During our freshman year, I shared a class with Logan, who was also the class president. He excelled academically and was a favorite among the teachers.
Every time I encountered Logan, I felt he is the trickest. Since childhood, I had bullied the trio of him, Jordan, and Connor, and they had always found ways to retaliate. Jordan was overt in his reactions, Logan was covert, and Connor worked in hypocrisy in such a way that he is even comparable to me. Generally, Logan's tactics harmed me the most.
For example, once I asked him to do my homework. He didn’t get all his own answers right, but somehow, he managed to get mine all right. This led to me being suspended for a day...
Another time, I intentionally made disruptive noises while he was enforcing discipline, and he used the teacher's authority to smack my palms with a ruler. It was utterly humiliating and a significant embarrassment!
All things considered, I always felt there was mutual dislike between Logan and me.
Driven by curiosity, I asked, "Then why didn't you report me?"
Later that evening, I successfully joined my friends for a night of singing at a KTV.
Logan sighed softly as he opened a small box for me, revealing a necklace I had repeatedly admired on social media. This necklace featured a stunning, rare natural stone that wasn’t reflective.
Despite my efforts and those of my friends, I had failed to find it, leading to my extensive lamentations online. I watched silently as he put it around my neck.
"Perhaps it was your pitiful stance during the punishment that moved me," he slowly said.
...? It was just the winter cold turning my nose and ears red. "Or perhaps it was the funny face you made when your palms were struck," he continued.
I responded dryly, "Funny."
Logan gazed at the beautiful stone for a while, then met my eyes. The usual icy detachment in his eyes seemed to thaw. His voice was calm, "Or maybe it was thattime after the competition mishap when you placed your physics test, which you had scored only ten on, on my desk to console me."
I remember that incident well.
He had always performed well and was highly regarded by teachers. However, he had a bad day during a physics competition and did not win first prize.
He was downcast for days. Thinking he was being overly dramatic, I threw my physics test on his desk, "How could you called that bad? Look at me, my physics score isn’t even as high as my shoe size, and I didn't even qualify to participate in that competition.!" He stared at my test for a long time, silently, but I distinctly felt his unspoken scorn.
Annoyed, I grabbed my test paper back, feeling that he was just putting on an act and had even looked down on me. Now, reflecting on those days, they seem incredibly childish.
I scratched my head, "It wasn't really to comfort you."
Logan looked directly at me: "On Christmas Day, you gave me an apple afterward." I thought hard; I had received so many apples that day and, just before leaving, unable to carry more, I casually handed one to him.
I felt embarrassed: "Didn’t many girls give you apples?"
Logan hummed in agreement.
Suddenly, someone from downstairs called for Logan, "Logan, there’s something I don’t understand, help!" Touching the pretty stone necklace, I awkwardly said, "Thanks for the necklace. I should get going now, uh, remember to eat the pastries my mom made."
After saying this, I quickly put down the picture frame and fled.
I admit it. I couldn’t beat him before, and can’t handle him now either.
