He Sent a Fake to Scare Me Off, I Ended Up Feeding Him for Months Chapter 09

He Sent a Fake to Scare Me Off, I Ended Up Feeding Him for Months Chapter 09

Elias didn’t say another word throughout class. He had gone right back to the distant, withdrawn boy I’d met on my first day.

Eventually, I couldn’t take it anymore.

I picked up my pen and gave him a firm poke in the arm.

Elias turned almost immediately, his eyes lighting up for a split second.

He reminded me of my dog back home. All I had to do was call his name, and both of them would

look at me with the same bright, shining eyes.

“Here’s what happened. Someone deliberately pointed you out as Chase and made up a whole story,

so I got the wrong person.”

“But I only got your identity wrong. Everything that happened between us was real, wasn’t it?”

“You can’t just abandon me. I…”

I didn’t even know why I was panicking. In the end, all I could do was threaten him.

“You promised to help me, so you can’t quit halfway through. If I don’t get into a good college, you’ll have to answer to me.”

Elias suddenly lowered his head and rummaged through the compartment beneath his desk.

After a moment, he pulled out a thick notebook.

“These are the most common types of problems that have appeared on our math exams over the past few years. I worked out several solutions for each one. The methods marked in red are simpler and can be applied to most problems of the same type.”

“The blue and green ones are more complicated, but they’ll help you understand the logic behind

each type. Once you get that, you should be able to handle any variation.”

Elias gripped the notebook so tightly that his fingers turned pale.

He’d spent the entire class taking stock of himself, only to conclude that he had nothing impressive

to offer.

All he had to offer was a notebook filled with his own handwriting, something that had cost almost nothing but meant everything he could give.

After a pause, he said, “It’s okay if you don’t understand them. I’ll help you.”

He looked at me, his eyes brightening with his smile.

“Savannah, I’ll help you. Whatever you want to do, I’ll help you do it.”

I accepted the thick notebook. Every page was covered in Elias’s neat, careful handwriting.

“Thank you, Elias.”

The fact that he was still talking to me meant he was still willing to be my friend.

I held the notebook against my cheek and beamed at him.

“I promise I’ll study it. That means we’re still friends, and we can still walk to and from school

together.”

Elias hesitated before giving me a small nod.

Between classes, I called Dad and explained that the Whitmores hadn’t gone bankrupt after all. I’d simply mistaken someone else for Chase.

“Well, that’s good news,” Dad said. “Maybe now you’ll stop worrying about him long enough to call your father.”

He paused, sounding strangely disappointed.

“Shame, though. I was starting to like the idea of him taking the Brooks name.”

When the last period ended, I gave Elias my usual pat on the shoulder.

“Come on. Let’s go.”

Elias didn’t move.

I followed his gaze and saw Chase standing in the classroom doorway.