Chapter 6: Insufficient Funds, Exposed Hearts

I'm still a person with a conscience; seeing how hard Julian worked to carry me up six floors, I thanked him and offered to buy him coffee.

It felt weird being grateful, but I tried to ignore my pride for once. Besides, coffee was the least I could do.

But still, business is business. Don't think this will improve my opinion of him.

I made sure to keep my tone playful, just in case he thought I was going soft.

Julian was not shy at all, directly ordering the most expensive drink in the café.

He pointed to the menu without hesitation, grinning like he was splurging on my dime. I nearly choked when I saw the price.

I'm really grateful.

I forced a smile, hoping my wallet would survive the ordeal. At least he had good taste.

Looking at the price, my heart bled; that was two days' worth of meals…

I did the math in my head, picturing ramen packets and peanut butter sandwiches.

After ordering, he paid first, surprising me.

The cashier handed him the receipt, and he winked at me. My eyebrows shot up in confusion.

I didn't get it. "Why? Didn't I say I'd treat you?"

Was he planning to lord this over me later? I braced myself for some grand gesture.

"Forget it." Julian sat like a boss. "Camila said you're so broke you're almost living on ramen, and you want to treat me to coffee? I don't want to see you gnawing on tree bark."

His words stung, but he was probably right. I gave him a dirty look, but my stomach growled anyway.

I couldn't help but twitch my mouth.

Camila was going to hear about this. Maybe I’d change my Venmo password next time.

Why does Camila tell him everything!

I made a mental note to keep my financial situation a secret from now on.

"Who are you looking down on?" I grumbled, opening Messenger while cursing. "It's only nine bucks, I can afford it."

I tapped my phone, trying to look tough. But reality had other plans.

Actually, I was wrong. When I tried to Venmo Julian, my app reminded me of insufficient balance.

A red banner popped up: "Payment failed: insufficient funds." My balance read $0.73. I tilted my screen away, thumb hovering in mortification.

It felt like an invisible slap in the face.

I glanced at Julian, who just smirked, enjoying every second.

But I couldn't lose face in front of Julian, so I turned to call Camila to borrow some money.

My pride screamed, but survival instincts won. Camila was probably expecting my call.

"Enough." Julian saw what I was up to and snatched my phone. "I'll treat this time, you can treat me back when you get your allowance."

He waved my phone in the air, blocking my attempt to text Camila. I sighed, defeated.

After getting the coffee, Julian said he'd recommend some books for me to study, saying they'd help with upcoming experiments.

He scribbled a list in my notebook, suggesting titles with enthusiasm. I tried not to roll my eyes.

I followed him.

He led me through the stacks, talking about his favorite research articles. I pretended to listen, distracted by thoughts of Ethan.

But as we passed a spot, I suddenly stopped—the scene in the corner stung my eyes.

Near the reference section, I saw Ethan with another girl. My heart dropped like a rock.

Ethan was hugging a girl and kissing her. They were really into it, and in the quiet library, the sound was obvious. They didn't even notice anyone watching.

Their laughter rang out, echoing against the shelves. My throat closed, and the coffee in my mouth suddenly went sour.

My hands unconsciously clenched into fists.

I gripped my cup so hard the plastic creaked. Julian glanced over, sensing my tension.

A hand suddenly covered my eyes. I felt Julian lean down and whisper in my ear, "Don't look at that trash."

His voice was low, protective. I let him shield me, grateful for the distraction and the kindness I didn’t know I needed.

After this, I lost interest in finding books. Julian didn't push me, just sent me back to the dorm. I climbed straight into bed, my head buzzing, not even knowing what Julian and Camila talked about.

I buried myself under the covers, letting sleep numb the sting. The whispers from the library echoed in my dreams.

"Autumn—" Camila closed the door and called me softly, but seemed unsure how to comfort me.

She hovered at the edge of my bed, her expression full of concern.

"I'm fine." I forced a smile. "I'm just tired, let me sleep."

My voice was shaky, but I managed a convincing yawn. Camila nodded, backing away.

I slept for a long, long time. When I woke up the next day, my head was foggy, but I wasn't as sad as I thought I'd be—as if I'd expected this all along.

The ache was dull, not sharp. I stared at the ceiling, more angry at myself for almost being someone’s Plan B than heartbroken.

The first class was linear algebra, a public course—the one I dreaded most. As soon as I opened the textbook, the chair beside me sank.

I figured it was Camila and didn’t bother looking up, flipping through practice problems.

I thought it was Camila, so I propped my face and kept looking at the practice problems.

Numbers danced on the page, taunting me. My head throbbed as I circled another wrong answer.

Seeing a row of red X's, and with finals approaching, I couldn't help but worry about my linear algebra.

Every mark felt like a punch to the gut. I scribbled more notes, but my confidence was shot.

Until I heard soft laughter beside me. "Autumn Lane, after all these years, you really haven't changed—your math is still terrible."

I stiffened. That voice was unmistakable.

I froze, turned, and found Julian sitting next to me.

He leaned back, arms folded, wearing that signature smirk. I rolled my eyes, trying to look unfazed.

I instinctively closed the book, annoyed. "Julian, what are you doing here? Don't you have anything better to do?"

I tried to sound cool, but my cheeks burned.

"Just came to see how you're doing," Julian said like it was nothing. "If you suddenly can't handle it, how do I explain to godmother?"

He made it sound like babysitting was his life’s mission. I snorted, fighting a smile.

"But looks like your self-repair ability is pretty good."

He glanced at my open textbook, eyebrow raised.

?

I gave him a look. Did he really expect me to thank him?

I'm really grateful.

I wasn’t, but I’d play along for now.

Too annoyed to bother with him, I opened the practice section. Since he'd already seen it, no need to hide.

If he was going to see my failures, might as well be honest.

"Autumn." A voice came from the other side.

I tensed, recognizing Ethan’s voice before I even turned.

I closed the book, took a deep breath.

My hands trembled. I didn’t want to talk to him, not after yesterday.

Enough already, can't I just finish a problem?

Why couldn’t drama ever take a break?

I looked up, and it was Ethan.

He stood awkwardly, eyes darting between me and Julian.

Seeing his face, the library scene from yesterday forced itself into my mind, and I couldn't control myself; tears welled up.

My eyes burned, but I held back. No way was I letting him see me cry.

I turned away, not wanting to see him.

I fixed my gaze on the wall, trying to tune him out.

"I saw you blocked me on Messenger," Ethan's voice was still gentle. "Did something happen?"

He sounded genuinely confused, but I couldn’t trust it anymore.

It was his gentleness that led me step by step into his trap.

I replayed every sweet word he’d ever said, realizing how empty they sounded now.

"Why are there so many flies here, so noisy." Julian impatiently patted his ear, grabbed my linear algebra book and backpack. "Let's sit somewhere else."

His voice was sharp, protective. I felt a surge of relief.

For the first time, I thought Julian sounded so good.

I let him take the lead, grateful for the rescue.

This time I especially listened to him, got up and followed.

He guided me to a quieter spot, away from curious eyes.

"Autumn." My wrist was suddenly grabbed by Ethan; he looked sad. "What's going on?"

He held on tight, pleading. I yanked my hand back, glaring.

I tried to shake him off, but the next second, Julian knocked his hand away. His usually expressionless face was now icy cold, with anger he barely held back. "I'm warning you, don't touch her."

Julian’s tone was lethal. Even Ethan stepped back, a pen clattering to the floor somewhere as a couple of classmates gasped.

"Who are you?" Ethan's face changed, staring at Julian.

He sized Julian up, clearly threatened.

"Boyfriend." He kept a straight face, answering word by word. "Did you hear? Then stay away from my girlfriend."

He said it with absolute certainty. I nearly choked, but played along, leaning into Julian’s side.

Ethan obviously didn't believe it, looked at me, trying to find a flaw in my expression. "Autumn, you said just days ago how much you liked me."

His words cut deep, but I didn’t flinch.

"Heh." I turned my back to him. "I don’t do reruns. I’ve got standards—hard pass."

I dropped the bomb and waited for the fallout. It felt good, almost liberating.

Realizing I'd said something so bold, I suddenly felt awesome.

For once, I stood my ground. Camila would be proud.

My confidence was through the roof.

I flashed Julian a grin. He winked, clearly impressed.

Without waiting for Ethan to reply, I pulled Julian to the other side of the classroom.

He let me lead, making a show of shielding me with his arm.

"Nice one." Julian actually praised me. "I thought you'd cry, didn't expect you to be so tough. Guess I taught you well."

He ruffled my hair, smirking. I swatted his hand away, grinning.

"Not really." I laughed, starting a mutual praise session. "It's because you played along so well, or I wouldn't have had the guts."

I elbowed him gently, thankful for his support.

"Oh, that's true." Julian finally gave the credit to himself, not humble at all.

He flexed, like he’d won a championship.

I didn't expect him to praise himself again, but knowing how narcissistic he is, I didn't know how to respond, so I ignored him.

He gave me a sideways glance, but dropped it.

Just then the professor came in. I tried to get back in the right mindset, telling myself: losing my crush doesn't matter, but failing linear algebra would be a disaster.

I flipped open my notes, focusing on equations instead of heartbreak, hands finally starting to steady.

Julian didn't leave, sitting next to me, working on his laptop.

He typed furiously, headphones in. I stole glances, wondering what he was working on.

I propped my chin, the professor's words sounded fuzzy, and my eyes kept drifting to him. The sunset outside the window shone on him, making me a little dazed.

The golden light made his hair look almost auburn. I blinked, feeling weirdly at peace.

"Autumn Lane, I know I'm handsome," Julian suddenly spoke, but his eyes never left the screen. "But if you keep spacing out, you'll really fail linear algebra."

His words snapped me out of my trance. I faked a yawn, trying to hide my embarrassment.

My face instantly heated up. I hurriedly lowered my head, but still retorted, "Who's looking at you, narcissist."

My comeback was weak, but I refused to give him the satisfaction.

Julian closed his laptop, grinning even wider. "Autumn, you'd better say something nice. Maybe I'll consider saving your linear algebra."

He wagged his eyebrows, smug as ever.

With that attitude, I refused to bow to Julian. "Teach or not, I can pass on my own."

I crossed my arms, daring him to call my bluff.

Julian wasn't annoyed. "You said it. Own it."

He shrugged, already planning his next move.