Chapter 29: The Single Choice Question

With the sudden drop in temperature, the tap water had turned freezing cold. Julie’s favorite post-class activity—dashing to the bathroom to splash cold water on her face—was officially canceled.

The second the bell rang, she grabbed her practice exams and scratch paper, sprinting straight to Tania Graf’s desk.

Friends are meant to be used. When she didn't understand something in class, she had absolutely no shame in demanding help from her friend group. She had even designated specific roles for each of them: Beth handled Biology, Dan took Math, and Tania—the ultimate scholar—was responsible for literally everything else except English and AP Literature.

But she wasn't exploiting them for free.

She had already promised to treat them to an all-you-can-eat feast at the Korean restaurant behind the school on Saturday night, funded entirely by her own bleeding wallet.

"Tania, I'm here for my life-saving tutoring!"

Tania’s desk mate was incredibly sweet. Seeing Julie rush over, she immediately stood up and offered her chair. "Sit here, Julie! I need to run to the bathroom anyway."

"You're a lifesaver! May you be blessed for the rest of your days!"

Julie sat down. This desk was situated diagonally across from Warren Gale’s. She glanced over. Sitting on his desk was a plastic water bottle, more than half empty. She assumed he had either thrown away the Vitamin C tablet she gave him, or he had tried it once, couldn't handle the weird sweet-and-salty fizz, and tossed the rest. Either way, it clearly hadn't been put to much use.

"Which question?" Tania asked, unscrewing her thermos to take a sip of warm water, fully stepping into her role as the professor.

"This one—" Julie instantly forced her attention away from Warren and focused entirely on Tania’s calculations.

The ten-minute break was utilized to its absolute maximum potential.

Warren had already taken his mask off. His cold had hit him fast, but it had left just as quickly. As he walked back into the classroom and headed toward his seat, he noticed Julie sitting right next to Tania.

Without realizing it, his footsteps slowed down slightly.

The overall mood in the classroom today was incredibly high.

There was a good reason for it: Fall Break was coming to an end, and Bayview City had its own tradition of closing out the long weekend with a fireworks display over the waterfront. Different districts took turns hosting. Tonight was theirs. Tonight was their district's turn. According to reliable rumors, the launch site wasn't far from the school. As long as they stood somewhere high up, even if they couldn't see the full display, they would at least catch the tails of the fireworks.

How could they not be excited?

It was a rare, brilliant splash of color in the otherwise suffocating, grayscale nightmare of senior year.

"I know I already saw them on the second night, but I want to see them again!" Even Beth, who usually hated crowded events, was hyped. It just proved how desperate they were for any kind of entertainment.

"Wait," Julie asked, genuinely confused. "Didn't you spend the entire second night in an internet cafe?"

"..." Beth glared at her. "I didn't stay all night!"

Evening study hall was a total wash. Hardly anyone could focus on their books. Small groups clustered together, whispering excitedly about the fireworks. The second the clock hit the scheduled time, the students flooded out into the hallway, leaning over the railing, their necks craned up toward the dark sky, buzzing with anticipation.

Initially, Julie couldn't have cared less.

In her past life, she had seen massive, professionally choreographed fireworks displays from luxury hotel balconies. She had assumed she would stay at her desk, studying like a high-class, untouchable scholar, creating a beautiful silhouette of dedication while everyone else goofed off.

But she forgot one crucial detail about herself: She loved to be in the middle of the chaos.

The second the bell rang, her reflexes were faster than Beth's. She bolted out the door and aggressively claimed a prime viewing spot at the railing, absolutely refusing to yield to anyone.

The school buildings weren't very tall, so the view was limited.

Julie leaned her elbows on the cold concrete railing, standing on her tiptoes as high as she could, but she still couldn't see much.

"Whoa, it's so pretty~~"

The students erupted into cheers, gasping like they had never seen fireworks in their entire lives.

Julie’s eyes crinkled with a massive smile. She turned her head, fully intending to shout for her friends to come look. But as she looked back, she realized something.

Warren Gale was standing right behind her.

She had no idea when he had gotten there. Just a few minutes ago, someone else had been standing behind her. A brilliant flash of fireworks illuminated the dark sky, casting a soft, golden glow over the hallway.

She looked up at him and smiled brightly. She didn't say a word, but he knew exactly who that smile was for.

The hallway was too packed and loud to actually talk.

His dark eyes paused on her face, entirely mesmerized for a fraction of a second.

Julie quickly turned her attention back to the sky, entirely focused on the next burst of color waiting to explode.

Warren’s gaze lingered softly on the crown of her hair for a few more seconds. Then, very slowly, he lifted his eyes, following her line of sight, and watched the exact same patch of illuminated sky.

—

The next evening, right before study hall, someone rushed up to the classroom, panting heavily.

The few students inside the room recognized her immediately. It was Sally Hoch, a girl from the Humanities track. She was Warren’s cousin, and she had gone to middle school with Tania. Sally usually popped up at Class 3 a few times a semester, either looking for Tania or Warren.

"Warren Gale, get out here!" Sally shouted from the window.

Warren’s cold was officially gone. Gary had tried to drag him out to play basketball, but Warren had refused, so Gary had run off to the soccer field alone. Hearing Sally's voice, Warren paused his racing game, glancing toward the window. "What?"

He asked, but he didn't move an inch.

Sally lifted her chin arrogantly. "Hurry up."

Warren was annoyed because he was right in the middle of a race. "Give me three minutes."

"You're making me wait three minutes?" Sally threatened. "Be careful, I’ll pay someone to assassinate you!"

He reluctantly quit the game. It had been a terrible run anyway. When he walked out into the hall, his expression was completely deadpan. "If you need something, just text me."

"I didn't come here specifically for you, I was looking for a friend and just passed by," Sally said, shoving a box with foreign text on it into his chest. "My mom told me to give this to you. She just got back from a business trip."

"What is it?" Warren glanced at it, entirely uninterested.

"Chocolate sandwich cookies. They're actually really good."

The second he heard chocolate and cookies, his interest plummeted to absolute zero. His family knew he rarely ate junk food, which was probably why his aunt had only sent one box.

Seeing that he had absolutely no intention of taking it, Sally secretly rejoiced. "If you don't want it—"

Warren suddenly remembered something. He paused, his dark eyes flickering. Then, completely breaking character, he reached out and took the box.

Sally's hands grabbed empty air. "...?"

She looked at him in pure shock. "You actually want it?"

Warren’s tone was perfectly flat. "Are you not giving it to me?"

Sally rolled her eyes. "Fine, take it. I'm not even going to ask. Wow, I walked all the way over here for nothing."

If she had known he was going to accept it, she would have just texted him to come get it himself. She peeked through the window into the classroom, didn't see Tania, and decided to leave. But before she could take a single step, something even more shocking happened.

Warren Gale actually hesitated, then called out to her. "I have a question for you."

"For me?" Sally pointed at herself. She knew the chances of him asking for money were zero, but she immediately set boundaries anyway. "If you're asking to borrow cash, the answer is no. I'm broke."

"Wait here for one minute."

Warren walked back into the classroom with the box of cookies. He hesitated for a second by his desk, unzipped his backpack, and shoved the box inside. He kept his word—he was back out in exactly one minute. He checked the busy hallway, lowered his voice, and offered a deal. "Let's go to the campus store. You can pick out whatever you want. I'm paying."

Sally’s face instantly lit up. "Why didn't you lead with that?! Right this way, Mr. Gale!"

The two of them headed toward the stairs just as Julie and Tania were walking up. The four of them colliding on the landing was a surprise.

Sally was close with Tania, so they enthusiastically caught up for a second. Then Sally turned to Julie with a bright smile. "Julie, you're looking even prettier today!"

Nobody hated being called pretty. Julie's heart soared.

Even though they shared Tania as a mutual friend, Julie and Sally didn't really know each other. In her past life, they had just been casual Facebook friends who occasionally liked each other's posts. But Sally was an incredibly generous person. Once, Julie had run into Sally and her fiancé at a restaurant. They exchanged a quick hello but didn't sit together. When Julie went to pay her bill, the waitress told her Miss Hoch had already taken care of it.

Julie had messaged her later to thank her profusely.

Sally had just joked back: \[Paying for a beautiful girl is my absolute honor.\]

Since they couldn't block the stairs, they wrapped up the small talk quickly. Warren and Sally went down, while Julie and Tania went up. After walking down a few steps, Sally turned around and yelled back up, "I'll come visit you guys in Room 602 next time!"

"Are you close with her?" Warren asked suddenly, a few steps further down.

"Obviously," Sally said. "Tania and I were in the same class for three years in middle school."

"Oh. You were asking about Julie?" Sally realized instantly that Warren wasn't asking about Tania. He wasn't the type to ask pointless questions.

Warren didn't answer.

"Not close," Sally shrugged. "But that doesn't stop me from appreciating a gorgeous girl when I see one."

"..."

Once they walked out of the teaching building, Warren deliberately took the long way around. When they hit a quiet, empty stretch of the path, he fell silent for a long time. A rare, unfamiliar look of confusion crept into his eyes.

He didn't know who to ask. He couldn't ask Hugh—Hugh's mouth was a steel trap, but he was a guy. A guy wouldn't understand this. Hugh didn't know anything about Julie Carven.

If Sally hadn't shown up, he would have forgotten that she was a girl, and that he could ask her.

"I have a friend," Warren finally started, using the oldest opening line in the book.

"Is it Gary? Or Hugh?"

Warren didn't confirm or deny. "He met a girl. And this girl treats him really well."

"Who's the blind girl?" Sally muttered.

Warren ignored that completely. "But lately, he's been really frustrated. Because it seems like this girl has..."

He paused. He felt a visceral, instinctual disgust at having to say the next three words.

"Has what? A boyfriend?" Sally gasped, her eyes going wide. "Oh, this is getting good. Keep going."

"He doesn't understand what this girl's intentions are," Warren said softly. That was the core of the suffocating frustration eating him alive.

"Wow," Sally sighed. "No wonder Gary looks like he's lost weight recently. Poor guy is trapped in a tragic love triangle."

Warren still didn't correct her.

"So, Gary doesn't understand how a girl can treat him so well, but still have a boyfriend, right?" Sally asked, adopting the tone of a seasoned expert. "Honestly, it's not hard to figure out. Gary is just trapped in a massive misconception."

"A misconception? What does that mean?" he pressed.

Sally flashed a wicked, all-knowing smile. "Who ever made the rule that a girl is only allowed to have one boyfriend at a time?"