Chapter 29 Birds of a Feather Flocked Together
"These past two years, I've been swamped with school and haven't been around much. I wasn't there for you when you needed me most, and that's on me. I'm sorry, Jane," Brad said, sounding guilty.
"Don't worry about it. It wasn't your fault."
"Jane, you must've been really upset. Daniel's such a jerk." Brad looked at me with pity, his eyes gentle.
"I'm much better now, not as upset anymore." It had been a while since it happened. It was awful then, but now I'm okay.
"Yeah, Jane's the best. Want to talk about it? I'm all ears."
I glanced at my phone; class started in half an hour, so there wasn't enough time. Plus, I didn't want to relive that nightmare.
"Brad, can we not talk about it?"
"Sure, as long as you're happy. Let's head back; class is about to start. Just remember, no matter what, I've got your back."
"Yeah, Brad, why are you so good to me?" I asked.
Brad's hand on my shoulder paused. There was something in his eyes, but he quickly went back to being the warm, reliable Brad I knew. "Our Jane is beautiful and cute; she deserves the best."
That morning, Brad walked me to the classroom door, watching me find a seat before he left.
Seeing me with the popular Brad, a bunch of girls crowded around, curious about our relationship.
When they found out I was Brad's sister, they tried to get on my good side, asking if they were Brad's type and if they had a chance with him.
I sized them up: one had tiny eyes, another had a thick waist, one was too flashy, another was outdated, and the girl next to me had a sharp chin, clearly from plastic surgery.
After looking around, I told them none of them were Brad's type.
The girl with the sharp chin asked what kind of woman Brad liked and how to win his heart. I had no clue.
"Anyway, not like you guys," I said.
Maybe I didn't know the answer. My reasons were just my opinions.
The girls went back to their seats, looking hurt. One even lay on her desk the whole class, either heartbroken or crying herself to sleep.
Despite my reluctance, I still went to pick up Zoe on time.
"Jane, you really came. You always do what Daniel asks. Awesome, lend me a hand with this; my hands are killing me," Zoe said, as annoying as ever.
I couldn't understand how someone so delicate could be so rude.
If I didn't keep my promises, I would've left her there because she was so annoying.
'Did you think you could boss me around just the moment we met? Dream on. I'm not your obedient Daniel,' I thought.
"No can do," I said, not even glancing at Zoe.
Given all the stuff Zoe had pulled, picking her up was already generous. Boss me around? No way.
Zoe watched me get into the car without a word, fuming. I ignored her and drove off. She had to load her luggage into a taxi herself.
I was puzzled. 'It's just a month-long exchange program, not a permanent move. Did Zoe really need three huge suitcases? Daniel wasn't here, so who was she trying to impress with all those flashy outfits?'
Later, I found out she was indeed trying to impress someone.
"Jane, why don't you have your own car after studying here for over a year? Taxis are gross and smell bad," Zoe complained, fanning her nose like she was sitting on a toilet instead of a taxi.
I thought, 'You've been in college for over a year too, so why haven't you learned some self-awareness and realized how annoying you are?'
"Then get out, no one invited you in." Did she think I had a good temper and could be bullied however she wanted?
Zoe snapped, "Jane, you're bullying me. You promised Daniel you'd take good care of me. Do you believe I'll call him and tell him?"
I raised my phone, almost shoving it in her face. "Is Daniel your dad? Do you have to tell him everything? Go ahead, tell him now. If your phone's dead, I'll lend you mine."
Zoe's face turned red with anger and shame. She looked like she wanted to bite me.
I happily hummed a tune all the way, ignoring Zoe. I wanted her to understand that I enjoyed seeing her frustrated and unable to do anything about it.
When we arrived at the school gate, two cars following us also stopped. They were other exchange students who had come with Zoe.
After escorting her to the dorm, I was about to leave when she called me back. "Jane, I'm hungry. How about treating us to some grub"
"Us?" I asked.
"My classmates and I, a total of seven people. We're not familiar with this place, so you should take us."
I thought angrily, 'How shameless. I was only willing to treat you because of Daniel, and now you want me to treat your classmates too? Do you think I have money to burn? My parents were worried I wouldn't eat well here, so they sent me a lot of money every month. I couldn't even spend it all and had saved quite a bit. Recently, I had also earned some money from my paintings and received scholarships. Honestly, I wasn't short on money. I could afford not just one meal, but ten. But why should I?'
For someone who harbored so much malice towards me and always wanted to trample me underfoot, I'd rather feed stray dogs than give Zoe anything. It would be a waste.
"Can't swing it," I replied.
"Zoe, didn't you say we'd be taken care of here? Why doesn't she even want to treat us to a meal? Your boyfriend's contact must be a cheapskate who doesn't treat you well. Or maybe you were just bragging, and he doesn't care about you at all."
Birds of a feather flocked together.
Indeed, a hypocritical person would have friends with no class. All were so annoying.
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