Chapter 6

Stephen had always been a bit of a messy eater. He would just stuff food into his mouth, disregarding how stained it left his mouth. On the other hand, Bailey was a lot more refined. She took small bites that only left a tiny bit of an oil stain, making her ruby lips look glossy. That being said, she wasn't at all slow when it came to eating. The food at the cafeteria was quite heavily seasoned. Being in Solaville, spicy food was also a common theme. However, the staff that worked for the Youngs only prepared exquisite yet lightly seasoned food. Eating such food on a daily basis would kill anyone's appetite. Meanwhile, Zachary was extremely nervous, so much so that he kept fidgeting in his seat. After all, Bailey, the most beautiful girl in school and a veritable genius in academics, was sitting across from him! He couldn't possibly match Stephen's nonchalant attitude. Zachary was not a sensitive, observant person, but over the last few days, even a gruff fellow like him could sense that after spring break, something about Stephen had changed. Although Stephen used to be somewhat reckless in the past, he would also feel nervous and tense when dealing with a beautiful girl. He simply hid that side of him better than Zachary did. But this time, even though a breathtaking beauty like Bailey was sitting across from Stephen, Zachary could sense how at ease Stephen was. Sensing Bailey's shyness and Zachary's awkwardness, Stephen struck up a conversation. With his high emotional intelligence, he was able to swiftly dispel the tension in the air. After glancing at Zachary, Bailey asked Stephen softly, "Are you guys… good friends too?" Stephen nodded and introduced with a smile, "This is Zachary. We've known each other since we were babies, and our friendship has survived countless storms. He's willing to brave through anything for me, even if it means risking his life!" Zachary's face twitched as he thought to himself, "Am I the only one risking my life? Why don't you do the same, huh? Our friendship survived countless storms, you say? Well, I wouldn't mind it coming to an end now!" Bailey smiled. She truly thought that Stephen was incredible. She had a mouth too, but how did he manage to string so many words together at once and say such amusing things? Disgruntled, Zachary tried to get even some other way. He eyed a juicy chicken wing on Stephen's plate and, within seconds, he grabbed it and started chomping on it. "Hey, you!" Stephen snapped in vexation. He loved chicken wings. Thankfully, he still had one on his plate. Meanwhile, Bailey took it all in, her eyes gleaming. Stephen was her first friend, so she didn't have any prior experience with interaction among friends. She had to learn how to do it from scratch. Being the excellent student that she was, she possessed unparalleled learning prowess, and she quickly formulated the chain of logic in her head. Stephen and Zachary were good friends. She and Stephen were also good friends. Since Zachary stole one of Stephen's chicken wings, that meant she should do it too. "I got it!" Bailey thought to herself, her eyes shining with eagerness. While Stephen was distracted, she seized her chance to pick up the remaining chicken wing on his plate and stuffed it into her mouth just like what Zachary did earlier, leaving both Stephen and Zachary flabbergasted. "I-Is there a problem with what I did?" Bailey asked after taking a small bite and setting the half-eaten chicken wing down on her plate, her expression puzzled. With a strange look on his face, Stephen asked, "D-Do you think it's fine?" "Isn't this what good friends do?" Bailey asked before proceeding to dissect the situation. "You're good friends with him, and I'm good friends with you. Since he stole your chicken wing, I should do it too!" She picked it up and took another bite which left her lips even glossier with grease. For some reason, the chicken wing she stole off Stephen's plate seemed unusually delicious! The corner of Stephen's lips twitched. Her sense of logic was pretty remarkable. Was she into coding? It was an admirable hobby. She would certainly be ahead of her time. By now, Stephen realized that the rumors about Bailey being aloof and standoffish were all nonsense. She was just a naive, muddle-headed girl who had no experience with social interactions. Cocking a brow, Stephen cleared his throat and said, "It's fine, but… apart from mine, you're not allowed to steal anyone else's food!" "Why… not?" "No reason. Either way, I forbid you from doing it, or else, our friendship's over," Stephen declared domineeringly. "Okay then." Bailey nodded in agreement. Truth be told, she wouldn't steal anyone else's food anyway, even if she did make new friends. Why was that? Well, she figured it was because they weren't Stephen. When the trio finished eating, they cleared their trays and left the cafeteria. As they walked out, they drew everyone's attention again. There was no doubt that Stephen was going to be the talk of the school. The news of Bailey coming to the cafeteria to have lunch with a guy was undoubtedly a shocking one. As for Zachary… Well, the students weren't fools. They presumed he was just a nobody in this situation. After all, throughout the entire lunch, Bailey only had eyes for Stephen. The crowd couldn't figure out how Stephen had established a connection with Bailey. Even Zachary, the closest observer, found it peculiar. Once they left the cafeteria, he threw his arm around Stephen and hurried him forward a few steps before asking quietly, "Stephen, how the hell do you and Bailey know each other?" "Oh. I'll tell you later." "Fine." Zachary took his arm off Stephen, who turned his head around to look at Bailey. To his surprise, she had her arm raised as if she wanted to put it around his shoulders too. Startled, Stephen asked, "Bailey? What are you doing?" Although having lunch with Bailey would surely stir up a frenzy, it was just a meal. It would still be easy enough to brush it off. However, if she had any kind of physical contact with him, he would never be able to clear his name. Bailey was a brilliant student bound for the top colleges in the nation. If she got caught up in dating rumors less than two months away from the SATs, the school would surely attempt to intervene somehow. They would most likely try to convince him to take a leave of absence and get his studying done at home. "Zachary put his arm around your shoulders, so I want to do it too," Bailey explained in all seriousness. Stephen hurriedly shook his head. "You definitely can't do that." "Why not?" Bailey asked with an aggrieved pout. "Well…" Stephen scratched the back of his head. She probably wouldn't get it if he explained that guys and girls shouldn't do anything too intimate, even if they were friends. Her family kept her too well-protected. She was too sheltered and knew nothing about such things. Therefore, the wise and mature Stephen chose to explain it in a way that Bailey would understand. "Zachary and I have been friends since we were babies. He has the right to put his arm around my shoulders because he would risk his life for me. Can you do the same?" After thinking about it, Bailey shook her head. "I'm extremely afraid of pain." "In that case, you should put your arm down," Stephen said sternly. "Okay." Bailey obediently did as instructed. The trio passed through the long corridor and came to a seating area. After taking their seats, they chatted for a while as they digested their lunch. Zachary wisely chose to sit across from Stephen and Bailey. To his shock, he thought the two made a fairly good match. When it came to looks, Stephen definitely couldn't even hold a candle to Bailey. He was easy on the eyes, but she was drop-dead gorgeous. Yet, he exuded an air of innate confidence that made up for the disparity in their physical appearance. That being said, Zachary couldn't figure out where Stephen got his confidence from. Out of curiosity, he said, "You can tell me now, right, Stephen? How did you and Bailey meet?" "Oh, about that…" Stephen began to regale that tale, but when it came to the most crucial moment, he stopped. "And? What happened next?" "The free trial has ended. If you wish to know the rest of the story, you'll need to pay up, Zachary." Zachary was speechless. In the end, it was Bailey who gave a summary of what happened—from her perspective, of course. She wasn't fond of speaking, but she had no problem speaking when necessary. In fact, she was more articulate and could reason better than most people. "So, it all started because of a misunderstanding?" Zachary asked. He felt as though he was watching a scene from a romantic comedy. On the other hand, Stephen pursed his lips. "You didn't mention the most important point, Bailey. The main reason was my dashing good looks." Zachary rolled his eyes. "Stephen, you can get away with flaunting your looks in front of me, but are you sure you can do the same in front of Bailey?" "Let me tell you something, Zachary. Did you know I went to Roscray City recently? I happened to run into Chris Hanson, the celebrity. He was giving out his autographs, so I decided to get one too. To my surprise, he actually struck up a conversation with me. Guess what he said." "Oh? What did he say?" "Hey there, handsome," Stephen said with a straight face. Zachary felt the muscles in his face hardening, while Bailey covered her mouth as she pealed with laughter. After a while, she asked, "Stephen, do you have a criteria for making friends?" "Of course," Stephen replied with a nod. "At the very least, they need to be lookers." Looking at Bailey, he continued, "For example, you're good-looking." Then, he glanced at Zachary. "As for Zachary, he's—" Zachary was pleased. "After so many years, Stephen, are you finally noticing my good looks?" "Let me finish!" Stephen said, rolling his eyes. "Bailey is good-looking, but you, you're funny-looking." "I'm going to end you!" Zachary snapped in outrage as he balled his fists and started chasing Stephen down. As Bailey watched the two guys fool around, she grinned and secretly balled her fists too.