Fene’s POV


    I ced my tray and dirty tes down. I immediately approached the table where Laird, Adam, and a few other boys were eating. When I arrived at Adam’s table, I cleared my throat. I knew Laird looked startled, but I ignored him.


    “Hey, Adam. Do you collect a lot of console games?” I asked Adam with curious, wide eyes.


    “Uh, yeah.” Adam looked confused, but he nodded.


    “Can Catherine and Ie to your house this Sunday? Maybe we could trade thetest games. I really want to buy a new game, but I’m still not sure which one to get.” My eyes blinked clearly, and I made a request to him.


    I hoped my face and eyes would resemble a cute cat begging with sparkling eyes. Unfortunately, maybe only I thought that way.


    Instantly, all the boys at the table tried hard to hold back theirughter. Unfortunately, Laird let out a heartyugh. He didn’t hesitate to mock me.


    “Don’t force Adam to trade games with you. He won’t be interested in ying silly games like your favorite dancing game.”


    Of course, Laird had to make a meanment. He was so annoying!


    The boys at the table thenughed in satisfaction. They allughed as if I had made the best joke of the year. Although I could feel my face heating up and turning red, I stuck my tongue out at Laird.


    “Shut up! Besides, you also like ying that dancing game with me.”


    Theyughed louder. Cath came over and stood beside me, wrapping her arm around mine. I knew she was trying to support me.


    “It’s because you keep forcing me,” he retorted, even though I knew he was also embarrassed in front of his friends.


    “Come on, Laird! Just admit you’re jealous of Adam.” Another boy chimed in, and this time he became the butt of the joke. The boys at the table immediately cheered mischievously.


    Adam, who didn’t know what was going on, was just chuckling. I knew he felt out of ce in the conversation, probably not understanding the dynamic between me and Laird, who had been close friends since childhood.


    I snorted, ignoring Laird and his noisy friends. I chose to focus on Adam.


    “So, Adam, how about it? Can wee to your houseter?” I asked shamelessly.


    “Oh.” Adam turned to look at me again. He observed me and Catherine, who was standing beside me. It seemed he was judging both of us, then he nodded.


    “Sure. Come over. My little sister also likes to y dancing game, by the way. I enjoy ying with her too.” Adam spoke, supporting me, and the boys immediately stoppedughing.


    “Oh, so you also like apanying your sister to y silly games like dancing game?” Feeling victorious over Laird, I raised my voice and spoke, turning my head towards Laird. He snorted and turned away.


    “In that case, we’lleter.”


    “My name is Fene, and this is Catherine. We’re ssmates, remember?”


    Adam nodded and smiled at me and Cath. I smiled back at him. I turned to Cath with a wide smile, and she responded with a shy smile.


    “Alright, see youter,” I said with a quick wave.


    Then I walked away with Cath,ughing. Laird’s and his friends’ughter could still be heard behind us, but I ignored them.


    “You’re so brave, Fen! Are you crazy?” Cath asked,ughing in disbelief.


    “I don’t know. I just wanted to prove to you that my theory is correct. Adam is cooler and better than Laird.” I said this with one hand, brushing my hair back.


    “You’re such a flirt. Is this what they call puppy love?” Cathughed and poked my cheek. Weughed together and returned to ss as soon as the bell rang.


    It turned out we didn’t wait until Sunday; Adam invited us to his house on Friday. In the afternoon, Laird and I rode our bikes towards Adam’s house, which turned out to be only a few blocks away from our house.


    “Why are you acting so silly?” Laird asked from beside me.


    “This is not silly at all. Besides, what’s wrong with going to a friend’s house?” I defended myself.


    “Why are you so eager to go to Adam’s house that you’re forcing yourself to ride a bike? Clearly, you’re not good at riding a bike. Look, even your bnce is still unstable.” He teased me again.


    “What should I do then? Walking is too far. Taking the bus takes too long, and I still have to walk from the bus stop to his house.” I spoke while still trying to bnce my awkward bike ride.


    “I don’t know,” he replied skeptically.


    “Why did youe with me anyway? You could have just sped off ahead of me.”


    Since we left our house until now, he has been matching his bike pace with mine. We were remarkably slow on the road.


    “I’m just being cautious. Who knows, you might fall off your bike and faint on the road,” he said.


    “If that’s really the case, would you call an ambnce for me?”


    “No, I’ll take your bike to sell it. It would be a shame if someone else took it.” He grinned mischievously.N?velDrama.Org holds this content.


    “What? You’re so annoying,” I replied irritably, puffing up my cheeks. I should have known he would never take my question seriously. He justughed at me.


    “Is Cathing too?” He redirected my annoyance toward him.


    “Yes, we promised to meet at the nearest bus stop from Adam’s house over there.”


    Not long after, we arrived at the residential bus stop area. We stopped near the bus stop, watching the road. I hadn’t seen Cath at all. Instead, there were several teenagers gathered in front of a house not far from the bus stop.


    The teenagers were probably around sixteen years old. Clearly, they seemed to be celebrating their friend’s new car. They sat around the gray VW Passat sedan, which was the center of attention.


    One of the teenage girls in the group looked at us. She then walked over to us with a small smile.


    “Hey.”


    Specifically, the girl was addressing Laird.