My Romance Life System-Chapter 66: Terrible Idea

The conversation on the way to school, which usually consisted of us arguing about terrible anime tropes or the objective superiority of strawberry cheesecake ice cream, had taken on a much heavier tone.

"They’re not going to do anything, you know," Nina said, her voice lacking its usual bright, teasing quality. "The teachers, the administration, all of them. They’ll just pretend they never saw those videos."

’She’s not wrong,’ I thought, my hands shoved deep into my pockets. It was a cynical take, but after everything I had seen yesterday, it was also the most realistic one.

"It’s easier for them to just let it blow over," I said, agreeing with her completely. "If they actually punish the girls who did it, then they have to admit there’s a problem, which means they’d have to create a solution, and that just sounds like a lot of paperwork."

She let out a frustrated sigh. "But that’s their job, isn’t it? To deal with this stuff? Thea was bleeding, Kofi, and everyone was just filming it like it was some kind of reality show."

I glanced over at her, noticing how her hands were clenched at her sides, a stark contrast to her usually relaxed posture. Yesterday, she was the one being emotional while I was the one trying to be logical, and now it felt like our roles had completely reversed.

"I know," I said quietly. "But from their perspective, it’s just a bunch of teenage drama. They’ll wait until the next stupid thing happens and everyone forgets about this one."

"I don’t want to forget about it," she said, her voice firm, stopping for a second to look at me. "It’s not right that she has to just... deal with that. That we all have to just pretend this is normal."

I kept my mouth shut, but the way she was talking, with this fire in her voice, it wasn’t just about Thea anymore. It was clear that watching someone get ostracized and humiliated while everyone just stood around and stared was hitting a little too close to home for her, and for a second, I could see right through to the girl who cried in the hallway because she hated her own reputation.

"So what do we do?" I asked, my voice much quieter than hers.

She stopped walking and turned to face me, the morning rush of students just flowing around us like we were a rock in a stream.

"We find her," she said, her expression so determined it was almost startling. "We just... find her. And we let her know that not everyone in this stupid school is a monster."

"That’s it?" I asked. "We just talk to her?"

"What else are we supposed to do?" she countered, a hint of her frustration returning. "We can’t fight her battles for her, but we don’t have to let her feel like she’s completely alone, either. Sometimes, that’s enough."

I understood where she was coming from, I really did, but her plan had a flaw the size of a school bus, which was the fact that it completely ignored how Thea might actually feel about it.

"I’m not saying we do nothing," I said, trying to find the right words as we navigated through the morning crowd of students. "I just think we can’t make it about us. If we just run up to her and say ’Hey, we’re your new friends now,’ she’s going to think we’re just doing it out of pity."

She looked over at me, her determined expression softening into something more thoughtful. "So we just let her be alone?"

"No, we just have to be smart about it," I explained, feeling a little more sure of myself. "We can’t force it. It has to be on her terms, otherwise we’re just another two people telling her how she should feel."

She was quiet for a second, just processing that. "When did you get so smart about this stuff?"

I just shrugged. "I’ve spent my entire life trying to get people to leave me alone. I’m kind of an expert on what not to do if you actually want someone to talk to you."

That got a small smile out of her, and the tension eased up. As we walked through the school gates, the usual ripple effect started, a few kids doing a double-take when they saw me, their whispers following us. It was still weird, but it was a background noise I was starting to get used to.

"You know, for a guy who’s an expert at being left alone, you’re suddenly the most popular topic of conversation in this school," she teased, bumping my shoulder.

"Don’t remind me," I said.

"Well, you might as well use your newfound celebrity status for good," she said with a grin. "Operation: Help Thea is a go."

’Sigh, more stuff on my plate.’

We were about to head through the school doors when a quiet voice cut through our conversation.

"Hey, um, Kofi? Nina?"

We both turned to see Ruby standing there, clutching a textbook to her chest like it was a shield. She looked incredibly nervous, her eyes darting between us as if she was about to apologize for existing.

"Sorry to interrupt." she said.

"It’s cool, what’s up?" I asked, trying to give her a reassuring smile so she wouldn’t just bolt.

"I just wanted to say thanks again for lunch that day," she said, a faint blush creeping up her neck. "And Kofi, I was wondering if you were serious about that study offer for the chemistry test."

’Perfect,’ I thought, the pieces of Jake’s ridiculous mission clicking into place in my head. This was the opening.

"Yeah, definitely," I said, making my tone as casual as I could manage. "I was actually just thinking about it. We should probably hit the library after school sometime this week before the test on Friday."

Her face lit up with a relief so genuine it was almost painful to watch, knowing this was partially a setup. "That would be amazing. I’m so lost on the stoichiometry stuff."

Nina, who had been watching this exchange with a curious tilt to her head, suddenly chimed in. "Count me in, too. I’m pretty sure my notes on molar mass just have a bunch of sad faces drawn in the margins."

I glanced at her, and she gave me a look, a tiny smirk that said, ’I have no idea what you’re up to, but I’m playing along.’

"Sounds like a plan, then," I said, feeling a surge of what I could only describe as competence. ’Maybe I’m actually good at this.’ "We can grab a table in the library today after club time. The more people, the better, right? We can pool our brainpower."

I was laying it on a little thick, but it seemed to be working. Ruby nodded enthusiastically, her earlier nervousness completely gone and replaced by a bright, hopeful smile.

"Okay, yeah! Today after school. Thanks, you guys. Seriously."

She gave us a quick, happy wave before scurrying off down the hall, leaving me and Nina standing there.

Nina turned to me, her arms crossed and a single eyebrow raised in suspicion. "Pool our brainpower? Really?"

"It sounded good at the time," I said defensively.

She just shook her head, though the corner of her mouth was twitching. "You are up to something, Kofi L Dameire. I don’t know what it is yet, but I see you over there, pulling strings."

"I have no idea what you’re talking about," I said, giving her my most innocent look.

"Mhm," she said, not buying it for a second.

"Just try to make sure your master plan doesn’t end with someone crying or getting detention. My pillar duties only extend so far." She bumped my shoulder with hers, a teasing glint in her eyes.

"Come on, bestie. We’re going to be late."

The source of this c𝐨ntent is fre𝒆w(e)bn(o)vel