After Judith left the cafeteria, Gabriel remains frozen by the table. He is still just standing there, staring at the spot Judith were seconds ago.
His friends and Verona try to get him to snap out of it.
"Gabriel, are you okay?!" Verona asks in concern and moved her hand forward to grab his.
"Gabe! You have been staring into space too long!" Said Marko.
"Hey Gabe, you alright man!" Said Hollister.
"Snap out of it dude!" Said Jericho.
Jericho leaned over the table and snap his fingers a few times in front of Gabriel's face.
The first male lead was startled but finally came back to his senses.
"Oh sorry guys...my mind was away for a bit." He told them and sat back down on his chair.
"It's fine. We were just concerned about you. That b*tch really made a mess of you." Said Hollister.
Verona shifted her chair even closer to Gabriel's and suddenly grabbed his face.
"Huh?" He was caught by surprise. His friends were also shocked by her unexpected actions.
Usually, if someone touches his person without permission he would be furious but...
Gabriel was struck by the sight of Verona's big watery eyes.
"How could my sister hurt you so?! It is so cruel of her! Your face is so red! There is even a cut under your eye! I am so sorry that she did this to you!" Verona bursted into tears.
A cut under my eye? It must be from that witch's long nails. Thought Gabriel, angry about moments ago.
The male lead's heart became warm that this girl, who is unfortunately related to the crazy woman already cares for his well-being even though they just officially met.
Verona is just so different from Judith. She is kind and beautiful with an aura of innocence, while Judith is annoying, spoiled, and arrogant.
It seems to be a godsend for Judith to suddenly treat him so embarrassingly, because now he has the perfect excuse to have their engagement broken. The said girl herself is even willing to let it happen.
Guess that is the only good thing from her.
Plus, he feels a sudden attraction to Verona.
Since his father wanted him to marry a Wellester...
Maybe he should pursue Verona instead.
That sounds like a good idea. Verona is obviously way better than her wicked sister. Why didn't his father engage her to him in the first place? Is it because Judith is older?
Gabriel decided to pursue Verona. He believes he has found the perfect girl. There is absolutely nothing that can change his mind.
Gabriel softly grabbed her hands that is still holding his face.
"I am fine. Thank you for your concern Verona. You shouldn't apologize on your sister's behalf." He gently replies to her.
His voice made her stop crying, only leaving sniffles.
Gabriel took out a fresh handkerchief out of nowhere and started to wipe Verona's tears.
"W-what are you doing Gabriel?" Verona stuttered out in surprise.
"You have a handkerchief?" Marko asked out of the blue.
"It's for cleaning myself of any Judith germs." Stated Gabriel, not looking away from his concentration of wiping Verona's face. His eyes kept looking at her adoringly.
His friends is just staring at the two, weirded out by his actions.
Not only them, some of the surrounding students are watching their interactions in disbelief.
Gabriel had just met the girl and is already treating her like some sort of baby.
"Oh Gabriel thank you, but I'm okay now! You didn't have to wipe my tears! I think you should've used that handkerchief get yourself cleaned up first instead of me!" Protested Verona in embarassment.
Gabriel paused and look down on himself. His shirt have stains from the iced tea. "You're right that I need to clean myself up. I should excuse myself from my next class to wash up and change."
"And your face too Gabriel! You should get an ice pack on it as well as get that cut treated! Or else it'll get infected!" Suggested Verona.
"Thanks for your suggestion, and you can just call me Gabe."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes. You can call me whatever you want."
"Okay, Gabe."
Soon enough, the lunch period is almost over.
"Do you want to come with me to my dorm to help treat my cut?" Gabriel unexpectedly asks Verona.
Hearing that, the other male leads almost choked on their last bit of food.
Hollister, Jericho, and Marko gave each other disbelieving glances.
WTF! They seem to say with their eyes.
"But what about class Gabe?" Verona said hesitatantly.
"Don't worry about it. Just let your teacher know you were with me and they will excuse you from any work you missed."
"They will...?"
"Of course they will. They know who I am." He came from the wealthiest and most influential family in the world.
"Well if it's actually fine, then okay I will go with you to your dorm." Verona finally agreed.
Cough! Cough!
It was Marko that accidentally choke on his food. A piece of hotdog got stuck in his throat. His choking sound caught the attention of Hollister and Jericho.
In alarm, Jericho who sat next to his friend immediately gets up and did the heimlich on him.
Marko spat out piece of sausage, which flew in the air and hit a random student at a nearby table.
"Ew! Gross!" The random student cried out in disgust.
"Mark, are you okay?" Jericho asks in concern.
"I'm fine Jericho, thanks!" Said Marko gratefully.
"Anytime buddy!"
Gabriel and Verona noticed none of this that just happened, eyes remaining glued on each other.
The lunch period is finally over.