Chapter 6: Chapter 5
Joanna Kennedy: [I wouldn’t dare.]
166: [......]
On the basketball court, the freshmen boys, changed into their jerseys, started a friendly match with the sophomores.
Joanna Kennedy glanced over and immediately spotted Simon Lockwood’s figure among them. The young man was half a head taller than the others, standing out from the crowd in a way that made one’s heart flutter.
Simon Lockwood was tall with long legs, and his technique was sharp and steady. Within the first three minutes of the game, he’d already scored two baskets.
The sophomores started to get anxious. Ethan Crowe, their captain, was distracted, frequently glancing toward Joanna Kennedy in the stands. But he saw that Joanna wasn’t looking at him at all; she was staring at someone else.
He followed Joanna’s line of sight and saw Simon Lockwood make a clean shot, the basketball sinking into the hoop.
Ethan Crowe had heard the girls in his class mention that a top student had joined the freshman class this year—one who was exceptionally good-looking. The moment school started, he had drawn the attention of girls from the entire high school, all going to get a look at him.
In less than half a day, they had dug up all the details about him—Simon Lockwood, an orphan, deaf in his left ear.
’Tsk, I really don’t get what Joanna Kennedy sees in a pretentious poor kid like that,’ Ethan Crowe thought unhappily. Noticing the fading bruise on the corner of Simon Lockwood’s mouth, he had a malicious thought: ’He must’ve been acting all high and mighty and gotten himself beaten up.’
He secretly whispered something in his teammates’ ears. Afterward, whenever the ball was in play, the sophomores intentionally passed Simon Lockwood on his left side.
Joanna Kennedy saw Simon Lockwood’s movements falter for a moment. Those few seconds were enough for him to miss his opportunity. By the time he tried to get back on defense, the ball was already in the hoop.
Cheers erupted from the court.
The next few plays went the same way, with the sophomores ganging up on Simon Lockwood.
Ethan Crowe didn’t participate directly, but any discerning person could see that he was tacitly approving of his teammates’ actions.
Anna Yates saw it too. She was both furious and embarrassed. "Aren’t they just deliberately targeting him?"
Halftime arrived. The sophomores walked off the court smugly, while in contrast, the freshmen looked chagrined. They shot resentful glances at Simon Lockwood, muttering curses even after leaving the court.
Joanna Kennedy saw Serena Sutton walk up to Simon Lockwood with a bottle of water, a worried look on her face, and say something to him. Simon Lockwood shook his head, and Serena Sutton walked away, dejected.
The second half started quickly. The sophomores stuck to their old tactic, and the freshmen had all but given up. As long as the sophomores kept ganging up on Simon Lockwood, they couldn’t win.
Just as they were about to score again, a gasp was heard from the crowd. The ball, nearing the rim of the hoop, was intercepted.
He’d pulled off a stunning reversal. Before anyone could react, Simon Lockwood caught the falling ball with one hand and, with a reverse layup, sank it into the opponent’s hoop.
As expected from a top student with a high IQ; he’d figured out how to counter them after just one halftime break. It wasn’t just Joanna Kennedy—everyone else was thinking the same thing.
The whistle blew. Simon Lockwood’s team won the game, 17 to 13.
Ethan Crowe had lost face. He offered insincere congratulations, though inwardly he wanted to tear Simon Lockwood to shreds. He left the court in disgrace.
The entire court was filled with the excited roars of the boys and the cheers of the girls.
His left ear, which usually heard nothing, began to throb painfully in the noisy environment. A cold sweat beaded on Simon Lockwood’s forehead as an uncontrollable wave of self-loathing washed over him.
A girl who had worked up the courage to come over and offer Simon Lockwood some water, her face blushing, looked up only to find that he was already gone.
Simon Lockwood, still unaware that he had earned someone’s enmity, walked along the tree-shaded path toward the quiet, abandoned school building, his left ear still throbbing faintly.
"CRUNCH—"
His shoe stepped on a dry branch, making a sharp sound.
He turned his head with a displeased expression. Upon seeing who it was, his brow furrowed slightly before he turned away again, leaning casually against the wall.
Pretending not to notice his obvious desire to be left alone, Joanna Kennedy held out a newly purchased bottle of water, blinking her eyes. "I bought this especially for you."
Simon Lockwood didn’t even glance up, instead pulling a small vocabulary booklet from his school jacket and starting to read.
In his peripheral vision, he saw the girl’s eyes widen slightly, her expression a mix of anger and restraint.
Tiny droplets of condensation had formed on the chilled water bottle, turning her slender fingers slightly red from the cold, yet she stubbornly refused to pull her hand back.
Simon Lockwood felt a surge of irritation. He snapped the vocabulary booklet shut and said coldly, "Buying water for me? Got too much money and nowhere to spend it?"
"......" Joanna Kennedy couldn’t hold back anymore, her voice laced with grievance. "Who asked you to help Serena Sutton? She was just putting on an act in front of you! I wasn’t bullying her, she was the one who insisted on taking down my name."
’So this is what they mean by the guilty party filing the complaint first,’ Simon Lockwood thought, having now seen it for himself. He had no patience to argue with the rich young lady before him. "Whatever makes you happy."
Joanna Kennedy: "......" ’I’m not happy at all!!’
"Let go." Simon Lockwood tried to leave but was stopped. He looked down and saw his school uniform sleeve clutched tightly in her hand, and the irritation in his heart grew stronger.
But Joanna Kennedy, acting as if she couldn’t read his expression at all, said, "No. I’m not done talking to you. You can leave after I’ve said my piece."
Her tone was spoiled, her attitude completely entitled.
She just wasn’t very brave. One cold glance from Simon Lockwood and she let go in fright, yet she still pretended to be tough. "What are you staring at?! I just want to say a few words to you, it’s not like I’m trying to kill you!"
’All bark and no bite. What a paper tiger.’
Simon Lockwood brushed off the wrinkled sleeve that Joanna Kennedy had clutched, then leaned back against the wall. So speechless he was actually amused, he let out a small laugh. "Go on."
Joanna Kennedy had been about to ask him what he meant by brushing off his sleeve, but when he smiled like that, she embarrassingly gulped. Fearing he would notice, she put on a show of coughing twice. "Simon Lockwood, give me your contact information."
It was a statement, not a request.
"I don’t have a phone," Simon Lockwood said without a second thought.
Joanna Kennedy: "......"
’Is this guy for real? How can he lie with such a straight face? Couldn’t you have at least come up with a normal excuse?!’
Joanna Kennedy was genuinely angry now, but she still put on a baffled expression. "How is that possible? Then how do your friends contact you?"
"I don’t have friends," Simon Lockwood said.
Joanna Kennedy was left speechless. She watched, wide-eyed, as Simon Lockwood turned and walked away. Only then did a single word escape her lips: "Damn!"
[Can I just fast-forward the plot and force him?] Joanna Kennedy asked through gritted teeth.
chuckled. [Nope.]
On the way home from school, Anna Yates asked her how it went. Joanna told her what had happened, sincerely sighing that Simon Lockwood was truly on another level of different.
After hearing the story, Anna Yates’s expression turned strange. "But Simon Lockwood is in the class group chat."
"Impossible, he doesn’t even have a phone..." Joanna Kennedy muttered as she opened her phone. The group admin required everyone to use their real names, and she spotted Simon Lockwood at a glance.
Joanna Kennedy: "........." ’That damn Simon Lockwood.’
Joanna Kennedy’s pretty little face was contorted with anger. Anna Yates had no doubt that she wanted to kill Simon Lockwood at that moment. Spotting her family’s car, she quickly said, "Jo, I’m gonna go! See you tomorrow..."
Leaving Joanna Kennedy alone to curse and complain to 166.
*
After dinner, lying in bed, Joanna Kennedy found Simon Lockwood in the class group chat and sent him a friend request.
Simon Lockwood rejected it.
She shot bolt upright and persistently sent another request.
She refused to back down.
Meanwhile, Simon Lockwood was riding his bicycle. The muscles of his strong forearms were well-defined, and his short hair was ruffled by the wind. His features were handsome and deep-set, giving him a youthful air.
The narrow alley had no streetlights and was pitch-black and silent. The phone in his pocket vibrated intermittently, its screen flashing on and off.
He pressed his lips together and sped up.
