Oops, My Boyfriend

第24章

After pushing Caleb away, I started running wildly. After a while, I looked back and saw he wasn't chasing me, which left me breathless. So, I headed back and stopped at the school's mini-mart to buy a soda to quench my thirst. As I sipped my drink, I grumbled to myself about Caleb being a cunning jerk, thinking he's always one step ahead and I can't do anything about it.Sometimes while thinking about it, I'd get so angry, feeling the urge to curse him for being so absolute in his decisions—like deciding not to see me. It felt so definitive, almost admirable in a harsh way.Out of desperation, which is innate in anyone feeling down and out, I cycled through missing him, being angry at him, cursing him, and then missing him again. I realized it was time to be cunning.I'm not good at many things except for sleeping and playing the sympathy card. To look pitiful, I first tried some physical tricks: I put ice pops on my head, aimed my belly at the fan, took cold showers, and yet I remained surprisingly healthy.Out of sheer desperation, I even tried to get sick by talking to a classmate who had the flu. I suggested she remove her mask so we could chat more openly. Although most of her face was hidden behind the mask, her eyes showed she was quite startled by my suggestion.When she dodged, indicating she was genuinely sick, I tried to make her face me by pulling down her mask, saying, "Let's talk heart to heart."She probably found my actions bizarre and alarming because she made an excuse and hurried away, and since then, she's kept her distance from me.Still as healthy as ever, I joked to myself that had I known about my strong constitution earlier, I might have trained to be an astronaut, perhaps even stepping out of the spacecraft alongside Yang Liwei.During this period, James called several times to check on me, which I assured him I was fine. He also asked me out to help clear my mind, but I didn't dare go. Not because I feared being caught by Caleb again, but because I was afraid I might impulsively tell James that Caleb thought it inappropriate for us to meet and suggest we should go our separate ways—never meeting again, even pretending not to see each other if we did.Then one day, James called to say he would be leaving town soon and wanted to meet one last time as a farewell. The weather was gloomy that day, mirroring my mood.I looked up at the sky and shouted, "Even you seem to frown upon my meeting him. Dare you to rain on me, do it!"Tess pulled me away from the window, commenting on my distressed state, "Poor Audrey, what has Caleb done to upset you this much?"I didn't bother with an umbrella and headed straight to the café to meet James."You don't look well," James noted as I arrived.I managed a weak smile.He returned the smile but added, "Stop smiling, it looks more like a grimace."I dropped my fake smile and listlessly fiddled with a napkin.James then admitted, "Actually, I know why you and Caleb are having issues."I looked at him, and he continued, "It's because of me, isn't it?"I quickly responded, "No, no, don't think that. I don't know what's going through Caleb's mind, making up stuff without any sense."James chuckled and said, "Let me tell you a story."I shivered slightly, sensing an ominous start, but politely urged, "Go ahead, tell me."