Chapter 79: Chapter 79

MARILYN

“Come with me, I'll treat you to lunch.”

My body wobbled for no reason. I even had to hold onto the wall to keep from collapsing. I don’t know why... it felt like every ounce of luck I’ve ever had in my life was coming together in this one moment.

Owen Rivers, the campus heartthrob, just randomly shows up and asks me out for lunch? If I say yes, would heaven punish me?

Before I could answer, I glanced around and felt the piercing stares of the girls watching us. Clearly, they were super jealous. I knew exactly what those looks meant.

“You’re treating me to lunch?” I said a bit louder on purpose, just to make them even more envious.

Owen welcomed the challenge, standing with his shoulder leaning casually against the wall right in front of me. His arms were crossed, and he towered over me, practically glowing. I was trembling, completely speechless.

Owen Rivers smiled at me! I almost fainted on the spot.

Before I could say anything, he grabbed my hand, gently dragging me along with him. Even crazier, I didn’t resist!

I let him lead me wherever he wanted. I even glanced back. The girls who were glaring at me earlier were now staring in shock, some of them openly mocking me. I just smiled victoriously in their direction.

We sat across from each other at a café near campus. I was so nervous, I couldn’t even decide what to order.

“Do you like chocolate? How about iced chocolate and matcha cake?” Owen offered.

“Su-sure, but I like strawberry better.”

“Alright then. One iced chocolate and a strawberry cake. I’ll go order for you.”

I nearly screamed with joy right there. As Owen walked to the counter, I quickly grabbed my phone to text Jonea.

“You won’t believe who’s taking me to lunch today!”

Send!

Jonea replied, “What? Did you get another crush? What about your current boyfriend?”

“I’d trade my whole life for this guy! You’ll be shocked when you hear who it is. Owen Rivers is treating me to lunch!”

Send!

Jonea didn’t text back. Instead, she called me. I was about to pick up, but Owen came back before I could. Not wanting to waste any time, I declined the call.

Sorry, Jonea!

“So...” I finally managed to say, after regaining a bit of confidence. “How do you know my name?”

“Oh,” Owen said, stirring his drink. “Who doesn’t know Marilyn Monroe, the happiest girl in the Fine Arts Department? I noticed you’re good friends with Jonea Rawling.”

I almost choked on my chocolate drink. Ah, I get it now. This isn’t about me, it’s about Jonea! Hot guys are so predictable. They're just too obvious.

I just nodded, not at all disappointed. Actually, I was even more intrigued. How did Jonea, who’s always so closed off and avoids everyone, suddenly become the center of Owen Rivers’ attention? What made him so curious about her?

Jonea is beautiful. Really beautiful. But she hides that beauty from everyone! Sometimes it drives me crazy.

“You know Jonea?” I asked, fishing for more info. My confidence was fully restored now, with my curiosity on high alert.

“How do you know her? And... Hunter Abraham? You mentioned his name before. Did Hunter send you to talk to me?”

I let out a disbelieving laugh, leaning back in my chair, finally relaxing. It turns out, rich and handsome guys have these creepy little circles of friends. They gather... and who knows what they’re up to.

“Did Hunter send you here?” I asked Owen sarcastically. My admiration for him vanished, replaced with suspicion.

“I just want to confirm something, Marilyn. Since you’re Jonea’s friend, you should know. Does Jonea like Hunter Abraham? And does Hunter like her too?”

“What?” I almost shouted at the absurd question.

Owen sighed heavily.

“I’ve seen Hunter try to get close to Jonea a few times. And it seems like Jonea’s still willing to meet him. If there’s no mutual interest, that wouldn’t happen, right? Why are you so slow to catch on?”

“What? Hey, who do you think you are, calling me slow?” I even glared at Owen Rivers, the guy every girl on the planet adores. I’m probably the only one who would dare do that.

“Owen, I don’t know how you know my friend, but honestly, you’re the one who’s slow!” I said firmly. “I’m 100% sure it’s not Hunter—he’s not the guy Jonea likes!”

Owen looked at me coldly, tilting his head slightly. “If it’s not Hunter Abraham, then who is it? As her friend, you must know Hunter’s got a bad reputation, right? You need to keep Jonea away from him.”

I slammed the table, startling Owen. “You don’t need to teach me about that. I’m the first person who would oppose any relationship between them. I’ve seen how much Jonea suffers because of him. So, if you’re treating me to lunch just to mock me, don’t ever talk to me again. And stay away from Jonea!”

“Marilyn!”

Both Owen and I turned toward the voice, and I was shocked to see Jonea standing there, out of breath.

***

JONEA

“Who’s getting close to me? You two talking about me? Sounds fun.”

Without hesitation, I pulled out a chair and sat down next to them. I didn’t even think twice about grabbing Marilyn’s iced chocolate and drinking half of it. I didn’t care that both Marilyn and Owen were staring at me, stunned.

I was in the painting room when Marilyn texted me, saying Owen Rivers was treating her to lunch. My mind started racing. I didn’t know how those two even met, but this couldn’t happen.

The last time Owen and Marilyn crossed paths, Owen almost erased all of Marilyn’s memories. That scared me. I ran as fast as I could to find them.

Someone told me they saw Marilyn leave campus with a handsome guy. I followed their scent, faint as it was, and found them at the café near campus.

From outside the café, I saw Marilyn slam the table and yell at Owen. That scared me even more. What if Owen got offended and did something to Marilyn?

I burst in and sat down without a word.

“Oh, Jonea. Where did you come from?” Marilyn asked, clearly surprised. “You and Owen...”

“Marilyn, I’m thirsty! Get me another drink, please.”

Marilyn looked awkward and nervous. Maybe she felt guilty? I didn’t know what they’d talked about before I arrived, but she quickly stood up to get me another drink.

Now it was just me and Owen at the table. Owen crossed his arms and leaned back in his chair, acting like nothing had happened.

“What are you thinking, Owen Rivers? What crazy idea do you have now? I told you last time—don’t go near or touch my friend!”

“Calm down, Jonea! Your overreaction’s going to make people misunderstand. What if Marilyn thinks I’m doing something bad to you? I just... ran into her on campus and wanted to treat her to lunch. If she’s your friend, shouldn’t I also be on good terms with her?”

I leaned in closer, glaring at Owen.

“You expect me to believe that? You’re the coldest guy in the world. No, second coldest after Daran Carver. There’s no way you’d want to be friends with...”

“With what?” Owen interrupted. “What’s wrong? Are you struggling to define who your friend is? Is she human? Oh, or is she a hybrid now?”

I gripped my glass tightly, almost ready to throw what was left of the iced chocolate at Owen, but I held back.

“Just be honest, what do you really want from Marilyn?” I whispered.