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  2. Lie Again!

  3. Chapter 19
Lie Again!

Chapter 19

<Chapter 19. Far From Homecoming (3)> Wednesday’s theme was ‘Jock vs. Nerd.’ In the hallways, nerds wearing suspenders and glasses and jerks wearing varsity jackets could be seen here and there. 

 “Oh my gosh, Jin! I almost didn’t recognize you.” 

 At the end of the hallway, a high-pitched voice rang out, making Jin turn her head. 

 Nerd Joey, dressed in a checkered shirt with suspenders and black-rimmed glasses, came running toward her. Her tightly tied pigtails bounced up and down with each step she took. 

 “Hi, Joey.”

 “Wow, you really look like a different person today. You could totally join the cheer team like this!”

 “Ivy picked it out for me last night.” 

 Jin gave an awkward smile as she spoke to Joey, who was staring at her in fascination.

 Today, Jin was dressed like a jock. Her hair was tied up in a high ponytail, she wore short denim shorts that reached mid-thigh, and she had even borrowed a Tampa Bay Rays varsity jacket from Riley. 

 ‘Jin can’t exercise, so you should do something like this on a day like today.’

 ‘Thank you, Ivy…’

 It was purely the result of Ivy’s desires being projected. 

 “Oh. You’re really giving off that sporty beauty vibe!”

 Ruth, who had appeared out of nowhere, rested an arm on Joey’s head and let out a whistle. Joey, annoyed, tried to hit him in the side, but Ruth quickly blocked her and alternated pointing between their outfits. 

 Today, Ruth was dressed as a jock in a blue Orlando Magic uniform. Joey hesitated upon seeing him but, as if granting him a special exception for the day, allowed him to rest his arm on her shoulder. Ruth, resting his arm on her shoulder, puffed up with exaggerated pride.

 “Thanks, nerd. What on earth did you stick on your glasses?” 

 Ruth tapped the thickly wrapped tape at the center of Joey’s horn-rimmed glasses as he spoke. Joey shot him a glare and adjusted her glasses before launching into a long-winded explanation about how “glasses broken from getting punched by someone” were an essential part of a nerd’s look. 

 “Hi, Jin. You’re great today.”

 A boy passing by nodded at Jin and greeted her. Jin, startled by the casual greeting from a boy she had never spoken to before, awkwardly returned the gesture. 

 “Ooh.”

Ruth and Joey grinned and nudged Jin playfully, making her shake her head awkwardly. 

 “Oh, right. You guys have Spanish class with Butterfield, don’t you?”

 In the middle of their lighthearted conversation, Joey clapped her hands and her eyes sparkled.

 “Mhm, why?” 

 “Butterfield went crazy today. Everyone’s been freaking out since this morning. Ah! Why don’t I have any classes with him? You guys better watch him for me.” 

 At Joey’s words, Jin recalled seeing Butterfield in swim class earlier. He still drew attention wherever he went, and he was still just as good-looking. Nothing seemed particularly different. 

 More than anything, Jin still remembered how Butterfield had teased her about her pajamas during cleanup yesterday. 

 ‘He said dress codes were childish. If he did participate, it’s probably just something basic like a jock outfit.’

 To put it simply, Jin’s guess was half right and half wrong. Butterfield’s outfit was indeed basic, but at the same time, it was impossible to ignore.

 As Jin entered the Spanish classroom with Ruth, she hesitated for a moment at the door. The room was unusually noisy, and there were more students than usual. Most of them were unfamiliar faces—clearly, they weren’t supposed to be in this class.

 Those eyes were focused on a seat at the very back.

 “Whoa. What’s going on?”

 Ruth, clearly annoyed by the crowded classroom, squeezed his way through the people. The two of them looked around with puzzled expressions, trying to figure out what was going on in the middle of the commotion. 

 And, unsurprisingly—really, it’s true—at the center of attention, as always, was Evan Butterfield. 

 Amidst the ridiculous nerds who seemed like they were pulled straight out of a movie and the overly buff jocks, Butterfield appeared surprisingly plain. 

 A short-sleeved shirt with a neatly tightened gray tie, layered with a black vest on top, and navy chinos that fit his long legs just right. It was a classic preppy look. 

 The finishing touch was his face—his loosely swept-back brown hair framed the features of a handsome man, now adorned with silver half-rim glasses. The precise, straight lines of the frames gave his face a sharp and refined look.

 As Butterfield appeared and disappeared behind the crowd, Jin watched him with her mouth slightly open. Butterfield dressed like a nerd—it was a combination she had never even imagined.

 …This was enough to draw a crowd. 

 “Wow. I’ve never seen him wear glasses before. Why does even that look good on him?”

 Perhaps sharing the same thought as Jin, Ruth let out a short exclamation. Sigh. With a deep breath, he muttered about how unfair life was before pulling Jin along, pushing through the crowd.  

 As Jin was pulled along by Ruth, following behind him with her wrist in his grip, she reluctantly tore her gaze away from Butterfield, who was barely visible between the people.

 Soon after, the bell rang loudly, and the students, who had been gathered, finally poured out of the classroom like a receding tide.

 “….” 

 After a moment of hesitation, Jin took advantage of the commotion and subtly turned around. She wanted to take a proper look at Nerd Butterfield, whom she hadn’t been able to see clearly due to the crowd. Since there was quite a distance between them, she figured a quick glance wouldn’t get her caught. 

 And the moment Jin turned her head, her gaze met that of the handsome man, who was staring directly at her with a slight frown. Or at least, she thought it did. The strong sunlight streaming in through the side window reflected off his glasses, partially obscuring his green eyes. 

 Jin, who was startled, turned her head forward again, pretending not to see anything properly. 

 …He’s not looking at me, right?

 Jin clutched her pounding heart and quickly sawt down. Just then, Mrs. Haide, dressed like an NFL pro team quarterback, entered the room to start the lesson. Jin focused on her, deliberately ignoring the strange tingling sensation at the back of her neck. 

 “I feel like if I posted a Reel of Butterfield, I’d get at least 2,000 likes.”

 Joey watched Butterfield messing around with a basketball alongside Jonathan Hansen in the distance and spoke. Next to her, Emily Gwen, dressed in a cheer uniform, was recording a video on her phone. Every time Butterfield playfully interacted with the camera, the smiles of the girls beside Gwen grew even brighter. 

 Everyone passing through the cafeteria spared at least a glance at Butterfield and Gwen’s group or acknowledged them in some way. Among them, Butterfield stood out the most—he was the only one dressed as a nerd. 

 Jin, who was sitting far away, could clearly feel that more eyes were on them than usual. The attention was enough to make Jin tired of looking at them, but the people involved seemed relaxed.

 However, there was one person who seemed displeased with the atmosphere—Alex Fines. 

 “Hey. Your costumes look great. You all went the opposite of your usual style today.”

 Fines, who had been roaming from table to table throughout lunch, finally came to a stop in front of Jin and the others. Meeting each of their eyes in turn, he flashed a bright smile, revealing his white teeth. 

 “Hey, what does opposite mean?”

 Dustin, wearing a Crawford basketball uniform that was no different from what he usually wore, said to Ruth.

 “You look a bit out of place.”

 At Ruth’s indifferent remark, Dustin examined his outfit with a serious expression. Amanda, wearing square metal-framed glasses—looking more like a sharp Ivy League student than a nerd—echoed Fines’ words right back at him, eyeing him in his football uniform. 

 “Hey, Fines. You’re the opposite of what you usually are.” 

 “What? Haha. Not me. I don’t look that different from usual. Anyway, Jin, you look really good today. I almost didn’t recognize you.”

 Fines raised his eyebrows and laughed as if he had just heard something absurd. His golden eyebrows moved so freely, they looked almost like worms. 

 “Uh…um. Thank you.” 

 She had lost count of how many times she had been told she looked like a different person today. Jin seriously wondered how everyone usually saw her. 

 “You’re voting for me for Homecoming Royalty, right? I’ll make sure to fight for Asian representation.” 

 Fines threw Jin a wink, then pointed back and forth between her and Ruth before walking away. Jin and Ruth watched his retreating figure with unimpressed expressions.

 “Is he running for student council president or something?”

 “I’m not even Asian.”

 Joey clicked her tongue in disapproval, and Ruth rolled his eyes as he spoke. 

 “Do you think I look like a loser?”

 Dustin still muttered seriously.

 “No, no. That’s not important right now.”

 Clap, clap.

 Joey patted Dustin’s shoulder in consolation before clapping her hands to shift the mood.  

 “What are you going to do for your homecoming partner? Don’t tell me to go in together. I really don’t want to go in a big group again this year!” 

 “I have a partner.”

 At Joey’s words, Amanda casually responded. Joey turned to her with a look of utter shock, as if her eyes were about to pop out. 

  1) Tampa Bay Rays: A Major League Baseball team based in St. Petersburg, Florida.

2) Orlando Magic: A professional NBA basketball team based in Orlando, Florida.  
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