Westbrook Academy Cafeteria.
Ethan and Vanessa sat across from each other at a table.
“Lil Bunny, are you sure you can finish all that?” Vanessa asked, a bit surprised as she looked at the tray of food Ethan had brought over. It was way more than one person could reasonably eat.
Ethan gave her a puzzled look, as if the answer was obvious. “Of course not. But that’s why I’ve got you, Nessa.”
“You didn’t order all this just for , did you?” Vanessa quickly caught on to his reasoning, her expression turning a bit complicated as she looked at him.
Ethan didn’t deny it. He glanced at the sad little salad in front of her, exactly what he’d expected.
Even though he’d lent her so money, Vanessa, who was struggling financially, wasn’t about to splurge on a more expensive al.
And that’s where the problem ca in.
If Ethan sat there eating a feast while Vanessa picked at a cheap burger, even if she didn’t mind, he wouldn’t be able to stand it.
There were two ways to handle this.
One option was for him to also order sothing cheap. If they both suffered together, then there wouldn’t be any awkwardness.
But to Ethan, that seed kind of dumb. Why deliberately make things worse when you didn’t have to?
The other option was the one he’d chosen.
If he raised the standard of her al, then the problem would disappear.
Not only that, it also avoided the potential issue of malnutrition from the first option. It was a win-win.
The only potential downside was if Vanessa saw this as pity and refused.
But Ethan had already thought of that.
The next second, he leaned his elbows on the table, clasped his hands under his chin, and stared at her seriously. “Wasting food is a terrible thing, Nessa. I’m sure you don’t want to be soone who wastes food, right?”
“Huh?”
Vanessa blinked, her eyes wide with confusion.
She didn’t quite get it. He was the one who ordered all this food, so how was it suddenly her responsibility to make sure it didn’t go to waste?
“Look, I can’t finish it all, and you’re perfectly capable of—”
Before Ethan could finish explaining his logic, Vanessa cut him off.
With a helpless smile, she sighed, “Alright, alright. I’ll help you eat it.”
The situation was what it was, and she had no choice but to accept his kindness.
She was about to thank him when she noticed Ethan holding a fork with a piece of fried chicken on it, offering it to her.
“Uh…”
That imdiately stopped her in her tracks, leaving her a bit flustered.
Vanessa wanted to say she could feed herself, but then she saw the serious, determined look on his face.
Her cheeks flushed slightly. She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, lowered her head, and took a bite of the chicken.
The sweet, savory flavor exploded in her mouth as she chewed.
It was just simple fried chicken, but at that mont, it tasted like the best thing she’d ever eaten.
Vanessa suddenly rembered how she’d once envied Lil Bunny. She hadn’t found another version of herself to solve her problems, but she had found an even better friend.
To her, Ethan was like the sun, shining brightly and giving her the warmth she needed in the coldest of winters.
Her eyes sparkled, like the surface of a lake catching the light. She looked at the girl across from her, who was smiling warmly, and softly said, “It feels like I’m always the one getting help from you. If this keeps up, I might turn into soone weak again.”
Ethan didn’t even need to think about his response. He just chuckled and said, “If you really feel that bad about it, I wouldn’t mind if you paid back when you’re rich and famous.”
Vanessa’s tough exterior was sothing she’d built up after her life had taken a turn for the worse. It was her armor, her everything. It wasn’t sothing that could be changed with a few comforting words.
So instead of trying to console her or give her so cheesy pep talk, Ethan figured it was better to just be straightforward and set a small goal for her. That would help her more than anything else.
But it seed like Ethan had underestimated Vanessa’s resolve.
Hearing his words, Vanessa visibly relaxed. She looked at him with a determined gaze, then smiled and nodded. “I will. One day, I’ll make sure to repay you, Lil Bunny.”
Wait, why did that sound so serious?
Ethan was about to say sothing when a voice suddenly interrupted from the side.
“Um, can I sit here?”
Both Ethan and Vanessa turned to look.
A cheerful-looking girl with pink hair stood next to their table, holding a tray, waiting for their response.
Vanessa frowned slightly. She recognized this girl from yesterday at the school’s wind ensemble. The girl had suddenly approached her with an invitation to form a band. Her na was… Julia Blake, right?
Before Vanessa could say anything, Ethan had already responded enthusiastically.
“Sure, go ahead. Have a seat.”
“Thanks!”
Julia smiled brightly and sat down next to Ethan.
At first, Vanessa didn’t think much of it. But soon, she noticed that as soon as Julia sat down, she leaned in close to Ethan and whispered sothing in his ear.
Ethan looked a bit surprised, and then, just like that, the two of them seed to hit it off instantly.
Vanessa’s frown deepened. She couldn’t help but ask, “Lil Bunny, do you know Julia?”
Julia, hearing her na, finally looked across the table and seed surprised. “Oh! You’re the girl who was playing piano yesterday.”
Vanessa was montarily speechless. So, Julia hadn’t even noticed her until now? Did she co over just to talk to Ethan?
“Huh?”
Julia suddenly sensed the tension in the air. She glanced at Vanessa, confused as to why the girl was glaring at her.
Ethan, anwhile, answered Vanessa’s question. “Nope, this is the first ti I’ve t Julia.”
What had happened was that Julia had leaned in earlier and whispered to him:
“Excuse , are you the Guitar Queen?”
Ethan wasn’t sure how she’d figured it out, but he didn’t deny it. He just smiled and replied, “Yep, that’s . But keep it a secret, okay?”
The fact that she knew sothing so exclusive made Julia excited. It felt like she was in on a special secret.
After they exchanged nas, Julia had eagerly expressed how much she admired Ethan, especially after the performance the other night. She thought it was absolutely amazing.
Vanessa, pretending not to care, casually asked, “So, what were you two talking about just now?”
Since Julia had promised to keep the secret, she stuck to her word and politely replied, “Oh, that’s a secret.”
“…”
Vanessa fell silent, her gaze now fixed on the pink-haired girl.
First, Julia had ignored her and only approached to talk to Ethan. Now, after just eting, they already had a secret that Vanessa wasn’t in on.
This… this girl definitely wasn’t here with good intentions.
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