Chapter 332

No one really expected such a small kid to ask something like that, so everyone froze. Especially Lauren. She was just a second away from squeezing his little hand back and telling him no—that she actually did like him. Way earlier than Oliver ever liked her. From the very first time she saw him at school, standing on the stage giving a speech like some unattainable god, she'd wanted to be by his side. That image of him—distant, dazzling—got stuck in her head. And after receiving social aid from the Fields family, that thought only grew stronger. It lit a fire in her. She never stopped trying to catch up to him. And eventually, she made it. She stood beside him, just like she'd hoped. At first, yeah, maybe it was his looks and presence that grabbed her. But as time passed, and with everything they'd been through together, her feelings grew deeper. Her love wasn't any less than his. Actually, it was probably because she loved him too much that she couldn't bear to stay. He was like the