High School Again: The President’s Secret Lady Boss - Chapter 130

For what feels like a never-ending moment, Winter stands there in complete silence.

It’s a scene she doesn’t want to be part of. Nothing good happens when one’s feelings are all over the place, especially in the middle of a confrontation. She’s still conflicted about a lot of things, which was why she decided to get some advice from Maxine and Courtney even though it’s something she doesn’t usually do – even though talking about her love life was something she never did.

But then, seeing Marcellus and Ace together at that moment, Winter becomes more desperate to understand her feelings better – the longer she doesn’t get to choose, the more painful her decision in the end will be for one of them.

“Fancy seeing you here, Mr. Lexington,” Ace began, looking quite displeased.

“What’s with that look, Mr. Miller?” Marcellus said complacently.

“Nothing. Just wondering what you’re up to here.”

“Whatever that is, it has nothing to do with you.”

“Maybe. But you’re a sight for sore eyes, you know. It’ll get uncomfortable for a certain someone if you stick around any longer.”

Only when Ace pointed that out and glanced at Winter did Marcellus realize that he started gathering attention.

Many of the other students have recognized him, and now, a crowd began to form around them. He regretted not wearing a disguise, but he won’t back out just because of that. Besides, he himself stands out in his own way. The blame is not completely on him.

“Then, you should back off already, Miller. You’re also quite the popular one, right…?” Marcellus continued with an amicable smile.

“I’ve got business with Winter. The sooner you leave and let me do my thing, the sooner she’ll get out of here. You don’t want her to feel uncomfortable, do you? Neither do I.”

“Does it look like Winter wants to be anywhere around you right now…?” Ace muttered, glancing at Winter who’s practically shrinking smaller and smaller from all the attention.

“She needs her space.”

“Who are you to decide for her?”

“I’m just saying what is obvious.”

“Then, that applies for you, too.”

“I’ll leave once you leave.”

“You’re being a child, boy.”

“You’re being a child for arguing with a child, sir.”

Winter is speechless through it all, stuck into one place.

She feels like crawling into a hole and burying herself alive. Getting swallowed by a black hole sounds good, too. She can’t believe that this is getting worse than an emotional mess – this is getting insane. They’re insane for stirring up a commotion like this. If only she has the willpower at that moment, she’ll definitely smack them back into their senses.

They’re both being childish for arguing in public because of such a childish reason.

“Excuse me, gentlemen. If you don’t mind, can you let us go already?”

Ever the intrepid one, Maxine spoke up.

Winter is surprised to find her standing up to them. It’s followed by Courtney holding her by the shoulders and pulling her behind them. She then joined Maxine in confronting Marcellus and Ace, and from there, they took control of the situation. They had to take some time to understand what’s going on, but as soon as they did, they didn’t hesitate to step up and help her out.

“Hey, Ace, I thought we’re already clear about the whole private discussion thingy? Why’re you coming after us now, huh? You even left Xander dumbfounded over there…” Maxine chided, making Ace wince.

“Go back. Now.”

“I’m afraid the same should go for you, mister hot stuff. Our friend here is unavailable right now. The three of us have something to do.  Maybe you can talk with her some other time…?” Courtney curtly informed Marcellus.

“Is that right, Winter?”

“Uhhh… Y-Yeah…” Winter stammered out nervously, averting her gaze.

“Sorry. I have plans today.”

The disappointment is almost palpable, but as far as matters of the heart are concerned, this disappointment is nothing compared to the pains and aches this can bring to them in the end if she deals with it half-assedly.

—

“Two handsome guys are fighting for you, girl. Why do you look like you’re the one who lost?”

Maxine has a point. Winter is acting like a loser for being so down about something that’s not her fault. Courtney even went as far as suggesting several things to lift up her mood – things such as shopping, eating out, seeing a movie, anything that can turn the day around.

In the end, they found themselves in a mall – the one that Lexington Empire owns, and the same place she’d been at with Marcellus a long time ago. All they found themselves doing was walking around there, though, considering that it took her a while to realize that they’re waiting for her to decide what they’re going to do.

These friends of hers seem to be doing their best to cheer her up, and though Winter is absolutely grateful, she also feels bad for involving them in her problem.

“Those dudes were practically playing tug of war back there. If we hadn’t meddled, we’d probably see you getting pulled from both sides. You already looked trapped when we hadn’t stepped in yet,” Courtney quipped, a bit amused.

“That’d be terrible to watch. If two guys ever try to do some tug of war on me – right there in the middle of a crowd at that, I’ll definitely punch them square in their faces. So, yeah, maybe I do understand why you’re feeling this way, Wintry,” Maxine scoffed.

“I’m sorry for troubling you two. As you’ve already seen, things are that complicated. I don’t like it one bit, and I don’t like to see them fighting. They’re both important to me, so I don’t want any of them to get hurt,” Winter confessed timidly, somewhat ashamed.

“Hey, don’t feel bad about it. Those hunks fighting isn’t your doing. It’s typical guy stuff.”

“But I doubt it’ll stop unless I finally make up my mind. The problem is, I’m not sure how I really feel about this whole thing. I don’t even know the first thing about romantic love. I can’t tell if I already fell for one of them.”

“Oh, so that’s what it is.”

Courtney and Maxine share a meaningful look, much to Winter’s confusion.

Before they continue their conversation, the two suddenly take her to a clothing store. She let herself get roped in whatever plan they’ve come up with, but when they start choosing dresses for her as soon as they get there – and only for her, she can no longer keep herself from asking.

“Ummm… Guys, why are we doing this all of the sudden?” Winter questioned while Maxine and Courtney dragged all around the place.

“You’re going on a date.”

“Wait, what now?”

“Imagine you’re going on a date. Tell us how you’d want to dress yourself up.”

“Okay, this is weird. How can I imagine it if I don’t even know who my date is?”

“Well, who do you picture going on a date with? You might find out if you try to think of what kind of look you want to have for the occasion. Is it classy? Elegant? Casual? It’s up to you. How do you wanna impress your date?”

This must be Courtney’s idea. Winter is sure of it.

But since she’s taking up fashion as her college course, she most likely knows what she’s doing. Maxine doesn’t seem to have any problem with it. Then again, she’s just probably as inexperienced as her when it comes to this kind of thing – perhaps, the three of them are. But still, unlike her, they at least have an idea how they can tell they’re in love.

“You see, Winter, there’s no right answer for the question, ‘How do I know if I’m in love?’ but if you do find one, let me know…” Courtney chuckled.

“For me, there’s always a turning point where I’ll just know. So, I guess you’ll get the memo when a moment comes, and then, you’ll be ready to give a relationship a real chance – all monogamous like. But you might also realize that your moment has passed or was never really there to begin with. Love’s mysterious that way.”

“I may be dumber than Courtney when it comes to this, but what I can proudly advise you is that you shouldn’t be afraid of confronting your own feelings…” Maxine chimed in.

“It might be scary since you haven’t experienced anything like this before, but the only way to move forward is to face the truth and accept it as what it is.”

It’s the most convoluted advice that Winter has ever received, grateful though she is.

For the remainder of their shopping escapade, they put their heads together, dissecting Courtney’s imaginary date plans and exploring the realm of romantic relationships. By the time they leave the mall, Winter finally has a clue – one that’ll lead her to the answer she’s seeking, perhaps. Maxine is right about confronting one’s feelings and being true to them as they are.

Love is an eternal mystery, but like what Winter is told, that’s just because it’s up to everyone how they’ll solve and understand it.