Ch: 4 [Leo- The Pervert]

As Leo's voice cut through our conversation, I turned to see him approaching with Lily by his side. Leo's appearance was as expected – messy blond hair, a mischievous grin, and that perpetual twinkle in his blue eyes that hinted at his troublemaking nature. Lily, on the other hand, was the exact opposite – calm, composed, and always the voice of reason in our group.

Leo raised an eyebrow as he looked between Irine and me, "Well, well, well, what do we have here? The lovebirds having a heart-to-heart conversation?"

"Always jealous, aren't you?" Irine teased, a playful smirk on her face.

"Jealous? Me?" Leo scoffed, "Nah, I ain't jealous of this guy here. I've got something he's never had – a girlfriend."

"You mean your 2d girlfriend?" I retorted, unable to resist the jab at Leo's obsession with anime girls.

"Oh, shut up," he shot back, clearly annoyed by my remark. "I'll have you know that 2D girls are way better than your boring real-life girlfriends."

I rolled my eyes, shaking my head in disbelief. "You're ridiculous, you know that?"

"Well, at least I'm not a loser with zero experience," Leo replied, his tone dripping with smugness.

"Hahaha. All the experience you have is rubbing on your pillow at night, you sick bastard," I replied, trying not to laugh at my own joke.

"Argg! Stop it you," Irine cut us off, "You gross pigs."

I glanced over at Lily, who had been quietly watching our exchange with a mix of amusement and exasperation.

"So, what's your opinion, Lily?" I asked, hoping for some support. "What do you think about Leo's daily night adventure with his pillow?"

"Travis, you're terrible," she replied, unable to hide her smile. "But I do think it's bad to stay late at night. Is this why you are always late for class, Leo?"

"Wait! What? No... Not you too!" Leo scratched his head.

"See? Even Lily thinks you're a pervert," I said, turning back to Leo.

Leo groaned in frustration, "You bastard. I am gonna burn your ass one of these days."

Before I could respond with another witty retort, I caught sight of Rachel and Jackson entering the mess hall. As always, Rachel was dressed to the nines, her fiery red hair and confident stride catching the attention of everyone around her.

Jackson, on the other hand, was the quiet and reserved member of our group. He had a knack for blending into the background, his tall frame and dark hair making him easily recognizable but not attention-grabbing like some of our more colorful friends.

As they approached our table, Leo's attention immediately shifted from our banter to Rachel's entrance. His eyes practically sparkled as he took in her appearance. It was as if everything else faded into the background when Rachel was around.

"Hey, Leo," Rachel greeted him with a playful smile.

"Hey, Rachel," Leo replied, a goofy grin plastered on his face.

Irine rolled her eyes, clearly unimpressed by Leo's star-struck demeanor. "Honestly, you're such a cliché."

"Shut up, Irine. You're just jealous," Leo shot back, not bothering to hide his infatuation.

"For your kind information, I am into boys with brains," Irine replied, a smug expression on her face.

"Ouch. That stings," Leo said, feigning hurt. "But don't worry, I'm sure there's a guy out there who's stupid enough to date you."

"I guess you are out from our group for this summer's party at my beach house," Irine teased.

"Oh, my queen, Irine, I am such an idiot brat. Have some pity on this poor soul," Leo replied in an exaggerated manner.

"You are really shameless," Irine replied, unable to contain her laughter. "But I forgive you."

"Oh, thank you, thank you. I am eternally indebted to your graciousness, o great one." Leo said, bowing down before her.

"He just wants to see you girls in bikini," Jackson joined in with a knowing smile.

"See! Jackson gets it," Leo exclaimed, pointing at Jackson. "Ah! Hehe... I mean, I am such an brainless fool, Irine. You know that right?"

Rachel and Irine narrowed their eyes at him while Jackson and I chuckled.

"Wait! No! Don't look at me like that. I was joking," Leo said, raising his hands in surrender.

"Keep dreaming, pervert," Irine scoffed.

"I was just kidding!" Leo insisted.

"Yeah, sure you were," Irine replied, rolling her eyes.

"Be careful what you wish for, Leo," Rachel summoned her sniper rifle, "I might just make your dream come true right now."

Leo gulped, "Wait! Rachel, don't do anything rash. I didn't mean it!"

Amidst our light-hearted banter, Rachel and Jackson took their seats at the table, quickly catching up with the ongoing conversation. It was a relief to see our group together, enjoying each other's company despite our diverse personalities and endless teasing.

Rachel turned to me, her green eyes twinkling with mischief. "So, Travis, how was she? Did you enjoy your day?"

I sighed, "You all ran away... You knew she was the Dean, right? That's why you left first."

Leo chimed in with a smirk, "Well, to be fair, it was hilarious watching you try to hit on the dean."

"I wasn't hitting on her!" I protested, my cheeks reddening at the memory.

"Sure looked like it to us," Rachel teased, causing the others to burst into laughter.

I shook my head. "Whatever. I just wanted to get through the day without any drama."

"Well, considering the way things turned out, I'd say you had quite the drama-filled day," Irine quipped.

As we continued to joke and exchange playful jabs, I couldn't help but feel grateful for the strong bond within our group. We were a bunch of misfits with our own quirks and flaws, yet somehow, we managed to find common ground and support each other.

"So, Travis," Rachel began, leaning in with a sly grin, "tell us about your lunch date with the dean."

I groaned, burying my face in my hands. "It wasn't a date, okay? I had to do it because of you idiots and your stupid bet."

"Bet?" Jackson looked genuinely curious.

Irine leaned forward, her eyes gleaming with mischief. "Oh, you missed quite the show. Travis here tried to get the dean's number to win a bet."

Jackson raised an eyebrow, clearly intrigued. "The dean's number? You've got guts, man."

"Guts or insanity, you decide," I muttered, rubbing my temples.

Leo's grin was positively wicked. "So, did you get the number?"

I pulled out my phone and showed them the contact I had saved. "Believe it or not, I actually got her number."

The table erupted into cheers and laughter, everyone expressing their amazement at my unexpected achievement.

"I can't believe you actually did it," Rachel said, a mix of astonishment and admiration in her voice.

"I can't believe she actually gave you her number," Jackson added, his usual calm demeanor showing a hint of surprise.

"Well, she is the new dean," Irine pointed out, "maybe she's just trying to connect with the students."

"Or maybe she's into younger guys," Leo chimed in, winking playfully.

I shook my head, unable to believe the direction the conversation was taking, "Or maybe she knows someone called her a sexy milf," I shot back at Leo.

Leo's eyes widened in shock, "I said that out loud, didn't I?"

Irine nodded, a smirk tugging at her lips. "Oh yeah, you definitely said it out loud."

"Well, fuck!" Leo grabbed his head, "I am done for."

After a while, we decided to take a walk outside and hit the nearby arcade. As we headed towards the exit of the mess hall, the afternoon sunlight greeted us, casting a warm glow over the college campus.

Just as we were about to step outside, the abrupt screeching of tires caught our attention. Three black sedans pulled up near the college gate, and my heart skipped a beat as a very familiar figure emerged from one of the cars.

It was the face of the man who abandoned me- My father.