The next day, although there was no training, I couldn't sleep and arrived earlier than the others. Even so, I wasn't the first-Jane was already there. As usual, she didn't pay any attention to me, buried in her book and just as stylishly indifferent as before.

"So, what kind of traveling, little girl?" I asked, grinning, waiting for her to put down her book.

"Excuse me?" She looked at me over the pages.

"The traveling that kept you from having a dog," I reminded her.

"Yeah, right. Until a few years ago, we traveled a lot, so we didn't get a dog." A brief answer, but it wasn't enough for me.

"Why did you travel?" I was genuinely interested.

"My dad's job required it. He was an international architect." Strangely, I didn't see any emotion on her face.

"Any other questions?" she smiled. "Or can I continue reading?"

Her smile was definitely beautiful.

"Have you been to many countries?" I asked quickly, signaling I still had questions.

"A few."

Behind me, Brian arrived and quietly sat down, fiddling with his phone.

"You know, if your sentences were longer, I wouldn't ask so many questions," I teased, making her smile.

"Do you speak multiple languages?"

"I can make myself understood in a few countries, yes," she said.

I had a feeling this was a modest answer.

"Didn't sleep well?" she suddenly asked, her beautiful eyes smiling mischievously.

"Why?" Her personal question surprised me-it wasn't like her.

"Your hair didn't turn out right, so I thought you were sleepy," she laughed, and Brian quietly smiled.

I went to the bathroom to check my hair, but it was perfectly fine. By the time I returned, more people were in the room, and Jane had just put away her book, waiting with a cheerful smile.

"You see, Pretty Boy, if I were you, I'd let me read," she said softly, winking.

Brian grinned, and I chuckled quietly at her teasing. Clever move.

I wanted to respond, but Shannon appeared and sat in front of me. Jane silently moved to the furthest empty desk.

Apart from biology and history, she never sat near me. That day, I only saw her at lunch-she was eating with Paul.

--

At dinner, Mom brought up an interesting detail.

"Son," she said, "I met Mrs. Tashiro today. She's an interior designer."

"I didn't know. Though I don't talk much with Paul-that's more the new girl's habit," I noted.

"How come?" Amber asked curiously.

"Paul doesn't sit at our table; he always eats with Jane," I said.

"Have you invited him to sit with you?" Dad asked.

"If he wants to, he will," I said. "Though then the smarty-pants would probably want to join too."

"Interesting name her parents gave her," Dad noted with a smile, but I didn't react.

"I'm curious about who this girl is," Amber said seriously.

"There's no need-you wouldn't like her," I said. "She doesn't even have friends. Paul only sits with her at lunch because he did on the first day, and now it would be rude to move. That girl never talks to anyone."

"I guess not even with you," my sister teased.

"She'd be happy if I brought some color to her boring days, but she's not that lucky," I said arrogantly.

"I see," my sister said, coughing lightly, while my parents suppressed a smile.

-

Just like every other day that week, Jane was already in the classroom reading when I arrived the next morning. I'd gotten up early on purpose, hoping to beat her there.

Of course, I still took the time to fix my hair-I wanted to look good. Jane looked just as well-dressed today as ever: a jeans and her usual sci-fi tee.

"Hey, little girl," I said, sitting down across from her and turning my chair around- even though today, we wouldn't be sitting close. "How many languages do you speak?"

"Hey," she sighed loudly from behind her book. "Is the library open at this time?" she asked, ignoring my question and starting to pack her book away.

"It opens as soon as the school opens," I answered matter-of-factly.

"See you later, then." She picked up her backpack and left the room.

I had no idea what that little nerd thought of herself-just walking off in the middle of a conversation. One thing was certain: I didn't like her.

I slid back into my usual seat just as Brian arrived. "What's wrong?" he asked, noticing my sulking.

"I don't like the new girl," I muttered. "She just left in the middle of a conversation."

"How rude," Brian said, suppressing a smile.

Her behavior stuck with me the rest of the day, even though I didn't speak to her again and only saw her at lunch- eating with Paul, as usual.

--

That evening at dinner, Amber was talking about some upcoming contest, but I barely listened-the new girl's rudeness kept swirling in my thoughts.

"How was your day, son?" Dad asked.

"The new girl is the rudest person I've ever met," I blurted out.

"What did she do?" Mom asked.

"She just walked out in the middle of a conversation," I said.

"Maybe something urgent came up," Amber offered with a smile.

"Going to the library doesn't sound urgent," I muttered. "I don't like her," I added.

"Oh, that's painfully obvious, son," Dad chuckled, exchanging glances with the women.

On Friday, I finally started to understand what the coach had been talking about. Paul was proving to be a solid training partner-competing with him constantly pushed me to improve my time, and he always encouraged me. He was acting like a true teammate.

In the locker room, I didn't talk much to Paul, but the others did. I learned that his family had moved here at the beginning of summer, had lived in Japan for a few years before that, and had been in another city before that. No one asked about the girls or his sister, so he didn't mention them.

"So, you're coming with your sister tomorrow?" Brian asked.

"Partly," Paul said. "I also invited Jane, if that's okay with everyone." He glanced at me, but I didn't react.

"No problem," Brian answered for me. "She can come."

"Thanks," Paul smiled, and I quietly left the locker room.

Thanks to training, I arrived early again that day, but Jane was already in the classroom.

"You read really slowly," I remarked as I entered and saw her reading as usual.

"Because someone always keeps talking to me," she sighed with a smile and closed the book. "I see your hair gel shipment arrived," she noted, referring to my styled hair.

"Some spend on gel, some on nerdy books," I retorted, though I realized I had set myself up for an easy comeback.

"Yes, some are superficial, and some are smart," she laughed, which made her look particularly beautiful. I laughed too-her wit was sharp.

Paul and the others trickled in, and biology class began.

At lunchtime, my gaze wandered to the new students. The girls were pestering Paul, but he mostly talked with Jane. They seemed to get along well. After a while, Paul's attention was drawn by the familiar flirty girls from last year, so Jane took out her book and started reading. Occasionally, they exchanged words over the book, and Jane blushed.

"What are you looking at?" Brian asked.

"Just the new students," I said, averting my gaze. "Paul seems pretty cool."

"Competition?" Aaron asked.

"For me?" I asked arrogantly. "Hardly." I grinned. "He just looks like he swims."

My eyes wandered back to them. Jane was reading; Paul was juggling conversations with the girls and still passed his cake to Jane, as usual.

"Do you think they're dating?" Aaron's girlfriend whispered.

"Who?" Daryl asked as he set his tray down.

"The new girl and the Japanese guy," Brian said, glancing at me.

"They already had dinner at her parents' place one evening," Daryl added. "I heard them talking about it in the hallway today."

Brian cautiously looked at me.

"They can do whatever they want as long as they don't mess up my grades," I said dryly, burying myself in my food. But for some reason, I didn't like the thought.

"Uh-huh, I see," Brian said quietly.

--

Friday evening came, and I picked up Shannon in front of her house. She didn't live far-it was a fifteen-minute walk-but by car, we had to cross the bridge, which was a big detour.

"You look great, kitten."

She didn't leave much to the imagination. She wore a low-cut, short red dress, heavy makeup, and a strong perfume that hit my nose immediately.

"Where are you taking me, Pretty Boy?"

"To Tony Burgers."

"Oh no! I thought of something much better. It wasn't worth dressing up like this for that." She started whining.

"Sorry, my allowance only covers this," I replied curtly.

"You probably spend the rest on your other girls."

Strangely enough, I was starting to get fed up-but I didn't show it.

"I don't have other girls. I'm a monogamous type," I said and smirked. I'm monogamous- not that the girls need to know it's a short-term arrangement.

"So I'm your girl?" she asked in a sultry voice.

"We'll see," I smiled mischievously.

I liked the place. The building was bright white with big windows, a counter facing the entrance, and red booths running along both sides. The kitchen opened behind the counter, where Tony usually worked. He was medium height, dark-haired, dark-eyed, about Amber's age. After taking over from his father, he'd made the spot his own, always in his apron and cap. We knew each other-his sister often stopped by to see my dad. I never asked why; it wasn't my business. Still, his family was grateful, and I always got a discount.

"Hey Jay, your booth's free. You've got a gorgeous companion today," he greeted Shannon with a cheerful smile, shaking my hand.

She squealed, covering her mouth with her hand. "Thanks, you're so sweet!"

"Sit down, I'll bring the menu."

We sat down, Shannon next to me, so I put my arm around her shoulder. Since last summer, it hadn't been much of a challenge.

Tony placed the menu card down.

The food wasn't complicated-hot dogs and a hundred kinds of burgers. It was a casual spot for real teens. I'd been here with other girls before-here, I could afford to pay the bill.

"What are you eating?" I asked Shannon, browsing the menu.

I glanced at her and saw she was flipping through the card. Just don't say it, I thought. And then, she spoke.

"I'll have a salad."

I wanted to fall on my sword.

"And you, Pretty Boy?"

"I'll have a Tony's Special burger and a cola."

"Alright," said the waiter, and he left.

"Aren't you afraid of gaining weight? That's pretty unhealthy." Shannon said.

"Sorry, I'll pay more attention next time. But I've had exhausting training sessions."

"Yes, I saw you swimming-you looked good." With that, she leaned in and kissed me.

I had to admit-she didn't waste time.

"Kitten, let me ask you something." I was genuinely curious about her answer.

"Sure, Pretty Boy, anything."

"If you could travel back in time, what would you change?"

"Have they invented time travel? I didn't see it in the news," she said, surprised. I tried to hide my brain's shock and rephrased the question.

"Not yet, but if you could, what would you change?"

"Oh, I know." She thought for a moment. "Last summer, there was a great sale at a store. They had this divine dress-you would have loved it. I hesitated too much, and by the time I decided, it wasn't available in my size. Well, that's what I'd change-I'd buy the dress."

"I see. What kind of dress was it?"

From that point on, I couldn't focus on what she was saying. The difference between her response and Jane's was shocking. I hadn't noticed it before, but since talking to the new girl, this realization hit hard. I nodded, throwing in combinations of "it must have been nice" and "that's good," while waiting for the food to arrive.

It did. The hamburger was divine-meat, bacon, mushrooms, lettuce, tomato, and two kinds of sauce. I loved it. Shannon, meanwhile, was picking at her salad.

"Is something wrong?" I asked, bored.

"Oh, no, it's just that mayonnaise is very fattening, and I don't want to eat all of it."

"I see."

From that point on, I just wanted to get through the evening. We already had another date planned for tomorrow—hopefully, that one would be better.

After dinner, I drove her home. As soon as I parked, she wasted no time, expertly unbuttoning my pants. In this area, at least, she was good. I leaned my head back against the headrest, staring at the dark roof of the car while she worked.

"If you start this, you have to finish," I warned as she freed my cock.

"I know, I remember from last summer," Shannon smiled, then she swallowed my cock.

I spread my leg to let her reach me better, my mind already drifting. A stray thought pulled toward how a new girl’s mouth would feel, a curiosity that held more interest than the familiar heat below. Shannon started to bubble her head, sucking me slowly, her efforts barely anchoring me to the moment.

"Oh, God, Kitty, don't stop."

The sigil of my desire felt etched into every nerve ending as I reached down, threading my fingers through her hair to hold her head in place. "If you go on, there is no way back," I warned again. Shannon just licked my cock, refusing to release her lips. I looked down at her, gripping her hair to guide her lips on my cock faster, the friction finally demanding my full attention. Shannon tightened her lips until I exploded violently, filling her mouth, my roar filling the car. I held her head on my cock until my pulsing stopped and she swallowed all.

"Tomorrow, my parents won't be here," she said after sitting back. "They're going away for the weekend to look at houses. Maybe you could stay over after the movie." She didn't beat around the bush.

"We'll see. Now go, so you don't get in trouble," I said with a smile.

She kissed me, got out, and walked inside while I headed home. My parents were in the living room watching a movie. Amber came down from her room.

"So, how was it? Is the same girl coming tomorrow?"

"I'll do the dishes if I don't have to bring her home tomorrow," I said, feeling drained.

"Now I'm curious," my sister laughed.

"Hey, Mom," I asked, "at what age do you stop eating salad?"

Mom looked up from the TV, and Dad turned down the volume.

"My son, whoever eats salad now will continue to do so later. Find someone who chooses differently," Dad said meaningfully. It was clear he understood the true essence of my question.

"I don't think such a person exists. I have a good eye-I would notice something like that."

"Change your perspective," he said, patting my shoulder before heading upstairs.

"Good night, kids," Mom said, stepping over to give me and Amber a kiss.

"I'm already looking forward to tomorrow," Amber winked before heading up the stairs.

I was left alone, quickly got ready, and collapsed into bed. My thoughts drifted to the new girl. She was a strange one-whatever topic I brought up, she always had a more intelligent response than any of my previous girlfriends, though sometimes she thought she was too smart.

Anyway, she was just a nerd.

I had a feeling tomorrow would be a long day.

I tried to study and relax in the morning. Amber left home early, so during lunch, I brought up the afternoon plans to my parents.

"Mom, Dad, my study mates are coming over after lunch for the biology video."

"Alright, son, go ahead," Dad said. "I'm curious about the girl anyway."

"Me too," Mom said, smiling.

"But in the evening, can't I avoid bringing the girl in? I'll do the dishes."

"Sorry, you made a bet with Amber. Discuss the rules with her," Dad laughed.

I knew the evening would be super embarrassing, but after lunch, I quickly tidied up the guest room. My room would have taken more time.

At exactly two o'clock, the doorbell rang.

"Good afternoon, I'm not sure if I'm at the right place, but I came to see John Simmons."

"Hello, dear, he lives here. Come in," my mom said, suspiciously kind.

It was Jane. She wore her usual sci-fi T-shirt and a shredded, faded jeans. Looks like she owns two pairs. At least this one gave her a decent-looking butt-actually, quite a good one.

She introduced herself and shook hands with my parents.

"Come, sit down," my dad gestured to the couch.

Jane sat there stiffly, clearly not used to this kind of setting. My mom placed some pastries on the table.

"Homemade pastry, try it. It's a bit crumbly, but tasty," Mom said kindly.

Mom loved baking, but she wasn't good at it. The pastry wasn't crumbly-it should have been eaten with a spoon. At least it didn't taste too bad this time. That was something.

"My mom says if it's crumbly, it needs a different ratio of baking powder," Jane noted shyly.

Dad watched the girl with interest. As a psychologist, she was probably an intriguing subject.

"Who is your mother?" Dad asked.

"I don't think you know her. She's a nurse. We recently moved here. She takes care of Dr. Wenword," Jane said calmly and briefly.

"Mr. Steve? He took care of our dog, Theodore," I said, surprised.

Mr. Steve was the best vet in town. Years ago, he had agreed with Dad that I would be his intern someday, but he gave up his practice due to illness a few years ago. I had thought he had traveled somewhere after losing Theo, but I hadn't heard he had come back.

"Yes, we live on the separate entrance floor with him, so my mom is close but we don't disturb each other. Dr. Wenword helped me get into school," Jane said.

"I didn't know you lived so close. Why do you come in so early?" I asked.

"That's when the bus runs," Jane noted quietly, just as the front door slammed.

"No way? You're dating my brother?" Amber stormed in and immediately blurted out the question. "Sorry-hi, I'm Amber," she added, extending her hand.

"Hi. I doubt that. He seems a bit superficial to me. I'm Jane, just a classmate."

Now, that was the Jane I knew. She stood up, straightened herself, and shook hands with Amber. It was clear she had returned to her usual self.

"If we didn't have to make a video together, he probably wouldn't even know my name," she continued. "Honestly, I still doubt he can call me anything other than 'little girl.'"

Amber and my parents could barely hold back their laughter, while I was filled with helpless frustration. What a pretentious, loud-mouthed nerd.

"I'd appreciate it if you didn't act rudely in my house," I said.

"Sorry, I was just being honest. You do call me 'little girl,' don't you?" she replied in that smart-aleck tone.

I wanted to respond, but the doorbell saved her. I opened it-it was Paul.

"Hi, come in. If you all don't mind, let's go to the guest room."

Paul quickly introduced himself, and we headed upstairs. I heard whispering from downstairs, but I didn't care.

"So, what should the video be about?" Paul asked, since neither Jane nor I had said a word.

"I was thinking about birds," he continued. "We could cover everything from nest building to hatching."

"Not good," Jane said. "It starts too late, and it's hard to film in the air."

I didn't think I'd agree with her, but she was right.

"Fish?" I suggested. "Eggs, hunting, etc."

"Not good. There's no clear pond nearby where we could observe the animals from the shore," Jane countered.

We all suggested animals, but we couldn't come to an agreement-frogs, squirrels, everything. We had been debating for almost an hour and a half, and Shannon would be arriving soon, so I needed to prepare.

"Ants," Jane finally said. "They're easy to observe, you just need a good camera, and if we're lucky, we'll find a building anthill."

I liked the idea, but I didn't want to seem too enthusiastic.

"I like it," Paul said for me.

"Alright," I agreed, shrugging.

"Okay, then we can start looking for a location tomorrow. Whoever finds one, let us know," Paul said. "If you don't mind, I need to go soon. I have to get home before the movie. You're coming too, right, Jane?" He looked at Jane, and I raised my eyebrows.

"Oh, I don't really think I'd fit in," she said quietly, looking at me as if she could read my mind. "I'm not on the swim team, and I don't know anyone."

"You know me, and my sister is coming too. If you come, she won't be so alone," Paul said. "You promised it on the evening at your place anyway." He smiled at her.

"Yes, I promised-I'll be there," Jane smiled at Paul before they stood up and headed out.

Great. The smart-aleck was coming with us tonight.

"Sorry, Jane, but could you help me for a minute?" Amber stepped out of her room. If I didn't know her, I'd say she had been waiting.

"Sure, how can I help?" Jane was kind to others.

"I need to sew a dress. Could you put it on while I pin it?"

Jane nodded, and Amber closed the door behind her. I escorted Paul downstairs, we quickly said goodbye, and then I went to the living room.

"How did it go?" Dad asked. "Did you find common ground?"

"Yes, we're going to film ants," I said. "I'm not like this girl says I am," I started defending myself. "She's new and doesn't even know me."

"It doesn't matter, son. We love you," Dad smiled.

I didn't understand this-my dad's riddles sometimes drove me crazy.

Jane was upstairs in my sister's room for almost an hour. Shannon would be here in less than thirty minutes-I didn't want them to meet.

The rain started pouring heavily.

"Alright, I'll call you later," Amber said as her door opened.

"Okay," Jane replied. "Thank you for the pastry, Mrs. Simmons." She immediately put on her shoes and was about to step out when my dad spoke up.

"Wait, my son will drive you home-it's raining heavily."

"Oh, it's really not necessary. It's just three blocks up, no more than ten minutes," Jane started babbling, suddenly surprised. I could barely understand what she was saying.

"That's enough to catch a cold. Johnny, please drive her home. My car is in the garage-don't let her get soaked," Dad said firmly.

"Sure, come on, little girl."

I rarely got the chance to drive my dad's car, so of course, I'd take anyone home if it meant getting behind the wheel.

Jane looked around but followed me to the garage. "Goodbye, see you, Amber."

She sat next to me, and I drove out. It was really pouring like crazy.

"I was rude in front of your family. I'm sorry," she blurted out in the silence. "Whatever I think, it's not their business. You're lucky-your parents are kind."

"No problem," I grinned. I had managed to make her retreat.

In the meantime, we almost reached her place.

"Should I pick you up for the movie tonight? If it rains like this, the bus will be slow," I said, being more polite than she had been.

"If you don't mind, yes. Thank you very much."

"No, it's no problem. I'll come for you in two hours."

"Alright, bye."

She jumped out and rushed into the house in seconds.

I would have taken a few more laps with the car, but I couldn't leave Shannon alone. I quickly got home and parked back in the garage. I was late-the kitty had arrived earlier.

"Thanks, but I already have a model," I heard Amber's cool response as I entered.

"I see you've introduced yourselves," I noted.

"Yes, your parents already told me how much they've heard about me," Shannon gushed.

If only she knew-they said that to everyone.

"That hanging dress is very nice, though it would be cuter in pink," Shannon said about one of Amber's dresses. It was some green thing.

"I'll consider it, thank you," my sister said coolly.

"Even if you're not looking for a model, I'd be happy to help design. Many people say I have very good taste."

"You do look very pretty today, darling," my mom interjected before Amber could tear her head off. "Pastry?"

"No, thank you. I'm watching my figure," Shannon said.

The whole thing was starting to get awkward, but they just wouldn't let go. I deserved it-I had a big mouth. After Jane, this girl couldn't come out well from the situation. I wondered how the new girl had become the standard.

Every conversation after that was strained. Shannon couldn't contribute meaningfully to many topics, or she said something silly-just as they suspected. But at least they were kind, and I could barely wait to leave for the movie.

The time finally came. I was relieved. We said goodbye and picked up Jane.