Chapter 48: Chapter 48: I’ll Buy Him a Coffin
"Isn’t it all because of that Cecilia Sterling?" Beatrice Lynn shot back, refusing to be outdone as she stood up. "She’s a laughingstock at this school! Shamelessly boasting that she’s going to donate four top-of-the-line telescopes to the astronomy department. Shawn Lane, snap out of it, will you? What’s so unforgettable about a person like that?"
"So you can be ridiculed by everyone right along with her? Your mother is doing all of this for your own good, yet you’re still so stubborn! How can you face your parents when you’re like this?!"
In the heat of the moment, neither of them was controlling their volume, and their argument was witnessed by plenty of students passing by.
Shawn Lane already felt his life was a complete mess. He had made a fool of himself in front of Cecilia Sterling time and time again, and he really didn’t want any more drama.
And Beatrice Lynn was a huge piece of that drama—one he couldn’t seem to shake.
"Who I have or haven’t let down is none of your concern. I’ll say it again: leave me alone."
Shawn Lane’s voice was low, but it was heavy with menace.
All he wanted now was to repair his relationship with Cecilia Sterling. In his heart, there was only her.
As for Cecilia Sterling, when she received Estelle Goodman’s message, she had just woken up in her sixty-square-meter bedroom. She had every intention of going back to school.
You can run, but you can’t hide forever. Besides, she had no reason to avoid Shawn Lane; she hadn’t done anything to feel guilty about.
Most importantly, she wasn’t afraid of facing Shawn Lane in the slightest.
It was right around noon when she got back to campus. Cecilia Sterling headed straight for the school cafeteria, planning to meet Estelle Goodman for lunch, but she ran into Yannick and Sean at the main gate just as she was getting out of her car.
"Cecilia?"
Seeing Cecilia, Sean waved enthusiastically.
Cecilia smiled and nodded, her gaze landing on Yannick. Unlike the other times she’d seen him, when he was always in a sports jersey, today Yannick was wearing a clean white T-shirt and gray sweatpants. He looked less wild and a little more gentle.
"You guys just coming back from off campus?"
Cecilia asked casually.
Yannick nodded, but Sean jumped in first. "Don’t even ask. This guy dragged me out of bed at five this morning to go line up at Starlight Department Store. By the time we got there, the line was already stretching for two whole blocks. It was all for nothing."
Cecilia’s curiosity was piqued. "What were you lining up for? That’s a huge crowd!"
"Sneakers! This guy is obsessed with them. It was a collaboration between Nike and LeBron James, a limited global release. You know that money from the Carnival gifts you sent us? This guy saved all of it just to buy these shoes today!"
"Sean!" Yannick shot him a furious glare, signaling for him to shut his mouth.
Sean belatedly clamped a hand over his mouth, realizing he’d gotten carried away and let it slip.
Yannick was mortified. If it weren’t for his darker skin tone, his face would have been bright red.
Cecilia, on the other hand, didn’t seem the least bit fazed. She just smiled, a little surprised. "Oh, so you knew that was me?"
Yannick remembered how he’d even flashed his abs for their top gifter. Right now, he just wished the world would end.
Sean cautiously pointed a finger at Yannick. "He’s the one who figured it out!"
That just made Cecilia even more curious. She looked at Yannick and pressed, "How did you figure it out?"
Yannick felt his ears burning, so hot they almost felt itchy. He looked away, flustered. "I just... happened to see a post you made once. You deleted it pretty fast, but I guess it stuck with me."
"Your ID is ’Sunny,’ and part of his name literally means ’sun’," Sean added. "So he remembered it really clearly."
Yannick shot a death glare at him, and Sean immediately shut his mouth.
"I wasn’t, uh, reading too much into it or anything," Yannick quickly explained. "I just subconsciously remembered it."
Seeing him so flustered and at a loss for words, Cecilia’s smile widened. "I know. My ID is from a Faith Warner song called ’Sunny.’ I really like it."
"Oh." Yannick nodded.
Cecilia thought he was cute but decided not to tease him any further. She steered the conversation back. "So, you didn’t get the sneakers?"
Sean didn’t dare say another word. Yannick answered himself, "There’s no way I can get them for retail now. I’ll just have to be earlier next time."
The disappointment in his voice was obvious.
They continued chatting as they walked into the cafeteria, only parting ways once inside.
When she found Estelle Goodman, she saw her friend had already gotten a plate of food for her. The moment they met, Estelle Goodman asked eagerly, "Did you go back to the dorm? Is Shawn Lane still there?"
Cecilia shook her head. "No, I came straight here as soon as I got back to campus."
Estelle Goodman’s cute face scrunched up. "It’s like he’s possessed. He seriously waited downstairs from your dorm all night for you. What on earth did you do to him?"
"I didn’t do anything!" Cecilia quickly shook her head, wanting nothing to do with it.
Not wanting to discuss anything related to Shawn Lane, Cecilia changed the subject, asking Estelle Goodman seriously, "Estelle, you’re well-connected. Do you know any sneaker resellers?"
"A reseller? What shoes do you want to buy?" Estelle Goodman blinked, surprised.
"The new Nike and LeBron James collaboration. I heard people were already lining up for it last night."
"Sneakers?" Estelle Goodman looked slightly taken aback. She instinctively lowered her voice and blurted, "Are you buying them for Shawn Lane?"
"I’d rather buy him a coffin!" Cecilia shot back, giving her a massive eye-roll.
"Then... why are you buying sneakers?" Estelle Goodman was confused for a moment, then her eyes widened. "You like someone?"
"Seriously? Can’t a girl just buy a pair of sneakers for no reason, out of the blue?"
"Statistically speaking, it’s highly unlikely."
Cecilia: "..."
She sighed. ’There’s no point hiding it from Estelle,’ she thought, and decided to be direct. "Yannick has helped me out a few times, so I thought I’d buy him some shoes as a thank you. It’s purely to show my gratitude, absolutely no other intentions... Of course, if he’s willing to let me touch his abs in return, I wouldn’t say no."
Estelle Goodman gasped. "Cecilia, you are ruthless! Shawn Lane is downstairs waiting for you all night like a sad, homeless puppy, and you’re in here talking about wanting to feel up Yannick’s abs? If you had a single shred of conscience, you’d take me with you! I want to feel them too!"
"That’s why we’re best friends," Cecilia laughed. "So, can you help me out or not?"
Estelle Goodman picked up her phone with a playfully smug expression and raised an eyebrow. "Girl, I may not have much, but I do have connections. Just you wait, I’ll ask around for you."
Cecilia nodded in satisfaction. Just then, her own phone rang, and she swiped to answer.
"Hello, is this Miss Sterling? This is Sure-Reach Express. The four astronomical telescopes you ordered have been delivered. We’re at the main gate of Lorcain Tech right now. Where would you like us to take them?"
Cecilia was stunned. ’That was fast.’
"Okay, please wait a moment. I’ll be right out to meet you."
Cecilia hung up and quickly got up to leave, but as she looked up, she saw Shawn Lane striding toward her from a short distance away, a resentful-looking Beatrice Lynn trailing behind him.
Thinking her movement meant she was trying to run from him again, Shawn rushed forward, stopped in front of her, and grabbed her wrist. His eyes were bloodshot as he demanded, "How long are you going to keep avoiding me?"
When Beatrice Lynn saw Shawn gripping Cecilia’s wrist, her own eyes went red with jealousy. Noticing the other students starting to gawk at the unfolding drama, she postured and shouted, "Shawn, she’s not avoiding you! She’s just too ashamed to face anyone after all her big talk!"
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