With a silent nod from her, Luna and I walked to the first-year dormitory together. It was quite a walk from the main school building.
While we were walking I noticed her uniform, she was wearing the blue school jacket with a gray bowtie. She wore the black skirt that the rest of the girls wore, except she had black leggings underneath. Her white hair was adorned with purple ribbons.
We walked side by side, with her holding her head down as she walked, clearly trying to avoid eye contact. I got the feeling she was angry with , but that wasn’t what I wanted to talk about now.
"What happened on the last day of the entrance exam?" That’s the question I really wanted to ask her. "When I got back, the whole island was a wreck."
"They were fighting," she answered, her voice so low it could count as a whisper. "The faction leaders, all of them. Even Yuan; he was sohow fighting on equal footing with them."
The last ti I saw Yuan on the island was right before we ambushed Cassian and the others. Sothing must have happened for him to receive such a significant power-up.
"I waited for you," she said in a low voice. "I thought sothing must’ve happened to you."
"Would you have rather it if sothing had happened to ?"
"No!" she raised her voice so high that I couldn’t even imagine that the sound coming from her. "I was worried about you! Then when I saw you in class, you just ignored . Like... like you didn’t even care!"
So, her feelings were hurt. Even so, not a lot of people can just co right out and say it.
"I’m sorry; I should’ve been more mindful of the situation." I said.
She stared at as if she couldn’t believe that I had apologized, then a faint smile ca to her face. She had changed a lot since we first t; who would’ve thought that the girl who could barely speak up for herself was now acting this forceful?
"Anyway, did you see what happened in class? I an, when so of the students walked out on Alia?" she asked, giggling like she thought it was funny. I got the feeling she didn’t really think that; she was just happy to talk to soone about it—to talk about anything.
"Yes, I did. They must’ve been part of so other faction before joining our class."
Luna nodded. "Yeah, the girl with the pink hair was part of Cassian’s faction. Her na was Natasha, I think. I think she’s, umm..."
She trailed off without finishing what she was saying, a slight blush creeping onto her cheeks before she shook her head and began speaking again.
"I think she’s very fond of him."
That was going to pose a problem for the class, but I still had no idea where I stood. I didn’t want to sit around twiddling my thumbs—that would be too boring. I didn’t want to be the center of this conflict either.
Luna and I arrived at the building with the first-year dorms and entered inside.
"What floor is your room on?" I asked her.
"Umm, it’s on the fourth floor."
I had room 304, which ant that I would be on the third floor. Together, we entered the elevator and pressed the button for our respective floors. I got off first and wished her goodbye, then walked until I found the door marked room 304.
The room wasn’t spacious, but it was enough for one person. Stepping inside, there was a bed and other furniture; to the left was the kitchen, and to the right was the bathroom.
They didn’t provide much, which made sense, considering they gave us a monthly allowance. The school had allowed us to send various items here beforehand. I didn’t have much, only so clothes.
But there was one essential item I needed that I didn’t have—a phone. Given how this school operates, there must be a store here that sells them. Maybe in the mall. With that in mind, I left my room without bothering to change out of my school uniform.
The mall was about a 10-minute walk from the school dormitories. I managed to find it by following a line of students who I assud were heading to the sa place.
The mall seed rather large, with a huge sign that read ’Starlight Mall.’ Inside, it was bustling with students, from first years to fourth years. So were in groups with their friends, others were on dates, and though not many, there were people like who were by themselves.
I walked around, not knowing where I was going, as I searched for an electronic store. I searched the first floor first but found nothing but clothing stores and boutiques.
As I stepped away from the door of one of these stores, I bumped into soone. I managed to catch her by the hand before I completely knocked her off her feet.
"Are you okay?" I asked.
It was a blonde-haired girl who addressed with a kind smile—Alia. I was ready to apologize again because I knew that in the eyes of everyone, almost knocking her over would be considered a capital cri—I didn’t feel like getting on anyone’s bad side just yet. But before I could get the words out to apologize, she spoke.
"Are you looking for sothing?" she asked, tilting her head while giving a playful smile.
"Yeah, I was looking for an electronic store."
Her face lit up as if she had just realized sothing.
"So that’s why you were wandering around! I thought you were lost, so I ca to see if I could help."
She ca here to help ? It was kind of a strange thing to hear.
"Let see..." She placed her finger on her chin as if pondering sothing. "If I’m not mistaken, there’s supposed to be one on the second floor. Follow !"
Before I could react, she grabbed by the hand and began pulling along with her. She brought to the second floor, and soon we ca to a stop outside what looked like an electronic store.
"Let’s go!" She pulled inside with her. "So, what are you looking for exactly?"
"I’m planning on buying a phone."
"Oh, if that’s the case, you should get the new J-phone! Oh, but maybe you don’t have enough money." She pondered before looking like she just ca up with an idea "If that’s the case then... don’t worry, I’ll cover whatever you need."
Huh?
"No, that’s fine; I can afford it."
This girl was really sothing, offering to pay for my phone. I had a feeling she wasn’t bluffing either—she really would do it.
"Okay, but I’ll help you."
With Alia’s expertise, we began looking at different phones. We eventually settled on one of the new J-phones for a pricey $2000. It was very pricey, but it had all the latest features, so I was sure it was worth it.
As I paid for the phone, Alia ca up behind at the cash register. She was clearly holding sothing behind her back while giving a cheeky smile.
"What are you hiding?" I decided to ask.
"I think I found the perfect way to thank you," she said before pulling out what was behind her back. It was two identical sets of phone cases. One of them was pink with intricate flower patterns; the other was green with the sa kind of patterns.
"What do you think?" she asked with a huge grin and sparkling eyes.
"They’re nice, but why would you need to thank ?"
"You know," she averted her eyes and swept away the hair dangling in front of her face, "for what you did on the island. Max and the others told how you still gave them supplies even though they lost a bet with you."
So my sacrifice had paid off. She walked even closer to and gave a look that even I had to acknowledge. How beautiful she was. She then took hold of my hand and ca so close that our bodies were just inches apart.
"Thank you, Liam. I can already see that you’re a kind person."
She proceeded to leave the green phone case in my hand, then turned to the cashier and paid for both of them with her card. Before she left, she flashed one final smile and a wave.
"Goodbye, Liam! My classmates are probably wondering where I snuck off to, so I’ll see you tomorrow at class."
"Ok, thanks for your help"
I smiled and waved back to her.
That was all I needed from her—her trust. She served no other purpose. She proved herself to be powerful, kind, and a good leader. But all of that could be trampled on, given her nature. Her silly smiles and worthless gift were an attempt to win over.
I had no heart for her to manipulate. There was no loyalty to be won from . Sincere or not, pretty smiles and a cute face wouldn’t gain her anything. It all would co down to a single thing—whether or not she was useful to . Ti would tell if she was even worth keeping around.
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