"The man is conceited, I tell you."
"Eonni are you sure you don't like him?" Jinri asks her with eyes glimmering innocently.
Amber just transfered her stare from Henry who was pinning a few fliers on the bulletin board to Jinri who was sitting beside her, twiddling her thumbs.

"Jinri, let's focus on studying, okay? I was just mumbling to myself."
"Alright~" Jinri smiles before returning to reading the book in front of her.

They were at the usual spot where Amber would study, which was right in front of the student council's office.

"Hey there!" a bright voice greets them
"Oh, hi." Amber smiles back at Ailee
"I'm selling cupcakes to fund Henry's traveling fees for the competition he's gonna join in." 
Amber just observes the tray of pastries with pink icing while Jinri gladly opens her wallet to buy some.

Those look like the ones we sell back in our shop

"I'll have two~"
"Thank you. Henry would appreciate it." She smiles again and then leaves.

He gets to travel for free now? How big is this competition exactly? And why did he even get me as his tutor?? What are the teachers for anyway???

"EONNI!"

Amber snaps back to reality

"I said, would you like one?"

"Oh... No, I'm good. How is it?"

"Oh, they're delicious, eonni~ You sure you don't wanna try it?
...
They taste familiar though."

I knew it!

"That's because those are from our shop."

"Ehhhh? So that's why~"

Amber ruffles the younger friend's hair and she urges her to return to studying
---

"Just a sec!"
Amber rushes to the door to answer the doorbell
and what she feared actually happened

"Henry?!" she was debating with herself whether she should let him in or shut the door in his face

Okay, slam the door on his mug--

"Wait!" Henry stops the door before it was going to destroy his features

"What do you want?" Amber was now bracing the door because the hamster was deliberately trying to have it opened

One heave and ho then Amber tripped on her bottom as Henry managed to get inside

"I did send you a text last night right? About me coming over. I came straight from school." he offered his hand to help her get up
she accepts and dusts her backside

For a second there Amber actually felt sorry for the guy.

Her eyes avoiding his, she asks "So... Did you bring your stuff?"

Henry's face lights up and nods "I have my backpack in the car. Would it be okay if we study here?"

Amber contemplates... Would it?
Hold the phone...

"Hey. Why of all the people did you choose me anyway? Aren't there teachers to help you with this crap you're doing? And what's with the cupcakes for sale which you actually bought from our shop just to accumulate you travel expenses?"

Henry scoffs

There's his arrogant self again

"Well, shouldn't you feel honored? I mean, I AM the representative of our school. Maybe you're just salty because you didn't get to surpass my score last week and aren't able to go to the said competition instead of me. Plus I'm doing you a favor here. It's plus points for you to buy your 'reputation' back."

"Ugh! Me? Salty just because of that stupid competition? You're the one asking for my help. Which toooootally means you don't really deserve this. So I am still actually better than you. Tell you what, I don't wanna buy my reputation back anymore if this is how things would go. I'm gonna graduate as valedictorian and that's it. Why the hell are you attacking me in my own house anyway?"

"I wasn't attacking you. You're the one who opened this topic I was merely asking for help."

"I want you to leave." Amber walks up to the door and opens it

"Nerd." Henry says before exiting

"Hamster!" Amber slams the door

Hamster? What? I could've thought of a better comeback
---

"Well, you seem to be in a bad mood." Jackie nudges her sister who was wiping the marble counter as if she was scraping barnacles off a boat-- is that even a simile? meh.

"Is it Henry again?" Jackie smiles, obviously interested if what she suspects is true

"Yep."

"Ooohhh~ tell me what happened~" Jackie props her head on her hands and leans on the counter

"What the hell, Jack. Aren't you supposed to go home now?" The younger just glares at her sister
She's like another Soojung except she's actually related to me!

"Awww you're so cute" Jackie just ruffles her sister's hair and picks up her bag "Well, I'm off. Catch you later"

The doorchime rings as Jackie exits the shop.

"Miss!" A customer calls Amber's attention and she quickly responds as the customer mentions her order

That night Amber has never been so uneasy but she tried her best to keep herself together and forget what encounter she had that evening.

Gym class the next day and Amber finds her running shoes' soles torn from their bodies and the name that's ringing in her mind was Henry.
Douche.

The day after that and she finds her gym locker's items scattered on the shower room's floor.

And then her socks' pairs were separated in all nooks and crannies of the school.

Henry has his henchwomen, alright. And she can't even point her finger because anybody can be it. Who wouldn't wanna get back on the bully anyway?

It was the first time Amber was going to text him first

To: secondratehamster        
U messin' with my gym stuff eh? Proves you're insecure and i'm more athletic than you.

"Hey, you okay?" Song Qian rubs her back.
"Of course not! I haven't participated in some activities lately because of that-- that-- hamster!"

"Okay."
Okay, she needs help. I think her studies are getting to her and are breaking her.
Song Qian concludes to herself

She stands up from the bleachers and slowly backs away from her friend

"Where you goin?"

"Gonna practice. How about you go home already? Get some rest."
---

From: secondratehamster     
Woah, u finally texted me first.

Reply                                           
Shut up. I want you to stop what you're doing

From: secondratehamster    
Oh! And you reply now, too? Amazing!

Reply                                           
Whatever. If you think this is gonna make me say yes to tutoring you, it's the exact opposite of it.

---

The shop's doorchime rings with Jackie entering.

"Hey. It's still early. Closing time?" Amber asks

Something's up...
Amber was getting nervous. Her sister was smiling and she doesn't know why

Her answer pops inside the shop with an apologetic smile and puppy eyes.

"Apparently, someone dropped by and was looking for a certain Amber Liu." She says as she walks closer to her younger sister
"Wonder how he knew our address~" she whispers as she nudges Amber

Amber just shoots her with a cold stare and looked at Henry with disgust.

"I told him you'd be on duty. So yeah... Have a great night" she pats Amber's back and all that's in Amber's mind was kill kill kill kill

Jackie leaves and Amber storms her way towards the hamster
"Why the hell are you still here? What ya still think--"

"I'm sorry. Please. I need this." He kneels down on both his knees and held Amber's hands which were rested on her waist

"H-hey get up!" She panicks because everyone was looking at them

Damn. He must really be desperate

"Please!"

"Fine! Fine! Now stand up and sit down!"

---

"So your shop is open for franchise?" Henry looks up at the shop's poster that was stuck on the cork board along with colorful post its, just above his table.

"Yeah. And here's your order." She puts the pair of donuts and a cup of hot chocolate on his table and sits down in front of him.

"Thanks. Do you enjoy working here?" He smiles at her as he observes her dusting sugar off her dark green apron.
"Yes and enough small talk. You aren't here for that." Her voice was stern and she avoided eye contact. He clears his throat 
"Sooo... when do you wanna start?"

She shrugs "up to you. When is the competition anyway?"

He tells her it's two months from then. It was a somewhat complicated competition overseas. He tells her he was the school's representative because he got a higher score that Amber on a certain elimination test they took a week ago. It's a mixed quiz competition involving math, spelling, and science.

"As you've said, you're better than me--"

"Hey I didn't say tha--"

"Yes you did."

She was gonna say more but she remembers she did so she just closes and returns to murdering him in her mind.
He smiles a conceited smile and she murders him even more

"As I was saying, you are  better than me. So I personally chose you to be my tutor."

She crosses her arms over her chest as she reclines, letting herself sink in the leather seat.

"What do I get in return? And NO, I don't wanna date you."

"Well, you get my attention."

She grimaces

"Also, the whole school's"

"What?"

"I'm talking about your reputation here. I'll give you good publicity and such. I mean..." he dusts off imaginary dust over his sweater
"I am the school president, anyway."

She rolls her eyes, sitting up straight
"I have my own conditions"

"What is it?" He leans over on the table just a few inches away from her face
She leans backwards as she struggles to find the words
Woah! Her conscience yells keep it together

"I- Y-you... ahem. Well, you did damage my gym stuff. You do admit to that, right?"

He shrugs as if it's no biggie
"Well, some girls did it but yeah, under my command"

She just sighs because why the heck is he taking this lightly?

"You little-- *sigh* Okay..." she smoothes her  boy-cut hair as she tries not to physically  strangle Henry
Do you even know how much those shoes were?!
"Okay, I want you to fix the damages and the losses."

"That's it?" Amber swears she's gonna rip those plump lips of his if he smiles some more

"Excuse me!" A customer calls, much to Amber's relief because she can finally get rid of the ever-smiling hamster

"Yes. Now can you please leave? I have work to do."

She stands up only to be stopped by Henry by grabbing her hand.

"So when do we begin?"

"If you comply my requirements and if you make time for it. If possible, not when I'm busy."
She shakes his hand off hers
"Afterall, I'm doing this for myself and for the school. Not for you."

"Whatever you say." he raises his hands in surrender with that smile on his face that Amber is having conflicted feelings for.

a/n: hallo! updating back to back so i won't feels so guilty with myself hahaha. anyway, here's one of my antique and dusty chapters haha might not update again for quite some time. so i hope this will hold off the feels haha. HenBer were in a wedding yesterday tho AHHHHH OK bye.