Love Burned, She Rose Unscathed



A tall and handsome guy was standing in front of her, holding out a bouquet of roses, but Roseanne's expression was anything but pleased.

Sybil clicked her tongue. "Being pretty sure has its perks. School's barely started and you've got admirers already?"

"And Grace, you're not bad-looking yourself. How come no one's bringing you flowers?"

Grace just smiled softly, not taking the bait. "Is that something to compare?"

"Hmph! Pretending to be all aloof, I don't buy it. You must be jealous!"

Grace's smile remained unchanged.

Sybil threw out, "Pretending too hard just makes you a hypocrite," and then stormed off.

Grace stood still, her smile slowly fading.

Not too far away, two guys were standing-

Carlson: "...Have you got all that?"Content held by NôvelDrama.Org.

Arkle scratched his head, his gaze drifting past and suddenly lighting up with recognition.

Carlson followed his gaze, seeing the flower-giving scene unfold, and frowned. "If you want to go further in your studies, don't let trivial things like romance distract you."

"...Oh, right, got it, Carlson!" Arkle nodded vigorously.

But...

"That girl looks like she's in Prof. Payne's class," he paused, then added, "She's pretty sharp."

She left Slater speechless and even had the guts to publicly call Prof. Edna a hypocrite. Pretty cool!

Carlson, however, wasn't interested. After a brief glance, he didn't look over again.

"Come on, I'll take you to the local supermarket to pick up some essentials."

Arkle quickly waved his hands, "No need, no need, I've brought everything."

Carlson's lips twitched, "You mean the toothbrush that's lost all its bristles, or the face towel with a hole in it?"

Arkle's face flushed with embarrassment. "I, I thought they were still usable, so I didn't get new ones."

New ones cost money.

Carlson sighed, seeing a bit of his younger self in Arkle.

They both came from the same small town, though Carlson had left earlier to attend Kingswell University for his undergrad.

Arkle's undergrad was at a regular college, nothing prestigious.

After striving hard and taking the entrance exams twice, he finally made it to Kingswell University for his postgrad.

Considering they were from the

same hometown and knew each et

other since childhood, Carlson

el

hinally felt inclined to look out for

a bit more.

For kids like them from the countryside, finding care and warmth in this strange city was a luxury.

Having been drenched in the rain himself, he couldn't help but want to offer an umbrella to someone else. "I'll buy them for you."

"No need, thanks." Arkle quickly refused, "I've got money. My parents gave me quite a bit before I left." His excitement brought out his accent.

Carlson didn't say anything, just led the way to the supermarket.

As for confessions, men, women... none of that concerned him.

People like them agonize over a toothbrush, while othe

replacingne

effortlessly drop loads of mone??

a bouquet of flowers.

The world has always been unfair.

...

Roseanne once again dodged the roses and spoke up, "I've got something to do, I'll be leaving first."

With that, she headed straight towards Mamie and Scales.

Murray, holding the flowers, stood still, a bitter smile slowly creeping onto his face.

It was only after Roseanne had left and the onlookers had dispersed that he came back to his senses.

He walked over to a trash can, let go of his hand, and the bright, beautiful roses fell into the filth.

He turned and walked away.

l

Grace hadn't left yet. Her curious and thoughtful gaze lingered on Murray's retreating figure before retracting. Then, clutching her books, she too left.