Lie Again! Chapter 91

<Chapter 91. Neatly, Clumsily (5)>

 

Jin opened the classroom door and headed straight for Evan. There was no hesitation in her stride as she crossed the room. 

 

Reaching Evan in just a few strides, Jin didn’t say a word. She simply leaned over, resting her arms on his desk, and examined the wound near his mouth. Her long eyes crinkled in a worried frown.

 

Evan looked up at Jin with startled eyes. In fact, his eyes had been wide ever since Jin—who he thought would never open that door—defied his expectations and walked in.

 

One person was staring disapprovingly at his lip, while the other was looking only at the girl’s face, unable to close his mouth.

 

“Hey, look over there.”

 

Inside the noisy classroom, someone noticed the two of them and nudged their friend’s side with an elbow, signaling with their eyes.

 

Starting from that single point, heads began to turn like a spreading wave. It was a collection of subtle glances filled with curiosity, vulgar anticipation, or light sentiments like jealousy.

 

“Why did you…”

 

Evan, who was about to say something to Jin, caught the atmosphere and shut his mouth.

 

Evan, who had never had his actions restricted by the gazes of others, didn’t know what he should do in a moment like this. To him, rumors were nothing more than a passing breeze.

 

Gossip was something that formed with frustrating ease but could be overturned in the blink of an eye. He could use it to his advantage, and even if he didn’t, it didn’t matter.

 

However, he knew well that such logic only applied to him, and for the girl, this was the exact moment she would have wanted to avoid most.

 

Seeing Jin still unable to take her eyes off his lip, he knit his brows in a troubled expression.

 

What should I do here…

 

But before his thoughts could branch out, Evan stood up from his seat at the sensation of a force grabbing his wrist and pulling him.

 

“…!”

 

As Jin led Evan and walked ahead, a loud whistle echoed through the room.

 

“Yeah, Evan’s definitely better than Wood!”

 

“Get a room, this is a school, transfer student!”

 

The excited spectators tossed in their two cents. A few mischievous types even started clapping. A path opened up boisterously toward the exit as annoying jokes and catcalls flew their way. 

 

Whether she was annoyed or not, her strides were unusually blunt and rough, but Jin didn’t react until the very end, treating them as if they were invisible. Evan was also growling for them to shut up, but his gaze was pinned to the back of the girl leading him away.

 

By the time Evan snapped out of it, they were already out of the classroom and halfway down the hallway.

 

“Am I dreaming right now?”

 

“Hurry up. We don’t have time if you’re going to get treated and get back to class.”

 

Jin responded in a flat voice.

 

“Were you worried about me?”

 

There was no answer. However, Jin’s silence didn’t dampen Evan’s mood in the slightest.

 

Laughing happily, he gently rotated his wrist to slip out of Jin’s grip. His large hand, which could easily cover hers, slid down her skin and intertwined firmly between her slender fingers.

 

Jin glared at Evan at the sight of their shamelessly interlocked fingers. But then, she spotted the wound next to his upturned lips and let out a small sigh.

 

“Why did you do that?”

 

Evan rolled his eyes, avoiding the answer. However, when Jin shook his hand as if urging him, he reached into his pocket with his free hand and pulled something out.

 

What rested on his palm was a hair tie. The blue checkered scrunchie he had practically snatched from Jin some time ago.

 

“You took it and never gave it back.”

 

“…”

 

Jin stopped in her tracks, lost for words as she looked at him. At her look, which clearly signaled a rebuke of ‘That’s it?’, Evan put on a sullen face. 

 

“Don’t look at me like that. To me, it was like proof. Proof that we weren’t disconnected from each other.”

 

Jin stared at Evan silently.

 

Enough time had passed that she was now used to Evan’s honest gaze, but even now, when she was alone, she often opened her phone to look at their photos together or the texts they had exchanged. Sometimes, the fact that she was actually dating Evan felt unrealistic.

 

It was a strange feeling. Did he feel that way too? Did he also need reassurance?

 

After a moment, taking advantage of Evan being off-guard, Jin snatched the scrunchie resting quietly in his hand. Just as the hair tie was about to leave his palm, Evan quickly closed his hand and grabbed the other side of it.

 

“….”

 

“….”

 

Standing in the middle of the hallway, the two faced off over a small piece of fabric. It was something that could end instantly if strength were used, but instead of doing that, Evan looked at Jin pleadingly.

 

However, the hair tie eventually left Evan’s hand according to Jin’s will. Jin returned the scrunchie to her own wrist. Watching this blankly, Evan spoke like a sigh.

 

“This is different from what we promised.”

 

He clenched and unclenched his empty palm in regret, but just as he was about to lower his hand—

 

Instead of a checkered piece of cloth, a soft, white hand slid up and intertwined between his fingers.

 

“This is better for proof.”

 

Interlocking her fingers with Evan’s, Jin signaled somewhere with her eyes.

 

Following her gaze, he saw several people who hadn’t entered their classrooms yet glancing at them. Although they were covering their mouths, it was obvious that the lips pressed against their friends’ ears were moving rapidly.

 

Combined with what had just happened in the classroom, it seemed like all sorts of stories would spread by word of mouth before the day was over.

 

My head hurts already, Jin muttered gloomily to herself.

 

“Anyway. This was something Evie gave to me. And make up with Hansen.”

 

Swinging her wrist, Jin led the way toward the nurse’s office again, pulling Evan’s hand. For the third time today, Evan stood there dazed, looking at her.

 

“Hurry up.”

 

The way she hurried him, tugging at a hand that wasn’t quite following, was prickly yet sweet.

 

A bright smile slowly seeped onto his dazed face. He looked as radiant as phlox in full bloom for the summer. A charming dimple appeared beautifully in the center of his cheek.

 

Approaching Jin in a single stride, Evan scooped her up in a tight hug. Without stopping, he slung Jin over his shoulder like a sack of luggage and ran down the hallway.

 

“Hey! This is a habit of yours!”

 

Jin let out a small scream and hit Evan’s back, but she eventually burst into laughter with him.

 

Jin was only able to get down from Evan’s shoulder after they reached the infirmary and saw the startled face of the school nurse, Miss Macmillan.

 

* * *

 

Jin still couldn’t agree with Emily, who had treated Evan like a trophy, but at least one of her points was correct. From the moment she stood by Evan’s side, Jin began receiving a lot of unwanted attention.

 

It ranged from minor things like people whose names she didn’t even know talking to her familiarly, to friend requests flooding into her private social media account, and on a larger scale, being invited to all sorts of parties. It was the first time since attending Crawford that Jin realized the school had so many parties.

 

But the overwhelming attention only lasted for a short while. With the help of Evan and her friends who chased away those who approached her, Jin was gradually learning how to handle things smoothly.

 

In March, as the daily life that had been buzzing for a while began to settle down into a quiet calm again, Crawford welcomed a short one-week spring break.

 

“Joey, are you seeking refuge or something?”

 

“Whatever, just take this!”

 

Evan Ruth, seeing Joey’s large shopper bag through the window, asked with a fed-up expression. Joey instantly shut down his nitpicking by tossing the bag she was holding straight into his arms.

 

Finally, once Joey climbed in, Evan’s dark green classic Mustang was packed with people. It was the first time since Evan had inherited the car. Surely, his grandfather had never done such a thing, so carrying five people must be a first for this aging car as well.

 

“Wow, this is my first time riding in this car.”

 

“The leather is still so smooth.”

 

As Joey sat in the back taking photos and admiring the car, Dustin rubbed the seat with his finger as if to show off.

 

“He obviously had it replaced, you idiot.”

 

“You clearly don’t know anything. Good cars don’t have their leather rot even after decades. Want to bet?”

 

Ruth and Dustin began to bicker over whether the leather was new or not.

 

Listening to the stupid conversation while tapping the steering wheel with a grim face, Evan finally couldn’t take it and asked Jin.

 

“It’s not too late. How about we throw everything in the back out and just go by ourselves?”

 

“…It’s way too late, Evan.”

 

Jin patted Evan’s arm comfortingly with a pitying face.

 

Sigh. Exhaling a sigh that came from deep within, Evan turned the key and started the ignition.

 

As the exhaust let out a low growl, a cheer erupted from the back. This was the fourth time today—didn’t those two idiots ever get tired of making a fuss every time the engine started?

 

Evan’s sigh grew a little deeper.