Chapter 7 Shame On You

'Yana must have forgotten to bring a tampon with her,' Alina thought. "Do you have tampons in the classroom? I can get one for you if you want," she offered.

"No, I don't. I didn't think I would get my period today." The blood drained from Yana's face. Her period had always been irregular.

Alina decided to go to the store and buy some for her. "What brand do you like? Do you have any preferences? I could go and buy some for you."

The truth was, Yana didn't want to be a burden to anyone, especially not Alina. This was embarrassing for her and they weren't that close. It also didn't help that she allowed their classmate to take the love letter from Alina's desk.

Yana was silent for a long moment while she tried to sort out her complicated feelings. "I'm okay with anything," she finally said.

Alina turned around and ran outside without another word. As soon as Alina ran out the door, she remembered that she didn't know where the store was, so she turned back and asked, "Yana, could you tell me where the store is?"

Yana thought that Alina was joking with her. She replied, "What? You've been studying here for so long. How could you not know where the store is?" She couldn't help but raise her voice. The pain was getting to her and wearing her patience thin.

"Well... I bumped my head when I fell down the stairs, so my memories are all over the place. I didn't want to waste any time, so I thought I should just ask you." Alina's explanation seemed valid.

'No wonder she has been acting differently. It turns out that her head is affected by the injury.' This comforted Yana and eased her doubts. "The store is on the right side of the school gate."

"Thank you." Alina quickly left the washroom and ran out. It was almost time for class.

By the time she reached the gate, the bell was ringing. She rushed into the store and asked, "Sir, where are the tampons? Please give me one pack!"

The shop owner lazily pointed to one of the shelves.

Alina swiftly walked towards the shelf, already out of breath. She took the pack with one hand, then reached into her pocket with the other. Then, she realized that she left her money in her backpack.

"Sir,

I'm sorry, but I came in a hurry and forgot to bring my money with me. Could I pay you later after my class ends?" Alina felt uncomfortable haggling with the owner.

The storekeeper was reluctant and said, "I don't know which class you're in."

"I'm in Class 126. My name is Alaina Li. I left my money in my backpack. I'll come over and pay for this as soon as my class ends. Please," Alina begged pitifully.

The storekeeper couldn't bear to see the girl beg like this. A pack of tampons only cost a few dollars. Even if she didn't pay, he wouldn't lose much over it.

He hesitated for a moment, but before he could nod his head in agreement, his wife walked over to them with a scowl on her face.

"Miss, we don't allow credit."

At his wife's orders, the storekeeper gave Alina an apologetic look and lowered his head. He didn't say anything more.

Alina took a deep breath and smiled politely at the woman. "Ma'am, I think you've experienced the awkwardness of forgetting to bring a tampon during your period. My classmate is waiting for me inside the washroom. Could you please do me a favor?"

The woman's face softened. Alina continued, "I will pay you back as soon as class ends. I can tell you my name and my class number. I can also leave my student card here if you prefer. Please do me a favor."

"Alright, leave your student card here." The woman's face was still serious, but she took pity on the girl.

Alina placed her student card on the counter. "Thank you! I'll come back right away after school!"

She quickly snatched the pack of tampons and rushed over to Yana.

"I bought you some tampons, Yana."

When Yana heard Alina's voice, she was so relieved that she almost fell off the toilet. She thought that Alina had abandoned her.

"Thank you so much, Alaina."

After a while, Yana came out of the stall and looked like the blood had drained from her face. Alina was startled when she saw her and reached a hand out to support her. "You don't look so good. Do you want to go to the infirmary?"

With one hand across her abdomen and the other gripping Alina's to hold herself upright, Yana said, "No, thank you. I usually feel sick during my period."

Women's period was a troublesome thing. It came and went as it pleased, and tormented in its wake. People who have not experienced it would never understand and would assume that you were being petty and making a fuss over nothing.

Alina completely understood her. Her period never arrived on time. One time, she had a cold drink for breakfast and got her period by noon. She was in so much pain that she vowed never to eat anything cold during her period again.

"Are you sure you can sit through class? I think it would be better for you to go to the infirmary and get some medication," Alina suggested.

Yana pushed Alina away and said impatiently, "I'm not ill! It's normal for girls to feel uncomfortable during their period!" She straightened her body, gritted her teeth, and walked towards the classroom.

Alina was stunned for a moment, then scoffed at herself and ran after Yana.

When they reached the second floor, Yana slowed and whispered to Alina, "Don't you dare tell anyone about this, Alaina! If you do, I'll make you pay for it!"

Alina blinked her eyes in disbelief. "Don't worry. It's not my business to tell, and it's not like it would be worthwhile gossip," she reassured her.

Yana was satisfied with her answer, then continued to walk upstairs.

When they reached the third floor, they went to their classroom. "Excuse me, sir!" Alina stood by the door, while Yana hid behind her awkwardly and looked at the floor as if she had done something wrong.

Inside the classroom, a tall and thin man in his thirties wrote on the blackboard as he lectured. When he heard Alina's voice, he stopped what he was doing and let them in.

Many girls were surprised to see the two of them walk in together. They began to whisper amongst themselves.

Mandy was the most confused and aggravated by their sudden friendship. She thought Yana didn't like Alaina. Since when did they become so close?

The two quickly walked to their seats, opened their history books, and listened intently to the teacher.

However, the last place Yana wanted to be was in class. The whole time, she was hunched over and breathing deeply through her mouth to ease her abdominal pain. Those who didn't know better would assume she was only sleepy.

Even if she looked as if she was ready to fall asleep, the teacher did not comment and left her alone.

In history class, there were many students like Yana, especially those seated in the back rows. Some bent over their desks, seconds away from falling asleep while others whispered amongst themselves or doodled in their notebooks. Only a handful of the students actively listened.

Alina wasn't concerned about what the other students were doing. For her, as long as she was inside the classroom, she would study hard. This was her way of showing respect to the teachers and herself.

The teacher could tell that Alina was listening intently among the group of lazy students that surrounded her. He was somehow appreciative for her effort.

He never wanted to be a teacher of Class B. However, this class was still a part of the prestigious MH High School, and someone had to teach them. He was one of the unlucky people selected for the job.

Mr. Yu was one of the experienced history teachers at MH High School. In the past few years, he had always been assigned to the elite classes. This was his first time teaching Class B.

When he first began, he was strict about their studies, but now, he let them do as they pleased. It would be their loss not to listen to his lectures.

However, he still did his part and took his teaching seriously.

Mr. Yu lectured for thirty minutes and left fifteen minutes for the students to study by themselves.

When the bell rang, both Mr. Yu and his students breathed a collective sigh of relief.

The bell rang, indicating that it was time for lunch. All of the students surged towards the exits to make their way to the canteen.

In the high school, all the students had to have lunch at the school and then take their breaks inside the classroom.

As Alina watched everyone walk out of the classroom, she nudged Yana and asked, "Are you going to have lunch?"

"Stop bothering me! I'm not hungry!" Yana grumbled and then turned her head away.

Alina shrugged. She stood up to leave, but walked back to make sure she took her money with her.

She first went to the store to pay for the tampons and then found the canteen.

The canteen inside the high school was almost identical to the one in the university of her original world. There were a variety of dishes to choose from.

It was lunch hour, so the canteen was packed with students. Alina had never been a picky eater, so she quickly got a plate and picked out three random dishes to eat before sitting down.

She came to the canteen a bit late, so almost all of the seats were filled with students. As she scanned the room, her eyes caught on a vacant seat near the window.

Four people could fit at one table, all facing each other.

Alina walked over to the table and took a seat.

Seated with her were three handsome boys.

As soon as Alina put her plate down, a fair-skinned boy glanced over at her. He frowned and said, "Who said you could sit next to me?"

Alina glanced at him and asked, "What's your problem?"

"Ha-ha..." After they heard Alina's feisty reply, a boy with glasses sitting opposite them laughed out loud with his mouth full of food. Fortunately, he covered his mouth in time, so he didn't spit it all over them.

While the boy with the glasses cleaned his mess, he apologized, "Joseph, I'm sorry! I got carried away!"

The boy sitting opposite Alina had tanned skin, and unlike the boy with the glasses, he greeted Alina with a small smile.

'Joseph? Is this the boy she allegedly committed suicide for?

What are the chances!'

Alina couldn't believe that she picked the seat next to him out of all the seats.

With a gloomy face, Joseph said in a sarcastic voice, "Alaina, you should be ashamed of yourself!"

When the other boys realized who she was, they all gaped at her.

"What are you talking about? Are you crazy? I was only trying to find a place to have lunch. It's not like I'm trying to steal your food." Alina didn't care whether he was Joseph or not; all she knew was that she instantly disliked this boy.

"You..." Joseph's face darkened, and he gave Alina a cold look.

'How could she talk to me like that? Does she think that will get my attention?' he thought to himself. He scoffed and looked away from her.

"Are you Alaina? I'm Sam Tang, in second grade," said the boy who spat out the food. He looked at Alina with a friendly smile, and ignored Joseph's grumbles.

Alina felt uncomfortable but tried her best to plaster a polite smile on her face. "Nice to meet you, Sam."

"Are you in Class 126?" Most people in MH High School looked down on Class 126, so it should be embarrassing for her to answer that question.

"I am," Alina answered without hesitation.

Sam thought this question would fluster her. However, Alina admitted to it with ease. His plan had backfired, and he was the one who ended up embarrassed.

He was a bright and cheerful person, and he couldn't help but be drawn to Alina's calmness. "I didn't expect you to be so amicable. I heard differently about you."

Alina's hand stilled, and she turned to him and asked, "What do they say about me?"

Sam paused and cast a nervous glance at Joseph. "Forget about it, it's not like the rumors are true." He promptly changed the subject, saying, "You'll be in the second grade next semester. Have you decided if you wanted to study liberal arts or science?"

"Science. There would be more majors to choose from once I take the college entrance exams," Alina replied in a casual tone.

She spoke as if she was confident she could get into the university of her choosing. Joseph couldn't help but jeer, "Students in Class 126 should be grateful if they even manage to graduate. It's bold of you to dream about going to college!"

"Don't be like that, Joseph! Alaina's only in the first grade. She has two years before the college entrance exams. Who knows what could happen in the future?" Sam didn't think it was appropriate for a boy to speak to a girl like that.

"I'm only telling the truth. Have you ever heard of a student from the Class B go to college?" Joseph sneered.

Alina calmly glanced at Joseph. She couldn't understand why Alaina had been fond of him. Sure, he was good-looking, but he was also arrogant and narrow-minded. Even if he pursued her, she would never like him.

However, she didn't realize that Alaina was a young girl, so she hadn't developed a good eye for people yet.

"We're both students of MH High School. It doesn't make you any better to look down on me," Alina shot back in a defiant voice.

When he looked into the girl's dark and calm eyes, Joseph was stunned for a moment.