Page 34 of His Untoward Hate

They started eating quietly.

“By the way, Czyra is also my partner in Research,” said Jasper.

“Oh, that’s great!”

“Yeah, that’s why you can often see her with me now and then.”

“And I’m grateful for that,” Czyra commented sarcastically.

“Didn’t our classmates complain about the two of you being paired together?” Jude asked, his voice a little strained. “I mean…the top two and top three of the batch ending up in one group?”

“That’s exactly what I said. Even during our major subjects, you barely pay attention,” Czyra replied bluntly.

Jude was slightly caught off guard by how direct she was.

“The honor students in our section were paired together so the less intelligent groups would be forced to work harder on their own and actually learn. At least, that’s what Miss Leizel said. And honestly, I agree with her for the most part,” she explained. “And I know you’re being miserable and bitter on your part because you are the only honor student who got paired up with Sky Granger,” she added.

Czyra really had no breaks, knowing Jasper was beside her. Jude reluctantly looked at Jasper.

“I am so sorry, Jude,” Jasper said helplessly.

“There’s nothing to apologize for, Jasper. And I already told you that. Whatever’s going on between your brother and me should stay between us,” Jude said with conviction.

Jasper gave him an uncertain smile.

“I like your spirit, Bun.” Czyra praised.

Jude shifted his gaze from Jasper to Czyra and gave her a faint, shy smile. It was so subtle that it was almost unnoticeable.

Jude had never imagined he could feel this comfortable around more than one person in his lifetime. He only knew Czyra as one of the school’s high-profile students. She was rich, intimidating, and known for her badass, straightforward attitude. She did not really have a friend group of her own, which Jude thought was something they oddly had in common.

But unlike Jude, Czyra was not the typical nerd. She was more of the eccentric type. People rarely bullied her. If anything, she simply was not fond of most of the students at school. She believed that many of the students were in school only to flaunt their luxurious lifestyles: their designer bags, expensive clothes, and deluxe jewelry. For her, they were not truly in school to learn, but to show off. She especially hated fake people, particularly the girls who only wanted to be close to her because of her social status. Above all, she hated dumb people. This was why she strongly favored pairing the research partners with those she considered less intelligent so that they would not depend on the smarter ones. For her, it was finally their turn to strive harder, find their own way through, and pass on their own effort. She was cool in her own strange way, and surprisingly enough, Jude did not feel intimidated by her at all.

The lunch, which Jude expected to be short, plain, and boring, was filled with meaningful conversations, laughter, and playful side jokes. But as time passed, Jude became more aware of the countless stares directed at him. People seemed baffled that a nerdy nobody like him was sitting with the school’s heartthrob and someone from a high social class. Some students threw insults his way, while others occasionally tossed crumpled papers and bits of leftovers at him. Still, Jasper and Czyra remained by his side, quick to defend him whenever things started getting out of hand.

“H-Hey, it’s okay, guys. I swear, I’m used to it,” Jude told them. “I would be mad or won’t talk to you again if you stand up for me,” Jude warned them when Czyra was about to stand up after someone threw an empty chicken bone, anus part.

Jude truly did not want anyone getting involved because of him. The last thing he wanted was for the people he genuinely cared about to get dragged into trouble or fights on his behalf.

“If you need something or anything, we are here, Bun. Right, Jasper?” Czyra assured him.

The nickname was still new to Jude. When Czyra found out that bunnies were his favorite animals, and hers too, she started calling him “bun,” short for bunny. She had even told him that he looked like one and was ridiculously cute. Jude thought that maybe Czyra had gaslit herself. She resembled a rabbit in many ways. She was chubby, but not obese. She had extra fat and lipids and was slightly plump with a bit of shape to her figure. She had thick eyeglasses resting on her round, tomato-like nose, while her black curly hair fell just above her shoulders. But more than anything, it was her two front teeth that reminded him of a rabbit the most. Because of that, Jude figured he might as well start calling her “bun” too, even if the callsign was a little cringe.

There was a short pause before Jasper responded.

“Yeah, of course.”

“It’s okay, guys. As I have said, I don’t need any help,” Jude repeated.

Jude did not want them to feel slight sympathy towards him. He did not like it.

“We should have been friends long before,” said Czyra, and Jude smiled.

Jude was overwhelmed with emotions. It was almost impossible for him to wrap his head around the fact that he had people he could genuinely call friends in this lifetime.

They finished the rest of their lunch with them, knowing each other. They avoided talking about academics as much as possible. They did not want to think or stress about it for now. Jude was also relieved that Jasper never brought up the photos he had seen in his locker earlier this morning.

Not long after, the bell rang for their next subject. Sky did not show up at the cafeteria, and Jude was very grateful for that.