Chapter 3

The students tracked Ruth's gaze and saw her looking toward the corner where Icarus was seated, but their eyes naturally landed on Leon Harlow, who sat in front of Icarus. He was crowned the most handsome guy in class due to his good looks and wealthy background. Many of the girls in class had a crush on him. Could it be that Ruth had transferred to Class 2 for him? Tom Higgins, Leon's deskmate, bumped his arm against Leon and said, "L-Leon, I think Ruth is here for you!" Leon was a little confused as well. Back in 10th grade, he'd once tried to woo Ruth, but before he even got a chance to talk to her, the Talbots gave him a warning to back off. From that moment onward, he knew that Ruth was someone he couldn't afford to offend. They were in their senior year now and on the verge of graduating from high school. Why was Ruth coming for him now? Could it be that she'd been harboring a secret crush on him for a long time? Considering this possibility, Leon swiftly sat up straight and combed his hair a little. Despite being rather excited, he maintained a calm exterior. All eyes were on Ruth and Leon now. Naturally, everyone in class ignored the fact that Donovan and Icarus sat behind Leon. After all, one was physically unattractive while the other was a loner. Why would a goddess like Ruth be interested in either one of them? "Leon's going to ruin yet another pretty girl!" "Alas… if only I were as handsome and rich as Leon." "Ruth's my goddess! How could she fall in love with someone else?" The boys in the class had mixed emotions about this. Some were envious while others were jealous. Meanwhile, Hank looked at Ruth with a kind expression and asked, "Do you wish to sit with Leon, Ruth?" Instead of responding, Ruth started heading toward Icarus. Leon was so nervous that his heart was racing. He began to ponder what the first words out of his mouth should be. As Ruth came closer, he started to smile. He was just about to speak when Ruth walked right past him. "Mr. Yarra, I want to sit with Icarus," Ruth said as she stared fixedly at Icarus. The classroom was silent as the students all exchanged wide-eyed looks with each other. What was going on? Why was Ruth asking to sit with the basically invisible Icarus instead of Leon, the most handsome guy in class? Ruth turned to the thunderstruck Donovan and asked sweetly, "Would you be okay with giving me your seat?" It was Donovan's first time being in such proximity with a beautiful girl. Turning scarlet, he opened his mouth to speak but no words came out. Thus, before Donovan could say anything, Icarus spoke up. "I don't want to sit with you." Some of the boys in class couldn't resist gasping in shock. The fact that Ruth wanted to sit with Icarus had been stupefying enough. Who would've thought that Icarus would even reject the idea? Did he know what he was rejecting? Every other guy dreamed of being in his position! All of the guys were inwardly hollering their own willingness to sit with Ruth instead! Ruth didn't care about Icarus' rejection. She turned toward Hank, who tensed up when he sensed her eyes on him. Considering who Ruth was, even Ned Hoffman, the school principal, had to treat her with respect. Naturally, he was going to fulfill her request. Hank looked at Icarus and said grimly, "Watch your attitude, Icarus! Ruth has just joined our class. How can you talk to her like that? You and Donovan chat in class all the time! As it is, I've been meaning to separate you two, and now's as good a time as any. Ruth will be your new deskmate. Donovan, you can move to the second last row and sit by yourself. Come on. Do it now!" Since Hank had given the order, Icarus couldn't say anything. A few minutes later, Ruth got her wish and became his new deskmate, while Donovan was dispatched to the second last row to sit all by his lonesome self. "Ruth here is a star student from the honors class. You must all learn from her example!" Hank said ingratiatingly. For Icarus, being Ruth's deskmate was nothing short of terrible. He'd maintained a low profile at Hindale High for two years now, so much so that most of the students in the class didn't even know his name. Yet, Ruth had ruined everything. Even now, although class was in session, Icarus could sense that many eyes were on him. He let out a sigh and started massaging his temples. Ruth had been observing him out of the corner of her eye, but she said nothing. He showed no interest in talking to her either. Instead, he slumped back over his desk and continued to rest. As soon as the bell rang to signal the end of class, everyone broke out into chatter. The topic of discussion was Icarus and Ruth, of course. Even Leon and Tom left their seats and headed up front to chat with a few other guys. "What the hell? I thought Ruth came to this class for you, Leon! Who would've thought she was after that Icarus guy instead?" one of the guys said. Leon had a foul expression on his face, feeling vexed and humiliated. Earlier on, he'd been so confident in his own charm and popularity, but Ruth didn't even look at him! "No. I think something's up. I didn't hear Ruth and Icarus talking to each other at all throughout the entire class. They don't seem to know each other at all," Tom remarked. Immediately, the guys turned to look at Icarus and Ruth. Icarus was lying on his desk while Ruth seemed to be writing intently. They had no interaction at all. "I think you're still her real target, Leon! She only chose to sit with Icarus because that means she'll be right behind you!" Tom concluded confidently. The other guys also had looks of realization and voiced their agreement. "Yes, I think so too. Icarus barely even talks in class. How could he possibly be acquainted with a goddess like Ruth?" "But if that's the case, why didn't she just ask to sit with me instead?" Leon asked with a frown. "I bet it's because she's shy! After all, she's just a teenage girl, and she comes from a prominent family too. How can she possibly express her feelings for you directly, Leon?" another guy chimed in. After thinking about it, Leon thought they had a point. Ruth must've ignored him just now because she was shy, right? However, while the boys were having this conversation, Icarus got up and left the classroom with Ruth going after him. That got the students chattering again, and Leon, whose mood had only just improved, immediately had a stormy look on his face. … Icarus and Ruth went up to the rooftop. "I know why you came to look for me, but I can't help you," Icarus stated plainly. Biting her lip, Ruth shot back, "You're Dr. Aldridge's disciple! I'm sure you can save my grandpa." "I already said I'm not his disciple. He was a friend," Icarus replied, shaking his head. "Stop lying to me. All it took was one look for you to figure out that Grandpa had end-stage lung cancer and only less than three months to live. Who else could've done it besides a disciple of Dr. Aldridge?" Ruth staunchly protested. Icarus was now regretting ever having said that. He should've just held his tongue back then. Nevertheless, he cocked an eyebrow and retorted, "So what if I knew what his condition was? It doesn't mean anything. I'm assuming no one in this world can treat someone who has end-stage lung cancer." "I-I don't expect you to cure his condition… I just hope… you can prolong his life so that he can live a few more years…" Ruth said, her voice choking up. She was starting to tear up as well. No ordinary guy could withstand the tears of a beautiful girl like her, but Icarus wasn't an ordinary guy. "Sorry, but I can't do that either," Icarus replied. There were plenty of people in the world who went through their own hardships and misfortunes. He couldn't save everyone, and neither was it his duty to do so either. He wasn't a hero and had no intention of being one. "It doesn't matter how much money you want in compensation. We can afford it!" Ruth declared. "I mean it when I say I can't help you. I don't need money either," Icarus responded curtly before turning to leave. But after a few steps, he turned his head around and added, "By the way, I hope you can move to a different seat. I don't want to sit with you. I hate trouble." As Icarus walked away without hesitation, Ruth became so infuriated that she turned pale. When had she, the daughter of the Talbot family, ever had to plead with someone in such a humble manner? She'd even turned on the waterworks! Even so, Icarus remained unmoved. He'd been as nonchalant as ever. "You hate trouble, huh? Well, I'll make trouble for you then!" Ruth growled through gritted teeth. They both returned to the classroom and throughout the next few periods, they didn't interact with each other at all. Finally, it was time for lunch. Icarus continued to nap on his desk. After arranging her books, Ruth poked him in the shoulder. "Let's have lunch together, Icarus," Ruth said sweetly. Icarus looked up. Seeing the brilliant smile on her face, he got a bad feeling. "Oh, forget it. You must be tired after last night. Go on. Get some sleep. I'll bring you some food. Be a good boy and wait for me," Ruth said, her eyes flashing devilishly. She got up and left the classroom. Everyone else in class was in an uproar over what Ruth said. They felt a little overloaded by the information! What did she mean by that? What happened last night that tired Icarus out? Why did Ruth blush so bashfully when she said that? Could it be that Icarus and Ruth had already… Most of the guys threw jealous glares at Icarus, who remained as cool as a cucumber. He figured Ruth was determined to cause trouble for him. However, she seemed rather determined, going so far as to besmirch her own reputation just to cause this misunderstanding. Unfortunately for her, Icarus didn't care about this. While he hated trouble, it didn't mean he feared it. After all, this just meant that he would become famous in school and be subjected to the jealousy of all these teenage boys. What was the big deal? As someone who'd cultivated for nearly five millennia, he might as well end his own life if he couldn't even handle a teenage girl. Icarus got up to have lunch with Donovan at the cafeteria, but someone called out to him. "Hey, Icarus. I'd like to discuss something with you. Shall we talk out in the hallway?" Leon said.