"Greg, your girlfriend's amazing! She actually scored 92!"
Rom's words exploded like a thunderclap in Greg's ears.
His scalp instantly tingled, and every hair on his body stood on end.
If word got out and Victoria and the others heard that, would I even survive?!
Almost reflexively, Greg clapped a hand over Rom's mouth and spoke urgently in a hushed voice:
"Shh! Right now, we're just more than friends, but not quite lovers. Don't go saying things like that!"
Rom made a couple of muffled noises beneath his hand before finally breaking free, but an even more excited expression spread across his face:
"More than friends, but not quite lovers? You've already gotten that far?! Come on, tell me how you made progress so quickly. Maybe I can learn-"
"No! There's nothing to tell!"
Greg decisively cut off his fantasies:
"Could you stop thinking about romance all day? A big guy like you should really hit the weights more often, then let some gay guys teach you a proper lesson..."
"Hey, I'm just looking out for you!"
Rom spoke with complete conviction:
"Look at you. You're handsome and get good grades, so how come you still don't have an actual girlfriend? That Victoria's great. She's pretty and strong, too. Don't let her slip away."
"..."
Greg took a deep breath and was about to make up another excuse when he noticed out of the corner of his eye that Colwin, sitting on his other side, had remained silent, his gaze fixed intently on the podium.
Greg seized the chance to change the subject. "Colwin, what's up? Why are you so focused?"
Colwin came back to his senses and smiled a little sheepishly:
"Ah... a junior from our academy is almost up, so I thought I should pay attention."
Rom scratched