"Hello."
"Haha… hi."
I forced a smile, awkward and thin.
Standing in front of me with that ever-haughty, smug expression was none other than Leo Taylor.
Even the way he said hello sounded like a flex. Like he expected applause for simply showing up.
Of course it was him.
The universe really had a twisted sense of humor.
"So… are you waiting for me?" I asked, breaking the silence before it dragged on too long.
"No point in just standing here staring at each other, right?"
He nodded slightly. "Yeah, I was."
That threw me off a bit. "Can I ask why?"
"There's a weird rumor going around about you," he said bluntly.
Ah. Right. That.
The rumor.
But still—why Leo Taylor of all people? The walking embodiment of pride. The second protagonist of this story.
What did he have to do with any of this?
"I know it's fake," he added before I could say anything. "You don't have to stress over it. You might be weak—but you're not spineless."
Wow. Thanks?
