NOVEL ONLINE FREE Lie Again!
Chapter 10
<Chapter 10. 10 Reasons Why I Can’t Love You (4)> Jin and Butterfield’s eyes met in the air. Butterfield, who had been looking at Jin, turned his eyes away and scanned the chemistry lab.
“Did you do all of this by yourself? How foolish, you.” The evaluation of Jin’s solo cleaning, which had lasted for three days—no, now four—was simple and rude. Jin shook her head as if she had expected that, ignoring Butterfield’s words and scanning the floor again. It seemed okay if she fell carefully while keeping his arms strong. Butterfield, who had been watching Jin, let out a deep sigh. Striding across the chemistry room, he reached out his arm toward her. “Hold on and come down.” “Forget it.” “Hey, hey!” Jin jumped down from the high storage shelf without thinking. Butterfield quickly wrapped his arms around her waist, but her feet had already collided hard with the floor. She felt a dull pain, possibly from twisting her ankle. Jin bit her lip, trying to endure the pain. She could have just held onto Butterfield’s hand and come down safely, but she didn’t want to. Even she didn’t understand why. She just felt angry at everything Butterfield suggested, and her body jumped in the opposite direction. “You really…” Butterfield let out an exaggerated sigh, as if to make sure Jin heard him. Jin, who was upset by that, pushed Butterfield’s hand away from her waist. However, as Jin tried to walk past Butterfield, she couldn’t take another step and had to stop. A sharp pain shot up from her ankle. Butterfield, who had been watching her, stepped forward and bent one knee. “Get on.” “That’s enough. I can walk.” Stubbornly pressing her lips together, Jin passed by Butterfield and limped away. Butterfield, shaking his head as he looked up at the sky, got up from the floor and quickly approached her. He grabbed Jin’s one arm and carried Jin on his shoulder. “Hey, what are you doing! Put me down! Put me down!” Ignoring Jin, who was struggling on his shoulder, Butterfield opened the chemistry room door and silently walked out. After a few attempts to resist, Jin eventually slumped her body. The arm firmly holding her waist didn’t budge, no matter how much she wiggled. Instead, it was Jin who grew weaker, her movements becoming more sluggish. “As if carrying a load…” “Shut up. You’re the one who ignored me telling you to get on gently.” “…If I had been alone, I wouldn’t have gotten hurt like this.” “Yes, yes. That’s right.” Evan, who had summed up Jin’s softly muttered complaints in a single sentence, turned his body toward the direction of the infirmary. Jin had assumed Evan would add a sarcastic comment, but Evan remained quiet and simply began to move. Jin, dangling from Evan’s shoulders, stayed silent as well. Every time Evan inhaled and exhaled, the movement felt ticklish through the shoulder and into her stomach. The tickling sensation, as if ants were crawling up from her fingertips and toes, gradually consumed Jin’s chest. The arm tightly wrapped around her waist and the scent of soap that rose with each breath she took through her nose made it hard to breathe. Jin stopped resisting and held her breath, afraid that Evan might hear the deep thumping sound coming from within her body. Evan glanced at Jin, who had become limp as if lifeless, and let out a small laugh. The strong heartbeat transmitted from the shoulder he was touching with hers was impossible to miss. Evan lifted the corners of his mouth, feeling strangely relieved. There was no need to smile since no one was watching, but he did it anyway. “Hello, miss. I didn’t make a reservation, but is that alright? I think she hurt her ankle.” “Oh my, of course. There are no other patients waiting, so I can see you right away.” Evan opened the infirmary door and, following Miss McMillan’s instructions, gently lowered Jin onto the examination bed. Jin, feeling embarrassed about being carried like a sack on someone else’s shoulder, kept her mouth shut with a flushed face. Fortunately, the infirmary was empty except for Miss McMillan. “It looks like the muscles were a bit shocked. It might swell for a few days, so try to avoid putting too much strain on your foot.” Miss McMillan, who had been rotating Jin’s ankle this way and that, gave her diagnosis. “If you apply a cold pack at home, it should get better. I’ll wrap it with a compression bandage, so make sure you pay attention to how it’s done. When you wash, untie it and then rewrap it.” As if she had finished getting ready to leave, Miss McMillan set down the bag she had been carrying over her shoulder and securely wrapped the compression bandage around Jin’s ankle. Jin carefully observed Miss McMillan as she slowly explained and wrapped the bandage, memorizing the steps. Evan, who had been standing quietly beside her, also paid close attention to the path of the bandage. The treatment was over in a flash. Jin hesitated and spoke as she watched Evan close the infirmary door and leave. “…Thank you.” “Well, you got hurt because I didn’t go clean, so there’s no need to be thankful.” “That’s true.” Jin immediately nodded at Evan’s sly response with a grin. As a result, any feelings of gratitude evaporated from her heart as she recalled the hardships of the past four days. Jin opened her mouth, glaring at Evan, who was smiling slightly with anger. “And the essay. Now let’s compromise.” “I liked the first one the best. I’ll just leave out the story about the ants dying.” Evan shrugged and accepted Jin’s truce proposal. Even then, she couldn’t help but think that she’d love to smack that smirking mouth of his. Still, she let out a sigh of relief, knowing she could now submit her essay before the deadline. “Where is your house?” Evan caught Jin, who was awkwardly nodding her head. “Why is that?” At Jin’s cautious question, like a cat on guard, Evan chuckled and gestured toward her ankle with a nod. Jin glanced down at her ankle and shook her head slowly. “Ah… never mind. Evan said he’d take me. Ah, I mean… Ruth.” “Ah, Evan. So Evan Ruth.” The slightly relaxed atmosphere quickly settled again. Although Butterfield was smiling, his expression had oddly stiffened. Jin unknowingly glanced at his face, wondering if it was time to say goodbye and leave. As Jin hesitated over the timing, the phone rang loudly in the hallway. Both Jin and Butterfield glanced down at the name that appeared on the phone screen—Evan Ruth. “Evan is looking for you.” Butterfield said in a monotonous voice. “Well, then… take care.” At Jin’s farewell, Butterfield let out a hollow laugh, his face twisted with irritation. Butterfield, who didn’t hide his expression, stared at Jin for a moment before turning around and leaving. Jin looked at Butterfield’s back as he walked away with a dumbfounded face. “What… Why is he like that? Seriously…” Amidst the noise of the ringing bell echoing down the hallway, Jin answered the phone without taking her eyes off the back that was already disappearing in the distance. – Hey. Let’s go home. “Mhm… I’ll head to the parking lot now.” – Jin, is something good happening? “Huh?” – Why is the kid who was dead all day smiling like this? At Ruth’s words, Jin raised her hand and fiddled with the corner of her mouth. Strangely, her lips had curled up into a smile. Jin furrowed her brows and pressed down hard on her mouth with her hand. “No, it’s nothing… Anyway, I’ll be there soon.” Jin stepped carefully and got into Ruth’s jeep. “What’s wrong with your feet?” “There’s something like that. Let’s go quickly.” Ruth briefly glanced at Jin’s foot but didn’t pressure her any further and turned the steering wheel toward the parking lot entrance. As the car left the parking lot, Jin quietly scolded herself. Don’t expect anything. Don’t be fooled by appearances. But he seemed to be jealous because she called Ruth ‘Evan’. Maybe he just felt bad because he was always called Evan. Don’t expect anything, please. Inside Jin, two sides of herself were fiercely battling. One heart gently swelled, while the other struggled to burst it, constantly clashing with each other. “Oh, there’s Gwen and Butterfield.” As Jin waged a battle inside, Ruth glanced at something, tapping the steering wheel with his fingers. Jin turned her head, following Ruth’s gaze. Someone was standing on the gray pillar, under the main gate with the school name engraved in large letters. She could see the thin hair that sparkled like gold in the sunlight. Emily Gwen was opening the door of the jade green Mustang in front of her. Butterfield, sitting in the driver’s seat, turned his head and was saying something to Gwen. Jin felt the excited heart she had been desperately trying to suppress instantly settle down. Her head cooled off. ‘Are you going to pick up Gwen right away because I said no? Or does he mean to drop me off at home in between them?’ Ruth’s car started late after receiving the signal. Gwen and Butterfield passed quickly out of sight. The car with Jin and Ruth inside was quiet. Jin was staring out the window with sunken eyes, and Ruth was driving silently with a somewhat complicated expression. Jin looked out the car window at the trees that kept coming closer and going away. Someone whispered deep in her heart. I told you not to expect anything. * * * The Crawford swimming pool, with ten 25-meter lanes spread out wide, was bustling with 10th-grade students taking their swimming lessons today as well. Jin, wearing a loose white T-shirt over her swimsuit, sat in the corner of the pool and lifted one of her legs. The water flowing down her leg splashed over the heads of Joey and Dustin. Joey splashed water onto Jin as if seeking revenge. Joey’s small hand couldn’t scoop much water, so instead of dodging it, Jin chuckled as if appreciating Joey’s effort. Joey, narrowing her eyes, pulled Dustin’s head down and whispered something in his ear. Following her command, Dustin slapped the surface of the water with his hand, creating a splash. The water bomb poured down toward Jin. “Ack! I’m sorry, Joey! I’m sorry!” Jin, who was startled, quickly apologized to Joey while holding her hair. It was the first day since coming to Crawford that she didn’t have to get wet, and she couldn’t allow herself to shower on a day like this. Joey pointed at Jin and her injured ankle alternately with her finger, as if suggesting she was being lenient because of it. Jin playfully clasped her hands together to show her thanks and splashed the water with her legs. Instead of Amanda and Ruth, who were at the advanced section lanes, Joey and Dustin stayed by Jin’s side without leaving. Piiiit—. The sound of a whistle, interrupting the fun, echoed through the pool. Mr. Parker gestured to Joey and Dustin, signaling them to stretch. With sluggish movements, the two got out of the water and joined the stretching line. Mr. Parker, having sent off the two troublemakers, stared intently at the biggest troublemaker. However, unable to bring himself to make the student with the injured ankle swim, he clicked his tongue once and shifted his gaze away from Jin. Jin brushed her chest and watched Mr. Parker move. Mr. Parker was busy today. Because of the advanced class teacher’s leave, he had to take care of the advanced students as well. After loudly counting out numbers while leading the stretches, Mr. Parker instructed the advanced students to swim five laps in freestyle before heading over to check on the beginner class. The weight on his shoulders was heavy—he had to make sure the beginner students could survive in the water. How much time had passed? Jin, shielding her eyes from the pouring sunlight with her hand as she watched the kids swim, turned her head at the sound of cheers echoing from the corner of the pool. Three people were swimming quickly on the advanced class rail. Butterfield, who was in the lead, made a big swing of his arm and split the water. The lightly tanned skin was splashed with shining water droplets and fell back into the water. With each wave of his arms, his long body stretched out coolly forward. Right behind him, Ruth and Amanda were keeping close. The cheers from the advanced class grew louder, drawing the attention of the beginner students, who sneaked glances in that direction while cautiously watching Mr. Parker. Meanwhile, Joey, who had been loudly cheering for Amanda, got caught by Mr. Parker and was made to practice kicking drills. The three of them swiftly crossed the 25-meter lane and were now nearing the second turn. Evan turned his body and forcefully kicked off the wall, propelling himself forward. Someone quickly caught up to Evan’s side—it was Ruth. Instead of surfacing for air, Evan controlled his breathing and continued swimming underwater. Ruth, following closely, held his breath and chased after him with determination. Evan let out a short laugh, realizing why Ruth was suddenly challenging him. Was he trying to impress someone at the pool? Whether Ruth was showing off under the guise of a race had nothing to do with Evan, but for some reason, it was irritating. He never liked losing to begin with, but now he wanted to win even more. Evan, holding his breath until his limit, surfaced and took a deep breath before pulling the water with his arms. He glanced at Ruth cautiously, splitting the water as he swam forward. Air bubbles erupted from his nose, scattering in the water and obstructing his view. 75 meters, another flip turn. The two who had been stretching their arms and continuing the dolphin kick came up to the surface again. 90 meters, Ruth, who had been following Evan, made a last-minute sprint and jumped out to overtake Evan. Evan, gritting his teeth, kicked his feet a little faster. Evan took the lead again, but soon gave way to Ruth. His breath was at its limit. The 100-meter mark was right ahead. The two, who had been alternating in the lead, touched the wall almost simultaneously. “Phew,” they exhaled loudly, their heads rising above the water. The children who saw the face of the one who came up a little faster cheered and shouted.
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