"She’s twelve years old today, not two."
Mother Edwards was still mumbling, "Back when you were in military training, Grace was the one taking care of you, her big brother. Now why can’t you take care of Grace?"
Hayes Edwards: "..." Big brother?
Is it really necessary to bring so much stuff?
Hayes didn’t want to deliver things to Grace Winter at all, because it ant he would once again beco the center of everyone’s attention.
Though he already was now.
At noon, the clouds parted and the sun beca increasingly blinding.
The chubby kid spent the entire class eyeing the lunchbox in Hayes’s drawer because he was so hot.
With an ice pack inside, even through the lunchbox you could feel the chill; the chubby kid tried several tis to reach for it but was always caught by Hayes.
Joy Hoffman also criticized him, "This is for Grace to eat, why are you grabbing it?" However, as she said this, her gaze remained fixed on the lunchbox.
The chubby kid scratched the back of his head, "I’m just seeing that Brother Edwards hasn’t delivered it to Grace yet, so I thought I’d help her try it first."
Joy asked Hayes, "Brother Edwards, when are you planning to take it to Grace? If you don’t want to go, I can help out!"
He patted his chest, indicating he was very reliable.
Hayes looked at Joy, then at the chubby kid, but couldn’t trust either of them—chances are the food would be eaten up on the way. "Forget it, I’ll go myself."
If he didn’t go now, school would be over.
When Grace Winter saw Hayes coming to deliver her food, she was first surprised, then happy, running over with an oversized hat pressed down on her head from afar.
Her forehead was covered in sweat, and her face flushed red from the heat.
Hayes placed the food on the table mountain and sat down himself, "Hurry up and eat, I still have to take the bowl back when you’re done."
Grace obediently sat down, took a bite, and then asked, "Hayes, do you want to eat too?"
Hayes knocked on the table, "Worry about yourself and hurry up; I still have to go to class."
Grace nodded and sped up, with her cheeks puffed out from being so full.
Like a squirrel desperately hoarding food.
"Forget it," Hayes said, "eat slowly."
Grace slowed down a bit.
In the days that followed, Hayes continued bringing food to Grace, waiting for her to finish before taking the lunchbox back.
Watching Grace across from him with cream all over her mouth smiling foolishly at him, Hayes thought that perhaps he’d never shake off this little tag-along Grace in his lifeti.
After military training ended, the first-year schedule returned to normal.
To save ti for the third-year students, Dawn Light Middle School arranged their classrooms on the second floor, while the first-year classrooms were on the first floor.
Although only a floor apart, Hayes and Grace still rarely bumped into each other.
It wasn’t like childhood, always going in and out together, attending school together, and going ho together. Both had their own little circles now.
Perhaps sotis they would run into each other at school and exchange a greeting.
Then others would ask, "Grace, do you still know Hayes Edwards?"
Grace would explain, "We live in the sa neighborhood."
That seed to be about it.
As they grew older, even without any intentional distancing or coldness, the gap between them seed to widen.
When they were little, Grace was mostly the one taking the initiative.
Just like people said, Grace was Hayes’s little follower. And now, this little follower was also growing up.
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