Mary's lips trembled. Her body paralyzed her from even moving an inch. She begged as her eyes welled up. "Ben… please don't do this to me! I can take anyone's hatred, but I cannot take yours!"
"That is precisely what you get after hurting her and harming me. If you loved me, you would have let me be happy. You only wanted to have me like that competition trophy and nothing more," Benjamin warned her, "so don't get cocky just because I hid the truth and let you dance in my school. Think of it as a favor and do whatever I tell you to do."
He stood up and added, "She will come tomorrow around 5 pm. Be prepared." Saying that, he turned around and left. Mary was sitting there alone, crying silently.
---------
The next day, the sky was scattered with some clouds. As September mornings are chilly, the students were all wearing extra layers to protect themselves from the cool breeze. Han Luo went to school with her three big brothers and parted from them on the third floor. She went to class and Beth almost leaped in joy. "Luo, you came fast. The live video of yours reached the whole school. Now the drama club is looking for you. You have become famous!" She acted so excitedly that anyone would think she was the one who became famous.
Han Luo was stunned. "Drama club? I'm not interested in drama."
Beth pretended not to hear her and continued, "They want you to play a part in the drama. It's a play for the Christmas party."
"Whatever it is, I'm not interested. I have a dance competition to focus on." Han Luo sat on her seat.
Gossip girl Beth didn't stop there. She sat on her seat that was right behind Han Luo's seat and said, "You don't know who the leader of the drama club is? It's June Smith!"
"June Smith?" Han Luo tried to remember but it didn't ring a bell.
Beth vigorously nodded. "Yes! He is like one of the best looking guys here! Some even call him a prince." Her eyes sparkled as she cheerfully spoke.
"Ah, I see." Han Luo lost interest the moment her friend said that line. She had no interest in princes or whatsoever. All she wanted was a guy who would love her for who she is, and she would do the same back. It did not matter to her how good he looked on the outside; what mattered most is if he is a good person.
Beth looked at her in wonder. "What are you being so uninterested about?! He is the golden cub and grew up with a silver spoon in his mouth. He is the hottest and smartest guy in school and literally everybody is in love with him." She looked dreamy and the aura around her turned pink.
Han Luo helplessly shook her head. "'Fan-girling' and 'loving' are completely different feelings."
Beth waved her hand. "Oh, forget that. You will get the chance to get close to him. Uhh… I'm so jealous!"
Han Luo suggested, "Since you love him so much, why don't you join the drama club?"
"I want to but how can it be more fun than reading in the library?" In the end, Beth still chose her hobby. It only meant no matter how much she liked June Smith, she still loved herself more.
Han Luo smirked. Class had started. She was attentive and took notes. She got more homework today.
Beth cried behind her. "I don't want to live anymore. What's with all this homework? Will it even ever help me with anything? Will it help me earn a lot of money or will it make me a good person? All I think is that I might become insane with this homework."
"Let's finish them during break. I don't want to take them home," Han Luo suggested. She wanted to practice dancing after going home.
"That's a good idea," Beth easily agreed. She had part-time work and also was a blogger, so Beth didn't have time to do homework after school.
The break arrived and they were ready to go to the library. Just then, a boy and a girl came to their class. They were both in a higher year. The boy had dirty blond hair, blue eyes and handsome features. The girl beside him had blonde hair and light brown eyes. Together, they looked like a heavenly couple.
Beth excitedly shook Han Luo's body. She whispered, "Luo, they are the famous June and Jenny. They're the hottest legendary couple in school! They must be here for you!"
"…" Han Luo was speechless after seeing her acting like that.
"Is Luo Han present?" the girl asked.
"Yes." Han Luo came forward and asked, "Who are you and why are you looking for me?"
"You don't know us?!" The girl seemed surprised. A small crease came to her forehead.
'Does she think of themselves as Anthony and Cleopatra that everyone in the world would know her?' Han Luo didn't speak her mind and answered, "I've transferred here recently so I was only able to memorize the names and faces of my classmates. I hope I didn't offend you." She made the girl realize that she was not a robot who could memorize every student's face and name.
The boy said, "It's all right, it's not your fault. By the way, I'm June and she is Jenny. We are from the drama club. We want to talk to you."
"Sure, what you got to say?" Han Luo asked.
Jenny suggested, "Can we talk somewhere else? It's kinda crowded here." She didn't seem polite, but she wasn't rude either. Yet she did seem to look down on Han Luo and the students in her class.
Naturally, Han Luo didn't like her. However, she didn't lower herself by talking to her senior rudely. She replied, "Sure, but you have to be quick because I have to do some homework."
"All right, we won't take that much PRECIOUS time of yours," Jenny declared.