Journey to Discovery

Chapter 8

Ethan Carter had never been so picky about candy, not even in elementary school. His family hardly allowed him to eat candy, snacks, or drink sodas. He always felt like he was living a monk-like life, which made him not particularly fond of snacks and candy. Every time Ryan Walker found something tasty, he would stuff a bunch into Ethan's hands.

Now, with Lucas Bennett dumping a handful of candy on his desk for him to choose from, Ethan felt a strange sense of novelty.

Coffee candy, milk candy, mint candy, fruit candy... some were hard, some were soft. He stared at them for a while and finally picked a milk candy.

As soon as he unwrapped it, Lucas Bennett reached out and took the remaining candies away.

"Crap?" Ethan Carter was stunned. He remembered Lucas Bennett said "choose," not "take them all." The logic was so impeccable that Ethan couldn't help but admire him. "Being this stingy, are you aiming to hug Wang Jianlin's thigh tomorrow?"

Lucas Bennett said nothing, glanced at the candies in his hand, picked out two more milk candies, and placed them in front of Ethan, putting the rest back in his pocket.

...Weirdo!

Ethan Carter unwrapped all three milk candies and shoved them into his mouth at once. He couldn't think of a better way to express his feelings.

The English teacher, Mr. Sinclair, taught his class with more focus and quiet than Austin Mitchell. His ability to yell at students made the classroom much more attentive and disciplined.

Although Ethan Carter felt today's teachers couldn't compare to his previous ones, Mr. Sinclair was quite passionate during the entire class. If someone so much as scratched an itch, Mr. Sinclair would wave his pointer and ask if they needed help. Ethan hadn't concentrated this much in class for a long time, and even a moment of distraction was quickly snapped back by the teacher.

As soon as the bell rang, the class burst into chaos as if they had been holding back for ages. Some students even stretched and yelled loudly.

"You!" Mr. Sinclair suddenly pointed his pointer to the back of the classroom. "Come with me."

This "you" and the pointing covered a broad area, causing everyone's heads to turn. Ethan Carter didn't pay attention since he was new and the teacher probably didn't know his name yet...

"Lucas Bennett!" Mr. Sinclair yelled again.

"...Yeah," Lucas Bennett, who had been looking at his phone, dropped it to the floor. He glanced at Mr. Sinclair and then nodded toward Ethan Carter. "He means you."

"Huh?" Ethan Carter was confused. "Me?"

"Yes, you! Lucas Bennett's deskmate!" Mr. Sinclair pointed the pointer again, and the heads under it quickly moved away.

Ethan Carter had no choice but to stand up, unsure why the English teacher wanted to see him.

As he walked to the door, he glanced at Nathaniel Scott, who was also standing up. If it weren't for the teacher calling him out, he and Nathaniel would probably have started a fight by now.

"Ethan Carter, right?" Mr. Sinclair turned and started walking downstairs.

"Yeah," Ethan Carter replied, following him down. "What do you want with me?"

"Your previous teacher, Mr. Mitchell, used to boast about having a real genius in his class..." Mr. Sinclair said.

"What? A real genius?" Ethan Carter didn't understand.

"A real, singular, genius," Mr. Sinclair looked at him and explained. "You don't even get that?"

"Real genius."