Chapter 30 "I Think I Have a Problem"

Chapter 30 "I Think I Have a Problem"

Warren Gale didn't immediately process what she meant. His brain completely stalled. When the realization finally clicked, his expression turned incredibly dark. His jaw locked tight.

Sally didn't even notice he had stopped walking. She just kept laughing. "To Gary, this is a single-choice question. But who says it can't be multiple-choice? I know you boys generally lack emotional intelligence, but surely he isn't thatdense?"

Warren, standing a few feet behind her, looked like absolute murder.

Sally, thoroughly pleased with her own brilliant analysis, was suddenly overwhelmed by a massive wave of gossip-fueled curiosity. Gary Blacker? Trapped in a scandalous romance? This was incredible. She had to know more. Don't judge a book by its cover!

"Wait, so Gary—"

Sally finally noticed Warren had vanished. She turned around, saw him frozen like a statue, and jogged back to him. "Wait, who is this girl? Do I know her? It can't be Tania, right? No, no way, Tania doesn't have a boyfriend!"

Warren stared at her with a dead, emotionless expression. He was entirely done with this conversation that never should have happened in the first place. He turned on his heel and started walking back.

Sally panicked, lunging to block his path. "Wait! What about the supermarket?!"

"I'm not going."

"Are you psycho?!" Sally wasn't about to let him escape. She was determined to fleece him for everything he had today. "Fine, you don't have to go, but you still owe me the money!"

Warren dodged her, his mood completely ruined. He pulled his wallet out of his pocket.

Before he even flipped it open, Sally's lightning-fast hand shot out and snatched a crisp fifty-dollar bill right out of it.

Normally, Warren wouldn't have cared enough to fight her for it. But today, her words had struck a raw, painful nerve. He narrowed his eyes. Moving faster than she could react, he snatched the fifty back, shoved it into his wallet, flipped past the twenties, and pulled out a crumpled ten-dollar bill. He practically slapped it into her hand.

Sally hadn't even processed what happened before the fifty miraculously vanished, replaced by a ten.

Warren shoved his wallet back into his pocket. Given their completely transactional cousin relationship, he didn't even bother saying goodbye. He just turned and stalked back toward the teaching building.

"Warren Gale, you psycho!!" Sally screamed at his back. "Were you a peasant in your past life?!"

Warren didn't hear a single word. He was walking faster and faster, completely consumed by an aggressive, burning irritation.

Sally seriously debated throwing the ten dollars onto the concrete and stomping on it to preserve her dignity. She wanted to curse Warren's ancestors, but then remembered they shared the same ancestors, so she was forced to swallow her rage.

She stomped off toward the supermarket alone. As she was aggressively picking out snacks, a sudden thought struck her.

Wait. Why was he so pissed off?

Even if he was close with Gary, why would he get that angry about Gary's love life?

She frowned, grabbing a soda and a bag of chips. She walked toward the register, freezing in her tracks as the realization hit her.

Wait a minute. I just assumed he was talking about Gary. Did he ever actually say Gary's name? No. He just said "a friend."

Does this psycho mean himself?!

Eating too much always made Julie sleepy. Right before the evening study hall bell rang, she forced herself to go to the bathroom. The cooling ointment she used to wake herself up wasn't working as well anymore, so she decided to splash water on her face and brush her teeth.

She was fully equipped for this. During her Fall Break shopping spree, she had bought a portable travel toothbrush set and a handful of those tiny, candy-wrapper compressed towels.

After washing up, she actually felt a lot more awake.

The cold tap water combined with the freezing mint toothpaste had absolutely shocked her system.

But what actually shocked her was walking out of the bathroom and running straight into Warren Gale. They both froze.

Julie noticed that the front of his dark hair was wet. Droplets of water were sliding down his temples. He must have splashed his face pretty aggressively, because the collar of his dark grey hoodie was soaked, turning the fabric almost black.

Julie was someone who genuinely liked to help people, and she didn't overthink things. She immediately reached into her pocket, pulled out a small, wrapped compressed towel, and held it out to him.

"Don't worry, it's not a candy," she said brightly. "It's a mini towel. It's compressed. Just run it under the water and it expands."

She had bought a ton of them and handed them out to her friends. Everyone loved them.

Warren’s gaze shifted slowly from her smiling face down to the small object in her open palm.

You need to stop, Julie.

He thought it fiercely. Every ounce of his usual politeness and restraint was temporarily incinerated by a sudden flare of anger. He took a deliberate step backward, maximizing the distance between them, and stared at her.

"I don't need it," he said, his voice hard and uncompromising.

Enough.

It's enough.

Julie was stunned. She looked up at him, utterly confused, wondering if she had misheard him. The bright smile on her face slowly faded into a look of complete bewilderment. Her outstretched hand just hovered awkwardly in the air.

Seeing the warmth vanish from her eyes, Warren felt a sudden, sharp twist in his chest.

His mind was an absolute mess. He had no idea how to navigate this situation. He stared at her for a second, then turned and started walking away.

One step. Two steps. Three steps.

He stopped.

His hands, hanging at his sides, clenched into tight fists. The veins on the back of his hands strained against his skin.

He let out a heavy, defeated breath, his jaw locking tight.

Julie still had absolutely no idea what had just happened.

But after the initial shock faded, the indignity of being a twenty-seven-year-old woman getting snubbed by a teenager kicked in. The awkwardness burned.

Before her frustration could fully bubble over, Warren turned around and took three massive strides right back to her.

His expression, and his tone, were suddenly completely solemn, heavy with genuine regret. "I'm sorry. I just had something happen that put me in a really bad mood. I apologize."

Julie just stared at him.

Without even realizing it, her body had physically reacted to his earlier rejection. The girl who usually smiled the second she saw him was currently staring at him with absolute, stony neutrality.

Warren saw it. He saw the guarded look on her face. He felt a rush of deep frustration at his own complete lack of control. He didn't know what to say to fix it. He stood there, entirely out of his depth, his voice dropping into a quiet, defeated murmur.

"I think I really just have a problem."

Hearing the utter sincerity in his voice—and recognizing that he truly had no idea what to do with himself—the tension in the air broke.

She looked at him. And then, before she even spoke, a soft, understanding smile broke across her face. It was a kind, forgiving smile.

"It's okay," she said gently.

Warren looked at her. After a few seconds, he gave a quiet, "Mm," and lowered his eyes.

She had already pulled her hand back. She didn't offer him the towel again.

To the outside world, the incident seemed entirely resolved.

Julie acted like she hadn't taken it to heart at all. But later that night, while standing under the hot spray of the dorm shower, the memory flashed in her mind, and she let out a highly annoyed huff.

That was my real reaction! I was pissed!

Even if he explained that he was in a bad mood, what did that have to do with her?

Did she provoke him? Did she do anything wrong?

It was totally uncalled for. She was an innocent victim!

Just you wait, she plotted evilly. When you start your company, I'm going to sneak into your office and pour boiling water on your money tree.

Wait, is that too evil?

She tried to brainstorm a few more highly illegal but satisfying corporate sabotage strategies, successfully entertaining herself until she was smiling again.

—

All of Saturday was absolutely miserable.

The resentment in the senior building was thick enough to film a horror movie. Fall Break was over, and the brutal reality of make-up days had arrived. Miss Bell stood at the front of the class and announced the schedule: one piece of good news, and one piece of bad news.

Bad news: No weekend break. All boarding students were forbidden from going home. Sunday was a full day of normal classes — mandatory review sessions, the administration called it, because apparently Fall Break had 'disrupted academic momentum.

Good news: Because the administration 'cared so deeply about the students' mental health,' Saturday evening study hall was canceled. Students could study in the classroom or rest in the dorms.

Forty-two pairs of dead, exhausted eyes stared blankly at her. "..."

One brave student finally snapped. "We barely got two real days off!"

Miss Bell smiled pleasantly. "Theoretically, you did."

Beth threw her book up to block her face, whispering furiously to Julie. "What the hell does 'theoretically' mean?!"

"It means when it comes to giving us time off, they're generous. When it comes to taking it back, they're even more generous."

"Sons of bitches!" Beth cursed.

Protesting was useless. They suffered through Saturday's classes, waiting agonizingly for the final bell. When it finally rang, Julie—the designated sugar mama—led Tania, Beth, and Dan straight to the Korean restaurant behind the school to heal their emotional trauma with excessive amounts of food.

The four of them walked out of the teaching building, heading toward the back gates, chatting aimlessly about nothing.

About fifty feet behind them walked Gary and Warren.

Gary was on the phone with his mom, giving her his weekly report, completely oblivious to the group ahead of them.

Warren had his hands shoved deep into his pockets. He lifted his eyes, his gaze locking instantly onto the girl in the ponytail, laughing and linking arms with her friend.

Yesterday and today, he had run into her outside the dorms in the morning. They still said good morning. But outside of that basic greeting, she hadn't said a single word to him.

She didn't complain to him about being tired.

She didn't complain to him about how hard it was to get out of bed in the cold.

Gary finally hung up the phone. They had just crossed the street outside the campus gates when Gary spotted Julie's group. Dan's neon pink hoodie was basically a lighthouse. "Hey, where do you think Dan and the girls are going to eat?"

Just as he asked, he watched them pull open the door to the insanely popular Korean joint.

Gary casually mentioned, "Should we just eat there too?"

He didn't actually expect a yes. Anyone with half a brain knew Warren Gale wasn't going to agree.

He was already scanning the street for other options, debating between the spicy dry-pot place or the chicken stew, when a low voice sounded right next to his ear.

"Sure."

Gary's head snapped around. "Huh?!" He stared at Warren in pure shock, instantly mocking him. "Wait, which one of us swore they would never step foot in that place again?!"

Warren stayed completely silent, offering zero defense.

They were a step too late, though. By the time they walked into the restaurant, every single table was full. Gary had fully intended to ask Julie’s group if they could squeeze in, but seeing the four of them crammed into a tiny booth, he immediately swallowed the question.

Julie was sitting on the inside seat against the wall. She had one hand propped under her chin, smiling brilliantly as she debated the menu with Beth and Tania.

Hearing Gary say they were going to look elsewhere, she turned her head. Her eyes met Warren's for a second. She flashed a polite, easy smile. "Bye~"

Warren gave a calm, singular nod.

He and Gary left the restaurant and walked down the block to their usual spot. Warren wasn't someone who let his emotions swing wildly, but for the past two days, he had felt a strange, quiet agony settling in his chest. Things had gone exactly the way he had demanded.

So why didn't he feel any relief?

By the time they finished dinner, the sky was completely dark.

The four of them walked back onto campus and split up. Only Julie, looking completely devoid of the will to live, dragged herself back to the classroom to study.

The room was mostly empty, but the few people there were dead silent. She moved quietly, burying herself in her textbooks. Time flew by. If Tania hadn't texted her, she wouldn't have even realized it was already 9:00 PM. She looked around, saw the classroom was practically deserted, packed her bag, and left.

The campus was eerily empty at night.

She stretched her arms comfortably as she walked. As she approached the outdoor courts, the faint, rhythmic sound of a bouncing basketball caught her attention.

Since it was on the way to her dorm, she slowed down, listening to the echoing thuds. For a second, a scene from a terrible high school horror movie flashed through her mind, and the hair on her arms stood up.

There was only one person on the court. He was shooting hoops like a tireless machine. Shoot, retrieve, shoot, retrieve. Repeating the exact same motion over and over.

When she recognized the silhouette, she let out a massive sigh of relief. Thank God.

She was also surprised. It was freezing, and it was late. What was Warren Gale doing out here?

Before she could decide whether to just keep walking or say hi, he seemed to sense her presence. He turned his head to look at her right as he released the ball.

The shot was completely off. The ball hit the rim and bounced away.

She stopped, waving at him from the edge of the court. "Hey. Fancy seeing you here."

He didn't even look at the ball rolling away into the shadows. He took a deep breath, trying to steady his heart rate, and walked toward her.

"Coming from the classroom?" he asked casually.

"Yeah."

She looked at him curiously. "Warren, why are you playing alone?"

"They left already," he said, fighting the urge to wipe the sweat off his forehead in front of her. "Heading back to the dorm?"

"Yup."

"Perfect. I'll walk with you."

Julie hesitated for a second, then nodded. Her eyes naturally drifted back toward the dark court.

Warren followed her gaze, realizing she was looking at the basketball. He honestly didn't understand how girls' minds worked. He had never tried to guess what a girl was thinking before. But looking at her, he asked uncertainly, "Do you want to try?"

"Can I?!" Her eyes instantly lit up.

"Yeah."

A few minutes later.

"Keep your core balanced. Use your wrist to push the ball up... right, exactly like that. Shoot."

Clang!

Missed again.

Julie let out a frustrated groan.

Standing right beside her, Warren was fighting back a smile. He lied straight to her face. "You were incredibly close. That was good."

"Warren, when you do it, it looks so easy!" Julie complained. "It just swishes right in! Boom, boom, one after another."

She had never had any interest in basketball. She only liked watching hot guys play it. The only reason she even wanted to try today was because he made it look so effortless, giving her the absolute delusion that she could do it too.

Warren decided to be honest. "I've been taking basketball lessons since elementary school."

"Really? Like, an actual class?" When he nodded, she thought back to her own childhood. "I took a bunch of stuff. Calligraphy, piano, drawing. I did a little bit of everything, but I wasn't actually good at any of them. I think I've forgotten all of it by now."

"Do you want to try one more time?" Warren asked, holding the ball in one hand.

"Yes!"

Julie refused to let the basketball defeat her. Standing right under the hoop wasn't actually that hard, and Warren was exhibiting supernatural levels of patience, adjusting her form. Finally, she managed to sink one. Once she got the first, the second was easier.

She kept shooting until a thin layer of sweat broke out on her forehead. She finally waved her hands, panting. "I'm done. I'm too hot."

They left the court together, walking side-by-side.

"I did so much physical labor today, I swear my arms are going to be dead tomorrow," Julie groaned.

"What else did you do today?"

"I literally power-walked around the track this morning!"

"..."

Warren held the basketball against his side. As they walked, the soft glow of the streetlights stretched their shadows out long and thin across the pavement.

High above them, the crescent moon seemed to be listening to their banter, curving into a quiet, brilliant smile.