Chapter 4 She made me laugh

The next day, although there was no training, I couldn't sleep and arrived earlier than the others. Even so, I wasn't the first-Jane was already there. As usual, she didn't pay any attention to me, buried in her book and just as stylishly indifferent as before.

"So, what kind of traveling, little girl?" I asked, grinning, waiting for her to put down her book.

"Excuse me?" She looked at me over the pages.

"The traveling that kept you from having a dog," I reminded her.

"Yeah, right. Until a few years ago, we traveled a lot, so we didn't get a dog." A brief answer, but it wasn't enough for me.

"Why did you travel?" I was genuinely interested.

"My dad's job required it. He was an international architect." Strangely, I didn't see any emotion on her face.

"Any other questions?" she smiled. "Or can I continue reading?"

Her smile was definitely beautiful.

"Have you been to many countries?" I asked quickly, signaling I still had questions.

"A few."

Behind me, Brian arrived and quietly sat down, fiddling with his phone.

"You know, if your sentences were longer, I wouldn't ask so many questions," I teased, making her smile.

"Do you speak multiple languages?"

"I can make myself understood in a few countries, yes," she said.

I had a feeling this was a modest answer.

"Didn't sleep well?" she suddenly asked, her beautiful eyes smiling mischievously.

"Why?" Her personal question surprised me-it wasn't like her.

"Your hair didn't turn out right, so I thought you were sleepy," she laughed, and Brian quietly smiled.

I went to the bathroom to check my hair, but it was perfectly fine. By the time I returned, more people were in the room, and Jane had just put away her book, waiting with a cheerful smile.

"You see, Pretty Boy, if I were you, I'd let me read," she said softly, winking.

Brian grinned, and I chuckled quietly at her teasing. Clever move.

I wanted to respond, but Shannon appeared and sat in front of me. Jane silently moved to the furthest empty desk.

Apart from biology and history, she never sat near me. That day, I only saw her at lunch-she was eating with Paul.

--

At dinner, Mom brought up an interesting detail.

"Son," she said, "I met Mrs. Tashiro today. She's an interior designer."

"I didn't know. Though I don't talk much with Paul-that's more the new girl's habit," I noted.

"How come?" Amber asked curiously.

"Paul doesn't sit at our table; he always eats with Jane," I said.

"Have you invited him to sit with you?" Dad asked.

"If he wants to, he will," I said. "Though then the smarty-pants would probably want to join too."

"Interesting name her parents gave her," Dad noted with a smile, but I didn't react.

"I'm curious about who this girl is," Amber said seriously.

"There's no need-you wouldn't like her," I said. "She doesn't even have friends. Paul only sits with her at lunch because he did on the first day, and now it would be rude to move. That girl never talks to anyone."

"I guess not even with you," my sister teased.

"She'd be happy if I brought some color to her boring days, but she's not that lucky," I said arrogantly.

"I see," my sister said, coughing lightly, while my parents suppressed a smile.

-

Just like every other day that week, Jane was already in the classroom reading when I arrived the next morning. I'd gotten up early on purpose, hoping to beat her there.

Of course, I still took the time to fix my hair-I wanted to look good. Jane looked just as well-dressed today as ever: a jeans and her usual sci-fi tee.

"Hey, little girl," I said, sitting down across from her and turning my chair around- even though today, we wouldn't be sitting close. "How many languages do you speak?"

"Hey," she sighed loudly from behind her book. "Is the library open at this time?" she asked, ignoring my question and starting to pack her book away.

"It opens as soon as the school opens," I answered matter-of-factly.

"See you later, then." She picked up her backpack and left the room.

I had no idea what that little nerd thought of herself-just walking off in the middle of a conversation. One thing was certain: I didn't like her.

I slid back into my usual seat just as Brian arrived. "What's wrong?" he asked, noticing my sulking.

"I don't like the new girl," I muttered. "She just left in the middle of a conversation."

"How rude," Brian said, suppressing a smile.

Her behavior stuck with me the rest of the day, even though I didn't speak to her again and only saw her at lunch- eating with Paul, as usual.

--

That evening at dinner, Amber was talking about some upcoming contest, but I barely listened-the new girl's rudeness kept swirling in my thoughts.

"How was your day, son?" Dad asked.

"The new girl is the rudest person I've ever met," I blurted out.

"What did she do?" Mom asked.

"She just walked out in the middle of a conversation," I said.

"Maybe something urgent came up," Amber offered with a smile.

"Going to the library doesn't sound urgent," I muttered. "I don't like her," I added.

"Oh, that's painfully obvious, son," Dad chuckled, exchanging glances with the women.