Chapter 26: Chapter 26

"Are you really planning to follow me all day?" I asked as Gray continued to match my steps, currently walking along the school corridor. Gray was indeed following me through two classes I was taking, without even taking a break.

"Like I said, I'm taking the same classes you are. I'm serious," he replied, and for some reason, he sounded incredibly annoying.

"At least handle it properly first and let Miss Brenda know. Don't make me the reason you don't want to go to your own class," I said without stopping my pace.

"Don't worry, I promise not to mention your name if I get into trouble. I'll handle it myself," he answered, making me stare at him for a moment.

"But this time I'm going to the club room. I don't have classes anymore, and I intend to practice with Maudy and the others," I said again, hoping to stop his ridiculous behavior, but it was in vain because he showed no fear at all.

"I'll be swimming," and this time, it was me who stopped and looked at him with raised eyebrows.

"Come on, Gray. You've made my classmates uncomfortable, and this time, don't make the atmosphere in the club uncomfortable just because of your presence," I said, still remembering how my other classmates' glances and whispers remained fixed on us, or rather, on Gray, because he always attracted a lot of attention. In the previous days, they weren't even slightly interested in getting to know me or having small talk.

"What did I do wrong? I'm just like everyone else. It's just that they're too overprotective of me and always want to know about me. So just ignore it. You just need to focus on me and ignore other people's stares," he said casually, making me roll my eyes lazily. There seemed to be no other way to drive away this gray-eyed guy. I chose to continue my steps towards the back building, where Maudy and the others were waiting for me.

"Don't blame me if Maudy kicks you out," I said again.

"I'm sure Maudy won't kick me out. Just relax," he replied, and this time, I ignored his words. I hurried on and saw the others were already in the swimming pool.

"Sorry, my class was late in getting out," I explained, making the others turn around. Just as I suspected, they also looked surprised to see me with Gray.

"Are you going to practice?" Jace asked, taking off his swimming goggles. I nodded quickly.

"Of course, that's why I'm here," I answered, but their attention was on Gray, who was looking around.

"What's up with him?" Jace asked again, pointing towards Gray.

"I don't know. He just followed me and said he wanted to talk to Maudy, that's it," I replied, which immediately made Gray fix his gaze on me.

"When did I say that? I just said I'd go swimming with you. I don't care about the others," Gray's response immediately made me look towards Maudy and the others, who were looking at me with a puzzled expression, as if wondering when I got close to Gray.

"Didn't you say earlier that you would talk to Maudy? Forget it, I need to change clothes, and it's just women here. It's better if you go and meet your gang," I said, heading to change my clothes without waiting for Gray's response. I didn't know what he was going to talk about with the others, I just needed to focus on practice, which was why I entered the swimming pool.

After changing, I thought he might have been kicked out by them, but when I came back, he was focused on his phone on the spectator seats. It reminded me of an incident a few days ago. The seats looked the same as before, as if nothing had happened. Did Miss Brenda replace them with new ones? I thought, then dismissed the thought and started my warm-up before joining Maudy and the others.

"What's wrong with him?" Maudy threw the question at me. For a moment, I looked at Gray, who was still engrossed in his phone.

"I don't know, maybe he's interested in joining your swimming club," I replied, making Maudy click her tongue irritably.

"If he is, he's mistaken in contacting someone. He should have contacted Justin to join the men's swimming club. Besides, our building is different from the swimming club building," explained Maudy, which once again made me look at Gray with annoyance. I could already predict that they would question his presence next to me.

"Let's just forget it and focus on practice," I said. But before Maudy could respond, I remembered something.

"Oh, by the way, did you guys know that the spectator seats were damaged a few days ago?" My question stopped Jace, Maudy, Kylie, and Khloe in their tracks.

"The spectator seats?" Kylie asked, and I nodded.

"Yeah, do you remember the last time I stayed at the pool?" I said to Kylie, who nodded.

"Yes, you got home safely, didn't you?" Kylie asked again.

"Yes, but I mean something happened then," I explained again, making them all look at me seriously, as if waiting for more details.

"What do you mean?" Khloe asked.

"I'm not exactly sure what happened. I didn't see it, but I heard faintly that someone caused a commotion at the pool. I hid behind that pillar and when I was sure they were gone, I came out and saw everything was a mess. The seats seemed to fly on their own and were broken. At that moment, I was about to report it to the security, but Gray stopped me. He said he would report it to Miss Brenda directly," I explained, making them widen their eyes.

"So, when you stayed, you were alone with Gray. You were together?" Maudy asked, and I don't know what was going through their minds right now. Out of the long explanation I gave about the incident, their focus was only on the fact that I was with Gray.

"It wasn't intentional. I don't know why he was at the swimming pool, and at that moment, I was lucky he was there. I didn't know if I had been alone, I would have been terrified. But now I see that the seats are back in good condition. I thought you knew," I said, making them shake their heads.

"It seems like Miss Brenda took care of it without us knowing. But it's good that everything is back to normal," Maudy said, and I nodded. Miss Brenda's efficiency and quick action surprised me. I then saw Maudy already moving her body in the water, followed by Jace and Khloe. But as I was about to join them, Kylie stopped me.

"Hey, wait," Kylie said, making me look at her.

"So, you really were with him that night, or did you intentionally have plans with him?" Kylie asked, looking at me suspiciously.

"Of course not. I had just finished practicing when I realized Gray was here. We didn't have any plans," I explained, but it seemed like she didn't fully believe me.

"Or maybe you guys have a relationship?" Kylie guessed again, causing me to widen my eyes.

"Of course not. I don't know why he's been following me all this time," I explained, making Kylie squint her eyes.

"It seems like you're his next target, after he's done playing with Meghan. I heard that Meghan is currently having a game with her enemy, Ramon," Kylie said, and once again, I heard that name echoing in my ears. But until now, I still didn't know who Ramon, Gray's supposed enemy, was.

"Of course not. I don't want to be one of his female friends," I said, making Kylie flash a wide smile.

"Yes, that's how it should be. Just make sure you're strong enough not to be swayed by his charms. You know, he's not just handsome and rich. He's also charming with his words. You could easily be enticed by what he says," Kylie warned, sounding like she was cautioning me. After that, Kylie joined Maudy and the others to go swimming.

Meanwhile, I found myself staring at Gray. I didn't know when his focus had shifted onto me, but he was smiling and waving his hand at me. I remained silent. I didn't want to reciprocate his friendly gesture, as Kylie had warned. Who knows, maybe he was just playing with me. I opted to put on my swimming goggles and start moving my body.

I immediately felt the coolness of the water. I don't know why, but every time I swam and immersed myself in the water, I felt calm and momentarily forgot the weight on my mind. I was right to love swimming; it was as if all the complexities in my head evaporated. I was completely focused on my movements, the sound of water generated by each stroke merging with my body, creating a tranquil feeling.

We practiced for two hours, just like before. I got out of the pool along with the others. I opened my swimming goggles when Leo handed me a towel.

"You must be cold, right?" he said, drawing the attention of the others, as if they were saying, "Since when did Gray act so sweetly?"

"Yes, thank you," I said, not wanting to give them the wrong idea. I was about to grab my bag when Gray stopped me.

"Can you accompany me for a swim?" his question immediately brought me back to the memory of the last time I swam with him, and instantly, my face turned red, remembering how his full lips had perfectly met mine.