Chapter 47

Before long, the alluring scent that had enveloped him began to dissipate. Travis sighed and pushed himself up from the floor, feeling a mix of relief and lingering curiosity about the effects of the liquid.

"What are you doing here instead of being in school?" he heard a melodic voice call from behind him. He turned to find a vision standing before him.

It was Sara, Terry the Captain's wife. Her sparkling green eyes glimmered in the sunlight, and her sandy-blond hair framed her face, cascading just to her shoulders. The young woman exuded an undeniable charm, making it hard for Travis to look away.

She wore a white short-sleeve overblouse paired with a pastel-pink pareo, both artfully draped over a green bikini. The only accessory adorning her was a delicate silver bracelet on her forearm, which only accentuated her natural beauty.

"Just gazing at the sea, but it seems I've found something even better to gaze at besides the ocean," he replied, stepping closer, a playful glint in his eye.

Sara giggled, her laughter light and infectious. "You're good with words. What's your name?" she asked, her tone flirtatious.

"It's Travis. And might I ask your name?" he countered smoothly.

"It's Sara. Nice to meet you, Travis," she replied, her smile brightening the air around them.

"Well, Mrs. Sara, I feel the same way," he said, his voice low and teasing as he began to walk past her.

"It's not good to talk about someone who isn't here, you know," she said, her eyes sparkling with mischief.

Sara chuckled, watching as he sauntered away. A smile tugged at her lips, and despite her efforts to keep a straight face, she found herself charmed by his boldness.

'He's good,' she thought, biting her lip as she admired his retreating figure.

Travis made his way back to school, a newfound spring in his step. As he entered the classroom, he was greeted with a slightly exasperated look from Ms. Okita.

"You sure took your sweet time," she remarked, raising an eyebrow.

"Sorry, Ms. Smith asked me to get her something," he explained, shrugging off the delay with casual indifference.

"Okay, take a seat," she said, returning to her work.

He slid into his chair and, almost instantly, succumbed to sleep. Ms. Okita glanced at him, her expression softening. She decided against waking him, recognizing that the drowsiness was likely another side effect of the serum.

'I need to ask for his feedback tomorrow,' she thought, mentally noting to have a conversation with him. 'But for today, I need to get my package from the post office. I hope they won't run a search, or I'm dead.' Her mind drifted to the potential consequences of her secret experiments, anxiety creeping in as she pondered the risks involved.

...

The bell rang, and Travis woke up instantly, taking his stuff.

"Hey, Travis, are you coming today?" Eve asked as they went for break time.

"Yeah."

'Yes!' she exclaimed internally, her excitement bubbling over as break time finally arrived.

Travis, however, wasn't feeling the urge to join the track team today. But Ronda had other plans; she pulled him along with surprising strength. When they arrived, they went through a series of exercises that felt more like punishment than practice. After the grueling session, they made their way back to the showers.

To Travis's mild surprise, Ronda opted to shower with him again. He caught her stealing glances at him, her eyes darting over his body as the water cascaded down. He didn't mind, though—there was something oddly flattering about her attention.

"By the way, I'm thinking of heading to the pool. When should I come?" he asked, trying to sound casual as he rinsed off.

"Um, why not this weekend? Saturday afternoon works for me," she replied, her focus on washing away the sweat from their workout.

Travis turned to face her fully, a playful smirk on his lips. "Hmm, sure. Give me your number, just in case I need to save some kids in a fire at that time."

"Ahaha, you're funny," she shot back sarcastically, though her laughter betrayed her amusement. Travis chuckled in response, enjoying their banter. Despite her tendency to act tough and angry, he found her surprisingly fun to hang out with. There was a warmth to her demeanor that softened her rough edges, making their time together more enjoyable than he'd anticipated.

Travis finished showering and stepped out first, making his way to the cafeteria. As he entered, he immediately noticed the heated argument unfolding between Annie, Eve, and Kevin.

"You can't just take snacks without paying! That's stealing!" Annie said.

"Come on, Annie! It was just a few chips," Eve shot back, crossing her arms defiantly. "I'll pay it back later!"

"Not good enough! You've done this before, and it's time someone holds you accountable," Annie replied, scribbling furiously on a notepad.

Kevin chimed in, trying to defend Eve. "It's not like she's trying to rob the place! Besides, I can vouch for her—she's my friend!"

Annie rolled her eyes. "And that's supposed to change the fact that she's stealing? Just because you work there part-time doesn't mean you get to be her personal lawyer!"

Travis, seeing the situation escalate, decided it was time to step in. "Hey, hey! What's going on here?" he said, approaching them with a casual demeanor.

"Travis, can you believe this?" Eve huffed, pointing at Annie. "She's literally going to sign me up for detention. Over a dumb pack of crisps."

"A dumb pac—" Annie started, but Travis interrupted her.

"Alright, alright. Let's calm down," he said, turning to Annie. "How about I buy Eve her snacks? That way, no one gets detention, and everyone leaves happy."

Annie looked at him, clearly torn. "But—"

"No 'buts,' Annie. Just think of it as a generous act of community service. You wouldn't want to ruin her day over a couple of snacks, right?"

Eve's eyes brightened, her expression shifting from worried to grateful. "Really, Travis? You'd do that?"

"Of course! Just order whatever you want. I'll handle it," he replied, giving her a reassuring smile.

Annie crossed her arms, still hesitant. "Fine. But I'm keeping an eye on you, Eve. This doesn't mean you can keep taking things without paying."

"Deal!" Eve said, relief washing over her. She glanced at Travis, a playful glint in her eye. "Thanks, Travis."

Travis chuckled. "Just doing my part. Now, what do you want to snack on?"

'Man, I feel like a main character in those Korean Son In Law novels,' he thought.

TO BE CONTINUED