The person in front of her always used these two points to intimidate her, making her instantly lose her temper. Grace Sawyer didn’t dare provoke him anymore and said, feeling aggrieved, “Why do you always threaten to tell my parents? That’s so childish.”

Henry Bennett raised the corner of his eye slightly and said calmly, “Well, I’m still missing a girlfriend, so I’m in a bad mood.”

Grace Sawyer retorted, “But you’re here to help me see the teacher, not to go on a blind date.”

“Fine, then tell me. Who taught you all this?” Henry Bennett said with a laugh. “Saying you change girlfriends every day, makes your brother sound like a duck.”

Grace Sawyer blinked, not understanding, “Why does that make you like a duck?”

“……”

He suddenly realized that the person standing in front of him was just a kid who had just started middle school.

Henry Bennett’s expression froze for a moment. He scratched his face, then picked up the backpack she was carrying and said with a straight face, “It just means keeping a pet, like raising ducks, and giving each duck a new owner every day.”

Grace Sawyer took the opportunity to slip her arms out of the straps. She thought about it, felt it was a bit strange, but still pretended to understand.

“Oh.”

The pink and blue backpack fell into his hands just like that.

Henry Bennett weighed the backpack in his hand and changed the subject, “So light?”

The two of them walked toward the bus stop.

Grace Sawyer: “I don’t have much to bring.”

Henry Bennett: “What about your homework?”

Grace Sawyer’s expression finally changed, and she mumbled, “…I don’t want to do it.”

“Don’t want to do it?” Henry Bennett said, “Then what are you spending your time on?”

“……”

“Kid, you need to behave. Listen carefully in class, don’t disrupt the class on purpose or go against the teacher, and finish your homework properly.” Thinking of the boy in the office earlier, Henry Bennett added, “Also, don’t start dating early. Wait until you’re an adult. At your age, just focus on pure friendships.”

Grace Sawyer glanced at him and replied with a perfunctory “oh.”

Seeing that she hadn’t really listened, Henry Bennett casually added, “If you get called in again, the fact that I pretended to be your brother today will probably be exposed. Then I’ll really be in trouble. You can’t just repay kindness with ingratitude, right?”

Grace Sawyer: “You could just come again next time…”

Henry Bennett didn’t agree, and his smile faded a little.

For some reason, Grace Sawyer was a little afraid he’d get angry, and so she immediately lost her stance: “I got it.”

Only then did he smile: “Good girl.”

His tone was like a reward.

Henry Bennett bent down and affectionately ruffled her hair.

“Let’s go, big brother will walk you home.”

—

He walked her to the building downstairs.

Henry Bennett had no intention of going up. He placed the backpack in front of her. “Go on in.”

Grace Sawyer nodded and obediently said, “Thank you, big brother.”

When she reached the front door, Grace Sawyer took out her keys from her pocket and slowly opened the door. She didn’t know if she’d ever see him again, and she couldn’t hear his footsteps leaving behind her. She paused, and cautiously turned her head.

Henry Bennett was still standing where he was, and happened to meet her gaze.

It was like being caught in the act. Grace Sawyer’s face flushed red, and she immediately called out, “Goodbye, big brother!”

Then she hurriedly ran inside.

No one else was home yet; the house was empty.

Grace Sawyer pressed her hot face with her hand, quickly kicked off her shoes, ran to the balcony, and grabbed the security bars to look down. Henry Bennett was already almost out of the complex, holding something to his ear with one hand, as if he was on the phone.

After a few seconds, as if he noticed something, he suddenly looked up in Grace Sawyer’s direction.

Grace Sawyer was caught off guard and felt guilty.

She quickly turned around and squatted down.

Her heart was pounding, as if it was about to jump out of her chest. She swallowed nervously, the inexplicable guilt and helplessness making her afraid to move. After a long while, she looked outside again.

But Henry Bennett was already out of sight.

Grace Sawyer let out a breath.

She felt an inexplicable emptiness inside.

—

The matter was resolved surprisingly smoothly.

The teacher didn’t notice anything unusual, and her parents were none the wiser. Because of this, Grace Sawyer didn’t get much of a scolding. But it was as if it brought endless aftereffects.

She started to constantly, over and over, think of the same person.

Something with a hint of sourness, but also a trace of sweetness, was beginning to sprout.

Grace Sawyer felt this feeling was strange and bewildering. She didn’t dare tell anyone about it, feeling a bit ashamed, and as if she’d grown up overnight, now having her own secret that she couldn’t share with anyone.

Grace Sawyer started to space out more and more.

Her draft book and diary gradually began to fill up with a man’s name. Even though she didn’t even know which characters made up his name.

This feeling only lasted for a while.

Maybe because they didn’t meet again, it was gradually washed away by time. Or maybe, she forced it down into her heart, pretending it didn’t exist.

In the blink of an eye, the midterm exams were over, and the Dragon Boat Festival holiday arrived.