Anya asked with a joyful smile, “Leo, are you complimenting me on my good looks?”
Leo retorted, “I was implying you’re all about appearances and lack substance.”
Anya defended herself, “If you’re talking about my appearance, you are complimenting me.”
As Leo cruised along with his sunglasses on and the convertible top down, he glanced at the girl next to him. “How did you get into Havenbrook University with your level of comprehension?”
Anya pouted, “I got in based on my IQ.”
Leo continued, “Don’t you know how to defend yourself when others pick on you?”
“I did, but I never won,” Anya confessed.
Leo glanced at the naive girl. “You should learn from your aunt Mia, and pick up some of Molly’s kindness.”
“I don’t understand.”
Leo simplified it, “Basically, your aunt Mia has never lost a fight, and no one can outsmart your aunt Molly.”
Anya admired them. She loved people who were strong and smart, unlike herself who was clumsy and couldn’t fight back.
“Leo, aren’t we going home? Why are you taking me around the block again?”
Leo nagged like a mother hen, “I’m giving you a campus tour!”
Anya bit her lip shyly. “Thank you, Leo.”
Leo drove to the main entrance, then towards the campus center. “See that white building? That’s building 2, the Foreign Language Department.”
Anya took note, but soon forgot. Little did Leo know that a woman’s memory could be as short as a goldfish’s, just seven seconds!
He pointed out another, “That grey building over there, the one that’s connected, is buildings 3 and 4.”
“Leo, where’s building 1?”
Leo replied, “... That’s the library! Don’t you know?”
Anya shook her head. “Leo, which building is the administration building?”
Leo held his temper, and calmly replied, “It’s just called the Administration Building! There’s no number.”
“Oh, I see.”
Leo continued driving, giving Anya a comprehensive tour of the campus. “Remember, buildings with numbers and letters are dormitories. Don’t end up going to the men’s dorm for classes.”
Anya shyly responded, “I’ll remember.”
After an hour-long detour around the campus, Leo finally drove off campus. On the way, Leo suddenly thought of something. He casually asked, “Your classmates said you had a lot of boyfriends. What’s that about? Did you bring your high school boyfriends to college?”
Anya shook her head. She watched Leo who was driving. “I don’t have a boyfriend.”
“So, they were your exes?”
Anya shook her head again. “I’ve never been in a relationship.”
Leo looked at her in surprise. She was such a pretty girl, but she had never dated?
“My parents are always around. Plus, none of the boys were handsome, so I didn’t like them.”
Leo switched his driving hand. “Then why did your classmates say you had a lot of men?”
Anya played innocent. “I don’t know.”
Leo later figured out the cause of the rumors. Anytime Anya was seen talking to a guy, regardless of their relationship, people would start gossiping.
“How will you handle those two girls in your dorm that fought with you?”
Anya said, “Andre asked me the same thing. I don’t want to let them off the hook, but severe punishment seems too much, and mild punishment doesn’t satisfy me. I’m torn.”
Leo came up with an idea, “Have them publicly apologize to you for ten consecutive days.”
“That’s a good idea.” Anya was delighted with the suggestion.
Leo looked at her disapprovingly. “You’re so simple-minded.”
Anya felt he was right, so she let Leo criticize her.
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