Chapter 266: Cause and Effect
"Alright, got it. You can bounce now." I shrugged, not really caring. What a waste of good chill time; didn't get jack done.
"Jane, can you act like you didn't see anything?" Daniel's eyes were practically begging.
"I won't spill to anyone, except Brad."
He took a couple steps back, looking all down, and his face left me scratching my head.
Wasn't it just dealing with betrayal? If he was cool with it, others would just watch the drama and crack some jokes, no biggie. Who was he putting on this show for? Couldn't own up to his mess?
Daniel, man, he was totally messed up, like beyond saving.
I walked quite a bit before I heard him shout from behind, "Jane, you gonna hate me for this?"
I thought for a sec and told him, "Not my problem."
Back in class, I found a quiet corner, sat down, and called Brad to spill what I just saw.
After all, Daniel is Brad's little bro. If something shady was going down, better to fix it ASAP.
Brad must be stressed about Daniel too. After thinking for a bit, he said, knowing Daniel, there was no way he'd get back with Zoe. There had to be a reason they were together, but he wasn't sure what yet.
Before hanging up, I heard some kind of number-calling machine in the background. It wasn't clear, probably far away, but definitely there.
"Brad, you at school?"
"Got some stuff to handle. You get back to class. I'll order dinner for you tonight." Brad dodged my question.
Did the school even have a number-calling machine? Never heard of it.
Finally, class ended, and I had a bunch of unread messages on my phone. Brad sent me the dinner details, reminding me to pick it up downstairs.
Feeling kinda lazy, I thought about walking for a bit before heading to Crystal House to paint.
I remembered I hadn't been to the corridor in a while, so I walked over, only to find someone there—someone I really didn't wanna see.
How unlucky was I, always bumping into people I didn't wanna see, while the ones I wanted to meet were nowhere to be found.
Seriously, so annoying.
"Jane, I've been waiting for you." Zoe, in a red floral dress, with heavy makeup that clashed with the red, making her look off.
Two-faced people really should stick to lighter makeup. Her bright red lips were just too much.
I couldn't deal with her and turned to leave, feeling like the air was toxic around her. Didn't wanna say a word to her.
But she ran ahead to block me, even tried to grab my arm. Before she could touch me, I slapped her hand away and, keeping my cool, asked her what she wanted.
"To talk about me and Daniel." She raised her face, looking all proud and challenging.
Who gave her the nerve to think I'd wanna hear about her and Daniel's dirty laundry?
If she was sick, she should just go to the hospital. Why act crazy here?
"Not interested. Move." I reached out to keep Zoe from touching me and tried to walk past her.
Zoe was short and skinny. With just a light push, she stumbled into a nearby pillar.
If I didn't know there were no onlookers, I'd have clapped for her using herself as bait to frame me.
Zoe's acting skills were getting better and better.
"Jane, no matter how high and mighty you think you are, you still got ditched. Daniel would rather come back to me than be with you. I'm warning you, stay away from him, or you'll regret it. He's mine, and he'll never be yours." Zoe's face was all smug, like she just won the lottery.
She really cracked me up.
Why on earth would she think I'd wanna be close to Daniel? Daniel's like a piece of rotten meat, only good for the trash. Even if she handed him to me, I wouldn't know where to dump him.
And being ditched? That was just plain insulting.
There was never anything between Daniel and me, so there's no such thing as being ditched. Besides, I had Brad now, and I liked him.
So I stopped, half-turned, and looked down at her with a smirk, saying in the most annoying tone, "There's someone who got dumped, and we all know who that is. Getting dumped once wasn't enough, so you went back for a second time, oh wait, maybe the third or the umpteenth time. Impressive. But I get it, some people just have no self-respect."
Zoe's face turned beet red, her eyes blazing with rage. She charged at me like she wanted to rip me apart, the hatred in her eyes was intense.
How did I end up with this nutcase constantly bugging me? Seriously, it had nothing to do with me.
I looked at Zoe with disdain. If she dared to hit me, I could take her down in no time. With my height, I could easily pin her. But I'd never hit anyone before, so I was worried I might mess up my first try.
Last time with John, I was ready to fight to the death, but it didn't come to that. So, no experience gained.
Honestly, I was ready to throw down, but I didn't get the chance. Just as Zoe was about to reach me, and I was about to raise my hand to slap her, two gusts of cold wind appeared. One rushed past me at lightning speed, slapping Zoe with a crisp sound.
The other came from behind Zoe, standing beside me with cold, sharp eyes, like a wall.
The one who slapped Zoe was Daniel, and the one standing guard beside me was Adam.
Zoe was knocked to the ground by Daniel's slap, stunned. I thought she would bite her lip and cry like she always did, but she quickly got up and clung to Daniel's leg, accusing me of bullying her.
Zoe held on tight, while Daniel, disgusted, tried to shake her off. Neither would give up.
"What are you doing here?" I asked Adam, puzzled.
Adam, staring at Daniel and Zoe tangled up, glanced at me and smiled with a hint of tease, "Just passing by." He raised an eyebrow. "Never knew you could be so sharp-tongued."
I smiled proudly.
Adam laughed heartily, walking beside me as we left the chaotic scene. As we turned a corner, I glanced back and saw Daniel grabbing Zoe's hair and slapping her again.
Hitting a woman!
I shook my head in disapproval.
There were countless ways to solve problems, and hitting a woman was the lowest.
However, Zoe was dating two people at once and did a lot of shady stuff. Last time, John hit her, and now Daniel. Who's to say this wasn't the karma Zoe deserved?
Zoe brought this on herself.
She had only herself to blame.
Checking my watch, the takeout should be arriving soon. I needed to head home.
I thanked Adam and said goodbye, expressing my gratitude, but he seemed not to hear a word, insisting on escorting me to the neighborhood entrance. Grinning with a big white smile, he said, "Jane, from now on, your safety is my responsibility. Go on, one day, I'll make sure you never have to say thank you again."
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