Chapter 112: A Unlikely Relationship
Jason would normally never allow anyone other than his family and Gina to touch him like this, but he made an exception for the principal because of the past they shared together. Jason first met Miss Harold while he was working his part-time job as a mechanic on the west side of the city. That day, Miss Harold’s car had broken down in the middle of a deserted road, and Jason had met her while she was crying. He was delivering a car for one of the store’s clients, but he couldn’t just leave her behind, so he stopped to help out.
Apparently, she had a meeting in thirty minutes and her phone was out of signal, so she couldn’t call for a car to come pick her up. Jason tried calling someone as well, but he realized that he also didn’t have any signal and the nearest shop was almost an hour away, so there was no way she could get her car there in time to fix it. Jason checked the engine to see if he could fix what was wrong, but he realized that her gasket had blown, so he would have to replace it before things would work well again—and he didn’t have any tools for that.
Miss Harold was already starting to tear up again when she realized that he couldn’t do anything. This meeting was very important to her because it would determine whether or not she got a promotion, and being late would be the same as saying she wasn’t suitable for the job!
After hearing her story, Jason decided that he wouldn’t abandon her. He was delivering a car, but he was sure that the owner wouldn’t mind if the car came a little later. Jason told Miss Harold to get into the car, and he drove her through more than half the city like a madman to get her to her job on time! Miss Harold held on desperately and she was terrified for her life for most of the ride, but Jason’s dry jokes and curse words towards the other drivers on the road never failed to make her laugh!
Jason barely managed to get Miss Harold to her interview on time, and he told her to give him her key so he would call a towing company for her car. Miss Harold would have normally been skeptical about giving a complete stranger her key, but she couldn’t help but trust Jason after what he did for her. They exchanged numbers, she gave him her key, and she went in for her interview.
Thankfully, the interview went well, and after she was done, Miss Harold was surprised to see Jason waiting for her outside the building with her car. He managed to get it fixed that quickly and returned it immediately!? That was amazing!
Miss Harold couldn’t stop herself from giving Jason the tightest hug she had ever given anyone in her life! At that moment, she felt like she could kiss him! She thanked Jason profusely, and Jason told her it was okay. He handed her the keys and prepared to leave, but she immediately stopped him and told him that she had to pay him for what he did! Jason waved her away and said that the gasket was easy to replace. It really didn’t matter, but she was adamant! She wasn’t going to allow him to go unless he let her pay him back somehow!
So that was how Jason and Miss Harold ended up having a meal together at a later date. They became fast friends, and Miss Harold found herself growing more and more attracted to him. But all of that ended the moment she heard how old he was. Jason had only been sixteen years old, and he was also a student in her school!
Miss Harold was shocked beyond belief! It was impossible to accept something like that at face value because Jason didn’t look anything like his age! He looked at least twenty years old! But when she saw the ID card and his records from her office, she realized that she had almost fallen in love with a high schooler! Miss Harold knew that Jason only saw her as a friend, but she wouldn’t have minded if they had a relationship! She would have been on a one-way trip to prison if anyone ever caught wind of what she was doing!
After she found out his age, Miss Harold put some distance between her and Jason, and she made sure no one in school knew that the both of them were close. But when she heard about Jason being dragged into the Red Gate, the fear in her heart almost killed her! She thought she would never get to see him again and that day was the first time in years that she prayed so much! It was only after hearing the news that he survived that she started to calm down.
Miss Harold tightened her hold on Jason before speaking in a low voice.
"I thought you were dead, Jason."
Jason chuckled again while patting her on the back.
"Don’t worry about me. I wouldn’t die to a mere Red Gate."
Miss Harold couldn’t help but laugh along with Jason once he said this. Jason knew he wasn’t the best at handling women, but thankfully he had enough practice from taking care of Gina all those years, so he knew that Miss Harold would be fine after getting her emotions out.
Once Miss Harold seemed to get herself back, she finally pulled back and looked him over with a gentle smile on her face.
"I was thinking of calling earlier, but I thought you’d be busy with the SMD and guilds trying to recruit you. I didn’t even think you’d come back to school. I... I’m glad you’re okay."
Jason nodded and told her thanks. It was nice to know your friend was worried about you. Jason hummed a little as a short silence stretched between the both of them. Miss Harold was still holding him by the shoulders, and he had to speak up a few seconds later.
"Ferdinand said you wanted to tell me something...?"
"Oh...! Oh, right, sorry! Please sit down!"
Miss Harold seemed to snap out of a daze when Jason spoke, and she quickly gave him a seat while walking around to take a seat on her own side of the table! She shook her head internally and took a deep breath before sighing to calm herself! She had to get a grip! She had been a single moment away from just kissing him right then!
Miss Harold organized herself properly and she finally went into her full principal mode.
"I’m glad you could come see me on such short notice, Mr. Jason. I was worried I wouldn’t see you within these walls again, but I’m glad you decided to finish your year. I wouldn’t want to lose such a bright student."
Jason had to struggle to keep a straight face when the principal began speaking to him so seriously. Miss Harold told Jason that they had to maintain a clear separation between their personal friendship and their professional relationship. That meant she wouldn’t talk to him as a friend while she was dealing with school matters. Jason respected her decision and he made sure not to interrupt her flow while she was in ’principal’ mode.
Miss Harold smiled while leaning forward with her hands stapled together, and Jason returned her smile calmly. Miss Harold knew all about Jason’s family situation and how much he needed money at home. That was the reason why he had been working as a mechanic all those years ago, and it was also why she didn’t force him to stop working after finding out that he was only a high schooler. So she wouldn’t have been surprised if he had abandoned school and gone into a guild to begin making money once he became a superhuman. She would have been disappointed, but she wouldn’t hold it against him.