Meanwhile, Shane dashed out of the gym, tracing the path he assumed Daisy would take. At the front doors, he spotted her, standing by as Jayden playfully teased William.
Shane couldn't fathom how Jayden mustered the courage for that. There were whispers of William's involvement in numerous fights at his previous school, and he seemed indifferent to following any rules, having been suspended before.
Though Shane typically dismissed rumors, he couldn't help but feel a touch apprehensive around William. His perpetually scowling face and piercing glares at anyone who approached too closely didn't help ease those feelings.
With a gasp for breath, Shane approached Daisy, aiming for an air of nonchalance. "Hey, Daisy. How'd you enjoy the game?"
Daisy turned, a smile lighting up her face as she saw Shane. They hadn't really conversed until yesterday, but she found him genuinely friendly and a potential good friend.
"Hey, Shane! It was incredible, and you played great, too! The whole team did," she replied, stealing a quick glance at Jayden and William.
Shane's heart skipped a beat upon hearing her praise. He returned her smile. "Are you heading home now?" he inquired.
"Yes, I'm just waiting for Jayden to finish talking to William," she replied.
"Are you all walking home together?" Shane asked.
"Yeah, I live pretty far, so Jayden walks me home every day."
Suddenly, an idea struck Shane, and he hesitated before sheepishly suggesting, "I have a car; I could drive you home?"
Daisy looked surprised. "Seriously? You don't have to, really. I can walk home."
"You said it was far, and I kind of owe you for helping me study yesterday. I would've failed that test without you."
"I'm sure you would've aced it without me! But, I also can't leave Jayden," she explained.
"I could drive him home too?" Shane suggested, eager for a chance to spend more time with Daisy.
She smiled and agreed, calling out to Jayden, "Jayden! Shane said he could drive us home!"
Jayden turned to look at Daisy and Shane before saying something to William again. "Hey, do you mind if I head home with William? He's got the new Overwatch game I've been dying to try out! So, we're going to his place to play video games!" Jayden said, throwing his arm around William's shoulder once more.
Shane was surprised to see William actually smiling, a rare sight. William typically avoided interacting with others, so his newfound camaraderie with Jayden was unexpected. However, when William caught Shane looking at him, his smile vanished as Shane quickly averted his gaze.
Daisy hesitated, biting her lip before glancing in Jayden and William's direction. Shane sensed it might be due to Jayden's newfound friendship with William, as Daisy and Jayden were best friends. Eventually, Daisy smiled and assured Shane that it was okay, bidding him goodbye.
As the two boys walked away, still conversing in a mix of Korean and English, barely comprehensible to Shane and Daisy, Daisy continued to gaze in their direction until Shane called her name.
"Oh, yes. Let's go," she said, smiling.
Shane led her to his car, his nervousness causing him to walk slightly faster than necessary.
"Shane, slow down!" Daisy called out, laughing.
Sheepishly, Shane slowed his pace and rubbed his neck. The car ride was quiet, with occasional attempts at conversation from both of them. Eventually, they began discussing the school fair scheduled for the next day.
The annual event drew nearly every student in the school. Both of them were reasonably excited. Before he lost his nerve, Shane quickly asked if Daisy would like to go with him. Her silence momentarily worried him, but he kept his eyes on the road to avoid revealing any disappointment.
After a while, she answered, "I'd love to, Shane, but Jayden and I go together every year."
"Oh," he responded, a touch dejected.
Although he assumed Jayden and Daisy were just friends, he couldn't help but feel a hint of jealousy.
"I'm sorry, but I'll see you there, right? You should give me your number so we can meet up," she suggested.
Shane's face lit up. "Sure! Yeah, totally!" he stammered, embarrassed but content, reaching into his back pocket to hand her his phone.
Daisy entered her number as a new contact and returned the phone. Shane realized he should confess that he had no idea where her house was. He had been driving in circles for the past 10 minutes, passing the same road three times.
"The blue house over there!" she pointed, barely able to contain her laughter.
They both laughed, and he stopped the car in front of her house.
"Thank you!" she exclaimed before smiling at him and bounding into her house.
Shane sat in the car for a moment, grinning at nothing in particular, before realizing he was still parked in front of her house and quickly drove away.