Andrew drank soy milk while listening to Stark recount the whole process of their argument with Olivia and the other girls.
By the end of the story, Stark was so emotional that he was nearly in tears.
"Andy, you know what? The moment you and Scarlett appeared together was it was so damn dazzling! It dispelled the slump our brothers were in and really gave us a satisfying comeback!"
"Oh my, saying things like that makes me feel a bit embarrassed."
Andrew hadn't intended to act cool, but the coolness had come to him, so he had no choice but to play along.
At that moment, Ethan patted Stark's shoulder, "Stark, weren't you supposed to be sleeping? I'll switch places with you; I want to chat with Andrew for a bit."
"Oh."
After they switched seats, Ethan and Andrew huddled together and started a hushed conversation in their Brooklyn City dialect.
"How often do you and Scarlett show up together?"
"We just happened to run into each other."
"Bullshit. How many times has that 'happened'? Besides, you were pretty scared of her when school first started, weren't you? Why does it feel like you're not scared at all now?"
"That was all rumors. Scarlett is just aloof; she's really not that scary."
"Are you sure?"
"Positive. As long as you don't deliberately provoke her, she won't bother paying attention to you."
If Ethan hadn't believed it before, seeing Andrew and Scarlett frequently appear in the same frame now made him start to believe it a little.
But Andrew followed up with a reminder, "However, she is indeed very strict during class. I suggest you don't even think about slacking off. If you play games or watch videos during class, you'll have a lot of your participation points deducted directly."
"..."
Reminded of this, Ethan immediately started listening attentively to the lecture.
As time went on, Andrew gradually noticed that Scarlett seemed a bit off today.
Scarlett's tone while lecturing was still cold, but her voice was much lower, and she spoke far less than usual.
Last year, when Scarlett substituted for Andrew's class, she used to talk a lot, explaining things very meticulously and seriously.
Moreover, Scarlett waking up late this morning was different from last time.
Last time, after realizing she had overslept, Scarlett had scrambled out of bed in a panic, but today, she seemed listless when getting up.
"Is Teacher Scarlett not feeling well?"
Andrew wondered to himself.
After class, Andrew didn't go to the cafeteria with Ethan and the others; instead, he stayed behind to wait for Scarlett to pack up her things.
"Why aren't you going with your friends?" Scarlett asked when she saw Andrew still there.
"I was going to go back with you at noon to make lunch."
"No need for lunch; I'll just eat something simple. You have class this afternoon."
Scarlett packed up her notebook and bag. Andrew proactively helped her carry some things to the car.
"Teacher, are you feeling unwell?" Andrew asked.
"A bit tired. I'm going back to sleep. You listen carefully in the afternoon class, and call me when you're coming back tonight; I'll pick you up."
"I can just come back by myself."
"Fine."
Scarlett got into the car and drove away from the school.
Andrew went to the cafeteria, spent a while with Ethan and the others at noon, then attended two more major courses in the afternoon before riding a shared bicycle back to the apartment complex by himself.
Just as he was about to open the door, Andrew patted his left and right pockets, but he couldn't find his keys.
"Damn it! Did I forget them on the nightstand this morning?"
Andrew suddenly remembered that he had rushed out in the morning and might have left his keys on the nightstand.
With no other choice, he had to knock on the door and ask Scarlett to let him in.
But after knocking for a while, no one came to open the door, which made Andrew troubled: "Could Teacher Scarlett still be sleeping?"
Just as he was considering going back to school to wait for a while longer, the door finally opened.
Andrew smiled awkwardly and explained, "Teacher, I'm sorry, I think I forgot my keys at home."
The moment the words left his mouth, Scarlett, who had opened the door, swayed unsteadily and started to fall forward.
Andrew's eyes widened in fright, and he quickly reached out to catch her.
So soft, and so fragrant. Is this what a girl's body feels like?
No, no! This is not the time to focus on that! She's burning up!
Andrew felt that Scarlett's entire body was hot.
"Teacher, how are you?"
Andrew quickly helped Scarlett up and didn't dare let go, afraid she would fall again.
"I... I might have a fever," Scarlett said weakly.
Her eyes were slightly closed, and even opening them was a bit strenuous. Beneath the black nightgown, her originally snow-white skin was already slightly flushed red, and she let out faint, uncomfortable murmurs from her mouth.
How could this be just 'maybe' having a fever? This was obvious.
Andrew now understood why Scarlett had been listless this morning; it was already a precursor to a fever, but she had been forcing herself to hold on.
"Teacher, let me take you to the hospital."
"Let's take your temperature first. If it's not high, then we won't go."
Scarlett forced herself to stand up, intending to return to the room to get the thermometer, but after taking just two steps, she stumbled, startling Andrew into rushing over to support her.
What's the point of taking her temperature now? The thermometer might explode.
"Stop measuring. I'll take you to the hospital," Andrew decided.
He felt he couldn't delay any longer. A simple cold or fever would be fine, but Scarlett was burning up all over; if it dragged on, something serious might happen.
"Teacher, where are your clothes?"
Scarlett was only wearing that nightgown and couldn't go out like that.
"In the closet."
Andrew quickly ran to Scarlett's room closet. Opening it, he was dazzled by the wide array of outerwear.
"No, these are too thin; she can't wear them now that she has a fever."
"Why are these still dresses?"
"These are too thick, either."
... Andrew searched for a while and finally gave up.
"Forget it! Wear mine!"
Andrew ran directly to his room and grabbed an overcoat for Scarlett. His coat was big enough to cover down to her upper thighs. After zipping it up, only the hem of the nightgown was left exposed, which wasn't a major issue.
"Teacher, can you put on shoes?"
"Yes."
"Then I'll call a ride-share."
"Ride-shares are too much trouble. Let's take my car instead."
"But Teacher, how can you drive like this?"
"You drive," Scarlett said weakly, but her tone was firm.
She disliked taking ride-shares because she might encounter unsavory drivers.
"Huh? Me?"
Andrew was startled for a moment, then immediately calmed down and agreed, "Okay, driving ourselves is more convenient."
Although he had gotten his driver's license over the summer break, he hadn't touched a car since, making him practically a half-baked road killer.
Andrew helped Scarlett downstairs and into the car. After starting the engine, he hesitated for a moment, then turned and asked Scarlett with a bit of awkwardness.
"Um, Teacher, how do you shift gears in your car?"
"..."
In her entire life, this was the first time Scarlett felt a little afraid. Perhaps letting Andrew call a ride-share had been the right decision.