He Sent a Fake to Scare Me Off, I Ended Up Feeding Him for Months Chapter 03

He Sent a Fake to Scare Me Off, I Ended Up Feeding Him for Months Chapter 03

I knew none of that. At the time, Elias Reed had my complete attention.

He’d told me his name was Elias, and that was what everyone else called him too. Clearly, the Whitmores had even changed his name to hide from their creditors.

I spent the entire day trying to talk to him. He rarely answered and sometimes pretended he hadn’t heard me at all.

Unfortunately for him, I’d inherited Dad’s gift for talking.

That man could strike up a conversation with a fence post, and since I’d never been shy around strangers, I could practically carry an entire conversation by myself.

“Do you know any good places to eat in Westbridge? It’s my first day, so I don’t know the area.”

“Do you live off campus, or are you a boarder?”

“Why is this different from what they taught me back home?”

“Where’s the water fountain? I’m dying of thirst.”

Whenever Elias finally reached his limit, he’d murmur, “Pay attention.”

After a pause, he added, “There’s a water fountain outside Room 204. Wait until the bell rings.”

By the time class ended, I’d already forgotten I was thirsty.

I hurriedly called Dad and told him the Whitmores had gone bankrupt.

“What happened?” he exclaimed.

“Never mind, sweetheart. If they’re broke, they’re broke. We don’t judge people by their bank accounts. Hard times show you what someone’s really made of. If you like the kid, we can afford to take care of him.”

I nodded, though I couldn’t exactly say I liked Elias yet.

I just felt sorry for him.

If there was one thing I had plenty of, it was money, and that happened to be what he needed most.

Dad had made his first fortune in real estate around the time I was born. He’d spotted an abandoned warehouse district before anyone else saw its potential and bought in early.

By the time I started middle school, the city had launched a major redevelopment project, and he invested heavily in that too.

Then came the tech boom. Dad didn’t understand technology, but he understood when to back the right people.

Our family hadn’t been wealthy for long. Compared to the Whitmores and their generations of old money, we really were what people online called new money.

Still, being new money had its advantages. Dad handed me card after card without batting an eye.

I could’ve bought the karaoke lounge where Elias worked, but I didn’t.

After pestering him for several days, I finally found out where he worked at night.

Elias looked different outside school. His clothes were more casual, and even his usually neat hair had fallen loose around his forehead.

I’d secretly followed him there, so the moment he saw me, his brows drew tightly together.

“Who told you to come to a place like this?” He pulled me into the stairwell. “What are you doing at a karaoke lounge?”

He certainly had plenty to say now.

I pulled a sandwich out of my backpack and shoved it into his hand.

Elias froze, his hand hovering in midair.

“Eat it.” I pushed it closer. “I bought too much, and the guy at the deli said it wouldn’t be good after tonight. I can’t finish it, and wasting food is terrible, so you’re helping me out.”

I’d already learned that Elias worked at least three jobs after school. First, he handed out flyers. Then he helped at his family’s roadside burger stand near Miller Bridge. After the stand closed, he came here for another shift.

A basic burger cost $7, but he never made one for himself.

He either made do with the stale roll he’d brought that morning or waited for whatever untouched food was left on the lounge’s party platters.

After a few days, I’d already gotten to know most of the students in our homeroom.

Several of them went out of their way to warn me not to get too close to Elias. They said he was strange and gloomy, that he kept his head down over his schoolwork and never spoke to anyone.

They also told me his mother had kidney failure and his younger sister was disabled.

Mrs. Whitmore was that sick?

I didn’t dare ask Elias about it. I was afraid of hurting him.

Elias tightened his grip on the sandwich and looked down at me. “Why?”

I waved him off and stared at him in disbelief.

“Why does there have to be a reason? You sit next to me, and you helped me with a math problem today.”

Then I nodded firmly.

“Exactly. Dad said he’d ground me for life if I didn’t get into a good college. I’m bribing you, Elias. That sandwich isn’t free. You have to keep tutoring me tomorrow.”

I’d caught a glimpse of his math test earlier. The guy had missed only one point.

Elias pressed his lips together.

“You don’t think I’m dirty?”

My eyes widened.

“Of course not.”

I leaned closer and made an exaggerated show of sniffing the air around him.

“Your mom keeps your clothes spotless. I could smell your laundry detergent every time the breeze blew your way in class. Look at mine.”

I held up my grimy sleeve.

“I’m way dirtier than you. Does that make you think I’m gross?”

In the dim stairwell, Elias suddenly looked up, his eyes shining. Still clutching the sandwich, he shook his head.

I lifted my chin in satisfaction. “That’s more like it. I’m your fi…”

I caught myself just before the word slipped out.