Oh my! Finally finished the entrance exam for 10th grade.

Now I have to sleep comfortably to feel better!

Lying in bed, Dương couldn't stop thinking about the upcoming new experiences at the new school. The mixture of nervousness and excitement as she prepared to step into a new chapter of her life kept her from sleeping. In Dương's mind, images of new friends, unfamiliar faces that would soon become close companions, emerged. Dương felt fortunate to experience life at a prestigious school where knowledge and friendships would be respected and cultivated.

It seemed like everything was leading towards a promising new beginning. She couldn't help but imagine participating in extracurricular activities, meeting outstanding teachers, and learning from new friends. The dream of the opening day made Dương forget about the exhaustion after stressful exam days. She was confident that, no matter the challenges, she would overcome them and create memorable experiences in the upcoming school year. With determination and hope, Dương placed her trust in the approaching new beginning and was ready to embrace any challenges awaiting her.

End of summer break...

Dương woke up abruptly, her eyes blurry as she looked around. She realized she had overslept, and it was late now. There was no time to linger in dreams anymore; she quickly mobilized her body, wearing the uniform already prepared on the bed and carrying the heavy bag on her shoulder. She hurried out of the house, eager to get to school as quickly as possible.

In her haste to move through the streets, Dương paid no attention to her surroundings, focusing solely on the single goal of getting to school on time. In that hurried context, she couldn't avoid colliding with someone.

"Oh, sorry, I... I overslept," Dương heard the boy standing in front of her say. She looked up and recognized him as Xuân Bình, a renowned student in the school with extremely high entrance exam scores.

Xuân Bình smiled gently and helped Dương steady herself. "Are you okay?"

Dương didn't pay attention to Xuân Bình's actions, she didn't even want to look him in the eye. She just apologized and ran as fast as she could to school.

Xuân Bình felt annoyed, "This kid helped me up but didn't even thank me, and when apologizing, she didn't even look me in the eye." Xuân Bình was angry with himself. He ran fast to catch up with Dương to make things clear.

Dương felt a strong gust of wind from behind, tousling her hair. She looked over her shoulder and saw a figure approaching rapidly. The sense of regret grew heavier as Dương realized she had caused someone to worry about her being late.

They reached the school gate.

"HEY, YOU!" a voice came from behind.

Dương turned around and saw a guy with an angry look running towards them.

Xuân Bình angrily said, "Hey, you little girl, you bumped into us and didn't apologize properly, at least you should say thank you."

Dương felt the anger in Xuân Bình's words. She looked him straight in the eye with sincerity and stopped to face the situation.

"You're absolutely right," Dương said, calmly but decisively. "I apologize for the inconvenience and for not thanking you earlier. It was my mistake, and I apologize for that."

Xuân Bình looked at Dương in surprise, and then, the anger on his face gradually disappeared. "Alright, just don't let it happen again," he said, a bit more gently.

At that moment, the school bell rang, signaling everyone to go to class.

"Don't miss the first class of the school year, I won't hold it against you once we're in class," Xuân Bình said, calmly but with a hint of humor.

Dương remained silent, not saying anything, just giving him a glare.