Chapter 915 High School Chronicles: She Was A Coward
Emelie had always been a model student. She was never late, never absent, and always had good grades. Her teachers trusted her, so her request for leave was immediately granted.
The teacher noticed her pale complexion and responsibly offered to contact her guardians.
“It’s alright. I’ll be fine on my own,” Emelie declined.
Greta didn’t know how to drive and, since Ronan had a short temper, Emelie was reluctant to involve him.
The teacher knew about her relationship with Wesley. However, a teacher’s influence was limited at that level of school. The teacher approved Emelie’s early leave, assuming that Wesley would send someone to pick Emelie up. Then, she allowed Emelie to exit the school gates.
“There might be a heavy rainstorm later. Don’t stay outside too long, and head home quickly. If you’re still feeling unwell tomorrow, let us know,” the teacher said.
“Thank you, ma’am,” Emelie said.
However, Emelie didn’t contact Wesley since he had exams that day. After all, it was just a 20 minute walk home, and calling for a ride was unnecessary.
Emelie thought that she would be fine in the rain since she had an umbrella. But it turned out she underestimated the weather.
Halfway home, she was caught in a torrential downpour. The rain was sudden and violent, as if the apocalypse had arrived.
The storm was so intense that Emelie struggled to breathe. She fumbled with her umbrella, flustered. As soon as she opened it, a fierce gust of wind turned it inside out, drenching her instantly.
Emelie tried to regain control of the umbrella, panicked. Suddenly, her vision blurred, and her legs buckled. She staggered and swayed dangerously on her feet.
At that moment, a harsh horn blast pierced through the storm. Emelie looked up, seeing a truck barreling toward her.
Emelie stumbled backward, stepped onto something slippery, and lost her balance. Just before she hit the ground, a strong hand grabbed her arm.
“What are you doing out in this storm?” a voice shouted.
The person pulled her to safety, and she collided with his chest, catching a cool, icy scent.
She instinctively grabbed onto his clothes. Amidst the chaos, she felt that she had torn something.
However, before she could think, a sudden wave of dizziness overwhelmed her, and she fell
unconscious.
William noticed her pale face and closed-eyes as she slumped against him.
“Emelie! Emelie!” He called out urgently, realizing something was wrong.
No response.
He hesitated for a moment before reaching out and gently patting her face. “Emelie?” When he touched her forehead, the heat startled him. She was burning up.
William’s expression abruptly shifted. He lifted Emelie into his arms, the rain soaking both of them. He scanned the area, spotted a nearby convenience store, and rushed inside.
The store clerk was startled as William came in and sat on a chair with Emelie on his lap. William shook the rain off his face and said, “Can you get me a towel? I’ll pay for it later.” “Oh… Yes, right away.” The clerk quickly grabbed a clean towel from the shelf and handed it
over.
“What happened to her? Did she faint? Do you need an ambulance?” the clerk asked.
The weather was awful, and an ambulance wouldn’t arrive on time. Hence, William pulled out his phone and called his driver, asking him to come pick them up.
“Do you have any fever patches?” he asked the clerk.
The clerk replied, “I’m sorry, we don’t have those. But you can get them at the pharmacies.” “I’ll have a raincoat then,” he said.
The clerk handed William a raincoat, and William draped it over Emelie. While the raincoat couldn’t warm her up, it would at least shield her from the wind.
Emelie was completely drenched, and her body was burning with fever.
William paid for the items and assured the clerk to not worry. His driver was already on the way and would arrive in a few minutes. The clerk then left a cup of warm water before stepping away.
William looked down at Emelie in his arms with a mix of irritation and concern.
What on earth was she thinking wandering in a storm with a fever? If he hadn’t found her, she might have passed out on the street.
With so few people around, who would’ve noticed her? What if a careless driver or someone with bad intentions had come across her?
Where was Wesley? Did he even care about her at all?
As William continued to glare at Emelie, his stern expression softened. Emelie looked frail with her pale face and colorless lips. Her body was dripping with rain, making her look pitiful.
It was rare for them to be so close to each other.
William carefully used the towel to wipe the rain off her cheeks and neck with furrowed brows. His hand accidentally brushed against her soft skin, and he quickly pulled it back. Though he remained expressionless, the flush creeping up his ears betrayed him.
William held his breath as he glanced at Emelie again. He felt a slight relief seeing that she was still unconscious. He certainly didn’t want her to think he was taking advantage of her vulnerability.
William found it hard to believe himself. In his 18 years, he never had a crush on anyone. How did a dance from her at the school anniversary celebration leave him so captivated?
He gazed at Emelie. “You’re not even that pretty. And your taste? Terrible. Of all people, you had to fall for Wesley. Everyone’s always comparing me to him. Have you compared us?
Hmm?
“I blocked that basketball for you, remember? I even shielded you from the sun at the library. You’ve forgotten all of that?”
William began rambling to himself. “We even caught that teacher together-the one that harassed students. Don’t tell me you don’t remember that. If you do, why do you never come
to me?
“I’ve walked past you so many times, and you never even said hi. Is Wesley stopping you from talking to me? Are you really that obedient?
“I don’t look too bad either, don’t I? How about switching boyfriends? I’d definitely treat
you better than Wesley ever could. Emelie, can you hear me?”
Of course, Emelie didn’t hear him. Despite all that he said, Emelie didn’t respond.
William knew that she had passed out and couldn’t hear him, but he still criticized her.”
Coward. You can’t even face me.”
Soon, his driver arrived. He hurried over and called for William, ready to take Emelie from William’s arms. William dodged him and carried Emelie to the car himself.
At the hospital, William pulled rank as the heir to the Middleton family and called for the
best doctors. They all came, running tests and drawing blood.
“It’s a viral infection, commonly known as the flu,” a doctor specializing in Western medicine explained.
“She’s also overworked and anemic. Look at those dark circles. She’s probably been burning the candle at both ends for a while. That’s why she fainted,” another doctor specializing in Eastern medicine added after checking her pulse.
William knitted his brow together. He couldn’t help but wonder if Wesley even took care of Emelie for her to end up like that. What could she possibly see in him?
A nurse dressed Emelie in a clean hospital scrub and started an IV on the back of her hand.
The nurse noticed Emelie was muttering something under her breath. “Sweetheart, are you awake? Do you need something?” the nurse asked softly.
William walked over. Though Emelie’s eyes were closed, she was still mumbling
unconsciously.
William leaned in to listen.
“Wesley… Wesley…” Emelie mumbled.
William lifted his head in silence.
“Of course. You’ve got terrible taste,” he said.
Frustration washed over William, and he instinctively reached for the pendant around his neck. However, his fingers grasped at empty air. His hand dropped, and he quickly looked
down to find his neck was bare.
It was gone. William frantically patted himself down, but the pendant was nowhere to be found.
In a rush of memory, he recalled Emelie grabbing him earlier when he caught her. Was that
when she yanked it off?
William clenched his jaw tightly and glanced at Emelie lying there. He asked the nurse to take care of her then bolted out of the room. He called for the driver and returned to the spot where it all happened.
William searched the car, but there was nothing. He scoured the convenience store and still
couldn’t find it.
Finally, William dashed back out into the rain, combing the street for a long time. However,
the pendant was nowhere to be found. He had no idea whether someone picked it up or it
was swept away.
William stood there on the empty road, drenched and freezing in the dark.
That pendant was the one thing his mother had left behind for him. She was the only person
in the Middleton family who had shown him any warmth.
But now, it was gone.