Chapter 5: Chapter 4
After hearing all that, Joanna Kennedy mused for a moment, ’No wonder I’m supposed to force my love on him.’
166: ’..........’
’Why does it feel like Joanna Kennedy is gloating?! It must be hearing things, it must be!’
By the time they got to the classroom, the lesson was more than halfway over. The Language Arts teacher, a short little old man, just gave the two late arrivals a perfunctory reprimand before letting them in.
’Wow, are teachers these days all this nice?’ Being late for the very first class of the semester, Joanna Kennedy had expected to be made to stand in the hall.
The sun was so bright out there; standing for half a class would have been no joke.
’Hmph,’ 166 snorted haughtily.
Joanna Kennedy raised an eyebrow, a guess forming in her mind. ’Did Serena Sutton let the teacher know ahead of time?’
’Obviously,’ 166 said. ’You have the beautiful and kind-hearted female lead to thank for that. Otherwise, the two of you would be standing outside right now, hmph hmph...’
’Stupid villainess, hurry up and show your eternal gratitude to the female lead!’
166’s inner thoughts were practically bursting out.
Joanna Kennedy thought the system was seriously sick in the head and rolled her eyes.
Serena Sutton had obviously done it because she was worried about Simon Lockwood getting punished, okay? She was just an afterthought.
’If anyone should be grateful, it should be Simon Lockwood, offering himself in repayment.’
’I’d really love to see what Simon Lockwood looks like when he actually lets his guard down for someone.’
With that thought, she glanced toward the pair sitting by the window.
Serena Sutton, sitting on the inside, was petite and slender. The tall, well-built boy could completely shield her from view.
Joanna Kennedy saw Simon Lockwood turn his head, leaning closer to Serena Sutton.
Outside, the shadows of plane tree leaves danced on the desk with the wind. The boy with his slightly bowed head, the blushing girl, the restlessness of youth—everything was picture-perfect.
Anna Yates whispered Joanna Kennedy’s name several times, but Joanna didn’t hear. Seeing that the teacher up front was engrossed in his lecture, Anna leaned in to gossip, "You think there’s something going on between them too, right?"
Joanna Kennedy’s gaze shifted. She turned to meet Anna Yates’s sparkling eyes, smiled, and played dumb. "Who are you talking about?"
"Simon Lockwood and the class monitor, of course."
Class monitor? Joanna Kennedy was a little surprised. "Serena Sutton?"
"I think that’s her name..." Anna Yates said, sounding unsure.
The Language Arts teacher at the front was also their homeroom teacher. During the first half of class that Joanna Kennedy had missed, he had already appointed most of the class officers.
Since Serena Sutton had acted as the discipline monitor and also given the teacher a heads-up for her classmates, the homeroom teacher felt she was kind and considerate, and appointed her class monitor on the spot.
Of course, it also helped that none of the other students were interested in the position.
The tangent reminded Anna of something else she’d heard from other classmates. "I heard you got into an argument with her this morning. What was that about?"
Not that she thought the new class monitor, who looked like a total pushover, would dare to challenge Joanna Kennedy. It was probably a one-sided affair.
Joanna Kennedy could be a bit spoiled and headstrong, but she wouldn’t bully someone for no reason. Anna was curious how Serena Sutton had managed to get on her bad side, and she really hoped it wasn’t for the reason she suspected.
"I wasn’t wearing my uniform, so she wanted to write my name down. I offered to help her with it, and she got all worked up. What else is there to tell?" Joanna Kennedy said innocently.
Anna Yates’s mouth twitched. "Wow, you’re just so eager to help, aren’t you, milady?"
Still, at least it wasn’t for the reason she’d been dreading.
Anna Yates breathed a sigh of relief. Just as she was about to change the subject, Joanna Kennedy suddenly leaned in and whispered something in her ear.
"What?! You’re going to pursue Simon Lockwood?!" Anna Yates shot to her feet, her voice cracking.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
The moment the words were out, the already quiet classroom fell deathly silent. Eyes shot toward them from every direction.
Joanna Kennedy: ’.........’ ’You could’ve been a little louder, you know.’
She tried her best to ignore the scrutinizing gaze from the window-side desk as she pulled Anna Yates back into her seat. "Sorry, teacher. Please, continue."
’Unbelievable. What do they think this is, a marketplace?’
The bell for the end of class cut off the reprimand on the teacher’s lips. He picked up his book and walked to the door, only to stop and say, "Simon Lockwood, come to my office. I need to speak with you."
The boy by the window stood, his expression calm, and walked out of the classroom.
Anna Yates, realizing what she’d done, felt the occasional glances from their classmates and said guiltily, "You know I can’t keep my mouth shut."
Joanna Kennedy waved a dismissive hand. "It’s fine."
According to the plot, she was supposed to pursue Simon Lockwood for a while anyway. Given her and Simon’s notoriety, it wouldn’t just be their class—the entire high school would probably find out eventually.
This just made it sooner rather than later.
*
The warning bell for the next period rang, but Simon Lockwood still hadn’t returned.
As a promising candidate for provincial top scholar, you didn’t need to be a genius to know that the little old man, their homeroom teacher, was giving him an earnest lecture about the perils of young love.
Simon Lockwood slipped back into the classroom and sat down just as the final tones of the bell faded, with the teacher for the next class arriving right on his heels.
The female teacher at the front of the room had a gentle voice, and her English was fluent and melodic.
Simon Lockwood listened intently. Ten minutes later, he hadn’t retained a single word.
The homeroom teacher’s final words echoed uncontrollably in his mind—
"Simon Lockwood, you have to understand that people are different. Don’t ever throw away your future for a moment of impulse."
’Some people are in this classroom to experience a phase of life; others have no choice but to bet everything they have on this one chance.’
’These two types of people are destined to be parallel lines that never cross. Even if they’re forced to intersect for a moment, the end result is that they’ll only drift further and further apart—so close, and yet a world away.’
He’d understood this since he was a child, which was why he had replied without a second thought, "I won’t."
’It’s not just that I don’t like Joanna Kennedy. Even if I did, I wouldn’t compromise for anyone.’
’If she’s not willing, someone else will be. No one is indispensable.’
’Besides, a rich girl like Joanna Kennedy saying she likes him is probably just a whim. She’s likely never been rejected before, and it’s just her pride talking.’
During the last period, P.E., Joanna Kennedy sat in the outdoor bleachers, making a loud CRUNCH as she bit into a popsicle. A breeze carrying the scent of the rubber track washed over her.
The captain of the sophomore basketball team kept looking over at her. Joanna Kennedy raised an eyebrow. ’See that? That’s my charm.’
’Yeah, yeah, yeah,’ 166 replied, unwilling to admit it but unable to argue. It was so frustrated it started spewing garbled code.
Anna Yates came back from the restroom. As she passed the sophomores playing basketball, her pace slowed and her posture became conspicuously ladylike.
The basketball captain, however, paid her no mind, his clear, bright eyes still fixed in Joanna Kennedy’s direction.
Anna Yates flopped down next to Joanna Kennedy, her tone full of misery. "A face that beautiful... I want one in my next life."
Joanna Kennedy stopped crunching her popsicle and turned to meet the basketball captain’s gaze. After he fumbled and embarrassingly smacked a teammate with the ball, she looked away. Turning to the dejected, head-down Anna Yates, she said, "He’s pretty cute, but his skills suck. Must be miserable being on his team."
’Oh, milady,’ Anna thought, ’do you really have no clue why he fumbled that ball?’
Anna Yates grumbled a bit, then defended the captain, though without much conviction. "Ethan Crowe is usually amazing when he plays. He’s even won awards."
"What kind of award? ’Best at Staring at Girls’?"
"Joanna!"
Grinning, Joanna Kennedy covered her mouth to show she was done teasing. She then started egging Anna on to bring him a bottle of water and get his number while she was at it.
Anna Yates waved her hands shyly, saying she didn’t have the guts.
Joanna looked at her friend with exasperation. "What’s so hard about it? You just open your mouth, say some words, and you’ll have his number!"
couldn’t stand her confident tone. It let out a dry laugh and said, deliberately sarcastic, ’Oh~ easy for you to say. Why don’t you try getting someone’s number?’
Joanna Kennedy: ’Are you trying to goad me?’
’Just tell me if you dare or not,’ 166 said.
’Well, well. This shoddy little system made of a lump of code is pretty cocky, trying to use reverse psychology on me.’
