Byran Howard was lounging in Ellinor's office with his arms crossed and feet up on her desk, without a hint of the fear he'd shown in front of Balfour.
Ellinor paid him no mind and continued to focus on her work.
Byran frowned at her lack of a reaction. He sat upright and knocked on her desk. "Hey! Ellinor, I'm talking to you!"
She glanced at him, "What? If you need help with your homework, just spit it out!"
Byran blinked and snorted in pride, "Did I say I needed help with homework?"
"Ah, then I must have misunderstood." Ellinor didn’t look at him again as she continued her work.
Seeing her still unresponsive, Byran's pride faded a bit, "Ellinor, Balfour's frozen all my cards, but I have a big e-sports match at the end of the month in C city, and I can't even afford a ticket!"
Ellinor typed as she talked, "Mr. Howard, I've already paid for the gift you sent to your grandfather today. You're not trying to borrow more money from me for your e-sports match, are you?"
Byran felt a bit humiliated and struggled to meet her gaze, "No. I don't want to borrow your money. Actually, I really do want your help with my homework! Balfour said he'd only let me go to the match if I pass my midterms next week. I heard you were a top student at Creston University; you must be great at studying, right? Can you teach me how to improve my grades quickly so I can deal with Balfour? That match at the end of the month is really important to me; I can't miss it!"
Ellinor looked up at him, his face full of humble determination, "I'm busy right now; I don't have time."
Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: The Kiss that Sparked it All