With that, she walked out, leaving Lara chuckling softly to herself at the table.
Just as Olive exited the cafeteria, she collided with sothing firm that sent her head spinning. Rubbing her forehead, she looked up, only to find Ethan standing in front of her, a warm smile plastered on his lips.
"What are you still doing here?" Olive asked, her tone edged with annoyance. "Didn’t you leave just now?"
"I waited to talk to you, actually," Ethan replied, scratching the back of his head. "Your friend in there wasn’t exactly giving the chance I needed."
"Talk to ?" Olive arched a curious eyebrow. "What could you possibly want to talk to about?"
"Well, since you said we’re friends now," Ethan began, his gaze steady on hers, "I was thinking we could study together. Like you ntioned earlier, the exams are just around the corner. If we’re going to be friends, we’ve got to start sowhere, don’t we?"
"Oh..." Olive hesitated briefly, then shrugged. "Well, I was on my way to the library, actually. You can join if you want." Without waiting for his response, she turned on her heel and headed for the library.
Ethan hurried to catch up, following closely behind as Olive strode purposefully into the library. She quickly secured a seat, and Ethan sat across from her, each pulling out their textbooks.
The low murmur of students filled the space, but Olive could feel the weight of their stares. The paid students and scholarship students alike couldn’t seem to take their eyes off her and Ethan, particularly the female paid students, whose glares burned with a mixture of anger and despair.
Breaking the silence, Ethan leaned forward slightly and asked, "So, are you better at Mathematics or English? Maybe we can help each other in the areas we’re not so great at. I’m pretty solid in both, though, but I figured you might not be." His tone was casual, almost playful, as he waited for her reply.
"I’m good at both, actually," Olive said curtly, barely looking up from her book. "So there’s no need. Just focus on your reading, and I’ll focus on mine. This is a library, after all. I’d appreciate it if you didn’t talk to until I’m done."
She shifted her gaze briefly to the onlookers, her discomfort evident. "Those girls can’t stop staring at you. Wouldn’t it be better to just go sit at their table?"
"Oh, that." Ethan flashed a confident grin, leaning back in his chair. "They can’t help it. I’m handso, after all. A big fish in a small pond."
Olive smirked, giving him a look of disdain. "And their eyes would have killed instantly if they were knives. They hate this... ’friendship’ thing we have going on, especially with being a scholarship student."
"Who I choose to be friends with is none of their business," Ethan said firmly, shrugging off her concern. "Besides, I heard you and Lucas were pretty close, and they hated you for that too, Lucas picking you over the paid male students desperate to be his friend and the girls who didn’t mind being his... companion for a night." He gave her a knowing look. "I bet they’ve noticed you and Lucas aren’t as close as you used to be, so they probably relaxed a bit. But now, here I am, making friends with you, and it’s like history is repeating itself."
Olive studied him with a raised eyebrow. "You sure know a lot for soone who just arrived at Belmont." She leaned forward, her voice dropping slightly. "You do realize they might start thinking you’re gay too, right? Everyone already thinks I’m a ’sissy boy’ or whatever else they want to call . They assu I’m... ’oiling’ the 3RM mbers’ asses. If you keep hanging around , they’ll say the sa about you. I an you’re a prince afterall. Your reputation matters."
Ethan chuckled, completely unfazed. "I don’t care," he said, flashing her a mischievous grin. "I’m bisexual, after all. And stop worrying so much. You’re definitely not my type, so no one’s oiling anything around here."
Just then, Lucas, Macus, and Aiden entered the library. Lucas’s gaze imdiately locked onto Olive, his expression unreadable. His eyes then shifted to Ethan, and for a mont, an angry flicker crossed his face. However, he quickly brushed it off, storming towards an empty table, with Macus and Aiden trailing behind him.
"Why do I feel like Lucas hates though?" Ethan asked, his eyes fixed on the trio until they settled into their seats. "I’m not the reason your friendship fell apart, after all."
"Why do you even care?" Olive shot back, irritation lacing her voice. She buried her face in her textbook, clearly unwilling to continue the conversation.
Knock. Knock. Knock.
The gentle tapping on the table made both Olive and Ethan raise their heads from their books. Standing before them was a woman, likely in her mid-twenties, dressed in a sleek black office skirt and jacket. Her confident posture and calm deanor made her instantly recognizable.
"Good afternoon, ma’am," Olive greeted politely, recognizing her as their physics teacher.
"Good afternoon, Arthur," the teacher replied with a warm smile. She turned her attention to Ethan briefly before addressing Olive again. "I’m glad you’re here, Arthur. It seems you’ll be the one to escort Prince Ethan to a very important eting. There’s a gathering outside the school, and your assistance will be needed to ensure Prince Ethan isn’t left to manage things on his own. This eting is of great significance, it could influence the future of Belmont High. Having a prince sign so docunts on behalf of the school will be extraordinary."
Olive blinked, her expression a mixture of confusion and disbelief. "But I wasn’t inford beforehand, ma’am," she said, her voice cautious. "I understand the eting is important, but I’m just a scholarship student. Surely Prince Ethan would prefer soone more... suitable to escort him."
"Of course, I accept you to escort ," Ethan chid in with a cheerful grin, cutting off any protest Olive might have made.
Olive’s eyes widened further, her irritation growing. She glanced at Ethan, who seed far too pleased with himself.
’This feels suspicious.’ She couldn’t help the uneasy thought that crept into her mind. But after a mont, she let out a quiet sigh. ’It’s the physics teacher. And we never had any sort of misunderstanding. She wouldn’t plan anything against with a student. Right?’
The teacher, seemingly unaware of Olive’s internal conflict, continued, her smile unwavering. "I chose you specifically because you’re a scholarship student, Arthur. Among others, you stand out as one of the brightest. It’s a good opportunity for you to represent the scholarship students while assisting Prince Ethan."
Olive hesitated, her thoughts a swirl of frustration and resignation. She couldn’t miss the subtle undertone of the teacher’s words, this wasn’t just an opportunity; it was an expectation. Finally, with a reluctant nod, she rose from her chair, following the teacher and Ethan out of the library.
’Of course.’ Olive’s thoughts churned as they walked. ’She didn’t pick a paid student because they wouldn’t lower themselves to ’serve’ her prince. But a scholarship student? We’re at her rcy. I can’t refuse without risking my scholarship. I have no choice but to obey.’
Outside the school building, a sleek black SUV waited, its chauffeur already out of the car, holding the door open.
"Alright, kids," the physics teacher said, her wide smile giving no hint of the weight of the situation. "Go now and bring so good news back to the school."
As Olive approached the car, her irritation finally bubbled over. She turned to Ethan, her voice low but firm. "Is this your plan? Did you purposely suggest my na to the teacher so she’d pick to assist you?"
Ethan chuckled, a mischievous glint in his eyes. "Well," he began, his tone light, "I did want to hang out with you outside of school. You left no choice but to take this route to get you out of there." He smirked, clearly enjoying her growing annoyance. "Co on now. Let’s get this over with so we can head back and study afterward. Isn’t that right... Mr. Arthur?" He added the last part with a teasing lilt that only seed to irritate Olive further.
Her face burned with frustration, but she had no choice but to climb into the car. Ethan followed, his deanor relaxed as though he hadn’t just manipulated the entire situation.
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