Three Losses, One Second Chance

Chapter 6: Hunter and Prey

Jenna and Nora, who had turned down Ethan's request, had walked only a short distance when Jenna, somewhat speechless, saw Nora suddenly stop, pull her Snoopy coin purse from her pocket, take out a twenty-dollar bill from a folded wad of cash, and turn back to slap it down on the table in front of Ethan and Danny.

Nora got fifty dollars a week for spending money, and with her habit of saving, she always had a few dozen dollars in her wallet.

"Why did you give them so much? That's a fortune to those two!" Jenna had really wanted to say, "Why should they get anything?"

"An emergency."

Looking back at her, Jenna thought Nora's sharp features, her hair fluttering in the wind, and that casually tossed-off line gave her a truly gallant air.

And she had just done something bold in front of everyone.

Jenna had always admired Nora's decisiveness. She knew she could never be that straightforward herself, so she hoped that just by staying close, some of it would rub off on her.

Ethan's mood had been lifted by the loan at noon, but he didn't read too much into Nora coming back. It didn't mean anything. She was just kind-hearted.

Thinking about it, Nora was always good to her friends, and after all, they had known each other since childhood. Perhaps she just felt sorry for them, worried they'd be stuck at the diner without enough money, which would have been truly embarrassing.

Either way, it was a favor.

It meant they hadn't reached the point of no return.

Ethan felt this day was truly memorable. In such a short time, he had fallen right back into the old dread of being a bad student.

He was hopelessly near the bottom of his English class, and he had even been called out in front of everyone. With only seven dollars a day to live on, he had already put himself twenty dollars in debt to Nora.

Even reborn, life was still incredibly tough.

Still, he should always look forward and focus on the bright side.

Being at the bottom of the class meant he had a huge chance to improve if he could start over. And as far as Ethan was concerned, Nora's twenty dollars might as well have been a fortune.

Thankfully, that timely help had let Ethan and Danny each buy a soda and an ice cream after lunch.

The path to the main building was a tree-lined avenue. The afternoon sun reflecting off the building's windows made it look like a cyberpunk skyscraper, and speakers hidden in the lawn played songs from the school radio station.

Walking through this scene, Ethan and Danny felt as if they were wading through a river of time. Every frame looked like a scene from a movie.

If he hadn't lived this life again, he might have remembered it, but never with the same pleasant, slightly tipsy feeling of savoring fine wine. He seemed to have forgotten something. He couldn't quite recall it.

It wasn't until they approached the main building and saw a girl standing there that Ethan suddenly realized how familiar the scene seemed.

By this time, people were starting to walk back after lunch. Some noticed something and began peering down from the railing of the second-floor walkway.

The girl standing below the building, bathed in the afternoon light, was Camille Vance.

Camille was undoubtedly one of the most popular girls at Hartwell High, but she wasn't the aloof type.

She was the warm, friendly, girl-next-door type: wavy hair, a fondness for soft sweaters and long-sleeved tees, and a smile that put people at ease. Half the boys at Hartwell had had a crush on her at some point, and among them she had a reputation as a heartbreaker.

She wasn't the prettiest girl in school, but she had a unique charm, gentle and refined, the kind that fit every boy's ideal. The girls liked her too. They said she had "high emotional intelligence," a wonderful personality, and could talk to anyone without being stuck-up. The overall verdict: charming.

More importantly, Camille had been famous from middle school through high school for her romantic history. Many people had pursued her, and she had pursued many in return. She'd had only a handful of boyfriends, and above all, she ended every relationship herself, usually within a few months.

She never let things go further than she wanted, and she controlled the pace of every relationship. Some say girls are more mature than boys during adolescence, but Camille seemed far more mature than any boy she dated. Even her boyfriend from senior year seemed like a little brother to her. So although she had a rich romantic life, no boy ever got past her guard, and none could claim to have won her heart.

What was even stranger was that every breakup was peaceful. There were no intense conflicts or dramatic scenes, only endless melancholy and regret left behind for the boys. Many thought she left because they weren't good enough for her. Those who had dated her praised her to a level even Nora couldn't match. And there was never any nasty gossip about her. She never two-timed anyone. Every time she developed a new crush, she broke up with her current boyfriend first.

She was the legendary kind who walks through a field of roses without snagging a single thorn.

In short, this gentle, breezy heartbreaker stood alone below the main building.

"Look, look, it's the Heartbreaker!" Danny, spotting her from afar, nudged Ethan with his elbow, using the nickname the guys had for her.

Only after seeing all this did Ethan remember why Camille was here. Last Friday, Ethan had received a letter from her.

He couldn't remember the details of the letter.

He only remembered that Camille had written that because their two classes had gym at the same time, she often saw Ethan out on the field.

Many boys, after exercising, would dump water over their heads or pull their shirts off to show off.

Ethan, at that time, had been covered in sweat after running, his clothes soaked. His smile had suddenly caught her attention, and that was when she realized she liked him and wanted to try dating him.

Yes.

It was a love letter. It was the most formal confession of love Ethan had ever received as a teenager.

So, before afternoon classes this Monday, she was here waiting for Ethan's answer.

She stood there like a hunter taking aim at her prey.