“A book,” Kelly replied flatly.

Jude was momentarily speechless. Well, obviously. Jude looked at her indifferent expression and remembered what Melissa had said a few days ago. Ever since then, something had been bothering him. He wasn’t sure if Kelly really had a boyfriend, but after secretly observing her for a few days, he noticed that she was the same as always—either with Melissa or in the library. There was no sign of a man around her. Melissa had to have made it up to save Kelly from embarrassment. She was always spouting nonsense anyway.

With that thought in mind, Jude tried to strike up a conversation like before. “A few days ago in class, we covered systemic circulation and pulmonary circulation. I’ve been trying to wrap my head around it, but there are still parts I don’t quite get. Did you understand…”

Kelly looked up at him. “Yeah.”

Jude smiled. “Then, explain it to me.”

“I don’t want to.”

His smile froze. Kelly didn’t want to talk to him at all. She also wanted to remind him that he had a girlfriend now. He knew full well what kind of person Celeste was, and he shouldn’t be dragging his mess to her.

“If you have questions, go ask your girlfriend.”

But Jude misunderstood what Kelly meant. He thought Kelly was jealous. Otherwise, why would she randomly bring up Celeste?

A smile returned to his face. “Kelly, just because I’m dating Celeste doesn’t mean we can’t still talk about school. We’re still friends, right?”

The fact that he could say something like that explained everything. No wonder he had been able to flirt with Kelly while still being entangled with Celeste. Kelly wished she had Melissa’s sharp tongue. Instead, she lowered her head, not bothering to respond.

But Jude wouldn’t back off. “Kelly, I noticed you’ve been sitting in the same spot we used to sit in at the library. Were you waiting…”

Kelly nearly lost it right then and there. Without a word, she snapped her book shut and stood up.

Jude instinctively asked, “Where are you going?”

“To the lab,” Kelly said coolly. “To see what’s really inside a Y chromosome.”

Jade watched, stunned, as Kelly walked out of the library.

Not far away, Celeste bit her lip as she stared at his back. She had messaged Jude asking what he was doing, and he had replied that he was with a friend. So, that friend turned out to be Kelly at the library. Kelly, that manipulative flirt—she knew full well Jade was taken, yet she still had the nerve to come around and play games with him.

Later, at The Sippery, Kelly was already there when Sienna, who had heard she was leaving, grabbed her hand with a reluctant expression. “You’ve been working here for almost two years. Why are you suddenly quitting?”

They had been working shifts together for nearly a year, and Sienna had really grown fond of Kelly. She was diligent, never complained, and from what she heard, did well in school. Sienna truly didn’t want to see her go.

Gavin was wiping down a table nearby. Hearing that, he glanced over at Kelly.

“I’ve only been working here by squeezing it in after evening classes. My course load is getting heavier, and I’m worried I won’t be able to keep up.”

Sienna, who hadn’t done well enough in school to get into college, felt a pang of regret. But hearing Kelly’s words, she knew—no matter how reluctant she felt—academics had to come first.

“Then, make sure you drop by whenever you’re free,” she said. She then leaned in and whispered, “I’ll sneak you a latte.”

Kelly smiled. “Sure.”

Just then, the shop started to get busy. Kelly had just taken one order when the next person in line stepped up. “Hi, what can I get for you?”

She looked up and saw Celeste, flanked by a few of her friends.

“Well, well. Isn’t this one of our school’s top ten students? What’s he doing working a part-time job?” Celeste’s tone was dripping with sarcasm.