Novel Square
Chapter 46
Chapter 46
Cordelia froze, her eyes locked on the text message that had just lit up her phone screen.
Had she read that right?
While she lost herself in the bewilderment, a voice snapped her out. "Cordelia, you leaving? They're about to lock up the auditorium."
She stood up, looking a bit confused. "Yeah, I'm leaving."
Clutching her textbooks, she slipped her phone into her pocket and exited the classroom.
-
Inside the Midnight Scent, Everard fixed his eyes on his phone, fixated on the last message he'd sent. [Call me dear, and it's yours to borrow.]
He still remembered the introduction when Cordelia joined the group chat. Stanton had called her Louie's dear good friend.
There he was, lowering his guard, sweet-talking and cooing, and he hadn't even managed to get her to add him on social media, and Louie just swooped in as 'dear friend'?
How could a girl so casually call someone 'dear'?
His finger tapped lightly on the table as he imagined her calling him dear in that soft, sweet voice. But why hadn't she replied to his message yet?
Meanwhile, the group chat "Who exactly is this girl?" was blowing up.
Bland started. [Damn! What's going on in here? Is Mr. Watkins flirting?]
Stanton typed. [Lia's got guts, still no reply. Is she rejecting him? We're witnessing a flirtation fail and might be doomed!]
The rest of the chat expressed their nervousness with shivering emojis.
Frankie added, [He's been talking a lot lately, which is abnormal. Should someone warn the girl not to tick him off? I'm worried she might vanish from the chat by tomorrow!]
Stanton replied, [I don't dare.]
Bland echoed. [Same here.]
The rest texted, [Even less.]
So, the big shots in the group chat shook in their virtual boots, silently observing. Just as they were fretting for Cordelia, a new message popped up.
Louie broke the silence. [She dare not call you dear. Perhaps Lia could respectfully see you as her teacher if you want to mentor.]
After reading this message, the chat went silent. Everyone was holding his breath, not wanting to get caught in the crossfire of a battle between the big shots.
Patiently waiting for Cordelia's reply, Everard was surprisingly fine about it. After all, his young friend was a bit slow to warm up.
He'd only waited about five minutes when a new message lit up the chat. But upon reading it, his eyebrows lifted ever so slightly, and he let out a sarcastic snort.
Was Louie trying to speak for her? Since when did he get to make decisions for Cordelia?
He was about to type a response when he suddenly paused.
Teacher? He thought of Cordelia addressing him with such reverence. Perhaps a teacher-student romance might not be too bad.
As he hesitated, another message appeared.
LearnLover asked, [Would that work? I love to learn. Would you be my teacher?]
The fire that had been building in Everard dissipated instantly with that message. His stern face softened into a smile, and his long fingers tapped out a response. [Okay.]
After that, Cordelia received a private message from Mr. All-Round with all the study materials requested.
Her eyes lit up as she saw it. [Thank you, Sir!]
By then, she had returned to the classroom. After sending her reply, she slung her backpack over her shoulder, ready to head home.
But as she reached the door, a message from Larry popped up. [Miss Cordelia, Miss Juliana insisted I take her home first. Hold on for a bit. I'll drop her off and then come for you.]
Cordelia frowned at the message. She had left early in the morning while Juliana was still asleep, taking the subway and bus to school.
Juliana was always slow, sometimes deliberately dawdling for fifteen minutes. Cordelia was only five minutes later than usual, and Juliana had already left.
Annoyed and not wanting to wait for Larry, Cordelia decided to take a taxi, but as she was about to hail one, a topless blue sports car skidded to a stop before her.
Yates pointed to the passenger seat. "Lia, need a lift?"
He sure looked dashing behind the wheel.
Without a second thought, Cordelia hopped in, eager to get home and dive into the materials to solve the mystery nagging at her.
"Lia, buckle up. Here we go!" Yates exclaimed, flooring the accelerator as they zipped away from the Midnight Scent.
Behind the counter, Everard glanced out the window just in time to see the passing car and its two occupants.
Brimming with the rebellious spirit of their age, the redhead boy wildly grinned as he drove, catching the eyes of girls like his friend, who was practically glowing with excitement beside him.
They looked like a pair of youngsters in the throes of first love.
Everard's eyes darkened.
-
The drive from school to home usually took Larry half an hour.
Yates did it in fifteen.
He sped to the Delaney Manor without slowing down.
Having lost a fight to Cordelia, he wanted to reclaim some pride in another way.
The first time a girl was in a sports car, she would be thrilled and terrified.
With that thought, he pressed the gas pedal harder until they reached the Delaney family’s front gate. Only then did he slam on the brakes, skillfully spinning the steering wheel for a stylish drift that
brought the car to a halt, kicking up a cloud of dust.
After his show-off maneuver, Yates turned to Cordelia with a smug look. "Lia, are you..." Published by Nôv'elD/rama.Org.
He paused as his eyes met hers, bright and excited.
Cordelia was elated. "That was so fast!"
She ran her hand along the car. "If only I could get my license and have a sports car like this." It would save her half an hour each day for more study time!
Lugging the idea with her, she slung her backpack over her shoulder and hopped out of the car, her footsteps light as she entered the Delaney family's gate.
Yates remained speechless, a blank expression on his face.
-
No sooner had Cordelia crossed the threshold of her home than her phone chimed with a message. It was from Little Fang. [Did you ride home in a classmate's convertible today?]
Cordelia responded at her own leisurely pace. [Yeah.]
Little Fang typed back. [Is that guy trying to hit on you?]
A wry smile played across Cordelia's lips as she texted back. [What's it to you?]
Everard was left puzzled as he looked at his phone.
About two minutes later, his phone pinged, indicating that Cordelia had received the files he had sent. Cordelia must have made it home.
She even took the initiative to send him a message.
LearnLover texted, [Sir, do you think convertibles are easy to learn to drive?]