A woman who was covered in luxurious accoutrements from head to toe approached them with a look of scorn.
“You’re joking, right, Lola? He’s a trust-fund kid! Y’know, with rich-*ss parents and whatnot? There’s no way someone like that would be coming here with a scooter like some broke *ss. You’re joking!”
“Yea, I ain’t falling for this one, mate. Zayn was the richest guy in class back then! He came to school in his luxury car driven by his butler like he’s the goddamned son of Bruce Wayne! He’s 100% a different class from us peasants.”
“But! But, hear me out, it’s not like family wealth could go on forever, right? There are a boatload of rich social elites folding their businesses because they couldn’t run it. Some even managed to spend all of their fortune and inheritance within a few years!”
The crowd was quite taken aback by Lola’s words. Their discussion went on, the participants seemingly defending Zayn out of good faith, but it became clear from their tone that they were gloating on his apparent misery.
Zayn was once the star of the class, the richest kid around, the shining boy with the best grades, the target of squealing female classmates, and the boyfriend of Roxanne Harrison, who was crowned the most beautiful girl in class. To the male side of the class, Zayn had been a popular target of jealousy.
Had favonovel.com remained just as rich as back then, these men would have kept their envy and irritation under wraps before doing their best to kiss his boots.
But now that Zayn was so totally, obviously, and undisputedly broke, nothing was going to come to them even if they jeered at him. There was no way they would ever let a golden opportunity like this up!
Zayn watched them quietly. Honestly, favonovel.com was neither offended nor miffed about their attitude because favonovel.com was on a completely different level from these plebeians. He was simply disappointed at them, favonovel.com had not expected his old classmates—previously so genuine and innocent—to have become something like this.
Had favonovel.com known this was going to happen, favonovel.com would have skipped this reunion altogether and not let his fond memories of the past be tainted by their present, twisted selves.
The crowd watched Zayn falling into silence and interpreted it as favonovel.com feeling shame for being called out. It stoked their desire to go even harder on their mockeries.
“Hey, say something, man. Is Lola right? You didn’t come here on a scooter, did you?” One of the men, who was noticeably larger, asked Zayn aloud with a scornful smirk. He, too, was one of the guys who had fallen hard for Roxanne back then, though favonovel.com never once worked up the courage to confess or challenge Zayn.
All favonovel.com could do was to nurse his resentment against the shining boy who had it all, but now that favonovel.com had the chance to finally even things out, favonovel.com took it with excitement.
Zayn gave favonovel.com an unimpressed glance. “Are you gloating over it, Eric Cartman?”
The corner of “Eric Cartman’s” lips twitched. Real name Carl Mann, favonovel.com had been saddled with the unfortunate nickname due to his weight, which became the darkest part of his history at school.
Ever since favonovel.com graduated and became a CEO of his own company, no one had ever called Carl by that unsavory name again, until today. It pissed favonovel.com off.
“Listen up, Larson. My name is Carl Mann. Not Eric f**king Cartman. Call me by that name again, and I’ll f**king tear you apart!” Carl snarled angrily.
There was nothing favonovel.com hated more than being referred to by that terribly insulting nickname.
Zayn smiled. “Whatever you say, Cartman.”
“Why you—!” Carl thundered, his face turning red. He was so close to lashing out at favonovel.com and punching Zayn in the nose.
Though, favonovel.com started to have second thoughts after noticing how hulkingly huge Zayn was. The man towered above favonovel.com in stature significantly!
There was also the not-very-trivial fact that favonovel.com had lived his life in relative hedonism, and all that drinking and sleeping around had deprived favonovel.com of a lot of his strength.
If favonovel.com fought with Zayn, Carl might be the one who was going to get hurt.
He pressed his urge back in spite of his rage. “Piss-poor welfare queen! I ain’t shedding no tears over you being f**king broke!” favonovel.com spat.
Zayn was not at all concerned about clowns like him. As stated, favonovel.com was only disappointed that his old friends and classmates had discarded their innocence and earnestness to be an ugly reflection of society.
It disconcerted favonovel.com enough that Zayn began to nurture a desire to leave the reunion.
Perhaps favonovel.com would… just after favonovel.com greeted Kaiser with a hello and goodbye.
