Chapter 67 Fatty Joker: You Haven't Changed..

Chapter 67 Fatty Joker: You Haven't Changed..
Elena Pov

I froze, and for a brief second, I could only stare at the young man in front of me.

He was holding me up, one hand around my arm and the other steadying my waist after catching me before I fell.

“Hey, be careful!”

His voice carried a trace of concern. Husky, but clear.

Just then, I snapped back to my senses, and my face flushed red as I immediately stepped back and straightened myself. I lowered my head in embarrassment.

“I’m so sorry. T-thank you.” I looked at him gratefully. If he hadn’t caught me, Lord knows how embarrassing it would have been.

The young man smiled. “It’s nothing.”

I heaved a sigh of relief, arranged my gown, then turned to leave. My thoughts were still occupied with Marcus, I didn’t have the energy to think of anything else.

But just as I took a step forward, I felt someone grab my wrist. Startled, I turned around.

“Huh?”

I looked at the young man who had helped me, my face confused. He quickly let go and coughed awkwardly.

“Sorry. I just wanted to ask…” He scratched the back of his head before looking at me with a puzzled expression. “Hm… don’t you recognize me?”

I blinked once, then twice.

Recognize him? Why should I?

My face scrunched up as I studied him carefully.

The young man was tall and handsome. The first thing I had noticed when he caught me was his warm eyes and the easy smile that made his dimples stand out. 

He looked to be my age and… an Alpha?

I studied him more, but no matter how I looked, I couldn’t remember ever meeting him, and somehow, this made me feel a little bit guilty.

He had just helped me, yet I couldn’t even recognize him.

I sighed, then slowly shook my head, my face red.

“I’m sorry… I don’t think we’ve met before.”

For a moment, I thought I saw disappointment flash across his face. The smile on his face faltered for just a second before he forced it back.

“Hi, my name is Sean.” He paused, then continued seriously, “Sean Joker.”

Suddenly, he paused during his introduction and looked at me helplessly.

“Do you really not remember me?”

I frowned, then rubbed the side of my head.

Sean…

Why does this name sound familiar?

But just then, my eyes lit up as it suddenly clicked.

Wasn’t this the name Becca had mentioned before? The art course rep who had asked about me?

I looked up at Sean, speechless.

So this was him.

Still, I didn’t understand why he looked at me as though we had known each other for years. It was so confusing. Before I could ask, he spoke again, this time softly.

“Elena… you really don’t recognize me?”

The sadness in his voice made me feel even more awkward and a bit…anxious.

What’s going on? Should I know him? Why does he sound like I did him wrong?

I tried to search my memory, but everything remained blank.

Darn! This is so frustrating!

Sean watched me struggle for another moment before finally giving me a helpless smile.

“Sean from high school.” He paused. “The Chubby Joker.”

Bang!

The name hit my brain and reset my memory. I stumbled back half a step without realizing it.

My eyes widened, my mouth slowly fell open as I stared at the handsome young man standing before me.

“No way…” The words slipped out before I could stop them.

“Y-you’re Fatty Joker?!”

Sean stared at me for a second then burst into laughter, bending slightly as he laughed. 

“Well… that’s me.”

Suddenly, he paused, then pointed at me, an amused smile on his face. “But don’t call me that again.”

My heart skipped. I covered my mouth in shock..

How could this be?! This was unbelievable!

I could remember that back in high school, Sean had been known by almost everyone as Fatty Joker. He had been chubby, timid, and was constantly teased by other students even though he was an SS+ Alpha.

At that time, whenever he was laughed at, I’d speak up for him if I was close by. We had even shared the same desk for a while, though we weren’t really close.

But I could never have imagined the quiet Fatty Alpha from back then was the confident young man standing before me now.

The hell?!

Before I could say another word, Sean, who had been smiling, suddenly stepped closer. For a brief moment, he hesitated as though unsure whether to give me a hug. He hesitated for another heartbeat, as if waiting for me to stop him. But he still moved closer and pulled me into a light hug.

“Long time no see, Elena.”

His voice sounded warm in my ears.

My body stiffened from the surprise hug. My hands hovered awkwardly in the air before I slowly relaxed.

“Ah… yeah, it’s been a long time,” I responded, and we stepped apart after a few seconds.

I forced a smile, not knowing how to continue the conversation, but Sean, on the other hand, looked genuinely happy, which somehow confused me, though I could understand.

“Can I walk you back?” he asked.

I really wanted to refuse.

To be honest, my mood wasn’t the best right now, and I still hadn’t recovered from everything that happened today. But—

As I parted my lips to reject him, I caught the hopeful smile on his face. My lips closed.

Well, he had caught me from falling earlier, and it was also nice to know a classmate was here. So it shouldn’t be bad to agree, right?

With that thought, I found myself nodding.

“Okay.”

Moments later, the two of us could be seen walking side by side across the campus.

Along the way, Sean told me that he had actually seen me in class before, but I had left before he could come over.

“I even tried looking for your contact after high school,” he admitted with a laugh. “But I couldn’t find it.”

I blinked in surprise.

He had looked for me? For what?

Sean and I weren’t really close back then, so I really didn’t know why he had looked for me.

But just then, I recalled how I usually defended him and sent his bullies away, then I shrugged.

Maybe that was why… but somehow, it still felt like there was another reason. I couldn’t quite put my finger on it, so I kept the question to myself.

Instead I found myself sneaking glances at him.

The shy, chubby boy I remembered was completely gone. He greeted passing students with an easy smile, and they smiled back without hesitation.

But now, when I looked at him properly, he still had the familiar face I remembered, and that made me even more embarrassed that I hadn’t recognized him.

But this also wasn’t my fault. After high school, I left for abroad and didn’t contact my high school classmates. So, I understood.

Before long, we reached the front of the girls’ hostel. I turned and smiled politely at Sean.

“Thank you for walking me back.”

He shook his head. “No, I should be the one thanking you.”

I frowned, then tilted my head.

What does he mean?

Sean only smiled. Then, after a brief hesitation, he rubbed the bridge of his nose.

“Hmm… can I have your number, Elena?”

I frowned and wanted to reject him, but Sean’s eyes, which stared at me with so much hope, made it so difficult to refuse.

My fingers paused above my phone for a second before I quietly read the number aloud.

Instantly, the smile on his face widened, and it affected me too. I smiled back at him.

Soon, I said goodbye and turned to climb the stairs, but—

“Lena.”

The familiar nickname made me stiffened. My eyes quivered as I looked back.

Sean was still standing where I had left him. He smiled softly.

“I’m really glad we met again, Lena.”

My lips pursed.

His gaze remained on me for another second before he added, “You haven’t changed one bit.”

His smile carried a hint of nostalgia, as though he was remembering something I couldn’t see.

My eyes widened slightly. I opened my mouth to ask what he meant, but he waved and turned to leave just like that.

Speechless, I could only stare at his back, confusion on my face.

What the hell does he mean by I haven’t changed?

I was still thinking about this when I felt someone throw an arm around my shoulders.

Startled, I wanted to throw the arm away, but suddenly, the familiar sweet Omega scent reached me, which made me relax.

Then an excited voice rang beside my ear and the arm around my shoulder tightened playfully.

“Oh? Elena!”

I turned and found Becca grinning at me.

“What were you talking about with the school college hunk?”