Chapter 555

Chapter 555:

Before she could decline, a hand reached out and whisked the bottle away.

Startled, Bonita looked up to see Neal, his sleepy eyes half-lidded, the gesture appearing almost instinctive.

A tipsy Levi protested loudly, “Hey, Neal, no need to steal her drink!”

Neal glanced at Bonita, as if realizing his misstep, and drawled, “Oh, my bad.” He placed a glass of orange juice in front of her. “Here, take this instead.”

Neal stood and placed his glass of orange juice in front of Bonita, setting it down carefully.

Levi couldn’t hold back his laughter. “Neal, if you want some alcohol, we can just ask the waiter to bring you some. No need to take Bonita’s bottle.”

Taking a sip, Neal glanced at Levi with a shrug. “Couldn’t resist, honestly.”

Levi almost choked on his drink, caught off guard by Neal’s words. It was a rare sight—Neal, typically the most composed and uninterested in alcohol, now claiming he couldn’t resist.

Neal took another few sips and then smoothly shifted the topic to the upcoming competition.

“The first inter-school league starts in late February,” Levi said. “We can practice our gaming skills by teaming up online after we get home.”

“No problem,” Sloane said with a smile.

“Same here,” Alex agreed with a nod.

Levi shot Gifford a teasing glance. “So, Gifford, how’s the tutoring gig going? You don’t have to tutor that girl online all day, do you?”

“I do, but just for four hours. After that, I get to play games,” Gifford said, shrugging casually.

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Levi grinned and gave him a thumbs-up. “You’re such a dedicated tutor.”

Gifford simply smiled, not bothering to add anything.

Everyone else agreed that it was a great setup. The tutoring job was steady, and it provided Gifford with a solid income that improved his life.

Bonita, sipping her orange juice, paid close attention to their conversation.

Though not a gaming expert, she had played games before and understood exactly what they were talking about.

Despite her best efforts, Bonita found herself glancing at Neal time and again.

Reclining in his chair, Neal seemed to melt into it, his posture relaxed, embodying the carefree spirit of youth.

Bonita couldn’t shake the feeling that this nonchalant attitude only made him stand out more.

There was something about him that radiated, effortlessly drawing all her focus without even trying.

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