Across the street, near the school entrance, a black Audi was parked. Yvonne sat in the passenger seat, feeling angry as she watched what was happening."I can't believe Madelyn would do this behind Ethan's back. She's befriending that bastard! I need to so something..."Yvonne snapped some photos with her phone, thinking to use them as evidence."They're leaving. Drive after them, Mr. Jardin. I want to see what else they're up to!"Zach found it hard to refuse Yvonne's requests, maybe because of his own thoughts about Madelyn. He slowly followed Forrest and Madelyn.But when they turned into a narrow alley, the car couldn't go through.Yvonne exclaimed in frustration, "My brother treats her so well. How could she be with Forrest? No wonder she defended him last time; they must have a thing!"She added, "Mr. Jardin, she's your sister. She's dating someone while still in high school. Shouldn't you do something?"The moment she looked at Zach, she felt an unsettling aura from him
About an hour and a half later, Forrest shook Madelyn's foot. "Hey, wake up, it's time to go," he whispered to himself, 'She's sleeping so soundly.'Startled, Madelyn roused from her slumber and realized that Forrest's IV drip had been completed. She saw a cotton swab taped to the back of his hand.Checking her phone, Madelyn saw that it was nearly one o'clock. She yawned and asked, "Did you remember what I told you?""Thinking about that now, at this hour? Let's discuss it tomorrow," Forrest replied, slinging his bag over his shoulder and making his way to the counter to settle the bill and collect his medications.The doctor gave Forrest a stern look. "Kid, take your kidney health seriously. I wasn't joking. If it worsens, you might not have children in the future."Rolling his eyes, Forrest retorted, "Alright, enough with the lecture, old man."Madelyn chimed in, "Forrest, show some respect to the doctor." Then she turned to the doctor and assured, "Don't worry, I'll make sure
Madelyn woke up naturally and got out of bed. It was now seven o'clock, and she had half an hour before she needed to leave. That was more than enough time for her.She tied her hair into a ponytail and used a headband to keep it in place before opening the door and stepping out. She glanced at the couch and saw that the blankets and bedsheet were neatly folded and placed on it.She thought to herself, 'Forrest must have left already. 'Suddenly, the door was pushed open, and there stood Forrest, wearing a black bomber jacket with a hat on his head. Snowflakes had settled on his shoulders, and he brushed them off before coming inside."Hey, Madelyn. You're awake."Madelyn asked, "Where did you go?"Forrest held up two bags of food for her to see. "Breakfast, bought downstairs for you."He added, "Hot cocoa and cinnamon rolls."Madelyn replied, "But I'm running out of time.""Oh, then I'll toss it." He said indifferently."You're really wasting food. I'll go brush my teeth and
Madelyn stopped in her tracks when she realized it was George calling her. She wondered, 'Why is Ethan at the school at this time?'However, she had no choice but to get into Ethan's car, taking the passenger seat.The car was warm, thanks to the air conditioning.Sitting in the car, Ethan appeared pale and weak. He had his hand pressed against his mouth, coughing a few times. His breathing was labored, as if he was feeling uncomfortable.Neither of them spoke. After a while, Madelyn broke the silence, "Why are you here today? You're not feeling well. Do you need to go to the hospital?" she said with concern."It's just a common cold, nothing serious," Ethan replied.Madelyn nodded in response.Ethan's voice was soft as he asked, "Yesterday, Yvonne mentioned that Mr. Jardin couldn't find you when he was here to pick you up after school. Where did you go?""He was here to pick me up?" Madelyn responded, a bit puzzled. She wondered, 'Wasn't he here for Yvonne?'Ethan nodded, "Yv
Yvonne's performance was pretty impressive. She rarely did her homework, and she occasionally skipped classes. It seemed like she could perform well academically effortlessly.Today, Yvonne had once again skipped the Math Olympiad training class. Albert seemed unfazed and began teaching at the blackboard.In the final period, the homeroom teacher, Hailey, made an announcement. There would be a parent-teacher meeting this Saturday, and every parent was expected to attend. Additionally, there was a camp during the upcoming break, and if anyone wanted to participate, they needed to sign up. The camp was organized by Ventrocloud High School and was open to the entire school.Madelyn stashed the camp participation form into her drawer.She didn't need to think twice about the parent-teacher meeting. Hayson had never attended any of her parent-teacher meetings before. In the past, she had convinced Zach to attend as her parent.But this time, it seemed unlikely that anyone would show up
Forrest asked, "Satisfied?""I didn't mean it that way," Madelyn replied, looking at the generous portion of chicken. She knew she wouldn't be able to finish it all."And you're not even happy when I give it to you? Geez, you're really hard to please," Forrest remarked.In reality, Madelyn had only wanted to express her frustration.After finishing their meal and heading back, Forrest unexpectedly asked her to tutor him. Madelyn thought, 'Normally at this time, he should be at the bar hanging out with some pretty girls. Now he's voluntarily asking to study.'It was six o'clock, and the sky was already dark.They walked to the classroom building.Madelyn said, "Let's do so tomorrow instead. You're not fully recovered yet; take a day to rest.""If you're not down in ten minutes, I'll come up there myself," Forrest responded.Madelyn believed he would follow through with his threat. So, in the end, she compromised.As Madelyn packed her belongings and prepared to leave, Yvonne s
Yvonne continued, "Are you trying to keep Ethan hanging on while also being with Forrest, Madelyn? I'm curious, what's your true intention? Why not just be honest?"As Madelyn pondered the situation, she thought, 'Is this how Yvonne see it? Did Ethan feel the same way when he learned about Forrest and me last night?'Meeting Yvonne's gaze directly, Madelyn maintained her composure and responded, "Let me clarify a few things."She began to explain, "Who I spend time with and what I choose to do is my personal business. Ethan has been supportive before, and I'm grateful for that. However, it doesn't mean I'll simply go along with his feelings for me. If you all believe I should distance myself from him, I'm willing to do so." She added, "This is a matter concerning your family, and it's unrelated to me. If you insist on pressuring me to make a choice, I'll stand by the decision I've made now."Furthermore, Madelyn recognized her own responsibility toward Forrest. Yet, even if she did
Inside the library, Madelyn brought out a math paper she had created herself and handed it over to Forrest. The paper had simple problems and was just half a page long.Usually, finishing it would take around thirty minutes, which was just enough time for her to also commit the Etlinish words to memory and even tackle the Etlinish reading comprehension.Not wanting to make Forrest feel pressured, Madelyn refrained from hovering around to observe him work.After the passing of thirty minutes, whether he completed the paper or not, she would collect it.Giving the paper a quick look, Madelyn noticed that he hadn't written down a few of the most basic math formulas.Ultimately, he achieved a score of twenty points. She noted this in the upper right corner of the paper. Those twenty points were granted for his effort in attempting each problem.Madelyn sighed one after another, pondering, "Forrest, what on earth have you been doing these past two years?"Forrest cast his pen aside,