Urban System in America-Chapter 78 - 77: Weird Rumors

Elara tried to protest, but she was soft-spoken and not very assertive to begin with.

And with Rex’s persistence and increasingly ridiculous excuses, she eventually gave in.

One time it was, "I accidentally took two trays thinking one was yours." Another time, "They had a deal going—buy one, get one free. It would be criminal not to share it, right?"

And when even that failed, he shamelessly added, "Come on, you’ll hurt my feelings if you don’t eat it."

At first, she would take only a bite or two, hesitant and clearly uncomfortable. But slowly, under his relentless persuasion, she began eating a bit more, her resistance crumbling a little each day. She still looked at him like she was unsure of his intentions, but she didn’t push him away anymore. In fact, on rare occasions, he even saw her lips curve into a faint, almost imperceptible smile.

Not that he was doing it for thanks or praise.

He never brought up the state of her meals again, never hinted that he noticed. Nor did he ask about her circumstances or pry into her life. That would have been too cruel, too invasive. Instead, he simply chose to be there.

Not out of pity.

Not out of obligation.

He acted like it was all a coincidence, all casual and unplanned—even though it was anything but.

Because honestly, Rex wasn’t sure why he cared so much either. Maybe it was because no one else did. Or maybe, just maybe, it bothered him more than he was willing to admit—to see someone silently starving as he kept eating, laughing, and moving on without a second glance.

So he filled that silence the only way he knew how—awkwardly, persistently, and slightly annoying way.

Of course, because of this, he earned quite a few weird looks from students around him—especially from his friends and classmates. Whispers followed him from the cafeteria to the classroom, curious eyes trailing his every move whenever he walked in with his tray and sat across from Elara.

"Bro... are you seriously interested in her?" one of them finally asked during a break between classes.

"I mean, she’s okay, but... but..." another trailed off.

"Shouldn’t you go for someone like Daisy?" a third chimed in. "She’s smart, pretty, has a great reputation—like, classic girlfriend material."

"I’ve seen Sophie making moves on you," someone else added. "She’s clearly into you. Why not give her a chance?"

"Heck, even Hannah wouldn’t be a bad choice," another said with a grin. "Yeah, she’s intense—but at least she talks."

"Don’t tell me you actually like simple, quiet girls like that?"

"If it’s that, I guess it makes sense. Everyone’s got a type."

The others nodded in agreement, like a jury coming to a unanimous verdict. None of them gave Rex a chance to speak. They kept tossing around suggestions—half-serious, half-joking—turning the situation into some kind of group debate.

Rex blinked at them, speechless.

How had it come to this?

Romantic interest? He hadn’t even thought about it like that.

Then again... this was university.

People his age had a way of turning the most innocent things into full-blown soap operas. Give them a moment and they’d write the whole script for you—romance, conflict, betrayal, marriage, maybe even a few kids.

So finally, with no other option, Rex raised his hand, waving it dramatically to cut through the nonsense before it spiraled any further.

"Stop... Just stop."

The group fell silent instantly, all eyes now fixed on him with curious expressions.

"There seems to be a misunderstanding," he said, trying to keep his tone calm. "There’s nothing going on between us. Really. We’re... we’re..."

He hesitated. What were they, anyway?

Were they friends?

Acquaintances?

Study partners?

Gritting his teeth, he forced the words out.

"We’re just friends. Yeah. Just friends. She helped me out with some of my studies, that’s all. And you know, despite her timidity, she is undoubtedly the top student in our class. So, it’s not weird to ask someone like that for help.

His gaze swept over them, daring someone to object.

I was just... returning the favor. Being polite. That’s all."

There was a beat of awkward silence. A few of his friends scratched their heads. One guy coughed. Another looked at the ceiling like it had answers.

Then Rex threw in the final blow.

"And seriously, get your minds out of the gutter," he added with a mock look of disgust, like he was genuinely disappointed in them. "I expected better from you guys."

A few of them laughed awkwardly, rubbing the backs of their necks or looking away. They hadn’t expected the situation to be that... normal. In hindsight, it did make sense.

But given Rex’s history of avoiding girls like the plague, this sudden change had thrown them off completely.

You couldn’t blame them, really.

It was the first time he had consistently shared lunch with a girl—day after day, no less. From their point of view, it looked like something was definitely brewing.

Still, after his explanation, most of them chose to believe it.

"...Oh," Bruce muttered. "Damn. Thought it was more than that."

"Well, can you blame us?" Mark added. "It’s the first time you’ve had lunch with a girl, and not just once—but every single day!"

Another one added, "You’ve never done this before. And now you’re out here playing lunchroom Romeo."

"Yeah, yeah," Rex waved them off. "Don’t make it weird. Seriously."

There was a pause, then awkward chuckles broke out. Most of them chose to believe him—after all, the truth was simple enough. And University students weren’t exactly known for their attention spans—new rumors sprouted up every week like mushrooms after rain. Give it a few days, and no one would even remember.

Well, most of them wouldn’t.

A few remained suspicious, of course—no University theory is ever truly put to rest—but they didn’t push it further. At least for now.

And just like that, the "truth" (or at least his version of it) spread like wildfire. Word traveled fast. Before the day was over, nearly everyone knew that Rex and Elara weren’t a thing. Just classmates. Study buddies, maybe. Whatever it was, it wasn’t romantic.

Of course, other than noticing some weird gazes, Elara knew nothing of this whole farce. First of all, she didn’t have any friends who could tell her. And secondly—and most importantly—after classes, she wouldn’t remain in the building for a second more and would rush to her part-time jobs. She didn’t have the luxury of listening to gossip.

Even Sophie, who had been sulking for days, suddenly greeted him again—cheerful, almost glowing.

"Hey, Rex!" she called out with a wide smile as he passed by her in the hallway.

Caught off guard, Rex gave her a helpless smile and nodded back.

"Uh... hey."

He let out a silent sigh as he continued walking. So much drama, all from just trying to be nice.

Honestly, sometimes the emotional chaos of university felt harder to navigate than the stock market he had been reading about these days.

(End of Chapter)