'Why is he so angry. Shouldn't I be the one who's angry?' I wondered.
Before I could react, Howard continued, "Listen up, whether Matthew's got a girlfriend or not, you and him are never gonna be a thing. If you keep thinking about him, I'll..."
'What will he do? Will he kill me?' With this thought, I suddenly felt even more aggrieved, tears uncontrollably streaming down my face as I cried. "It's obvious you got the hots for that girl, and you're blaming me."
Howard was stunned for a moment, his angry expression disappearing, his brows furrowing. "When did I ever get the hots for someone else?"
I sniffled, glaring at him with wide eyes. "You still didn't admit it. You were so gentle when you spoke to Luna just now."
Howard was speechless for a moment, then suddenly raised his hand and knocked on my head.
I stepped back in pain, glaring at him in dissatisfaction. "What are you doing?"
Then he said seriously, "Listen to me, I have no interest in Luna."
His explanation slightly eased my dissatisfaction, but I didn't want to forgive him so quickly, so I turned my head away. "Who knows? Maybe you do have feelings for her but just don't admit it."
A large hand suddenly cupped my cheek, forcing me to look at him. He leaned in close, and my heart skipped a beat. "Do I need to lie to you?"
I couldn't find words to respond. Although what he said made sense, I still felt annoyed. "Yes, you're so amazing, why would you need to lie to me? If you want to dump me, it's not like it's hard."
Howard didn't say anything, just squinted his eyes and looked at me, then suddenly said, "Are you jealous?"
I choked, pouting. "Jealous? What right do I have to be jealous?"
In our relationship, Howard was always in control, whether we were together or apart.
"If you don't like me hanging out with other girls, I'll keep my distance from them from now on." His words were serious, making my heart race. I instinctively looked up at him as Howard was looking at me intently, with a hint of a smile in his eyes.
My heart started pounding like crazy, like a deer about to burst through my chest, and I felt my cheeks heating up.
A string of phone rings interrupted the moment, and I hurriedly took out my phone to answer.
Amelia's anxious voice came through. "Karena, where are you? It's time for class, why aren't you here yet?"
I glanced at the time displayed on my phone and screamed, "I lost track of time. Amelia, cover for me. I'll be right there."
I quickly hung up the phone and looked at Howard, no longer feeling shy or nervous. "It's all your fault. I missed lunch and now I'm going to be late. It's Ryder's class this afternoon. If I'm late, I'm toast."
After saying that, I ran off without looking back.
"I'll take you," Howard said.
"No need," I shouted without turning around.
I ran as fast as I could to the teaching building, already exhausted. But I was still late. Ryder was standing at the podium, looking at me with a stern expression. "Karena, you really have some nerve! I just scolded you this morning, and now you're late in the afternoon."
I was out of breath, sweating profusely. "I'm sorry, Sir. I really didn't mean to."
Ryder didn't want to hear my explanation and waved his hand. "Go stand outside!"
Being punished to stand outside in college, Only I could pull off an achievement like that.
Sighing, I stood in the hallway, listening to Ryder's lecture from the classroom. I blamed Howard in my mind, 'If it weren't for him, I wouldn't be late.'
But then Howard's handsome face flashed through my mind, and my anger subsided a bit. 'What did he mean by what he said this afternoon? Was it a confession? Or was he saying that besides me, there would be no other girl in his heart?' Thinking of this, I couldn't help but cover my mouth and laugh.
"Karena?" A clear female voice came through with a hint of superiority.
I was stunned for a moment and instinctively looked up.
The girl was Luna, wearing a white chiffon dress, with long black hair draped behind her, looking both youthful and pure.
Seeing her, I frowned. "What do you want?" I could guess that she wasn't here with good intentions, so my tone wasn't polite.
She looked me up and down, her tone clearly displeased. "What's your relationship with Dr. Smith?"
Her superior tone made me uncomfortable, as if Howard was her boyfriend. "What's my relationship with him got to do with you? Who are you to question me?"
Luna seemed surprised by my response, and after a moment, her face darkened. "I like Howard. If you know what's good for you, don't waste your time on him. Bow out now before you embarrass yourself."
I stared at her expressionlessly and surprisingly didn't feel nervous or retreat. "You like him? So, did you get him? Has he said yes to you? Are you telling me to back off as his girlfriend?"
Luna was choked by my words, unable to react for a moment. After a while, she blushed and said, "He hasn't said yes to me yet, but it's only a matter of time. What makes you think you have any edge over me?"
I admitted Luna was beautiful, had a good family background, and was popular at school. But Howard just had told me he had no feelings for Luna. With his words, I felt a bit more confident. "Sorry, but Howard has already agreed to be with me. I'm his girlfriend now."
Luna frowned at me. "You're lying. How could he agree to be with you?"
Although it was hard to believe, Howard did actively pursue me. At first, I was very resistant, but now I found it not so hard to accept. "You can ask him yourself if you don't believe me."
Luna bit her lip but still didn't want to give up. "Even if he accepts you now, he'll break up with you sooner or later. You're so ordinary, how can you be worthy of him?"
"Maybe he just likes ordinary girls like me," I said proudly.
Luna seemed to remember those times I caught her going to the infirmary to find Howard for several days, and her face turned ugly. She glared at me hatefully and turned to leave.
After winning that battle, I was in such a good mood that even getting detention didn't seem so bad.