Chapter 5
Vivian’s question instantly brought a smile to Luciana’s face, her eyes turning bright.
“Thiago having a thing for me? What would he even like? My dazzling mediocrity or the way I scrape together my tuition fees with part–time jobs?”
Seeing Luciana downplay herself made Vivian a little angry. If Luciana were what people called mediocre, then nobody else in the world could be considered average.
Vivian sized her up with her foxy eyes. Eventually, her gaze stopped at Luciana’s chest. “Uh–huh. Maybe Thiago knows exactly what he’s after.
“Your ‘uh–huh‘ sounds wrong…” Luciana’s cheeks flushed red in embarrassment when she noticed Vivian’s bold stare. “Stop it…”
“Seriously! I’ve showered with you–I know how hot you are. Even I admire your body, let alone men.”
Vivian pretended to be serious and continued, “When are you going to start wearing clothes that actually show off your figure? Girl, let them be free! You’re a total smoke show!”
“Never,” Luciana replied nonchalantly. Then, she crouched down and began rummaging for a bag to store Thiago’s blue button–up. “I don’t spend my money on clothes. I spend them on my tuition.”
Out of concern, Vivian asked, “Right. How’s your parents‘ convenience store doing? Didn’t you say business hasn’t been great and they’re struggling to pay rent? If you need any help, I could-”
Luckana cut her off, “It’s fine. They’ve resolved the issue. I did a few extra illustration gigs, and with the new semester, there’s been a new surge of students. Business is up and running again, so don’t worry about us.”
What she never told anyone was that during the most difficult times, her father had taken up construction work, leaving her mother alone to run their small shop. It wasn’t that Luciana was ashamed; she just didn’t want her best friend to worry.
With the way her life was going, how could she even think about dating, let alone someone like Thiago? The gap between them was too wide, and it was laughable even to imagine crossing it.
The next afternoon after class, Luciana carried a paper bag from the dry cleaners, getting ready to return Thiago’s button–up. She genuinely didn’t want to have any more contact with him. She wanted to end this little infatuation of hers once and for all.
Quietly pulling Vivian aside, she whispered, “Vivian, could you give this bag to Nigel and ask him to pass it along to Thiago?”
Vivian raised a brow, a teasing smile playing at her lips. “Nigel’s off–campus for his internship this week. It’s just a shirt. Why don’t you return it yourself?”
“L..” Luciana was at a loss for words and couldn’t find an excuse.
Vivian didn’t give her a chance to refuse either. She looped her arm through Luciana’s and grinned. “Come on, let’s go find Thiago. I heard some juniors say he’s playing basketball”
Luciana was helpless. After a while, the two arrived at Jorendale Sports Grounds. The basketball court was already packed with layers of
onlookers, mostly women,
Thiago wore a loose black jersey and a red–and–white sweatband on his wrist. His toned muscles glistened faintly with sweat. With his striking features, he looked radiant under the afternoon sun.
He dribbled lazily down the court, but when a drop of sweat rolled into his eyes, he ran his fingers through his hair, revealing the sharp lines of his brows and eyes. The crowd erupted in another wave of squeals from the sidelines.
“Oh my gosh! Thiago is so hot!”
“What a handsome face!”
“I’m gonna faint.”
Amid the rolling waves of excited screams, Thiago dribbled the ball lazily. Suddenly, he shook off the defender behind him with lightning speed, his figure like the wind.
With a carefree leap into the air, his strong hands appeared against the bright blue sky like a striking foreground. About five yards from the hoop, he made a clean, precise shot.
The basketball steadily entered the net. The spectacular shot ignited the crowd once again.
“Shit! I think I’m falling in love!”
“Is he even real?”
“He’s perfect, that’s for sure!”
Chapter 5
2/2
In the corner of the basketball court, Luciana was completely mesmerized. She felt as if she were under a spell, utterly frozen in place.
It turned out Thiago was exceptionally good at basketball.
Back in their senior year of high school, he never joined any activities and always sat in the last row of the classroom with his head down, playing on his phone. Was it because he didn’t want to show off his talents?
She had innocently thought he was just as out of place as she was, without any special skills.
Crossing her arms, Vivian tilted her head with a smile. “Hm. Not bad. He’s quite cute.”
Luciana snapped back to reality and tugged at Vivian’s shirt. “Let’s go.”
“Huh? I thought you were here to return the shirt?”
“I’m not doing that in front of a crowd. Next time.”
Vivian arched a brow, mischief dancing in her eyes. “What is it? Are you shy?”
“Thiago has plenty of admirers. I don’t want to be everyone’s punching bag,”
No sooner had the words left her mouth than a ripple of murmurs stirred through the crowd.
A woman holding a bottle of water and a towel approached Thiago with a bright smile. Her figure was flawless, and she looked even more stunning than many celebrities or models out there. Her voice was soft and sweet as she said, “Have some water, Thiago.”
He glanced at her coldly, then took the water bottle with a simple, “Thanks.”
Luciana felt her heart sink, an inexplicable bitterness rising. She awkwardly wiped the sweat off her forehead.
She knew that young woman. Actually, at Jorendale University, everyone knew who Monica, the belle of the biomedical science department, was. Luciana couldn’t help but lament how perfect the pair looked standing next to each other.
Meanwhile, Vivian wore a look of disdain and pursed her lips at the sight of Monica. “There she goes again.”
What’s with that tone?” Luciana asked curiously.
“You know Wendy Greer, don’t you? She’s on the cheerleading team.” Vivian scoffed and continued, “She’s best friends with Monica. That’s enough to show that Monica’s a two–faced bitch too. They’re always speaking with a baby voice. Heck, Wendy even flirted with Nigel in front of me. I wanted to strangle that bitch!”
Luciana responded, “In other words, Monica didn’t do anything to you. You just hate her because of her association with Wendy.”
“Well, birds of a feather flock together. Wendy is a bitch, and Monica will be no different.”
From afar, Luciana stood and sighed, her gaze still fixed on the basketball court. “But Monica and Thiago look great together.”
“Girl, she’s just born lucky. If I had the privilege she has, I could even marry into the royal family, let alone Thiago.”
Vivian might not necessarily come from immense wealth, but her father was a cardiothoracic surgeon at Jaxwell Hospital. Meanwhile, her mother taught Ubric at the high school affiliated with Jorendale University. No matter how one looked at it, Vivian came from a well–educated
family.
Luciana, on the other hand, had followed her parents from Netherfield to Januview when she was little. Despite working hard most of their lives, her parents only managed to run a small convenience store, one that was still on rented property.
Even now, they didn’t own a place they could truly call home.
Thankfully, Luciana had loving parents. They doted on her, never once quarreled, and filled their modest home with warmth. That had given Luciana a happy childhood,
However, that happiness only existed within the scope of her own world. In Vivian’s world, and especially Thiago’s, the idea of happiness probably looked completely different from hers.
A strange heaviness settled in Luciana’s chest. She bit the inside of her cheek and summoned a fragile smile. “Let’s go. I’m getting hungry. Shall we walk to the cafeteria?”
“Sure.”
As they left, a male voice suddenly echoed in the air.
