Chapter 1: someone I Used To Be
The city of Vinh An had just welcomed the first days of September.
After a night of rain, the sky seemed clearer than usual. Tiny droplets still clung to the flamboyant trees in the schoolyard, falling softly whenever the morning breeze swept through. The sound of the school bell echoed across the crowded campus, blending with the laughter and chatter of students as the school awakened to another peaceful morning.
Vinh An High School.Class 10A3.
"Everyone, please open your textbooks to page forty-two."
A gentle voice filled the classroom.
Standing at the front was a young Literature teacher dressed in a light blue ao dai. Her long black hair was neatly tied back, and her calm eyes carried a quiet warmth that naturally put people at ease.
Phan Minh Thu.The school's newest Literature teacher.
"In literature, what matters most isn't writing beautiful words."
A faint smile curved on Minh Thu's lips.
"It's learning how to pour your genuine feelings into every sentence."
The classroom fell silent.Several students lowered their heads and continued taking notes.
As she always did during class, Minh Thu slowly walked between the rows of desks. She wasn't simply checking her students' work; she was quietly observing every expression in the room.
Near the window sat a girl with her head lowered.
The page in front of her had become wrinkled without her noticing. One corner was covered with random scribbles layered over one another, while her class notes stopped after only a few unfinished lines.
Minh Thu paused for a brief moment.She didn't ask any questions.Nor did she call the girl to her feet.
Because she understood that some pain could never be spoken aloud in the middle of a crowded classroom.
Silently, she returned to the podium.Just then, the bell rang, signaling the end of the lesson.Closing the textbook in her hands, Minh Thu smiled gently at the class.
"That's all for today's lesson."
...
The bell echoed through the hallway once again.Students streamed out of the classroom one after another.Holding a stack of lesson plans against her chest, Minh Thu walked quietly along the corridor.
Outside, the sky had begun to darken.
A sudden gust of wind swept across the schoolyard, sending a few banyan leaves spinning across the ground.
Then—
"If you're so brave, then stop crying!"
A girl's voice rang out.
It was followed by a burst of laughter.
Minh Thu stopped in her tracks.
At the far end of the corridor, a group of students had formed a circle.In the middle stood a frail-looking girl, clutching her schoolbag tightly against her chest.A notebook had been thrown onto the tiled floor.Loose sheets of paper scattered in the wind.
"Your face is disgusting."
"Don't sit with us anymore."
"Just looking at you ruins everyone's mood."
Laughter erupted again.
Without a second thought, Minh Thu stepped forward.
"That's enough."
Her voice wasn't loud.Yet it was enough to silence the entire hallway.The students turned around in surprise.
"M-Ms. Thu..."
"Go back to your classrooms."
There was no shouting.No angry scolding.Only an unusual calmness in her voice.One by one, the students lowered their heads and walked away.Soon, the corridor fell silent.Minh Thu crouched down.
She carefully picked up every sheet of paper that had been stepped on, gently smoothing out each crease before handing them back to the girl.
"Are you hurt anywhere?"
The girl shook her head.
"...No, ma'am."
Minh Thu looked at her quietly before asking,
"What about your heart?"
The question caught the girl completely off guard.Her lips trembled.Tears slipped silently onto the floor.Minh Thu didn't say another word.
She simply took a tissue from her pocket and gently placed it into the girl's hand.
"Come with me."
...
The teachers' room was so quiet that the sound of raindrops tapping against the window could be heard clearly.Minh Thu poured a cup of warm water and placed it in front of the girl.
"There's no rush."
"You can talk whenever you're ready."
The girl kept her head lowered for a long time.When she finally spoke, her voice was barely above a whisper.
"Ms. Thu..."
"Yes?"
"If... I'm just a little different from everyone else..."
"...does that mean no one will ever want to be my friend?"
For a moment...
Minh Thu couldn't find an answer.
Outside, the rain fell harder, turning the schoolyard into a blur of white.
In that instant...
She saw herself from many years ago.
A little girl standing alone in a school corridor.A little girl whose heart had been wounded by words sharper than knives.A little girl who had once believed...Perhaps she truly wasn't worthy of being loved.A gentle smile appeared on Minh Thu's face.
It was so faint...It felt less like she was comforting the girl before her...
And more like she was comforting the child she used to be.
"Let me tell you a story."
"A story..."
"...about a little girl who once hated going to school."
Beyond the window...
The rain showed no sign of stopping.And with it...
The memories of that long-forgotten summer quietly returned
