Chapter 116: Denial

Gita suddenly entered our classroom and stood beside me. After greeting the three of us, she shifted her gaze completely to Kenn. She asked Kenn to talk with her alone outside the classroom.

“Kenn, do you have a moment? There’s something I want to talk about,” Gita said softly. “Just for a moment, this is very important,” Gita insisted with a look that was hard to interpret.

Kenn fell silent for a moment. He glanced at his phone screen, then nodded briefly before finally standing up without a word.

I could only remain frozen, watching their backs slowly move away as they left the classroom.

A sense of discomfort suddenly crept into my chest. There was a strong urge to know what their business was this early in the morning.

What did Gita want to say to Kenn in private? Was there a secret between them that I didn’t know?

Those questions kept spinning in my head, instantly ruining my focus on the blackboard.

Why they couldn’t wait until break time. Besides, didn’t Gita have a teacher teaching her class?

After they left, I immediately stood up and followed them quietly. They went down one floor and stopped beside the stairs on the second floor. I observed them from above, but I chose a position that was rather far away, leaning against the white wall near classroom X-3. I didn’t want to endanger my position by watching them too closely.

I saw Gita saying something and Kenn listening with a serious expression. My heart thundered at the sight of their closeness. My eyes narrowed and my teeth began to grind. Unconsciously, my hand gripped the stair railing tightly in front of me.

“You’re jealous, Frel?”

“I’m not jealous!” I struck the long metal in front of me with emotion. I was startled when I realized Tomi was already standing at my right side. “Since when have you been here?”

“Since you started acting like an amateur spy who’s burning with jealousy,” Tomi replied casually while folding his arms. “It’s already obvious, no need to deny it anymore,” Tomi said with a grin.

“From the beginning, I actually agreed more with Kenn being with you than with Gita.”

I was startled again by Dara’s presence on my left side. She looked down with a cynical gaze.

“Look at Gita, just from her behavior I can tell for sure she has hidden intentions.”

I clicked my tongue. “You can’t accuse someone without reason, Dara. And who said I’m jealous? I’m just curious.”

“Enough, Frel, stop avoiding it. Your face clearly shows that you’re jealous. I wonder why you’re still dodging it.” Dara put her hands on her hips.

A second later, she was busy examining her fingernails that had just been coated with purple nail polish. “Besides, I’ve long suspected that there’s something between the two of you. Even though you always argue every time you meet, Tomi and I have always paid attention to your movements.”

“So the two of you really have nothing better to do than watch me, huh?” I snapped irritably.

“Precisely because we care, we don’t want you to keep lying to yourself,” Tomi cut in, his tone suddenly serious.

“All right, I admit that from the beginning I liked Kenn. Who wouldn’t be attracted to a guy as perfect as him? But that doesn’t mean that because of me, you have to give up and prioritize our friendship more,” Dara rattled on, still paying attention to her nail color, occasionally blowing on it gently.

She turned back to face me and waved her hand in front of my face. “Wake up, we’ve always competed fairly, haven’t we? We’ve even often fought over getting to know the guys we liked. So why are you like this now? Besides, I’ve realized that my true love is only for Ari.” Dara smiled to herself while twirling the ends of her hair.

“Ari? Since when did your taste change to liking a plain guy who loves sleeping?” I asked, trying to change the subject.

“Don’t underestimate hidden charm, Frel, that’s the main point!” Dara replied quickly.

I just rolled my eyes, while Tomi chuckled at Dara’s behavior.

“Now back to the main topic. You like Kenn, right? Come on, just admit it. I think the two of you are very suitable to be a couple,” Dara continued.

Honestly, I had been holding back my irritation since earlier. I felt like I wanted to shut Dara’s mouth that wouldn’t stop rambling. Even though I knew she cared about me very much, sometimes I felt I had to have a larger supply of patience to deal with her.

“Dara, please don’t discuss something that will never happen. Kenn and I are just friends. We’ve been close lately because we feel sorry for Abel and Reno. We only want to entertain the children at the orphanage, nothing more than that. Besides, I already have Kevan now.” I bit my lower lip.

Why did that last reality actually make me feel a little sad?

“Yes, that’s your fatal mistake. You should have thought carefully before confessing your feelings to Kevan. Don’t act recklessly.”

“I didn’t act recklessly. At that time, I felt it was the right thing to do,” I defended myself, even though my voice trembled slightly. “You also have to remember, who told me to move quickly back then?” Now it was my turn to put my hands on my hips.

“That’s because I was still unsure about who you really liked. By the way, if you blame me like this, it means you’re confirming what I said about your feelings for Kenn, right?”

“I.…” I suddenly stammered at Dara’s attack. “Don’t talk nonsense! I just meant to straighten things out.”

“Straighten what? A highway? It doesn’t need to be straightened. Roads will always bend according to their destination.” Dara looked even more annoying. She must have caught Alvin’s traits.

“Your logic is really a mess, Dara,” I muttered while turning my face away.

“It’s not my logic that’s a mess, but your feelings that are in complete chaos!” she shot back, refusing to lose.

I stomped my foot and growled softly. “You really make me emotional, Dara!”

“Who told you not to be honest with your own feelings?” Dara turned her face away curtly, muttering something that unfortunately was still clearly audible to my ears.

“I’ve told you, I don’t have any feelings for—”

“Enough, stop arguing. My advice is, start asking your own heart. Find out which guy is really there, who makes your heart race when you’re with him, and who you always think about all day,” Tomi said as he joined in. He slipped in between Dara and me, wrapping his arms around our shoulders with a mischievous look. “Don’t try to deny it. Remember, once you’ve found the answer, don’t forget to tell me.”

“Do you even understand matters of the heart, Tomi? You still often can’t tell the difference between being hungry and having feelings,” I teased, trying to lighten the mood.

“At least I’m honest when I’m hungry, Frel. Unlike you, who hides your feelings behind your denial,” Tomi replied bluntly.

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