She could only reply, “Of course you’re smart. I’ve never practiced, so it’s perfectly normal that I can’t drive.”

Ryan Bennett continued to speak slowly, “And who knows, maybe you secretly practiced for a long time just to show off.”

“……”

As they spoke.

Brian Carter had already withdrawn his hand, resting it on his knee, continuing to watch the movie, taking back the glance he had just thrown her way as if it were charity.

He only tossed out one line: “Do I look like I have nothing better to do?”

The second half of the movie was pretty standard: the main characters found the mastermind behind the scenes, then fought a life-or-death battle with the villain. With the “rat-tat-tat” sound effects, everyone was glued to the screen.

Ryan Bennett took a sip of her lemon soda and kept watching.

After the movie, Ethan Cooper and the others suggested playing board games.

For these students on summer break, the one thing they had plenty of was time.

Ethan Cooper brought his own board game cards, pulling out a stack of black cards from his pocket: “I’ll hand these out. Whoever wants to play, come over. I’ll explain the rules.”

“Yao-ge,” Ethan Cooper handed the remaining cards over when he got to their side, “draw one?”

Brian Carter glanced at the cards in his hand but didn’t take one: “I’m a bit sleepy, I’ll nap for a while.”

Ethan Cooper turned to Ryan Bennett: “Alright, Xia-ge, you draw.”

Ryan Bennett, like copy-paste, used Brian Carter’s template: “You guys play, I’m doing homework.”

“……”

Ethan Cooper took the cards back, used to it: “You two always have to be special.”

Although everyone in their “South Alley Squad” had grown up together, some were closer than others. Everyone in the group tacitly acknowledged one fact: Ryan Bennett and Brian Carter, these two who always bickered, were actually the closest pair among them all.

Brian Carter said he was sleepy, and he really did nap for a while.

Ryan Bennett guessed he must have rushed back last night, probably exhausted from the journey.

But he didn’t go to his room to sleep, maybe because he didn’t plan to sleep long, and just slept right next to Ryan Bennett.

The beanbag chair was already on the carpet, so he could just rest his head on it and sleep on the floor, but someone’s legs were so long that even sleeping on the carpet was a bit cramped.

Ryan Bennett looked down at her own legs, compared the length, then quietly opened her unfinished homework.

Halfway through her homework, Brian Carter woke up.

Ryan Bennett was immersed in the sea of learning, completely unaware.

Until she heard a sentence:

“This one’s wrong.”

Half a minute later, another:

“This one’s not right either.”

“……”

“You barely made it into No. 2 High,” Brian Carter finally commented, “not easy.”

Ryan Bennett paused her pen on the paper, retorting, “Thank you for your affirmation. Luck is indeed a part of strength.”

In the end, it turned into Ethan Cooper and the others playing board games on the side, a noisy bunch, while Brian Carter explained problems to her amidst the commotion.

He had just woken up.

One hand propped on the carpet as he sat up and leaned closer to her, the other hand twirling a pen between his fingers, quickly jotting down the solution steps in the blank space of her notebook.

“This one is a bit hard,” Ryan Bennett tried to justify herself, “It’s a comprehensive problem, so there are more places to lose points.”

Brian Carter’s handwriting was a lot like him.

The strokes were free and easy, the writing was beautiful, but he wrote so fast it looked a bit messy.

“Hard?” He finished the last character while twirling the pen, “I can’t even be bothered to solve this one.”

“……”

Stay calm.

Stay calm.

Look past the surface, focus on the essence.

After all, he was helping her with problems right now.

And it wasn’t the first time.

After knowing each other for so many years, this was always his style when explaining things.

Those who achieve great things don’t sweat the small stuff.

So, you must stay calm.

Ryan Bennett gave herself a pep talk, quickly adjusting her mood: “You really worked hard. I can’t believe you’re willing to move your noble fingers and leave your priceless handwriting in my homework notebook. I’m truly, truly touched.”

Brian Carter tossed the pen aside, not buying her act at all.

Ryan Bennett followed his steps to check the previous problems.

Brian Carter actually explained things to her quite often.

So often that Ryan Bennett had gotten used to it.

As she erased her previous answers, she chatted with Brian Carter about his recent trip to visit relatives: “By the way, where did you go to visit relatives a few days ago?”

“The neighboring city.”

Brian Carter said, “A relative’s kid was having a first birthday party.”

Ryan Bennett kept correcting as she spoke: “Did they do the ‘pick an object’ thing? When I was little, I picked…”

She hadn’t finished her sentence.

Brian Carter finished it for her: “You picked the tablecloth.”

“I told you that before?” Ryan Bennett couldn’t really remember. After all, she and Brian Carter talked so much every day, it was hard to keep track of what she’d said and what she hadn’t. “You have a good memory.”

Brian Carter’s tone was a bit mocking: “Oh, that has nothing to do with memory. If someone repeats the stupid thing they did to you more than three times, you’d remember it too.”

“……”

Ryan Bennett changed the subject at the right time: “What did you pick when you were little? I bet you didn’t pick anything, right?”