The basketball hit Leland’s back with a heavy thud.
Furrowing his brows, Leland didn’t find the impact painful enough to make him frown, but he was considering what would have happened if the basketball had hit Winifred in the face – she would have surely gotten hurt, maybe even swollen.
Although he had managed to protect Winifred and prevent any accidents, just the mere thought of her getting hurt made his heart tense, as if it could shatter at any moment.
Bowing his head to look at Winifred’s face, he noticed that Winifred was looking up at him. He could see her clearly, even counting the individual eyelashes. They had been in close proximity before, but being this close in front of so many people now, even Winifred, who was usually unshaken, couldn’t fully control her emotions.
She had to admit that when Leland shielded her from the almost-accident, it made her heart race. It wasn’t love, but rather a bridge reaction – the increased heart rate when faced with danger. And if there was a member of the opposite sex nearby during such moments, it was easy to mistake this physiological response for love.
“Are you okay?” Leland’s voice was a bit hoarse, hinting at an underlying tension.
Winifred lowered her gaze, looking at her shoes. “Leland, my shoelaces are untied.”
She was diverting her mind, but her shoelaces actually were untied.
Without overthinking, Leland bent down to tie Winifred’s shoelaces. While doing so, Winifred stared at Leland’s head and noticed his ears turning slightly red.
Seeing the dirt stain on his back from being hit by the basketball, Winifred felt the pain just from hearing the sound of it hitting him.
Winifred had always believed that she wouldn’t develop any extra feelings for Leland, after all, she was raising a wolfhound – who would fall in love with a “beast”?
But now, she was starting to doubt her self-control. There was a strange sensation in Winifred’s heart, foreign yet intense, making it impossible to ignore. Disinclined, after Leland finished tying her shoelaces, she stood up and moved to leave.
Coincidentally, her phone rang. Winifred checked the caller ID and was slightly taken aback. Answering the call, she heard a gentle voice on the other end, “Winifred, I’m back…”
Winifred answered the call without avoiding Leland, letting him clearly see the caller ID.
-Garrison Reeves
This name had been plastered all over Winifred’s phone, computer, and almost all her social media accounts.
Though Leland had heard the name, he had never met the person. Mr. Hamilton had mentioned that Garrison was an old friend of Winifred’s, someone she had known since they were kids. They lost touch when Garrison went abroad at the age of ten.
Suddenly, Leland felt a sharp pain in his back. It seemed to pierce through his chest, affecting even his heart.
Winifred walked away after taking the call, not sparing Leland another glance.
Always being urged to love her, Leland was baffled. What is love?
He was clueless about love, thinking it was about sex or kissing, maybe her calling his name, her smile, her dominance, irrationality, or jealousy. But now, Leland suddenly understood – love was the hand that reached out but was pulled back.
Wanting to hold onto Winifred, after eight years of being solely with Winifred, with a master-servant dynamic, seemingly distant yet close, Leland believed no one understood Winifred better than him. No one would have a chance to wedge between them as who would appreciate his “loyalty”?
But now, his confidence was shattered. Insecure, he felt that Winifred may never return after meeting Garrison.
Desperate to hold onto Winifred, Leland mulled over various topics, ways to keep her, all dismissed. He didn’t have the right.
He channeled this emotion onto the court, fiercely smashing the basketball at the boy who had almost hit Winifred.
Like a lion gone mad, he finally infuriated the boy, leading to a conflict on the court.
“Do you even know how to play basketball? You’ve hit me with the ball several times!”
“And do you know how to play? Throwing the ball out of the court?”
The boy knew he was at fault, but being hit by Leland multiple times without a word provoked him. Tauntingly, he said, “So you’re avenging your mistress, huh? What? Do you like Winifred? But would Winifred ever look at you? Don’t think being close to her means you’ll have an advantage. In our eyes, you’re just a mere dog by her side. Even if you saved her life, she wouldn’t spare you a glance…”
“Bang!” Leland’s eyes darkened and fierce, breaking free, he rushed forward and landed a punch on the boy’s face.
Later, the teacher intervened, leading them to the office for counseling and a reflection paper due by the end of the school day.
Writing the reflection paper was easy, just needing to show a proper attitude. But Leland couldn’t bring himself to write a single word.
As he passed by classrooms, he didn’t spot Winifred anywhere.
Midway through writing, his phone rang. Opening Winifred’s message, she had left a message saying she had something to do and wouldn’t be coming home soon. She asked him to find a drug to make a man sterile if he happened to have time.
Seemingly determined, Winifred intended to make sure her father was sterilized, irrespective of Gregory being her real father or remarrying.
Distracted, Leland finished the reflection paper and handed it to the teacher. Though scolded a bit, nearing the final exams, he wondered how he could allow a fight ahead? And was there no fear of getting a bad record?
Had it not been for Leland’s good conduct and excellent grades, the teacher would not have simply accepted the reflection paper.
He called the driver, instructing not to pick him up from school. With a trick up his sleeve, Leland had found a way to sterilize men, no drug would work immediately, requiring prolonged use for effectiveness.
Tossing the pill in his bag, he headed to the hospital to inquire about the DNA test results, which were still pending. It could wait a while longer.
Returning to the Dawson family, Mr. Hamilton asked as Leland came back alone, “Why are you the only one back? Where’s Miss?”
Winifred hadn’t returned home yet? Leland recalled the phone call, clenching his fist by his side, his face stiff, he replied, “Garrison is back.”