Chapter 1359
The morning classes went by smoothly.
None of her classmates gave her weird looks, though a few occasionally cast worried glances her way, afraid the rumors were getting to her.
By lunchtime, everyone realized their worries were completely unfounded.
What kind of stressed-out, emotionally devastated person could eat this much?! "I'm so glad you're okay." Hattie let out a huge sigh of relief, staring at Juniper's empty plates. "I was terrified you were letting the internet ruin your life."
"Believe it or not, I'm not a genetic mutant," Juniper said slowly between sips of juice. "My parents are victims in all this, too."
"Really?" Hattie and the others widened their eyes, leaning in curiously.
"Yeah," Juniper nodded. "I'm going to find the evidence to prove it. So you guys don't need to worry about me. Eat your food, drink your juice, and do your homework."
Her classmates immediately frowned, looking entirely displeased.
Mentioning Tucker's homework was the fastest way to ruin a good mood! But still...
If Juniper wasn't genetically modified, that meant she was just naturally this smart.
*Heh.*
Wasn't that way scarier than being a "monster"?
If the raging mobs online demanding she be locked away found out, wouldn't they have a complete mental breakdown?!
...
Her afternoon class was in the Medical department.
When Juniper walked in, she noticed the students automatically shifting away. The people who usually sat in front of her scattered to other rows.
She got it. She was being socially isolated.
*Tsk.* They were practically adults, yet they were still playing these childish isolation games?
Just then, a girl walked through the door, took in the seating arrangement, and immediately understood the malicious dynamic at play.
Sure, the internet was a chaotic mess of rumors.
But based on her recent interactions and Juniper's stellar reputation in the Computer Science department, the girl had already made up her mind.
As long as Juniper was kind and contributed to society, who cared if she was modified or not? What difference did it make?!
Besides, Juniper had won numerous honors for the university and funded a brand- new building.
She had even heard Professor Dawson mention that Juniper was planning to donate tens of millions of dollars worth of medical equipment to their department.
How could someone like that be inherently evil?
After a few seconds of hesitation, the girl gripped her backpack and quietly sat down right next to Juniper.
Juniper looked at her.
Wasn't this the only girl in the class who had ever spoken up for her?
And now, right in the center of the crossfire, she was choosing to sit next to her?
"Aren't you afraid I'm a monster?" Juniper rested her chin on her hand, tilting her head to look at the stiff, nervous girl.
"Huh?" The girt met Juniper's flawless face and almost lost her voice. "If your genes were modified when you were a baby, and you've
been alive for almost twenty years without causing the apocalypse... I think we're fine."
"Besides, the modification just made you super smart. If you're a monster, you're a genius monster. What's there to be afraid of?"
Also, as medical students, they'd seen all sorts of bizarre things. Why would she be terrified of a living, breathing person?!
Juniper studied the girl, sensing the absolute sincerity in her words.
It was refreshing.
"You've got a good head on your shoulders," Juniper complimented, extending a hand. "Hi. I'm Juniper Payne."
"Hi," the girl quickly wiped the sweat from her palm and shook Juniper's hand, answering nervously, "I'm Jenna Sloan."
"Here, have some candy." Juniper pulled a mango-flavored candy from her pocket
and handed it over. "If you ever need anything, just let me know."
"Thank you." Jenna clutched the candy, looking up just in time to catch the disgusted glares from the rest of the class.
"What, you guys want some too?" Juniper leaned back in her chair, a dangerous smirk playing on her red. lips as she drawled, I'm fresh out of candy, but I've got plenty of fists to go around!"