Lie Again!
Chapter 7
<Chapter 7. 10 Reasons Why I Can’t Love You (1)> Arriving at Crawford early Monday morning in Riley’s truck, Jin spent the entire time until fourth period intently watching someone’s back. Except for the moments when that person was out of sight, Jin’s gaze followed him all day.
Even while grabbing her next class’s books from the cabinet, Jin kept her eyes fixed on his sleek profile, blindly fumbling with her hands to pull out the books. “Jin, Butterfield’s body is going to burst.” Joey, who was taking out a book from the cabinet right next to Jin’s, which was filled with stickers and dolls, looked back and forth between Jin and Butterfield, who was staring at him intently. At Joey’s words, Dustin, who had been leaning his back against the cabinet and tapping on his phone between the two girls, spoke up. “Do you know what happens if Butterfield’s body bursts?” “Shut up.” Despite Joey’s quiet warning, Dustin couldn’t help but speak up. “Buttersinkhole.” Dustin twitched his lips to hold back laughter, as though he found the joke amusing even as he said it. A loud slam of a cabinet door echoed from the opposite side, where Jin and Joey were standing. Amanda, holding a tennis racket, shot a disdainful look at Dustin before walking off down the hallway. “I thought she was going to swing it at me.” Dustin, who had been staring at Amanda’s bronze-colored hair, let out a small sigh of relief and muttered under his breath. Joey, who had been glaring at Dustin, turned to Jin. “So, any progress?” At Joey’s question, Jin reflected on the accomplishments of the day. Since Jin stepped out of the truck and set foot in Crawford, she had been looking for a chance to speak to Butterfield—to apologize for speaking carelessly. However, as a well-known figure at Crawford, there were many obstacles to overcome just to say a word to Butterfield, who was rarely “alone.” First period was swimming class. At Crawford, swimming was a mandatory class for all sophomores. As a result, Jin had to start each morning by swallowing a good amount of water. Every time she entered the pool, Jin struggled to keep her body from sinking to the bottom. She would pray for the second semester to arrive quickly—the one without swimming class. Jin quickly changed into her swimsuit in the locker room and left the pool platform with Joey and Amanda behind. It was a day with unusually strong sunlight. The cloudless sky illuminated the swimming pool, with no shade to block the sunlight. The green leaves occasionally floating on the blue water reflected the light, creating scattered reflections here and there. Jin squinted slightly, shielding her eyes with her hand as she searched the area for Butterfield. Before long, she spotted him—his long, sleek body stretching lightly in front of the high-end rail. It seemed that rushing out of the locker room had paid off, as he was rarely alone. Jin hurriedly walked toward Butterfield before the others could interfere. Piiiit—. A sharp whistle echoed across the pool. The splashing sounds, along with the chatter and laughter that had filled the air, gradually faded into silence as all eyes turned toward the source. Jin stopped walking and looked at the source of the sound. The source was also looking at Jin. “You came early, Jin.” It was Mr. Parker, the instructor for the beginner class. With his golden hair shimmering in the sunlight and faint freckles spread across his broad upper arms, he stood in the pool, gesturing for Jin to come over. Every time he moved his body, the silver whistle hanging around his neck reflected light, dizzying Jin’s eyes. “Uh… why, why are you doing that, Mr.?” Flustered, Jin stammered and asked Mr. Parker what the reason was. “Jin, you need practice. A lot of practice.” “Um… I have something else to do right now…” Piiiit—. The whistle echoed through the pool again, drawing everyone’s attention to Jin and Mr. Parker. Unable to withstand the curious gazes, Jin’s face turned bright red as she jumped into the water. Jin found herself struggling in the water, with Mr. Parker gripping her ankle from the beginner’s lane. Throughout the swimming lesson, instead of Butterfield’s green eyes, Jin had no choice but to stare at Mr. Parker’s golden chest hair. Mr. Parker’s determination to keep Jin afloat was so strong that, even after the lesson ended, he wouldn’t let her go. Jin couldn’t even take a break to talk to Butterfield and had to beg to leave the dreaded swimming pool after pleading that she had another class. Jin, barely avoiding being late, had to attend her art class while water dripped from her still-damp hair. Without even a chance to recover from the mental blow at the swimming pool, Jin trudged out of the art room with a dazed step and found Butterfield in front of the cabinet. Jin quickly regained her composure and looked around. Jonathan, who was staring with a strange smile—gone. Emily, whose gaze was intimidating—gone. No one else either. She took a deep breath and calmed her pounding heart. She felt like she needed to apologize, but her heart was trembling because she didn’t know what that handsome man would say. What made it even more frightening for Jin was that the last image she remembered of Butterfield was his cold back as he turned away, quietly muttering, “Don’t make me feel worse.” ‘Don’t be scared. I did mess up, so all I need to do is apologize. Just apologize.’ With a firm resolve, she straightened her back. As if she had never hesitated, her steps toward Butterfield were confident and unwavering. However, after only a few steps, she turned around hurriedly. In the short time she had spent mentally preparing, a group of students in blue uniforms were approaching from far down the hallway. They were chattering loudly and running wild in the hallway, making it impossible for anyone not to notice that they were coming. Jin, unable to decide what to do, watched the situation with anxious eyes. Then, from the closest east exit near the cabinet, she saw Emily with her perfectly styled blonde hair, walking toward her with Olivia, arms linked. The moment she saw them, Jin felt her anxious heartbeat slow down and settle into a more comfortable rhythm. Jin gave Butterfield a gentle smile and gave up on him cleanly. Shouldn’t I just go and say it now? She thought. But no, absolutely not. She didn’t have the confidence to do that. The very thought of apologizing to Butterfield alone and hearing the cold words in response made her feel deflated. She couldn’t imagine having the nerve to stand in front of him, especially when there were the eyes of others, either watching with interest or disapproval, to break through. In the end, Jin retreated, promising to try again another time. And now was the moment. Joey watched Jin shake her head weakly in response to the question and patted her shoulder with a sympathetic expression. “It’s easier if you give up, Jin. He probably doesn’t care whether you apologize or not.” “What are you giving up?” Ruth appeared out of nowhere, bending one arm to lean on Joey’s shoulder as he asked a question. Joey, annoyed, bent her knees and slipped out from under Ruth’s arm. “I won’t grow taller, you know!” “Sorry. The height was just perfect, so I did it without thinking.” Ruth apologized playfully, holding out both palms. Joey glared at him and punched him in the waist with a fist full of emotion. Jin quickly summarized the events of the day and explained them to Ruth. “Approaching Butterfield, who’s all alone, to apologize? This mission’s no easy task, Agent Hunt.” “It’s not over until I say it’s over.” Jin responded with Tom Cruise’s famous line to Ruth, who was imitating Mission Impossible in a solemn voice. While they were giggling, a long bell rang in the hallway. Soon, they were the only ones left in front of the cabinet. After quickly saying goodbye to Jin and Ruth, Joey grabbed Dustin by the collar and ran off in a hurry. Jin and Ruth also rushed in the direction of the Spanish classroom. As soon as Jin opened the classroom door, her eyes met Mrs. Haide’s. She seemed to be about to call the roll, her mouth half-open. Ruth smiled politely at her and grabbed Jin’s wrist as he entered the classroom. Jin sat down next to Ruth, keeping an eye on Mrs. Haide’s expression. “Wait, wait.” Mrs. Haide gestured for Jin and Ruth. “You two should sit separately today. This is a Spanish class, not a Chinese class. I don’t need to hear languages that aren’t necessary during my lesson.” Jin glanced at Ruth. Ruth must have been thinking the same thing, because their eyes met. Jin suppressed her discomfort and prepared to stand up. At that moment, out of the corner of her eye, she saw Ruth raising his hand. “It’s not Chinese, it’s Korean.” Ruth didn’t hide his sullen expression or tone as he rebelliously spoke. Jin looked at Ruth in surprise, then turned her anxious gaze to Mrs. Haide. “Whether it’s China or Korea, the common factor is that they’re unrelated to Español.” Contrary to Jin’s expectation that she would get angry, Mrs. Haide dismissed Ruth’s words nonchalantly and gestured to Jin and Emily again. “Jin, switch seats with Emily.” Jin and Ruth’s gazes met again as they looked back at Emily’s seat. Emily was standing at the back, beside Butterfield, with a displeased expression. Butterfield was looking down at his book with his chin resting loosely next to Emily. Jin moved to another seat with a dazed feeling. Ruth crossed his fingers and wished her good luck. * * * However, despite the luck Ruth wished her, Jin sat upright, staring straight ahead. The atmosphere between them was somewhat cold, in contrast to the warm rays of light gently illuminating the classroom. Butterfield leaned back deeply on his chair with an expressionless face, tapping the back of his pen on the book at a steady pace with his hand. Jin missed the timing to speak to him and ended up staring intensely at Mrs. Haide instead. Her attention was completely focused on the seat next to her. Although her gaze followed Mrs. Haide to the point of making her uncomfortable, Jin’s mind was blank. The sound of Butterfield repeatedly tapping his book, the deep breaths he exhaled quietly, and even the scent of soap carried in by the breeze through the open window all disrupted Jin’s thoughts. She tightened her grip on the pen in her hand. However, the more her senses focused on Butterfield, the colder and more rigid Jin’s expression became. Some feelings go unrewarded. Some become weaknesses that are exploited. Jin truly no longer wanted to create emotions like that. She had already realized, with keen awareness, that the fragile heart she had once allowed could be shaken and hurt by Butterfield at any moment. Butterfield will definitely hurt you, someone whispered to Jin from deep inside. Jin hid her feelings deep inside and built a thick ice wall outside. Jin, who was pretending to be calm and wiping away her expression, suddenly felt Butterfield’s sharp gaze pouring down her side face. Is Butterfield looking at me right now? However, instead of turning her head to confirm, Jin stubbornly kept her gaze straight ahead. She felt like if she faced him, it would be obvious that all her attention was focused on him, whether it was a misconception that he was staring at her or not. After what felt like an eternity, Mrs. Haide instructed the students to practice conversation with the person next to them using textbook examples. Jin glanced at the seat next to her. Butterfield was resting his chin on his hand and staring at his book without saying a word. Jin, who had been glancing at the sight, lowered her gaze back to the book. The surroundings became a little noisy, but Jin and Butterfield still maintained a cold silence. “Hola. Cómo te llamas?” (Hello. What’s your name?) Butterfield, who had been silent for a while, suddenly opened his mouth. The unfamiliar language, spoken softly and in a low voice, flowed into Jin’s ears. Jin quickly skimmed through the book to find the part Butterfield was reading. She focused as hard as she could to avoid stumbling over her words and began reading the sentences. Me llamo (My name is…)… The self-introduction in a foreign language gradually filled the space between them. “….” The short conversation practice ended, and silence returned once more. However, this time, the stillness felt noticeably softer. After a moment of hesitation, Jin let out a deep breath through her nose and spoke to Butterfield. “Um. I’m sorry about the last time.” Butterfield glanced at Jin and asked her curiously. What? “What Joey and I talked about last time—there was no intention to badmouth you.” Butterfield smiled and answered slowly. “Really? I thought my advice had been ignored since you’re still hanging around with McCoy.” “Joey didn’t mean anything bad either, and she felt really sorry toward you…” Butterfield cut Jin off. “A girl who loves gossip, one with no social skills, a Mexican immigrant, and an Asian. On top of that…” Butterfield folded his fingers one by one as he spoke, then raised one finger and met Jin’s eyes. Butterfield continued in a slow, gentle voice. “And the newly added real Asians.” The last finger folded. “…What?” Jin felt as if someone had poured ice-cold water directly onto the crown of her head, freezing her in place. Her neck stiffened as tension crept over her. “Want some advice? This time, don’t just brush it off—listen carefully.” It was a voice so soft that an outsider might believe it was a kind piece of advice. Butterfield smiled, his eyes narrowing as he did. “If you stick around with people who have weaknesses, they’ll just look down on you even more. They’re not the worst, but they’re not a good choice for a vulnerable Asian girl like you.” “Are you done?” All sorts of negative words swirled in her mind, but the only thing that came out of her mouth was that one sentence. She just couldn’t find the words in English to express what she was truly feeling. Jin tried to reconstruct the words from Korean to English in her mind, only to scatter them again. She turned her gaze away from Butterfield, exhaled, and brushed her bangs out of her face. She was at a loss for words. “Stop hanging around with Evan Ruth so much. The more you do, the easier you’ll look.” As Jin was about to snap back in anger, the bell rang loudly. The noisy sound, as if its only purpose was to signal the end, echoed through the classroom. In an instant, the room erupted into chaos. Amid the commotion, Emily Gwen, who was sitting next to Evan Ruth, jumped up and roughly opened the classroom door. Butterfield turned his gaze away from Jin, who was just babbling at him, and leisurely picked up his books and stood up. He joined his noisy friends, casually stretching his neck as he walked away from Jin. Jin, who had been glaring at his relaxed figure, locked eyes with Butterfield as he turned his head while heading out the back door. His annoyingly handsome face lifted one of his large hands and lightly tapped his temple. Butterfield’s mouth opened silently as he met Jin’s gaze. Think carefully. Next chapter will be updated first on this website. Come back and
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