“Emily is here!” The student in the front row, Grace Brooks, walked into the classroom and greeted Emily Thompson, “How’s your health?”

　　“St-still okay.”

　　“Wow, Emily, you’re out of the hospital!” Sarah Bolton followed right behind.

　　“Uh… yeah, I’m out.”

　　“Emily.” Entertainment Committee Member also walked in.

　　He was carrying two apples in his hand, suddenly looking a bit awkward. Although the whole class knew he was the one who brought things for Emily Thompson every day, he always pretended that Emily Thompson didn’t know, and Emily Thompson always pretended not to know either. That way, Emily Thompson could ask loudly in the classroom twice who put the stuff there, and then, since no one answered, throw it away. No one knew how this started, but over time it became an unspoken agreement.

　　After thinking for a moment, he still raised the apples, thinking this might be a way to break the ice: “I heard you were in the hospital, so I bought two apples on the way. Do you… do you want one?”

　　By the end, he was stumbling over his words.

　　“No, thanks. I appreciate it, though.” At this moment, Emily Thompson’s mind was a tangled mess.

　　“Alright then, just remember to eat in moderation from now on, especially after dinner, don’t…”

　　“Stop talking!”

　　Emily’s eyes lost their spark.

　　After Entertainment Committee Member left, she finally looked at William Carter: “Why does everyone know…”

　　“Brian King told Mrs. Johnson, and Mrs. Johnson spread it.”

　　“Mrs. Johnson even told them I ate again after I got home?”

　　“John Walker asked.”

　　“……”

　　John Walker is Entertainment Committee Member.

　　He was in the same class as Emily Thompson since the first year of high school, used to be her little follower. Now in senior year, everyone had grown up; those who used to be silent had become lively, those who used to be arrogant were now easy to talk to. As they got closer, in this harmonious atmosphere, he seemed to gradually realize his special feelings for his former boss.

The first period was English class.

　　The English teacher was quite angry about Emily Thompson missing class yesterday. As soon as he came in, he started with sarcasm and ridicule, but Emily Thompson didn’t care at all. She even thought about recording his words and asking a friend to remix them into a meme song for her ringtone.

　　Only then did the lesson begin.

　　The English teacher was extremely paranoid, always thinking that if he took his eyes off for even a second, the students would start playing mahjong or barbecuing in the classroom. So he would always jerk his head around to check the class in the middle of writing on the blackboard.

　　But this still couldn’t stop Emily Thompson and William Carter from talking.

　　She was quietly telling William Carter about her history with the English teacher. William Carter didn’t like English class, so he chatted with her too.

　　Basically, the English teacher and her mom used to be classmates. She mentioned that her mom was very pretty when she was young, and guessed that the English teacher had a crush on her mom, though nothing ever happened. When the classes merged, her mom even went to the English teacher, hoping he’d look after her “silly daughter” for old times’ sake. But not only did the English teacher not help her, he even made things harder for her in all sorts of ways.

　　“That’s why I say, this old perv is so petty!”

　　Emily Thompson always managed to shut up right when the English teacher turned around, her timing was flawless.

　　Still, the English teacher used her absence yesterday as an excuse to scold her again, and at the end of the second period, told her to come to his office after evening self-study.

　　Emily Thompson was furious: “What’s this old perv up to now!”

　　She was starting to regret it.

　　Actually, last night she just felt sick from overeating, and felt fine soon after getting to the hospital. She totally could have come to class yesterday, but she wanted to slack off. She ended up playing games at home all afternoon and lost every round, snuck into No. 1 High to play basketball for a bit, but got recognized by a teacher there, then got scolded by her mom when she got home. She wanted to take it out on Big Orange, almost lost, and in hindsight, it really would’ve been better to just come to class.

　　William Carter didn’t reply, just looked up. Today, Emily's Desk Mate didn’t have her ahoge, which disappointed him a little.

　　Then he looked past Emily Thompson out the window.

　　The sunlight was a bit harsh, only covering half the playground because of the teaching building’s shadow, with a dividing line between light and dark.

　　Ethan Miller had climbed up a willow tree, not very high, and David was standing below, looking up at him.

　　Soon, Ethan Miller caught a cicada and brought it over from afar to show William Carter.

　　Outside, the cicadas were still buzzing noisily.

Chapter 8 Two Little Monsters

　　“Huh? Where’s my nail clipper…”

　　Emily Thompson muttered to herself in a tiny voice, frowning as she rummaged through her shoulder bag.

　　She pulled out a banana, two walnuts, a cocoa-almond flavored whey protein bar, a handful of lollipops;

　　an old cell phone;

　　a mirror and a high-powered flashlight;

　　a small baton;

　　a packet of MSG;

　　Luckily, she found the nail clipper quickly, so she put everything back into her bag one by one.

　　William Carter was already used to this.

　　Emily Thompson started filing her nails, and doing this in class always had a certain feeling to it. Her nails were pretty and well-maintained, her fingers fair and slender. She had a friend who owned a nail salon and was always eyeing her nails.

　　While doing her own thing, she could still handle the teacher perfectly. No other student had her level of skill.

　　Soon, Emily Thompson noticed something was off out of the corner of her eye.