Chapter 110: Chapter 110: You’re the Most Problematic
Sothing happened in Holly Winslow’s dorm building.
The school tried to keep it under wraps, but with so many people gossiping, word spread like wildfire. Before a day had passed, the entire school knew.
The students didn’t know how the school handled the incident. All they knew was that later that afternoon, the horoom teachers started reorganizing the seating arrangents, strictly forbidding boys and girls from sitting together.
Hearing Gabe Chaucer’s announcent, Mortir Quincy frowned. He raised his hand and spoke up. "Teacher Chaucer, it should be fine for Holly to sit next to , right?"
Zeke Zane and Pantheon looked at him. "..."
’No problem?’
’You two are the biggest problem.’
When Gabe Chaucer’s scrutinizing gaze fell on her, Holly Winslow shrank back guiltily. She secretly tugged on Mortir Quincy’s shirt, signaling him to stop talking.
Gabe Chaucer considered it. Cousins sitting together shouldn’t cause any problems.
The only issue was that if Holly Winslow didn’t move, one of the girls would have to sit next to a boy.
Still, he had to consider the feelings of a top student.
He glanced at Luna Lynch and Chase Hawkins, having made up his mind. "Alright, you two don’t have to move. Luna Lynch and Chase Hawkins don’t need to move either."
Pantheon and Zeke Zane: "..."
’Old Shaw, would you cry if you knew the truth?’
To enforce the seat changes, the school had the dean of discipline inspect every classroom. When the dean reached the honors class, he looked at the rows where Mortir Quincy and Chase Hawkins sat, then pulled Gabe Chaucer out onto the balcony. "Why didn’t you change their seats?"
Gabe Chaucer explained, "Mortir Quincy wants to look after his cousin. I figured that since Holly Winslow is from Jarton Second High and doesn’t know the other girls in class very well, I’d leave them be."
The dean nodded and said nothing more.
Rearranging the classrooms was just the school’s first step. Gabe Chaucer announced that from now on, horoom teachers would patrol the cafeteria during breakfast, lunch, and dinner to catch boys and girls eating together. He warned the class to be on their best behavior, as anyone caught would have their parents called in and receive a derit.
Holly Winslow had been ntally prepared for this, but when she went to lunch, she saw a crowd of teachers standing by the entrance.
She got nervous.
She instinctively put a little distance between herself and Mortir Quincy.
Mortir Quincy raised an eyebrow and scooted closer to her. The two of them then walked into the cafeteria under the teachers’ amiable gazes and sat down together to eat.
As she ate, Holly Winslow kept nervously glancing at the teachers by the entrance. "Mortir, maybe we should eat separately from now on."
She was finally getting a real taste of the nervous, furtive feeling of a secret high school romance.
"What’s there to be nervous about? We’re a legally married couple," Mortir Quincy said, his expression perfectly calm.
Holly Winslow was speechless. "..."
"I’m serious. If we get caught, we’re screwed."
’Eat separately?’
’In your dreams.’
Mortir picked a piece of pork rib from his bowl and placed it in hers, changing the subject. "Want more ribs? I can go get another serving."
"Yeah," Holly Winslow mumbled, her mouth full of pork, and nodded.
For the next four or five days, Mortir Quincy and Holly Winslow stopped sneaking off to the woods, and they no longer lingered in the classroom after evening study hall. The crackdown was just too intense.
On Wednesday, it was ti for the dorm-wide cleanup.
After dinner, Holly Winslow returned to her dorm to help with the cleaning. Valerie Walsh and the others were already there and had started working.
Jade Sullivan glanced at her. "Holly, you can clean the bathroom and take out the trash. We’ve already assigned the balcony and the main room."
It had been like this for weeks.
Holly Winslow knew Valerie Walsh must have been the one to assign the chores, since she was the dorm leader.
’Sigh. As Mortir’s wife, I can’t really complain about being targeted.’
She just humd in agreent. Jade Sullivan and the others were already cleaning, so even if she was unhappy with the arrangent, she didn’t have much ground to argue.
The bathroom was a pain. She had to scrub the tiles, and the gri was difficult to get off.
After scrubbing for several minutes, Holly Winslow had only finished a small portion. She stood up to stretch her back before getting back to it.
Just then, Luna Lynch and Evelyn Chaucer ca over with rags and started helping her scrub. Holly Winslow watched them for a few seconds before offering a sincere, "Thank you."
Evelyn Chaucer, a girl with monolids, replied, "Don’t ntion it. You..."
She trailed off, stopping herself from saying more.
Everyone in the dorm could see that Valerie Walsh and her friends were ostracizing Holly Winslow.
Besides, Holly Winslow was a twenty-sothing at heart; she understood what was happening. She just felt there was no need to engage with such childish behavior.
’All I need to do now is focus on my studies.’
’Once next year is over, we’ll probably never see each other again anyway.’
After they finished the bathroom, Holly Winslow gave Luna Lynch and Evelyn Chaucer an apple each, then carried two bags of trash downstairs.
...
Mortir Quincy had been waiting at the entrance to the girls’ dorm for a few minutes. When he saw Holly Winslow erge carrying trash bags yet again, he frowned.
It had been her taking out the trash for several weeks straight.
He walked over and took the bags from her. "Are you the only one who takes out the trash in your dorm?"
Not wanting him to know the truth, Holly Winslow put on a smile. "They do the sweeping, and I take out the trash. Hehe, I got the easy job."
Mortir Quincy didn’t buy it. Holly was the last person who would volunteer for trash duty; she hated it. After they got married, he was almost always the one to take out the trash. "Can’t you guys rotate?"
"We are. It’s soone else’s turn next week," Holly Winslow said, fiddling with the hem of her shirt.
Mortir knew Holly too well. She always fiddled with her clothes when she was lying. He stopped walking, his voice turning serious. "Are they bullying you?"
Holly Winslow quickly shook her head. "No, they’re all very nice to ."
"If you don’t tell , I’m going to kiss you right now." His expression showed he wasn’t joking in the slightest.
Holly Winslow was speechless. "..."
So she had no choice but to tell him everything. Seeing the dark look on Mortir’s face, she tugged his sleeve. "It’s okay, really. It’s my fault for getting back late. I’ll be earlier next ti."
Mortir’s expression was grim. "Anything else?"
"Nope, that’s it." Holly Winslow shook his arm. "It’s really no big deal."
As they entered the classroom, Holly Winslow, afraid that Mortir would go looking for Valerie Walsh and her friends, grabbed his hand and pulled him to his seat.
After first period, Valerie Walsh and her friends left to go to the restroom. A mont later, Mortir got up to go to the restroom too.
When Valerie Walsh and the others ca out, they were stunned to see Mortir Quincy standing right outside the girls’ restroom.
Ignoring the other students around, Mortir warned them in a cold voice, "I’ve already reported this to the school. If you bully Holly again, things won’t be this simple."
The students nearby stopped to watch the drama unfold. Paul Powell and a few others were there, and they exchanged glances.
Valerie Walsh was only seventeen. As soon as she heard she’d been reported to the school, she burst into tears.
Seeing her cry, Zeke Zane went over to reason with Mortir, whispering, "Mortir, let’s take this back to the classroom."
A crowd was gathering. The teachers would be over any minute.
Pantheon added, "Yeah, let’s go back to class." He then waved at Valerie Walsh and her group, gesturing for them to hurry up and leave.
As the three girls passed Mortir, he enunciated each word clearly, "I’m not kidding."
Holly Winslow was working on a test paper in the classroom when she suddenly heard a boy ask, "Val, what’s wrong? Who bullied you?"
She looked up to see Valerie Walsh slumped over her desk, surrounded by several boys trying to comfort her.
She averted her gaze just as Mortir and his friends ca back. She chewed on the end of her pen, waiting for Mortir to sit down before whispering, "Did you talk to them?"
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