“Where did you go during the break?”
“Traveling!”
Mike, who was intently dealing with the remaining third of his burger, looked up at Alice as she pulled out the chair opposite him and sat down, saying indifferently.
His relationship with Alice was hard to put into words.
Simply put, his relationship with Alice was more than friends, but less than lovers.
Yes.
It was quite miraculous.
When Alice and the others transferred in during the ninth grade, Mike was serving as a student assistant for the ninth grade, responsible for helping new students or transfer students adapt to school life.
One thing led to another.
Perhaps because Alice or Edward could not see or hear Mike’s future and inner thoughts, it led the two of them to think that Mike had some sort of secret.
A secret.
It is the poison that attracts women to men the most.
When Alice was alone with Mike for the first time, Mike discovered that it seemed the Alice here was not a couple with Jasper.
Mike then asked Edward and learned that Jasper had that intention, but it was very clear that Alice only treated Jasper like a younger brother.
So, perhaps it was because Mike and Alice often spent time alone during meals, but people at school seemed to have defaulted to the idea that Alice and Mike were a couple.
Mike and Alice also became good friends, but they had not advanced to the level of lovers.
However, these past few days, a rumor appeared in school, though no one knew where it originated.
It was about Jasper.
Jessica’s explanation at the table not far away continued.
Looking at Jasper standing behind Alice, she explained to Bella, “That blond guy who looks like he’s in a lot of pain is called Jasper, and he… he seems to be Alice’s boyfriend too.”
Bella came back to her senses, blinked, and looked a bit confused.
“Too? What do you mean?”
Jessica looked around, lowered her voice to think of a description, and said with a somewhat strange expression, “Let’s just say, Alice is a strange girl.”
Bella understood the implication in Jessica’s words, and an expression of shock instantly appeared on her face.
Bella found it hard to believe.
She thought this kind of thing was something only city people played around with, and she didn’t expect to encounter it in real life in such a remote town.
This was too exaggerated.
The few classmates sitting at Bella’s table glanced stealthily in the direction of Mike not far away, then shrugged to express that they were already used to it.
The few people’s seemingly hidden gazes actually did not escape Mike’s line of sight at all.
Mike just noticed these few glances, then looked at Jasper, who was standing behind Alice like a bodyguard, staring at him with dead-fish eyes.
Mike sighed, dropped the remaining third of his burger, shook his head, and said, “Jasper, you’ve grown up now. It’s time to fly solo.”
The reason Mike and Alice’s relationship had become like this involved both Alice and Mike.
Mike didn’t want to be in a relationship that could potentially cost him his life, but Jasper’s behavior was clearly beneath contempt.
Yes.
Mike seriously suspected that the source of this love triangle rumor was fabricated by Jasper himself, with the goal of creating a rift between him and Alice so that he could take advantage of the situation.
However, having lived two lives, how could Mike be disgusted by such petty, low-level tricks?
But Mike had to consider one thing.
By spreading this rumor, Jasper was not only hurting Mike, but even more so, he was hurting Alice.
Perhaps it was time to clarify things.
Thinking this, Mike immediately looked at Alice and invited her, “Are you free tonight?”
As soon as these words were spoken, the dead-fish expression on Jasper’s face, who was standing behind Alice, changed instantly.
It was very subtle, but Mike, who was paying attention, caught it clearly.
Mike chuckled in his heart.
Alice asked, “What’s wrong?”
Mike said with a smile, “The town cinema will be showing Titanic tonight. I would like to invite you to go see it together. I wonder if I have the honor?”
A movie?
Titanic?
Alice was slightly stunned, looking at Mike, with whom she had spent three years, and who was making a move on her for the first time today.
She thought for a moment, neither accepting nor rejecting, but asked with a smile, “Are you paying?”
Mike shrugged.
“Of course.”
Whoever initiates, pays.
This is an unchanging truth, regardless of the difference between East and West.
Hearing Mike’s words, Alice also smiled and nodded.
“Alright. I hope you won’t be late.”
Mike smiled.
“I promise.”
After saying this, Mike picked up his tray, stood up, greeted the other members of the Cullen family not far away very politely, and then walked toward the exit of the cafeteria.
To be fair, Mike didn’t really want to have anything to do with this group of vampires.
After all, without his Gold Finger, he was just an ordinary person right now, and his small frame really couldn’t withstand a punch from Jasper.
However, the rumors Jasper was spreading were making it unbearable for Mike.
A love triangle?
He couldn’t believe he came up with that.
Mike positioned himself as being steady.
But being steady didn’t mean being a doormat.
Mike felt that if he continued to stay so unperturbed and steady, he guessed that by tomorrow, Jasper would be spreading rumors about him being responsible for back rubs.
Furthermore, for the past two years, Mike had indeed had feelings for Alice, but whenever he thought about the possibility that establishing a relationship with Alice would enrage a vampire, Mike had simply endured it.
But now?
Heh.
Jasper’s approach was essentially taking his tolerance for granted, and what’s more, he was slandering him in a very weak way.
A man.
Admitting mistakes, standing tall when taking a hit, and loving and hating boldly—that is what a man is.
What kind of man hides behind others’ backs, whispering and spreading rumors?
Soon, Mike’s figure disappeared at the cafeteria entrance.
Jasper came to his senses and sat directly in the seat Mike had just occupied, whispering to Alice opposite him, “Are you crazy? Why did you agree to him?”
Alice asked, somewhat puzzled, “Why shouldn’t I?”
Jasper’s expression changed slightly.
He gritted his teeth, slightly revealing his fangs, and then said in a low voice through gritted teeth, “He is a Human.”
Alice continued to shrug.
“So what?”
Jasper was speechless.
Just then, Emmett and Rosalie, who had gone to get their food, sat down.
Rosalie looked at Jasper, their nominal younger brother who was gritting his teeth and baring his fangs, and her expression changed.
She whispered, “What’s going on? You can’t control it again?”
Rosalie thought that Jasper’s bloodthirst was out of control again.
After all, Jasper had been turned into a vampire for the shortest amount of time, so his immunity to blood was the worst.
Jasper shook his head and told Rosalie about Mike inviting Alice to see a movie tonight, trying to get Rosalie on his side.
But Rosalie chuckled and said, “I thought that cocky Mike would hold out until we graduated.”
Jasper, somewhat frantic, whispered again, “But he is a Human.”
“No.” Alice looked at Jasper and shook her head.
“He isn’t. I have a premonition.”
Jasper: “…”