Chapter 9
Julie stared at the desk.
Beth stared at the desk.
The two of them were completely silent.
Dan Butler’s enthusiasm, however, could not be dampened. He was practically glowing as he analyzed the situation for them. “This isn’t just some regular jelly. It’s heart-shaped. Honestly, if you think about it, it makes total sense. Who even writes love letters anymore? Everyone gives food. It’s too hot right now, chocolate would just melt. But jelly? Jelly is brilliant.”
Not getting the satisfying gasps of agreement he wanted, he picked up the heart-shaped cup and started interrogating the people around them. “Was it you? Tom Stait, was it you?”
“...” Tom looked like he wanted to gag. “Screw off.”
Dan asked the whole general vicinity, but nobody claimed it. He interrogated the students who had stayed in the classroom through the lunch break. “Did you see who left it?”
A classmate yawned, shaking his head. “Nope. Honestly, I think someone just put it on the wrong desk.”
Dan utterly rejected this possibility. He sat back down, glaring at the jelly cup like it held the secrets to the universe, then kicked the back of Julie’s chair. Keeping his voice low before the teacher walked in, he whispered, “Julie, I’m giving you a glorious and difficult mission—”
Before she could even nod, he shook his head, muttering entirely to himself. “No, that won’t work. She’ll get embarrassed.”
Beth was still staring in pure disbelief. “How on earth does someone have a secret crush on you?”
It wasn’t that Dan was ugly or repulsive. As long as he wasn’t acting like a complete clown, his face could actually fool people into thinking he was halfway decent. The problem was that he was a clown. He was the golden retriever of the classroom—friends with everyone, entirely unserious. Associating the phrase "secret crush" with Dan Butler was enough to make a person’s toes curl in secondhand embarrassment.
Dan ran a hand through his hair, looking incredibly smug. “What can I say? I’m just that popular.”
Julie let out a snort of laughter. “So what are you going to do about it?”
This question actually stumped him. He thought about it, his face scrunching in agony. “I think I’ll pass on dating. My allowance isn’t big enough for two people to spend.”
Just a few days ago, he’d been agonizing over how to negotiate a higher cost-of-living stipend from his parents. Dating wasn’t just talking. Did he have to buy a girl snacks? Drinks? Gifts? The second he ran the mental calculations, his heart went ice cold. “I’m not an easy guy. Just because someone has a crush on me doesn’t mean I’m going to be moved.”
A few desks away, Warren Gale could hear the commotion. He glanced back over his shoulder.
Julie was laughing brightly, her eyes curved into crescents.
He withdrew his gaze indifferently, opening his textbook, his right hand skillfully spinning a pen between his long fingers.
Maybe it was the nap, or maybe it was the coffee kicking in, but Julie wasn’t the slightest bit tired during the first period. All the knowledge she’d learned back in high school had been sitting in the recycle bin of her brain. She chose to believe it was just temporarily deleted—if she dug hard enough, she’d be able to restore the files eventually.
The bell finally rang.
Julie had been waiting eagerly. The second the biology teacher stepped out the door, she stood up, moving lightly to Gary Blacker’s desk. “Gary, how much was that coffee? I’ll pay you back right now.”
“I think it was six bucks,” Gary said, sitting up perfectly straight.
He knew damn well that a gorgeous girl like Julie wouldn't be interested in him even if she were blind, but his body still honestly corrected its posture in her presence.
Julie was just reaching into her pocket when Gary added, “You don't need to pay me. Warren paid for it.”
She blinked, surprised, and looked over at Warren.
Warren had been reading. Hearing his name, his thoughts momentarily broke away from the sea of practice questions. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of a hand resting on the edge of the desk—pale, the fine blue veins visible beneath thin skin. He lifted his dark eyes, meeting Julie’s bright, water-clear gaze.
Julie had been fully prepared to hand over the cash, but a sudden flash of inspiration hit her. She pulled her hand back. “I don’t have exact change! Tell you what, Warren, I’ll give it to you before evening study hall.”
Human relationships worked exactly like this. You start far apart, but you draw a line from point A to point B, one interaction connecting to the next, until a solid bridge is built.
She looked at him with a bright, easy smile.
If he said “Okay,” she had a perfectly valid excuse to come awkwardly chat him up again later tonight. If he said “Don’t worry about it,” then she could just treat him the next time they ran into each other at the campus store.
The key to networking was not to flatter too aggressively. Slow, steady, long-term investments were the real business strategy.
Warren honestly wanted to say “Don't worry about it.” He wasn’t particularly warm-hearted toward his classmates, but if he ran into someone at the store and happened to be in a good mood, he’d buy them a drink. He clearly remembered the bottle of mineral water she had practically forced on him—the one he’d already finished.
He didn’t decline. He just gave a quiet “Mn.”
“Thanks, Warren~”
Julie floated back to her seat, thoroughly pleased with herself.
Gary twisted his head to look at her retreating back, then looked at Warren. Something felt weird, but he couldn't put his finger on exactly what it was.
“What are you looking at?” Warren asked, frowning as Gary continued to stare at him like an idiot.
Gary grinned, leaning in. “Just looking at my son.”
That comment naturally earned him a sharp elbow to the ribs from Warren. The two of them started “brawling”—a punch here, a kick there—the standard entertainment for high school boys during a ten-minute passing period.
