"You really should stop smiling like that," Teddy said as he handed Matthew a bottle of water. "It's creepy."
"What did you say?" Matthew turned.
"Nothing," Teddy quickly responded before he focused back on his own food. "You should also avoid me… it's better that way. Why are you eating with me anyway? You should go to Catherine's table."
Matthew didn't respond. He had heard Teddy's question, but he chose to stay silent. Ever since that run-in with Adam and Lenox, he couldn't stop smiling. It wasn't just the encounter—it was the strange fact that he hadn't seen another ghost since then.
Or maybe… just maybe he was imagining things. There's also the possibility that the ghost really vanished after witnessing what he did back there. Was it fate? Or was he finally losing his mind? Whatever the reason, he couldn't deny one thing—he was actually enjoying this.
"Isn't this great?" Matthew asked.
"What are you talking about?" Teddy frowned.
In response, Matthew gave his lanky classmate a shrug. In his past life, Teddy was one of the smartest classmates that he had. However, he never asked him to become his study partner. This was because he was too busy following Catherine around.
Well… some things have to change.
Speaking of Catherine, he could feel dagger-like gazes at his back but chose to ignore them. He knew it was Catherine and her crew. They had been trying to provoke him since earlier, but he chose not to react. He wanted to focus on his food.
"The beefsteak is really good this time. It's perfect with rice."
Teddy gave him a look before asking, "Why are you acting like you haven't eaten in weeks?"
Matthew simply shrugged. "I've been hungry since this morning."
Teddy narrowed his eyes. "Seriously… why are you acting so weird lately? You actually asked me to study with you. You always used to ask Catherine to teach you."
Matthew was about to answer when the students around them suddenly started to get excited. Chairs scraped. Voices rose in a buzz.
Someone at the front exclaimed, "Hey! The list is out!"
"What list?" another student asked.
"The last-quarter allowance list! It's already posted!"
Gasps followed. A few students ran toward the hallway bulletin.
Matthew paused, still holding his spoon mid-air. He slowly blinked. He didn't expect that they would actually release the list today. But this had nothing to do with him, so he chose to continue eating his food.
However, Teddy was different. His eyes widened. "The ones who'll get the allowance for the last quarter… that's the Lindberg University initiative, right? The one for scholarship students?"
Matthew nodded absentmindedly.
"For the past years, it was always Catherine who got it," Teddy mumbled. "I hope that—hmmmm… they must have posted it on their website as well…" Teddy opened his phone. Again, Matthew ignored him.
He was right. For the past three years, Catherine always got this money. Many thought she simply got lucky or it was because of her grades.
What they didn't know was that it was because of Matthew. Matthew convinced his father to give it to Catherine for her potential.
"Potential, my ass…" Matthew mumbled.
The worst thing about this was the fact that Matthew was too scared to tell her anything. So, he let Lenox take credit and let Catherine think this was because of Lenox's influence.
Again, this had nothing to do with him anymore.
This sudden commotion attracted even more students. Whispers and stunned gasps echoed through the cafeteria until, finally, all heads turned toward one table—Catherine's.
May clutched Catherine's arm. "Don't cry, Cathy, it's okay. You still have other scholarships."
Elisa leaned over in a panicked whisper. "You're still at the top of the class, right? Maybe it's a mistake—they'll fix it."
But Catherine was frozen. Her face had turned pale, her fingers trembling as she stared at her phone screen.
Teddy's voice trembled. "M-Matthew…"
He didn't look up. He continued eating like nothing happened.
Teddy swallowed. "This time… the allowance didn't go to Catherine."
Matthew calmly spooned another mouthful of rice. "Is that so?"
Teddy looked down, then up again. "D-Don't you want to know who got it?"
"I'm not interested."
"I… I actually got it!"
Matthew stopped eating this time.
The spoon hovered just above his plate. Slowly, he lowered it.
He remembered. He told Cristoff last night—Cancel everything that supports Catherine. Cut off all her silent backers. No more anonymous scholarships, no more hidden favors.
Cristoff had asked him, Who do we give it to then?
And Matthew had said, I don't care. Just give it to someone who deserves it.
Cristoff had agreed. And now…
Matthew looked sideways at Teddy. The boy's face was flushed with disbelief, lips trembling between shock and joy.
Matthew said nothing for a long second. Then, with a small smile, he nodded.
"Then it seems that I was right in choosing you to be my study buddy."
Almost immediately, Teddy's expression faltered. His joy deflated in real time, like a balloon pricked with a needle. "Oh…" Teddy put his phone down and looked down at his food.
Seeing this, Matthew said, "Stop being so sad about it…" Matthew beamed. "You should be happy. And from now on, please take care of me. Don't worry… we are going to pass that exam together."
"Pass that exam together?" Elisa's condescending voice interrupted their conversation. "Matthew… I didn't know you would be this shameless. In the past, when Catherine got the allowances, you were always begging her to teach you math and other subjects. Now, you are bothering Teddy. What an opportunistic fool."
Matthew didn't even realize that Elisa and May were already standing behind him. "How did these two dogs get in here?" Matthew said.
"You!" May was about to slap Matthew when Matthew pointed at the corner of the canteen.
"Cameras," Matthew beamed. Then he got up. "I already lost my appetite. We still have about thirty minutes before class starts." He looked at Teddy.
"What?" Teddy asked.
"We're going to study."
"Study?" May snorted. "Wow… did you really think you have the ability, Matthew?"
Matthew sighed. "Why are you even here?" he asked.
"We're naturally here to ask Teddy how he got the allowance this time, but it seems that the answer is clear. It must be you!" Elisa pointed at him. "Did you try to take the allowance from Catherine because of what happened the other day? Are you really that shameless, Matthew?"
May stepped forward with narrowed eyes. "So, this is your plan, huh? You think by taking away Catherine's allowance, she'll forgive you? You're disgusting!"
Matthew tilted his head slightly. "Forgive me?" he repeated, confused for a second before he laughed. "What makes you think I want to be forgiven?"
"You're such a manipulative piece of trash!" May snapped. "You just want her attention! That's all you've ever wanted. And now that she won't talk to you, you're using poor Teddy here as a pawn to get back into her good graces! Well… let me tell you this. There's no way that Catherine will forgive you after what you did!"