Chapter 25: First Encounter
The late autumn sun was surprisingly warm. Golden rays filtered through the bare branches and withered leaves of the old trees, casting dappled shadows across the ground. The long, slender tree trunks stretched their shadows shorter and shorter before they slowly lengthened again as the sky began to darken.
The final period before dismissal was usually set aside for self-study, probably because no one had much focus or energy left by then.
The three honors classes followed the usual routine with no teacher supervision. Most students stayed reasonably well-behaved; any quiet chatter was mostly about homework problems. There was no real need for oversight.
Julian had been wrestling with that poetry analysis question for a long time. None of the interpretations fit no matter how he tried. His messy notes had nearly filled the entire answer line, but he still wasn't confident. He finally gave up, put the sheet away, and switched to another subject.
Someone nudged his elbow. Julian turned his head. A math worksheet slid toward the edge of his desk. Margaret pointed at one of the bigger problems. "Julian, did you do this one? Any ideas?"
He glanced at it. It was today's math homework—he had finished it during lunch and still remembered every step. "Yeah, I did. The approach should be solid."
"Then walk me through it?"
Margaret leaned in closer as she spoke. Their shoulders brushed. Julian's slender fingers pressed against the pale yellow paper while he pointed things out. The ballpoint pen left an ugly ink dot the instant the tip touched the diagram. He pulled back quickly.
"Sorry."
"It's fine. Keep going."
"Okay." Julian switched to a mechanical pencil and traced the line. "Add an auxiliary line here, dropping a perpendicular from point C to…"
The girl stretched her pale, slender neck forward until her forehead was almost touching him. If he glanced sideways even slightly, he could see her delicate profile, lips lightly pressed in concentration. There was something pure and refreshing about her beauty that cleared his mind.
Julian tried to stay focused on the explanation, but his gaze kept drifting to her face. Margaret's beauty wasn't childish or overly seductive. It was clean and transparent, like fresh lake water—exactly the kind that hit a boy the hardest.
He was halfway through the proof when the dismissal bell suddenly rang. The classroom filled with the sounds of chairs scraping and bags being zipped. Julian paused and looked at Margaret. She met his eyes.
"Finish explaining first. It'll be too crowded to leave right now anyway."
"Alright. Continuing… we prove that line AF is perpendicular to parallelogram BCDE, and then…"
The explanation wrapped up quickly. Margaret pulled the worksheet back. Her gaze swept across his face, catching the obvious awkwardness there. A bold idea sparked in her mind at that moment.
Julian started to withdraw his hand when Margaret suddenly grabbed it. Her palm was cool, soft, and delicate yet surprisingly strong. The contact left him completely flustered, a deep flush racing from his neck all the way to his ears.
"M-Margaret? What are you doing?"
He tried to pull away, but she held on tight. Her skin felt smooth and fine against his as she stared at him with a playful, predatory glint, like a hunter who had just caught something precious.
"Julian… the skin on your hands is really dry and cracked."
"I know, you…"
Margaret released him, clearly satisfied with his reaction. She smiled at his embarrassed expression and turned to pack her bag.
Once their books were put away, the two of them shouldered their backpacks and followed the crowd out of the building. Julian still hadn't calmed down. The sensation of her hand lingered vividly on his skin, leaving him strangely reluctant to let it fade.
Margaret walked right beside him. The hand that had gripped his so tightly now hung at her side, fingers slightly curled and empty. She was so close—one reach and he could take it again. The thought made his chest itch with nervous energy.
The flow of students thinned out at the school gate. A familiar sleek black car was parked in an open spot along the curb, impossible to miss. It drew plenty of curious, envious, and admiring glances from everyone leaving.
A woman stood beside the car door. Her outfit was elegantly refined, her figure graceful. Her face was young and stunningly beautiful, far outshining any of the high school girls walking past. But those large, willow-shaped eyes were filled with ice, sharp as blades.
Isabella Lowell usually presented herself to the outside world as gentle and approachable. She had no interest in petty schemes or meaningless gossip. Yet she had clearly seen the pretty girl walking beside Julian from a distance.
The moment he approached, the frost on her face vanished instantly. She spoke in a soft, warm voice. "School's out? Your sister will drive you home, Jules."
"No need, Isabella. You can head back first. Margaret and I have our shift at the diner."
"This is her? Your classmate?" Isabella turned her gaze to Margaret.
"Yeah. We're in the same class."
"You're Julian's neighbor big sister? Hello, I'm Margaret Monroe, his desk mate."
Margaret put extra weight on the last two words, looking at Isabella with calm, unreadable eyes. Her expression stayed perfectly polite and detached, but her words carried a clear challenge.
"So you're his desk mate. Hello, Margaret. I'm Isabella Lowell. Jules must have troubled you quite a bit. This boy has always been a little slow. He used to follow me around everywhere and beg me to play with him."
Isabella smiled warmly, her tone friendly as she casually revealed pieces of their shared past, each word dripping with intimate sweetness.
"Isabella, you don't have to bring up old stories like that. It was ages ago."
"But those are such precious memories between your sister and Jules. No matter how much time passes, I'll never forget them." As she spoke, Isabella reached out and stroked Julian's hair right in front of Margaret, the gesture far more intimate than any real older sister would dare.
"That's really sweet. You look so young, Isabella. Did you just graduate from college?"
"Yes, I came straight back after graduating. I was worried about Jules. He's so naive—it would be terrible if someone took advantage of him."
Isabella's eyes still curved with that charming smile, but she drew out the last sentence with deliberate meaning.
"No need to worry. Julian doesn't really talk to many girls at school. I'm probably the one he talks to the most. By the way, how was college? Did you enjoy it? Did you have a boyfriend?"
"Heh, not yet. I've been thinking about Jules the whole time, so I never had time to date anyone. Speaking of which, Julian told me he doesn't have a crush on any girl at school. Margaret, you're close with him—do you know if that's true?"
"I'm not sure." Margaret shook her head innocently, looking pure and harmless. "I haven't seen him interacting much with any girls besides me. Maybe… he really doesn't like anyone."
"Looks like Jules is still as honest as ever. And he really should focus on studying right now. The SATs and college applications aren't far off. He needs to keep his mind on schoolwork."
Isabella raised her hand again to stroke Julian's hair. Before she could touch him, Margaret grabbed his wrist and pulled him away. Her pale fingers gripped him tightly as she drew him back.
"We're running short on time. We'll be late for our shift if we don't leave now. See you later, Isabella."
"Is it that urgent? I can drive both of you."
"No thanks. The diner's just up ahead—we can walk." Margaret turned to Julian. "Let's go. If we're late, we'll lose the perfect-attendance bonus."
"I know. We still have time."
Julian glanced back and waved. "We're heading out. See you tonight, Isabella."
"Mhm. See you tonight."
Isabella waved goodbye, her eyes locked on the girl with long hair falling down her back. The moment they turned away, her expression darkened into something far colder and heavier than before.