Chapter 7: Startled Awake

**Duncan Residence.**

"Ivy?"

Emmett bristled at the suggestion. Tilting his head, he retorted in a characteristic African-American rap cadence, "Are you kidding me? I don't want to see nothing but a mouthful of teeth in the middle of the night!"

"..."

Juno was taken aback. She turned to Adam, "Is he serious?"

"Dead serious."

Adam explained, "It's okay, Emmett is African-American himself, so there's no issue of discrimination."

"Double standards…"

Juno shook her head and sighed.

"No way around it," 

Adam also sighed.

"Hey, hey, hey!"

Emmett was dissatisfied. He snapped his fingers in front of Adam and Juno, interrupting their conversation. "We're talking about my love for Teddy, don't change the subject!"

"Enough!"

Thinking about how this guy was so slyly trying to woo both his best friend and his sister, Adam's casual attitude shifted. He frowned and said, "Emmett, Ivy is Teddy's best friend, and Teddy is my sister."

"So?"

Emmett was taken aback.

"So stop joking about Teddy!"

Adam said sternly.

"I'm not joking, I truly love Teddy!"

Emmett insisted.

"True love?"

Adam scoffed. "If you dare go upstairs and fight Spencer right now, I'll admit you're serious. Otherwise, stop with the sweet talk. We may be friends, but Teddy is my little sister."

"Are you serious?"

Emmett looked hurt. Seeing that Adam wasn't buying it, he became somewhat annoyed. "Fine, fine, I'll go…"

Despite his words, his feet remained firmly planted. If he had the physique to beat Spencer up, he would have joined the football team or gone to the NBA. Then he could have anything he wanted.

The problem was, he didn't!

"... Forget it. Teddy may be my true love, but you're also my brother."

In the end, Emmett chose to back down. "Since you don't like it, I'll just keep my true love buried in my heart."

"Tsk!"

Adam and Juno both expressed their disdain.

Emmett lingered for a while longer, but Juno's presence and the previous awkwardness made him uncomfortable, and he soon took his leave.

Adam and Juno continued studying together for a while. They only started packing up when they heard Bob and Amy's laughter as they entered the house.

"Do you miss Mommy?"

Seeing Charlie, who had been playing quietly on the sofa, suddenly become restless, Adam picked her up and teased her.

"Mom, Mommy."

Charlie was very clever and clapped her hands in response. The smile on her face could melt anyone's heart.

"So cute!"

Juno couldn't help but praise, "Much cuter and better behaved than my little sister Libby."

"Do you want to hold her?"

Adam glanced at Juno. 

"Okay!"

Juno carefully took Charlie, looked at her for a moment, and smiled. "Sometimes I wonder what it would be like if I got pregnant now. Wouldn't that be cool?"

"Ahem."

Adam immediately pictured the movie *Juno* in his mind and said with a dry laugh, "That's not cool at all! Trust me! You're not ready to have a kid yet. The world is so big, don't you want to see it? It's so boring to just be stuck in this small town."

"It doesn't matter."

Juno thought for a moment. "I could give the baby up for adoption to a family in need."

"..."

Adam was speechless. She actually did that in the movie.

*But why is she telling me this now? I don't want to have a baby just for some weird curiosity, and I can't do something like giving it up for adoption and then continuing to live my own life.*

"Having a baby is very painful, and you'll gain a lot of weight..."

Adam racked his brains trying to dissuade Juno.

"What are you talking about?"

Amy, his mom, exclaimed in shock from the top of the stairs. Judging by her posture, she had obviously been there for a while, eavesdropping.

"Nothing."

The corner of Adam's mouth twitched. He walked over and handed Charlie to his mom, Amy, while changing the subject and introducing them to each other. "Mom, this is my classmate Juno. Juno, this is my mom, Amy."

"Good evening, Mrs. Duncan."

Juno greeted her with a smile.

"Good evening, Juno."

Amy held Charlie, still in shock. She carefully looked Juno over for a moment and suddenly smiled. "You can call me Amy."

"..."

Adam helplessly patted his forehead.

"It's getting late. I should go back."

Juno also noticed the awkwardness of the situation. She pulled on the backpack on her back and spoke up.

"Right, right. If you don't go back soon, your parents will be worried."

Amy withdrew her gaze from Juno and glared at Adam. "Adam, walk Juno home. Make sure you walk her all the way to her door, and then come back quickly. Your dad and I have something to talk to you about!"

"Oh."

Adam could only agree.

"Goodbye, Amy."

Juno waved. "Goodbye, Charlie."

"Charlie, say goodbye to the pretty lady."

Amy took Charlie's little hand and waved it.

Outside.

Adam pushed his bike and walked alongside Juno.

"Amy seems to have misunderstood something."

Juno suddenly laughed.

"Yeah, I'll have some explaining to do when I get back."

Adam said with a headache.

"That shouldn't be hard for you, right?"

Juno gave him a sideways glance.

"What do you mean?"

Adam was puzzled.

"Because you should be very experienced!"

Juno hit the nail on the head.

"I..."

Adam subconsciously wanted to retort, but then thought of something and changed his tone, laughing dryly. "That's true."

"You're really scared of me."

Juno sighed with some disappointment.

"You're overthinking it."

Adam said with a dry laugh.

They walked side by side for a while, Juno kept her head down and didn't speak. Adam felt uneasy, but he felt that this awkward silence might be better for him, so he simply remained silent as well.

"I'm here."

Juno stopped in front of a house and said flatly.

"Hmm."

Adam felt uncomfortable all over and said讪讪地 with a dry laugh, "You should get some rest?"

"Hmm."

Juno responded, then raised her head and smiled brightly. "So, see you tomorrow~"

"Hmm, hmm?!"

Adam nodded, but then realized something was wrong. *Weren't we just in a flat, breaking-up state? Why is it suddenly 'see you tomorrow' again?*

"Haha."

Juno had already pushed her bike into the house, laughing.

"Damn it!"

How could Adam not understand that he had been played by Juno? If she really wasn't going to hang out with him anymore because he was afraid of her, why did she chase him to his house? She already knew that at school during the day!

*Maybe she's just Juno, not the bloodthirsty Little Red Riding Hood?*

Ripples appeared in Adam's heart, and he couldn't help but smile. Then he thought of Amy's interrogation when he got back, and he couldn't smile anymore.

Late at night.

Adam, who had finally managed to deal with his mom's interrogation, lay exhausted on the bed. For the first time, his 300 stamina felt tired so early, and he soon fell fast asleep.

At midnight, a ding woke Adam up.

Ding!

Wisdom +0.005

(End of chapter)