The afternoon sun cast a gentle glow across the classroom windows, illuminating the chalk dust that lingered in the air.
Li Ming's iPad rested on the desk, still connected to the projector. He had been selected to showcase his drawings for the class art project and had left it uploading while he stepped out for a drink of water. The faint sound of the fountain still echoed in the corridor.
Li Ming had become increasingly reserved in class, preferring to sit by the window and draw instead. Some students had even started calling him "ghost boy" because he was so quiet that he seemed to have vanished from their presence.
"Let's see what ghost boy draws," Chen Hao suggested.
Xu Donglin tapped the screen, and to their surprise, the iPad lit up without requiring a code. Wang Zixuan pressed the "Connect" button.
The wall transformed into a vibrant tapestry of colors, depicting skies, rooftops, birds, and faces meticulously drawn with care. Initially, the laughter that erupted was light and infectious.
Morning Song
The dawn hums softly on the glass.
Birds compose melodies in the azure sky.
Every road is bathed in a radiant glow,
Each face narrates a unique tale.
A chuckle escaped someone's lips.
"He writes like an old man," a voice remarked.
The next file opened, revealing another collection of drawings.
Small Voice
My voice may be small, yet it remains warm.
Perhaps someone will find solace in it someday.
I place it in tranquil corners,
Hoping it will find its rightful place.
The laughter subsided, but it did not cease entirely.
Shadow Walk
I wander with my own shadow,
The sole companion who keeps time.
The world moves in vibrant directions,
While I continue to learn its rhythm.
The door swung open, and Li Ming stood there, water still glistening on his sleeve. He froze, his eyes wide with disbelief. They then revisited the folder once more.
Fall Song
The ground is not far away.
Perhaps the fall will bring tranquility.
If the sky ever calls,
Tell it I have gone to sleep.
He shouted, "Stop it!"
The sound reverberated through the room like the shattering of glass. They had never heard him raise his voice before. Even his laughter had always been a soft whisper.
He staggered forward, knocking over a chair in his haste. "Stop it! Those are mine!"
The students recoiled, their faces blank with shock.
Li Ming tore the projector cable free, plunging the room into darkness.
"Are you kidding me? Do you think this is a joke?"
His breath came in ragged gasps, words tumbling out.
"I hate you all from the depths of my soul! I Really do."
He clutched the iPad to his chest and bolted out the door, his footsteps echoing like small explosions on the floor.
The room fell silent, stunned by the sudden commotion.
The corridor was empty, save for the hum of fluorescent lights.
Each step he took reverberated loudly, as if the walls were trying to recall the events that had just transpired.
He thought he still heard laughter, but it was only the pounding in his ears.
He didn't look back.
He passed the first landing, then the second.
Outside the stairway window, the sky had turned a somber shade of wet ash.
Reaching the top, he pushed the door open and stepped into the night.
The city below appeared as rows of bowls filled with light.
The air was cool and refreshing.
The wind brushed his hair across his eyes before moving on, as if it had other places to be.
He stepped to the edge and placed the iPad on the low stone ledge.
He rested a hand on it, as if touching the back of a sleeping creature.
Forgive me, he thought, unsure if he meant the glass or the boy who had once gazed out through it.
A woman from the office emerged from the yard below, carrying a trash bag.
She looked up, her mouth opening and a sharp sound escaping.
For a moment, only the echo of her scream resonated, piercing through the silence and silencing everything around it.
Then, a teacher's voice shouted from an open window, calling for help.
Someone rushed down the hall, while another called the headmaster.
The headmaster instructed the office to immediately contact his parents. A teacher grabbed the phone and dialed, while others hurried outside.
Phones began to ring one after another, and the news spread throughout the school that a student was on the roof.
Doors swung open, and footsteps pounded against the floors.
Outside the gates, a horn blared.
A car turned too quickly and came to a halt at the curb, its tires screeching in protest.
His parents rushed out before the engine even ceased its noise. His mother was already sobbing, repeatedly calling his name.
His father looked up at the roof, his hands trembling as he attempted to shout. The first word caught in his throat, then emerged broken and rough with fear. He took a step forward, then another, as if he could ascend the air itself to reach his son.
The three boys stood at the front, their faces pale.
Chen Hao's smirk had vanished.
Xu Donglin's hands hung uselessly.
Wang Zixuan swallowed repeatedly, unable to speak.
The noise below grew until it filled the night.
Teachers shouted his name, and some students called for him to descend.
One of the boys shouted, "Li Ming, please, we can talk. Just come down."
Li Ming gave a brief laugh that sounded more like a breath of air than a genuine laugh.
"You want to talk now? After everything?"
He looked out at all of them, the wind turning his voice into something sharp and wild.
"You want to know why I am up here?
Because you made every day a wall I had to climb.
You shoved me into lockers, threw my drawings in the trash, tripped me in the hallway.
You laughed when I fell, and when I got back up, you laughed again.
You called me ghost boy so many times that I began to believe I was already gone.
And the teachers," he said, pointing toward the windows, "they saw.
They saw and turned away.
Every time they said, ignore them, or boys will be boys."
Do you know what happens when you are told to ignore pain long enough?
You start to think maybe you deserve it."
He turned to his parents.
"Mom, Dad, I know you tried.
But you never asked why my sleeves were torn, why my grades dropped, why I stopped talking.
You told me to focus, to be strong, to make you proud.
I tried. I really did.
But you never saw how exhausted I was from trying to stay small enough not to be noticed."
Another boy shouted, "We are sorry. We will stop, just please come down."
Li Ming's voice rose with a sudden fire.
"You are sorry now, when the whole world can see you."
Where was your remorse when I begged you to stop?
Where was your remorse when you laughed?"
His mother's tearful plea pierced through the noise. "Li Ming, please, we can rectify this. We can have a conversation."
He glanced down at her, his face softening momentarily.
"You cannot mend what you never intended to witness.
I was right in front of you, yet no one ever noticed."
He took a deep breath. The lights below shimmered like water.
When he spoke again, his voice was hushed.
"I have carried all of this alone. I am done carrying it."
Li Ming slid down the roof, his iPad and him crashing hard against the ground.