As was often the case, Jackson had been keeping an eye on Mariam from a distance.
He would never admit it aloud, of course.
To anyone else, it might have looked strange or even obsessive, but over the past few years he had developed a habit of noticing things about her that most people overlooked.
He knew her routines, the paths she preferred through the school corridors, the places she liked to sit during breaks and even the changes in her expressions that others rarely paid attention to.
That day, he had noticed almost immediately that something was wrong.
After lunch break, Mariam had been different.
Usually, she could be found with Ronan and Minghao, whether they were arguing, laughing or causing trouble together.
The three of them were practically inseparable.
Yet that afternoon she was not with them.
Instead, she had spent the entire afternoon sitting quietly at her desk, staring absentmindedly at her books while a faint sadness lingered in her eyes.
Most people wouldn’t have noticed, but Jackson did.
A dejected expression simply didn’t belong on Mariam’s beautiful face.
By the time school ended, Jackson had become certain that something had happened.
So he followed her, but not close enough to be seen.
Eventually, Mariam left the main road and made her way toward a small lake on the back of the school grounds
Jackson knew she came here occasionally whenever she was upset or wanted to be alone.
The place was quiet and secluded, surrounded by tall grass and clusters of wildflowers that swayed gently in the wind.
From a distance, Jackson watched her sit near the shore.
She stayed there for a long time and kept throwing stones in the water.
Because she was alone, she looked like a lonely stranded animal carrying a lot of pressure of the world on her small shoulders.
He did not want her to look so sad.
She looked like a melancholic painting with the lake in the background.
Her golden hair fluttered in the wind.
But the peacefulness disappeared when Jackson watched in disbelief as she stood up, slipped on the muddy embankment, and vanished into the lake.
Without wasting a moment he jumped in the lake to save her.
Now, sitting beside her on the shore after dragging her out of the water, Jackson couldn’t help looking at her.
She was completely soaked.
Her vibrant blonde hair clung to her face and neck in damp strands.
Water dripped steadily from the ends, soaking the grass beneath her.
Her clothes were drenched, making her look smaller somehow, more vulnerable than usual.
Her cheeks were flushed from cold and embarrassment.
And those large green grape like eyes—normally bright and lively—looked even bigger now, shimmering with leftover tears and shock.
***
“Why did you jump into the lake?” Jackson demanded, his expression darkening.
“Are you trying to get yourself killed?”
“Why would I try to get myself killed? I fell down because I slipped!” Mariam looked utterly incredulous.
She pointed accusingly toward the muddy embankment behind them.
What did he mean by saying she had a death wish?
She certainly wasn’t suicidal just because some girls had called her crude names!
“Are you sure?” He continued watching her with obvious suspicion.
“Positive.” She rolled her eyes.
“But you looked sad after lunch.”
She hadn’t thought anyone would notice, especially since she believed she was good at hiding her emotions.
“What? I’m fine.”
The answer came out so quickly that even she knew it sounded unconvincing.
Jackson wasn’t fooled either.
“You don’t have to say you are fine when your eyes look sad,” he said without his usual cold voice, but there was some sort of worth in it.
“What happened?”
He had been paying so close attention to her eyes to notice that?
She didn’t know why that unsettled her.
A cold breeze swept past, brushing against her soaked clothes.
An involuntary shiver ran through her body.
She wasn’t sure whether it was caused by the chill in the air or by the uneasy feeling in her chest.
Part of her wanted to brush it off and say it was nothing…That it didn’t matter.
But another part of her felt exhausted from carrying the hurt around all afternoon.
Maybe it would feel better to tell someone.
To finally let the frustration and sadness out instead of keeping everything bottled up inside.
And strangely enough, Jackson felt easier to talk to than she expected.
Maybe it was because he had just saved her?
Or did the lake water mess with her brain?
She debated with herself internally, weighing her options.
Once she made up her mind, the words began to pour out.
She told him everything—what she had overheard in the washroom during lunch break and how it had made her feel.