Chapter 296: Chapter 296: Cecilia Bennett – Making Amends
The boy standing on the stage was wearing his school uniform neatly, speaking fluent Mandarin with a warm voice, a faint smile on his lips, holding the microphone with a calm demeanor.
He didn’t have a speech manuscript in his hand, yet he was extraordinarily composed without a single hiccup.
"This is what a good student looks like."
Cecilia Bennett remarked.
Although her and Holly Sawyer’s grades weren’t bad, they never did what good students were supposed to do.
Looking at the boy on stage, she suddenly understood the meaning of being a top student.
Finishing his speech, the boy said thank you and walked off the stage; Cecilia blinked lightly, feeling as though her heart had been hooked away.
"Hey, don’t get lost in thought."
Holly Sawyer gently nudged the dazed Cecilia Bennett and said with amusement.
"Oh."
Cecilia slowly returned to her senses.
The flag-raising ceremony soon came to an end, and students started dispersing.
The name Theo Shaw imprinted itself deeply in Cecilia’s mind, so much so that it lingered in her memory.
"I feel like something’s off with you."
Holly patted her shoulder, saying gently yet teasingly.
"What’s off with me?"
Cecilia widened her eyes at Holly, giving her a swat, refusing to admit anything.
Indeed, something did seem off.
She felt like she was...
Unlike Holly, Cecilia understood feelings well; she wasn’t slow with emotions, so she knew she probably felt something about that senior, Theo Shaw.
But she wasn’t sure if it was admiration or a different kind of affection.
"Everything’s off with you."
Having spent so much time together, Holly could definitely sense if Cecilia’s mood fluctuated.
"Forget it, I’m not talking to you anymore."
Cecilia rolled her eyes at Holly and then quickened her pace.
"Hey Holly, do you think I should apologize to him? Even though he handled the speech without notes quite well, I did make a mistake."
Cecilia had walked some distance but then came back, blinking her eyes at Holly.
She wasn’t unreasonable after all; mistakes should be addressed.
She had no notoriety in high school like she did in middle school.
"Since when did you become so conscious?"
Holly rolled her eyes, speaking without much patience.
Given Cecilia’s usual behavior, Holly was skeptical about her sudden moral compass.
"Of course I have one."
"So Holly, just tell me if I should apologize to him? I really did make a mistake."
Cecilia said a bit embarrassed, blinking her eyes at Holly.
"Yes, yes, of course you should."
Cecilia kept emphasizing her wrongdoing, so Holly knew she was waiting for this answer from her.
"Then how should I apologize?"
Cecilia blocked Holly’s path, blinking her eyes.
"You do know his name and class, right?"
"Yes, I do."
"Just buy a drink to apologize."
"Ah, will that work?"
"Yes, if not, you could invite him for a meal or something."
"That’s a good idea."
"Ha, I bet you thought of that yourself and were just waiting for me to say it."
Holly rolled her eyes at Cecilia, a bit speechless.
After being friends for so long, sometimes their thoughts would align.
"Hehehe, Holly always understands me."
Cecilia hooked her arm through Holly’s and laughed silly for a few moments.
——
Cecilia Bennett was very action-oriented and was standing at the door of Grade 3’s Room 1 with a cup of milk tea that afternoon.
The teacher was still holding class, and they hadn’t been dismissed yet, so Cecilia stood on the corridor idly watching the scenery below.
The classroom was on the third floor, and diverse groups of students filled the playground.
The teacher left the classroom with his books, and Cecilia started peering inside.
"Hello, could you please call Theo Shaw for me?"
Cecilia tapped on the window, asking the girl sitting by it, her voice sweet.
"Sure."
The girl nodded and went to Theo’s seat to call him.
"Thank you, senior."
Theo walked over with some confusion, frowning subtly when he saw Cecilia at the door.
He remembered her as the girl who had wet his speech manuscript that morning.
"Hello, Senior Theo, I’m Cecilia Bennett from Grade 3, Class 1 of the middle school."
"I’m very sorry about getting your speech manuscript wet this morning. Even though it didn’t affect you, I still feel guilty."
"So I bought you a milk tea to apologize, please accept it."
Cecilia handed the milk tea to Theo, her eyes filled with sincerity and her attitude particularly earnest.
"I’ll accept your apology, but you can keep the milk tea for yourself."
Theo slightly curled his lips and spoke gently, his voice as warm as always.
All the students knew that scholar Theo Shaw was gentle and amiable, yet he still exuded a mysterious sense of distance.
Many girls admired Theo, but he rejected them all with irrefutable reasons.
"Senior, you must take the milk tea, or I won’t feel right."
Cecilia insisted Theo accept the milk tea, blinking as she looked at him.
"I don’t drink milk tea."
Many girls had given him milk tea for various reasons, but he never accepted any.
Be it admiration or apology.
He wouldn’t take it.
"Oh, got it, sorry about that, Senior."
Cecilia nodded, a look of sudden realization, then turned and left.
Theo felt a bit lost, also finding Cecilia hard to figure out.
Just a moment ago, she was insistent, but in the blink of an eye, she left, which was unexpectedly unconventional.
Theo had met many persistent people, who would still hold on even if he said no, continuing despite futility, driven by their disposition.
Theo couldn’t be bothered to think about it and turned back to the classroom.
"Hey, was that a junior just now? She’s quite pretty, isn’t she another one of your admirers?"
Theo had just returned to his seat when his desk mate teased him playfully.
Theo had many admirers, and over time, his desk mate had grown accustomed to it.
"No."
Theo shook his head; the girl was just here to apologize.
Besides, she was just in middle school, with a simple mind, unlikely to have any ulterior motives, just sincerely wanting to apologize.
