"Stop!" A loud voice filled the air, causing the cafeteria to go silent just as it had before.

I saw Claire looking at the two girls. It looked like she had tried to step in before she shouted if her split lip and scratched arms were anything to go by. For some reason, the fact that she was injured because of this foolish brawl made my heart ache. I assumed that it was because of the fact that the girl had saved my life.

Yes, I nodded. I couldn't stand my savior being hurt like that.

She continued. "This isn't a playground. You're inside the cafeteria. Please go settle your disputes somewhere else more appropriate than lunging and scratching at each other like uncivilized morons."

That, that was how she acted in the webnovel. I had thought that the way she talked to me was strange because the novel had described her as a sharp-tongued girl. Although she still has the same wit that she spoke to me in.

The girls glared at each other a final time before blushing when they realized just how much of a mess they had caused. Both rushed off with their friend groups out of the cafeteria still quietly bickering.

Probably to go fight outside or something.

I waved for Al to go back. He waggled his brows looking at me then Claire, then back to me again.

I rolled my eyes. "You're acting like my dad."

At his cheeky smile, I clarified. "She's the one who saved me so I want to make sure she's okay."

He turned solemn when he heard who she was and nodded.

Before he left, I said, "Tell Mallory and Tyler it was nice to meet them."

After he flashed me a thumbs up, I turned around and walked towards Claire.

"Hey."

Claire spun around before her eyes landed on me and lit up when she recognized me. "Hey, it's Julien, right?"

"Yeah," I replied before gesturing to her arm. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," she started to say before seeing me pout. I hadn't realized that I was pouting, but I wanted to make my point so I continued even if I was slowly turning red.

Why am I always turning red around this girl?

"Fine, it hurts a bit."

"Okay, let's take you to the nurse," I said. "Don't look at me like that. You're bleeding!"

She nodded and thankfully followed me out of the cafeteria. We walked in comfortable silence, our footsteps echoing in the hallways. We didn't see a lot of people on our way, but then again there weren't going to be lots of injured people out of nowhere.

However, as we reached the health services building, Claire abruptly turned to me.

"Thanks for walking me here," she began.

"It's nothing," I interrupted. At her confused look, I winked at her. "You did save me after all."

She started to say something but stopped when she looked at my face and then looked away.

"Is there something on my face?" I asked.

She shook her head before pushing open the door. I stopped her and opened the doors for her.

"Let me," I said. "Your arms are bleeding."

She nodded gratefully.

I watched and waited silently behind her as she explained her situation to the receptionist at the front desk. After a few minutes, she waved for Claire to follow her. I hesitated, but when Claire silently gestured me to follow, I quickly fell in step behind them. As we were guided to a room, we walked past the girls we saw before.

"So they had enough common sense to get help, but not to fight in the cafeteria," I muttered under my breath.

I think Claire heard me since she seemed to stifle a laugh.

"Did you get into the fight with the other girls, too?" The nurse said looking at Claire with disapproval.

She dabbed alcohol wipes at Claire's arms causing her to wince. I frowned.

"No, she was trying to stop the idiots."

Claire looked at me with a bit of surprise on her face. Oops, she probably didn't expect me to insult people like I just did. I suppose it was different from how I had acted during our meeting.

"What? They are."

She just shook her head and smiled. The nurse looked at the two of us before she went to get bandages for Claire's arms.

"You got yourself a keeper," she said to Claire.

Claire and I both flushed and denied her accusations. Even if I had never been in a relationship before, I wasn't so dense that I didn't understand what she meant.

Claire and I were just friends. Why did everyone think otherwise these days? First, it was Ava, then my parents, and now this nurse, too?

The nurse just looked at us skeptically before leaving the room to get ice for Claire's face. The atmosphere in the room was getting to be a bit strange. I fidgeted around on the chair next to her. Something had also been bugging me so I decided to break the silence. Why not kill two birds with one stone?

"Hey, um," I started before coughing.

Claire, you're looking at me a bit too intently!

I decided to try again. "Claire, why did you step in the fight? There was a high chance you could've gotten injured and you did. Get injured, I mean."

***

Claire looked at the boy when he suddenly turned extremely red.

Just like last time.

And just like last time, she stifled a giggle as the boy started sputtering.

"No, uh, I didn't mean to accuse you of injuring yourself. I just, uh, I meant, um, to ask why you decided to step in when you didn't have to. Yes, that's what I meant to say"

He finished, seeming proud that he finished his statement. Claire thought her earlier observation that he was a kitten was not off at all. He really seemed to be a proud little kitten at this moment.

"Ahem, I thought it was rather undignified for them to cause such a ruckus in the cafeteria," she said, continuing when she saw him nodding. "I also didn't want them to spout such nonsense."

Julien cutely furrowed his brow as he leaned forward slightly on his chair. "What do you mean? What nonsense?"

She tilted her head, confused that he had chosen to focus on that part of her reasoning. Nevertheless, she responded.

"I know that James would never do something like that. To say that he was pursuing a relationship with either of them was ridiculous. Even more so when both of them said that."

Seeing his frown deepen, she explained. "The implications of what they were saying would've sullied James' reputation and as his friend, I couldn't stand to the side and watch."

After she finished speaking, she noticed that Julien was still quiet.

Was he jealous of James?

She almost blushed, thinking of what the nurse said when he had jumped to her defense earlier. It was almost as if he was defending her honor. She shook her head internally.

There's no way. He was just being a gentleman and as he said, repaying his gratitude for saving his life.

For some reason, the last part made her a bit sour, but she didn't have time to ponder on it.

"What if," he said slowly, "the girls weren't lying?"

Seeing her darkening expression, he hurriedly added on. "I'm not saying you're wrong because I would do the same if it was rumors about my friend, but could something be going on we don't know about?"

She was about to yell at him but seeing the sincere concern on his face, she relaxed slightly.

"No, it's impossible. I've known him since we were kids. He's not that kind of person."

The boy molded thoughtfully, looking down before looking up at her with a small grin.

I really wonder if he'd allow me to pet his hair. So poofy.

***

So this is how Julien felt when she rejected his help.

After hearing the same words of denial from Claire about James' behavior, I could see why he was so hurt. It was like watching and waiting for something terrible to happen. You can prevent it from happening, but the person who you're trying to help refuses the help.

But I don't want to push her away. I wouldn't be learning from my brother's actions then.

And so I plastered a small grin on my face as genuinely as I could before I looked at her.

"Ah, sorry to ask such a question," I said ruefully.

She waved it off. "No, I understand. Don't worry about it."

I nodded as we fell back into silence. This time it was a comfortable sort of silence, one where each person simply veered off into their own thoughts. That was the state that the nurse found us in when she walked back into the room.

She turned to me and, with the straightest face said, "So you confessed and she accepted, right?"

If I was drinking water, I was sure I would've choked on it.

"No, it's not that!" I said, frantically waving my arms. I looked over to see how Claire took her words, feeling relieved when I saw that she was only smirking a bit.

Wait, smirking?

I turned back to see the nurse sporting a teasing smile. "Relax, boy."

I did as I was told, slumping back into my chair. I only got back up when I saw that the nurse was finished talking to Claire about how to take care of her injuries.

"Hey," the nurse said after Claire had left the room first. "In all honestly, think about it?"

Before I could ask her what she meant, she also left, leaving me standing in the middle of the room.

What did she mean? Think about what?

Chalking it up to her teasing me again, I shrugged before hurriedly walking out the room.