But honestly, even though I was a bit airheaded, I usually had good luck in exams. Either I hit the right topic or… the answers just magically popped into my head. My high school was full of trouble—kids with dyed blue and red hair, puffing cigarettes, and only two classes per grade. Fearing I might get corrupted, my parents wanted to transfer me to a different school.
Although our home wasn't big and we had simple meals three times a day, my parents invested a lot in my education. My grandparents even set aside part of their pension every month for their obedient granddaughter. Hehe.
Back then, worried I wouldn't pass the high school entrance exam—hic hic—Mom told me to choose Phan Dang Luu High. But later, realizing I wasn't as clueless as I looked, she transferred my academic records to Hung Vuong High School.
Coincidentally, Hung Vuong was holding class placement exams. I sat behind a guy named Lam Anh and in front of a girl named Lam Anh. I answered nine out of ten questions, enough to get into the school. But those two kept whispering answers to each other—their voices slipped into my ears whether I wanted to hear them or not. I noticed the guy Lam Anh messed up question six—he fell for a misleading clue. I had just reviewed that problem that morning, so I pointed it out to him. Then the three of us ended up discussing the entire test, and I completed everything. It went far beyond expectations.
The day I transferred schools, the dyed-hair gang was really bummed. They said without me, there'd be no one left to copy homework from. They also said I was the first airheaded kid they couldn't bring themselves to bully.
Leaving that group left a huge void in me. I held each of their hands and cried. Tuan took my hand in shock—what girl takes the initiative to grab a boy's hand? But I was used to it. Every time I said goodbye, I instinctively wrapped my fingers around the other person's. To let them know: even if we die and never meet again, they'd still be in my heart.
"You—seriously—stop being so dazed all the time. If someone bullies you at your new school, come back and report to me."
"…If you can't do the homework, just text me."
Tuan laughed loudly, and the boys at the back joined in.
"I was gonna let you off on the last day without calling you a ditz, but I just can't help it. Haha…"
Is "dazed" really that different from "ditzy"? Seeing my sulky face, they finally stopped teasing me.
•
At the new school, all the girls had to wear the traditional áo dài on Mondays and Saturdays. While waiting for my uniform to arrive, I wore my mom's wedding áo dài. Since I was taller than her, it looked a bit short, and with the sleeves rolled up, I looked even more awkward.
"But Mom, it's your wedding dress…"
"Take care of it, my dear. I bought that one all the way from Hue and gave it to your mother-in-law as a wedding gift!"
"Yes, ma'am!"
The tuition at a private school was too much for my family to cover easily, so even something as precious as that dress was given to me to wear. My mom even refused to have another child just so she could raise me properly. I had to try really hard not to let down my grandparents or parents.
Before heading to school, I gave Grandpa a big hug. He still loved martial arts dramas, so Dad bought him some DVD box sets to watch.
It was the same old "Hero" series, and I still remembered the two characters—Lam Phong and Lam Vu…
"You still remember this one, Grandpa?"
"I'm watching it to comfort my little granddaughter. People who are a bit clueless and dreamy are really lovable, you know."
I was stunned. So everyone watched that show to find comfort in someone as airheaded as me. I had my breakfast and left for school, not wanting to linger.
•
Hung Vuong High School's gate looked as grand and imposing as its name. The surrounding walls were made of pale-colored stone with elegant patterns, and two stone lions stood proudly on each side.
I was in class 11B3. I heard this class had decent academic performance and was full of rich kids—except for me. Another student was also transferring in from Hanoi; I hoped they weren't rich either so I could have someone to hang out with.
I stood with the homeroom teacher, waiting to enter the classroom together. The other student appeared out of nowhere, making both the teacher and me jump. I was a bit disappointed it wasn't a girl.
As we walked into class, the students erupted into cheers—for the boy in front. He completely blocked the view of whoever was behind him, so my entrance didn't get much of a response.
"This semester, our class will welcome two new students. Please introduce yourselves."
I hesitated, wanting to wait for him to go first so I could follow suit.
"Vu."
I blinked three times before realizing he had only said one word. I couldn't even tell if it was his first or last name. As no one said anything else, the teacher turned to me.
"Um… I… I'm Chu…n… Uh… Vu… Lam Anh."
It was the first time I ever went to school and had a name clash—with the boy from the placement exam. Based on our birth dates, I was "B" and he was "A." "Lam Anh B" sounded ridiculous.
"Actually, at home, they also call me Chun."
Then came the laughter—
Mockery.
I really was a bit clueless, showing off that nickname for no reason. The teacher placed me in the front row, and the other kid was seated at the far end of the opposite row.
The boys from my old class said that Hung Vuong's elite Class III was famous for being full of good-looking students. Especially the eleventh grade—if you got into that class, you were automatically considered attractive.
I didn't understand why I got into the class full of rich kids. When checking the scores, I saw the names of two girls I shared a dorm room with. My score was slightly lower than theirs, yet they were both kept in the elite class. I thought I should've had a higher score than that.