Content

Chapter 9

"Weren't you the one who didn't want to go to the bookstore yesterday? I was just asking." Charles Foster seemed a bit nervous. "No other reason, I just wanted to let you know—I got called in for a parent meeting too."

Grace Sawyer paused. "You got called in for a parent meeting too?"

"Yeah."

"For what reason?"

Not knowing how to answer, Charles Foster mumbled vaguely, "Just not paying attention in class."

Grace Sawyer nodded. "Same here."

"Why weren't you paying attention?"

"It was too easy," Grace Sawyer said. "I didn't want to listen."

"..." Charles Foster scratched his head, trying to act casual. "Me too."

Grace Sawyer looked at him suspiciously. "But didn't you rank near the bottom in the last exam?"

Sweat trickled down Charles Foster's temple. He looked away, tightened his grip on the handrail, but his expression stayed calm. "Yeah. The questions were too easy, I couldn't be bothered to write."

Apparently finding this explanation reasonable, Grace Sawyer simply replied, "Oh," and said nothing more.

The atmosphere quieted down.

So quiet it became a little awkward.

Charles Foster cleared his throat, breaking the silence. "What was your rank last time?"

Grace Sawyer: "First."

"..." Charles Foster gritted his teeth, then quickly relaxed and grinned nonchalantly. "Alright, I'll get first place next time just for fun."

Grace Sawyer looked him up and down. "You're going to get first place next time?"

Charles Foster nodded, his confidence halved. "...Is there a problem?"

"No, just reminding you," Grace Sawyer said matter-of-factly, not taking it seriously. "As long as I'm here, that's impossible."

"......"

Just like that, the situation between the two of them somehow became a bit adversarial.

After that, Charles Foster didn't know what to say. He had no experience with this kind of thing, and felt too embarrassed to keep forcing awkward conversation, so he fell silent too.

When they reached the stop.

Grace Sawyer got off the bus first and walked quickly toward the school.

Charles Foster followed behind her, racking his brain for a way to fix the situation. Before he could come up with anything, he happened to run into a boy he knew. The boy greeted him and naturally hooked an arm around his neck as they walked forward.

The boy's strides were long and quick, and soon they overtook Grace Sawyer.

Charles Foster turned back and called, "Grace Sawyer, I'm going ahead, okay?"

Grace Sawyer waved at him perfunctorily.

The boy also glanced at Grace Sawyer, let out a meaningful "Oh," and then started laughing.

Charles Foster kicked at him, but his gaze kept drifting toward Grace Sawyer.

"What's wrong with you?"

Grace Sawyer didn't pay attention to what they were saying.

She didn't hear a word, nor did she care. Her mind was filled with the upcoming parent meeting and the man she saw yesterday.

Yesterday was so rushed, Ethan Sawyer was there, and Henry Bennett only agreed to come at the last minute, so nothing was explained clearly. Grace Sawyer didn't have his contact information and didn't know how to tell him to come at 4:30 in the afternoon.

She didn't know what time he would arrive.

Because she kept thinking about this, Grace Sawyer didn't pay attention in class all day, glancing out the window toward the school gate from time to time. After being scolded by several teachers, she finally restrained herself a bit.

The clock on the wall kept ticking.

At exactly 4:20, the bell rang for the end of class, marking the end of the last period.

Thinking Grace Sawyer would probably go home with her brother, Julia Harper didn't wait for her. After saying goodbye, she left the classroom.

With nothing to do, Grace Sawyer took out her notebook from the drawer and continued drawing. Time ticked by, and when she looked up at the clock again, she realized it was already close to five o'clock.

The spacious classroom was now empty except for her.

She froze for a moment.

Henry Bennett still hadn't come.

Grace Sawyer didn't know if he was unaware that middle school finished early, or if he had forgotten about it. She forced herself to stay calm and tried to keep drawing, but this time she couldn't focus at all—her mind was a tangled mess.

She waited another fifteen minutes.

Grace Sawyer heard the sound of doors from other classes being slammed shut outside. Maybe it was just her imagination, but the silence now seemed even deeper than before.

Any small sound she made felt amplified in the emptiness.

What he said the day before now felt like a joke.

Grace Sawyer couldn't wait any longer and suddenly stood up.

Her chair scraped backward with a harsh screech that hurt her ears. She stood still, her eyes gradually reddening. She forced herself to keep a straight face, pushing down her feelings of grievance.

"Forget it."

Grace Sawyer stuffed a few books into her backpack and headed out.

Seventh graders finished school early, just after four o'clock. Now, just past five, the corridor was already deserted, with only a few scattered people in sight.

Grace Sawyer kept her head down and hurried downstairs.

Her steps were quick, and she didn't look at the road ahead, like a headless chicken. Suddenly, she ran into a wall of a person. Grace Sawyer took a few steps back and mumbled an apology.

Without even looking up, she kept walking forward.

At the same time, the person she bumped into spoke up: "Excuse me, do you know how to get to Class 1, Grade 7?"