I had grabbed the thing he'd given me and fled in embarrassment, my head down, feeling utterly foolish.
Andrew hadn't called me back; his soft laughter echoed in my mind, amplifying my embarrassment.
"Oh, I remember now. What time is your class?"
"Eight! It's eight already! The classes are all at eight, and it's seven forty-seven! Don't tell me you're still on your way!"
His frantic tone made me hesitate to admit I was still in bed.
If I told him the truth, Rick might just leap out of the classroom in a panic.
For his sake, I decided to hold my tongue.
I rummaged through my stuff to find my long-forgotten student ID. Thankfully, the security guard didn't scrutinize it too closely, ignoring the fact that I'd graduated four years ago and letting me through the gates.
By eight-fifteen, I was huddled by the classroom door, ready to sneak in through the back.
Just as I took my first step inside, Andrew's voice floated down from above. "Rick's sister, you're here pretty early today."
Of course, he caught me and pulled me to the front row.
To my horror, I spotted Rick in the corner, glaring daggers at me as if he wished he could swallow me whole.
Finally, the class ended, and I let out a sigh of relief, but just as I did, a shadow loomed over me.
No, wait—two shadows.
I looked up to see Andrew's smile, paired with Rick's incredulous expression.
"Want to grab a bite?" Andrew asked, his tone casual.
"Thanks, but I'll just have my brother take me out to eat," I quickly replied, trying to avoid any awkwardness.
Rick, clearly worried I might blurt out something embarrassing again, slid next to me and discreetly pinched my side, just like when we were kids.
It reminded me of the time I accidentally broke a vase and threatened to blame him in front of Mom, pinching him to keep him quiet.
I stifled a wince and forced a smile. "Yeah, Rick can take me out."
In my mind, I was already plotting how to tell our parents about Rick's antics when we got home for the holidays.
But Andrew wasn't having any of it.
"I'm still getting familiar with the cafeteria here. If you don't mind, could you show me around? I'd love to know which food stalls are the best."
With that, it became clear that refusing him would put us in a tough spot.
"Sure, of course, Mr. Wayne!" Rick managed to muster a smile that looked more like a grimace.
The three of us walked in silence, the atmosphere feeling oddly strained.