Chapter 7

Natasha didn't have lunch at the school cafeteria. She came from a fairly wealthy family, though they weren't as well-off as Bailey who had someone to bring her lunch at noon every day. Still, she preferred to have lunch at one of the eateries near the school entrance. That way, she could eat whatever she wanted instead of having to rely on the mercy of the lunch lady's meal plan. Done with lunch, she went back to the classroom for a nap. She had no idea Stephen ate lunch with Bailey at the school cafeteria, but her best friend Wendy did. Wendy had been sitting at a table somewhere behind Stephen, and she'd gotten a clear view of Bailey sneaking the chicken wing off Stephen's plate. Only people who were close to each other would partake in each other's half-eaten plates of food. The sight of that left her feeling dumbstruck. Did Stephen say he was giving up on Natasha—and actually stuck to his word too—because he found himself someone better? Wendy had always thought that Natasha was extremely beautiful. She was even more attractive than some of the female celebrities in the entertainment industry. Nevertheless, she couldn't compare to Bailey, who was considered the school beauty throughout her entire tenure in high school. It was like comparing a straight-A student to a certified genius. Most straight-A students often had to put in the effort to maintain their grades, but a genius would get all As without even trying. Wendy hesitated, wondering if she should tell Natasha about it. However, before she made up her mind, Ryder approached Natasha with a look of heartache and said, "Don't be mad anymore, Nat. I've taught Stephen a lesson for you. He's such a pushover too. I exerted my authority as the class representative and emphasized my reputation as one of the school's Top 3 Best Students, and he nearly cried from fright—" Natasha frowned. "Ryder, did you actually teach Stephen a lesson?" Nodding, Ryder said, "Well, I didn't hit him. I just said a few words so that he saw the error in his ways." Natasha's expression turned cold. "What does my situation with Stephen have to do with you? What gives you the right to lecture him?" Ryder turned red. "Nat, I… I was just concerned about you." Natasha's expression turned even icier. "I don't need your concern, Ryder. The more you do things like this, the more I dislike you!" Struck dumb, Ryder couldn't find the words to say. He slunk back to his seat looking rather despondent. Once he left, Wendy murmured, "Nat, you… care quite a lot about Stephen, right?" "Of course not!" Natasha pursed her lips, but she glanced over at Stephen's empty seat. "Oh, you…" Wendy sighed. "If you can't bear to have him gone, you can just take the initiative to mend things with him." "Nope!" Natasha shook her head at once. She and Stephen had fought before. Although it was always due to her throwing a tantrum, Stephen had always been the one who made the first move to placate her. She couldn't deign to humble herself and ask for a reconciliation. Looking at Natasha's haughty expression, Wendy decided it was best if she didn't mention what happened at the school cafeteria. … Over the next few days, Stephen continued to have lunch with Bailey at the cafeteria. When dealing with others, Bailey continued to keep a straight face like the cold, aloof person she had always been. It was only when she was with Stephen that she started showing a variety of other facial expressions, all of which stupefied many of the young and naive teenage boys who were observing them. She was indisputably a beauty. Every move and every smile of hers bewitched them. Due to that, Stephen became the target of endless hatred and resentment. The guys wanted nothing more than to gang up on him and get rid of him. They couldn't figure it out at all. He wasn't particularly attractive, and his grades were average. At most, he might be able to just barely get accepted into a top-tier university. What was it about him that earned him Bailey's favor? "Hey, do you think Bailey is really dating Stephen?" "It's extremely likely. After all, it's been three years. Have you ever seen Bailey smile? Not only does she smile at Stephen, but she even feeds him food!" "Stop talking about it! My heart has crumbled to pieces!" Similar conversations played out in all corners of the cafeteria. Within a few days, the rumor about Bailey and Stephen dating spread across the school, finally reaching the ears of the teachers. Emma Stoker, the homeroom teacher of Senior Class 1, reacted with disbelief. She even found the entire notion utterly ridiculous. Would Bailey actually get involved with a guy—and with a completely average one from Class 6, no less? That sounded like complete nonsense! Still, as the rumors intensified, Emma started paying more attention to it. It was better not to be too dismissive, lest it turned out to be true. There was only a little over a month left till the SATs. If this incident affected Bailey's studies and caused her to fail to get admitted into either Harvard or Yale, it would be a huge loss to both Bailey and the school too. Following much deliberation, Emma went to see Mindy about it. After shooting the breeze for a while, she jokingly brought this matter up. She wasn't going to talk to Bailey about it, of course. Instead, she chose to let Mindy give Stephen a warning. Being a language teacher, Mindy easily deduced Emma's intentions. Emma was basically telling her to keep Stephen in check and stop him from having designs about Bailey. He shouldn't be delusional enough to try and seduce Bailey at such a crucial point in time. Mindy was confused. Were the baseless rumors even worth talking about? How did having lunch together equate to being in a relationship? Nevertheless, since it involved Bailey, and the school's hope for having a graduate who attended Harvard or Yale, no matter how uncomfortable Mindy was about it, she promised Emma she would talk to Stephen. If she didn't, she knew that Emma would probably talk to the school administration, and that would only make things even harder to settle. Thus, during the self-study period on Friday, Mindy had Stephen called to the office. Once he got there, he asked, "You wanted to see me, Ms. Hayes?" Mindy didn't answer right away. She continued with her marking, choosing to let Stephen fret for a while. Once she finally got her marking done, she picked up her cup and drank from it. Only then did she look at Stephen. Had this occurred in Stephen's previous life, he would've been quaking by now from Mindy's tactics. She was good at wrangling students, after all. However, the current Stephen was not only unperturbed, but he even found it amusing. He could deduce why Mindy wanted to see him, but he and Bailey were simply friends, nothing more. Therefore, he was not afraid at all. "Stephen, you've been putting in more effort in your studies lately. I've noticed that, of course," Mindy said before sighing. "When you first got assigned to the class, you were ranked second in class. If you kept it up, you would've been able to get into a top-tier university. But throughout the last few years, you haven't been focusing on your studies at all. And now, your grades are neither here nor there." Smiling, Stephen replied, "Well, I've come back to my senses now, Ms. Hayes. Just wait and see. Maybe I'll get a score during the SATs that'll make you proud." "Making me proud isn't that important. It's more important than you do what's right for your own life," Mindy said. Now that she was getting to the main subject, her tone grew stern. "Stephen, lately, I've been hearing some rumors regarding you and Bailey Young, the brilliant student from Class 1." Stephen scratched his head in confusion. "Bailey and I have indeed been hanging out a lot these days, Ms. Hayes, but we're just friends." Nodding, Mindy said, "That I believe. After all, Bailey's not a fool." Stephen was speechless. "The problem is Ms. Stoker, the homeroom teacher for Class 1, doesn't believe that. She insisted that I warn you. I can't do anything about it either. You're a smart kid, Stephen. I'm sure you know what I mean, right?" "Sure I do. The pen is mightier than the sword, and rumors can easily do a lot of damage. Don't worry, Ms. Hayes. I know what to do." "Oh? Tell me what you're going to do so that I can settle things with Ms. Stoker too." Raising an eyebrow, Stephen declared, "Ms. Hayes, I will warn Bailey about this. We're still high school students. Our studies should be our main priority. She shouldn't be distracted by anything else, and she definitely shouldn't be so infatuated with my good looks that it ends up affecting her SATs." Mindy was at a loss for words.