Chapter 54 - Why Are Your Ears Red
Kingsley Prep was still a school, after all. The wealth gap wasn't as brutal as it was in the real world.
Kids from ordinary families like them could at least get a few words in with these golden children. Outside of school, they probably wouldn't even get to meet.
Let alone offend them.
Rory broke free of her hand, lifted her small face, tears in her eyes, and looked at Hayes stubbornly.
A sudden irritation welled up in Hayes's heart. He couldn't quite place where it came from. "Suit yourself."
He dropped those three words coldly.
Leaving Rory nothing but a heartless back.
The tears she'd been holding finally fell.
Lia patted her shoulder. "Rory, what's wrong?"
Rory sobbed, answering pitifully, "Nothing."
-
On the other side.
Once they were far enough, Luna let go of her hand.
She cleared her throat, about to say something, but when her gaze landed on Jax, she froze again.
He seemed to habitually zip his jacket all the way up. His ears were nicely shaped. From Luna's angle, she could see the side of his ear.
His skin was fair. A faint flush spread from his neck to his earlobe.
"Wait..." Luna's words changed mid-sentence. "Why are your ears red?"
Jax: "..."
Before he could come up with a good excuse, Luna's gaze grew stranger and stranger.
"Don't tell me I actually hit the mark?" Luna probed. "You really do have a thing for Hayes?"
Jax's mouth visibly twitched, like he'd bitten into a fly. "How could I? The wind's strong today. My jacket's too thin."
Luna thought about it and decided she was overthinking. She laughed awkwardly. "Then wear more next time."
Jax nodded. "Okay."
Luna patted Jax's shoulder again. "Next time Hayes gives you trouble, come find me."
Jax went silent for a beat. "Why are you suddenly so nice to me?"
Luna paused. She hadn't expected him to ask that out of nowhere.
Most of the time, Luna acted on impulse. She did what she wanted, rarely stopping to think why.
Jax's sudden question caught her off guard. She thought about it seriously. "Because you're a good person, and you teach really well. My family hired several tutors before to help me with my weak subjects, but I couldn't absorb any of it."
"It's hard to find one I can actually listen to. Miss this one and there's no other shop."
Those tutors all had advanced degrees. They were patient and gentle too. But Jax was completely different.
He explained things in detail, his voice was nice, and most importantly, Luna felt like she wasn't in class. It was more like someone was flattering her.
Whatever she didn't understand, he knew.
Just... a born teacher.
The boy looked at her steadily.
Autumn skies were always vast and empty, the light clean and white. His eyes reflected Luna's figure. The corner of his lips tugged up, barely. "Is that so?"
Luna clicked her tongue, mulling it over. "You're not satisfied with that answer?"
"I'm satisfied." Jax's lips curved.
Luna sniffed. "Then I'm going to find my friend."
"Mm." Jax watched her back.
She was 168 centimeters barefoot, 170 in shoes. She stood out in a crowd, tall and slender, long legs, a slim back, walking with perfect posture.
Jax's gaze followed her back as she searched the whole field for someone, until she vanished into the crowd.
Gone from sight.
-
After school that afternoon, Luna came home with a backpack full of weekend homework.
Leo wasn't home yet. The moment she walked in, she was surprised to find that Stella had actually come downstairs today.
She wore a pure white cotton dress, loose-fitting. Dark circles shadowed her eyes. She sat at the table, trimming flowers with scissors.
To her left was a vintage vase. To her right, a large bouquet of fresh yellow roses.
Luna tossed her bag on the couch. "Did Dad send them?"
Stella paused, her thoughts sinking into the past. After a moment, she came back to herself, expression faint. "He's busy fishing. How would he send me flowers?"
Luna washed her hands and took the bowl of yogurt Helen handed her. "Then who sent them?"
Stella said, "Your aunt came by with Wren."
Wren was Luna's cousin, Wren Harrington.
When Luna's aunt gave birth to Wren back then, she'd had a difficult labor with heavy bleeding. Luna's uncle, Caleb, had pulled strings and summoned every senior doctor in New York, barely saving both mother and child.
After that, Caleb never had another child.
Wren was the only daughter of the second branch of the family.
Luna's hand, holding the spoon, paused. The faint smile at the corner of her lips froze.
To this day, the person she hated most was never Hayes or Rory.
It was Caleb.
The uncle she'd once admired beyond measure, whom she'd regarded as a father.
Stella seemed to sense something off about Luna. She set down the scissors and looked over.
Luna's expression had already returned to normal.
She dropped onto the couch, eating her yogurt while asking casually, "Aren't they abroad? Why are they suddenly back?"
Stella didn't notice anything wrong. She picked up the scissors and went back to trimming. "They said the overseas company stabilized. The whole family moved back to New York."
A year ago, Caleb had taken his wife and daughter to the States to set up an overseas branch and expand into foreign markets.
In her previous life, the family of three had returned in the second semester of senior year.
This time, why were they back so much earlier?
"I see." Luna replied.
She finished the yogurt, wiped her hands with a tissue, and sat down beside Stella.
She propped her chin on one hand, watching Stella trim the branches.
Her wrist was very thin, thinner than Luna's. Her skin was a pale that never saw sunlight, the blue veins especially visible.
Luna's chest felt tight. "Mom."
Stella's hand suddenly stopped.
Two seconds later, she set down the scissors and looked over. "What is it?"
Luna met those almond-shaped eyes. Holding back the urge to cry, she said, "Since I don't like Hayes anymore, can we call off the engagement?"
Stella was clearly stunned.
Luna had told her before that she didn't like him anymore, but she hadn't believed it. She'd assumed Luna had just been hurt.
Only now, with the engagement brought up, did she fully believe it.
"We can." She mused for a moment. "It's just that this involves a lot of people. When your father gets back, I'll talk to him."
"Okay." Luna nodded.
She traced the pattern on the vase, hesitated, then finally steeled herself. "Mom, I heard before that you and Dad married for love. Do you not love him anymore?"
Stella's body went rigid.
One hand gripping the scissors, the other holding a flower. "Why are you suddenly asking this?"