Chase waved his hand, a gentle smile on his face, without a hint of blame. "Hurry up and come on in."
Wesley nodded and stepped through the door. Our eyes met for a split second before I quickly looked away. As he walked past me, he seemed to glance at my necklace.
I struggled to stay awake during the class, barely managing to take notes. As soon as the class ended, I immediately slumped onto the desk.
Wesley suddenly walked over and knocked on the desk in front of me.
I was a bit groggy from sleep and looked up at him.
He pointed at my necklace. "This..."
"I know."
Our cryptic exchange puzzled Amelia. "What are you two talking about?"
I leaned in and whispered to her about the ghost. Amelia was a bit surprised. "Is that really going to work?"
"I don't know, but I'll try my best. I can't refuse anyway." I said helplessly.
Wesley just glanced at me without saying anything and returned to his seat.
Then wo female classmates walked in, laughing. "Did you see that? That guy was so handsome. He looks like mixed-race."
"Probably. He doesn't look like he's from around here. What do you think he's doing at our school?"
"No idea. It's a shame he didn't give me his number when I asked. He's pretty aloof."
"He said he didn't have a phone. Who doesn't have a phone these days?"
Overhearing their conversation, I immediately tensed up, as the characteristics they described quite fit Howard.
"Who are you talking about?" I quickly grabbed one of them and asked.
"The guy at the infirmary. We ran into a handsome mixed-race guy when we were getting breakfast."
Amelia seemed to know what I was thinking and shook her head. "It's impossible. Most people can't see him, and why would he be here? You're not even around."
I also thought I might be overthinking it. There were so many mixed-race people in the world; it couldn't possibly be Howard and he wouldn't show up here anyway.
With gym class on Monday afternoon, we went back to the dorm to rest after lunch.
To my surprise, Isabella was discussing the handsome mixed-race guy with her dorm mates.
I couldn't help but ask, "You saw him too?"
Isabella nodded dreamily. "Yeah, I saw him at the school infirmary. He was wearing a white coat. I think he might be a new doctor."
Isabella's words instantly dispelled my thoughts of it being Howard.
During gym class in the afternoon, I accidentally fell while running and scraped my knee.
"Sir, my classmate fell. I'll take her to the infirmary." Amelia immediately helped me up, informed the gym teacher, and led me to the infirmary.
Amelia seemed capable of everything, but her stamina was actually quite poor. Today was a pre-fitness test, and our classes were scheduled together. Seeing me fall, she quickly found an excuse to avoid running.
"Alright, go ahead. Be careful." the teacher said.
I was interested in the handsome mixed-race guy at the infirmary, so I didn't refuse Amelia's help. To our surprise, the infirmary was crowded with people. We stood outside the crowd and exchanged glances. "Are they all here to see the handsome guy?"
I had never seen so many people at the infirmary before. The previous doctor at the infirmary was an old man with reading glasses. Due to a tragic incident where he accidentally hit an artery while giving an IV, students usually avoided him.
Today, the infirmary was packed, and I guessed they had heard about the handsome guy and came to see him.
"Should we wait or find a shady spot to sit?" Amelia looked at the long line, feeling a bit troubled.
"Wait." Since we were already here, I had to verify if the doctor was Howard.
Luckily, even though there were a ton of students seeing the doctor, the doc was super quick. Before long, the line had shrunk a lot. By the time it was our turn, Amelia and I were practically bored to sleep.
"Next one." The nurse called us, and I immediately woke up, stood up, and hobbled into the infirmary.
Sitting on the infirmary bed, I saw a tall figure with his back to us through the curtain. He asked politely, "Miss, what's your ailment?"
I pointed at my foot. "I twisted my ankle while running." As I spoke, I couldn't take my eyes off the figure behind the curtain.
Seeing my behavior, the nurse seemed to understand and spoke with a hint of impatience. "It's just a sprain, not serious. You don't need medical attention, just rest for a couple of days."
I pretended to be in pain. "But it hurts a lot. Can you call the doctor to take a look?"
Feeling her words being questioned, the nurse spoke with some displeasure. "I know you're not here for treatment, but to see the doctor."
Seeing her attitude, Amelia stood in front of me. "How can you say that? We're here for a legitimate reason. We're here for a legit medical reason. We don't trust your skills and just want to see the doctor, okay?"
The nurse was about to say something when the doctor, still with his back to us, spoke, "It's fine. I'll handle it." With that, he turned around and pulled back the curtain.
Seeing the familiar face, I couldn't describe my expression. With the nurse still there, I just glared at him quietly.
With those deep blue eyes, sharp features, and chiseled face, there was no mistaking it—this had to be Howard.
"Sir, I think I twisted my ankle." I almost gritted my teeth as I spoke.
The doctor slowly squatted in front of me and gently held my foot. As he leaned in, I quickly asked, "What are you doing here?"
He ignored me and said calmly, "It looks like your ankle is fine. Just apply some anti-inflammatory and pain relief spray."
For a moment, I wondered if I had mistaken him for someone else. I deliberately called his name. "Howard."
The doctor gently put down my foot and looked up at me. "Miss, are you calling me?"
I had mistaken him, but I couldn't help but wonder—could two people really look that much alike in this world?