Your Girlfriend Calls Me Daddy-Chapter 36 | Being A "Null" Is A Lot Easier When You Are Rich And Connected

Chapter 36: 36 | Being A "Null" Is A Lot Easier When You Are Rich And Connected

The Mercedes pulled up to Coastline’s main gate at 8:42 AM.

Ten minutes late.

Marco opened my door and I stepped out onto the pavement. The campus was quiet. Everyone already inside. First period already started.

I walked through the gate and headed straight for the admin building.

Inside, the front office smelled like coffee and old paper. Mrs. Chen sat behind the desk, grey hair pulled back in a bun, reading glasses perched on her nose.

She looked up when I walked in.

Smiled.

"Mr. D’Angelo. We were expecting you."

I blinked.

"You were?"

"Saw you on the news this morning. Quite the incident at Fifth and Harbor." She was already filling out a tardy excuse slip. Yellow carbon copy. Official stamp. "Professor Delacroix has been informed. Your absence is excused."

Oh.

Oh that’s convenient.

"Thanks."

She handed me the slip.

"Try not to make a habit of it. Even Angelo money doesn’t get you unlimited late passes."

"Understood."

I took the slip and headed out.

Building C was across the courtyard. Second floor. Room 2-A. 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

I climbed the stairs and walked down the hallway. The building was silent except for muffled voices behind closed doors. Classes in session.

I stopped outside the door to 2-A.

Took a breath.

Pushed it open.

Every head turned.

Solana stood at the front of the room next to the whiteboard. Orange hair catching the morning light through the windows. Red glasses reflecting the overhead lights.

Her mouth curved into a grin the second she saw me.

Oh no.

She knows.

Behind her on the whiteboard was a chart. Names listed vertically. Numbers next to them. Rankings.

COASTLINE HERO COURSE - FIRST YEAR RANKINGS

I scanned the list.

Sixty students total across all first year sections. Class 1-A, 1-B, 1-C, 1-D. Fifteen students per homeroom.

The top of the board showed the leaders.

Kaito Reeves - 847 RP

Nolan Traore - 620 RP

Hana Choi - 515 RP

Aurora Fitzgerald - 490 RP

Ethan Whis - 412 RP

The list continued down.

My eyes went to the bottom.

Rome D’Angelo - 89 RP

Sixty students.

I was fifty-ninth.

One spot above dead last.

Perfect.

Solana waved me in.

"Mr. D’Angelo. So glad you could join us."

The entire class was staring.

I walked to my seat in the back next to Mera.

Mera looked up at me when I passed her desk. Those yellow eyes tracked my movement. Her tail flicked once against the chair leg.

She was wearing the uniform today. White shirt. Navy blazer. Black skirt that somehow looked even shorter on her than regulation allowed.

I sat down.

Dropped my bag on the floor.

Solana crossed her arms and leaned back against her desk.

"So. Rome. Interesting morning?"

Here we go.

"Could say that."

"Would you like to share with the class why you’re ten minutes late on your second day?"

"Traffic."

She laughed. "Traffic. Right. The kind of traffic caused by a three-star villain incident in the Shore District?"

Whispers erupted.

I heard Nolan’s voice from the front row.

"Wait, he was there?"

Aurora next to him. Quieter. "The news said a student helped Titan."

More whispers.

Cheon’s voice cut through them like a knife.

"He should have stayed out of it. Interfering with hero work is a federal offense."

I looked at her.

She sat three rows ahead. Perfectly straight posture. Light blue hair pulled back. Her eyes locked on mine with the same disapproving glare she’d been giving me since yesterday.

I grinned.

"Good thing I didn’t interfere then."

Her jaw tightened.

"You were seen talking to Titan immediately after she subdued the villain. That footage is everywhere."

"Talking isn’t interfering. It’s networking."

That got a reaction.

Half the class started talking at once.

A guy I didn’t know from the middle row. Dark skin. Buzzcut. Voice like gravel.

"Did she scout you?"

"Why would Vanguard scout a Null?" That was Noel. Purple hair. Sharp features. Sitting two rows from the front with her arms crossed and her mouth curved into something that wasn’t quite a smirk but wasn’t friendly either.

A blonde girl near the windows. Freckles. Green eyes I vaguely recognized from Combat 101.

"Is it true you helped Titan stop the villain?"

"How did a Null do anything?"

That question came from someone I couldn’t see. Back corner opposite side of the room.

Solana held up a hand.

Silence dropped like someone cut the power.

"Alright. Since everyone is so curious, let’s give Rome a chance to explain himself." She looked at me. Eyes bright. Grin still in place. "What happened this morning, Mr. D’Angelo?"

I leaned back in my chair.

Looked at the ceiling for a second.

Looked back at the class.

Sixty eyes staring at me.

Fifteen students in this room. All of them watching. All of them waiting.

I shrugged.

"Got stuck in traffic behind a villain attack. Titan showed up. Handled it. She came over after to thank me for not panicking and causing problems like some of the other civilians."

"That’s it?" Cheon again. Disbelief dripping off every syllable. "She walked over to thank you for standing there?"

"Some people appreciate good manners."

Noel made a sound that might have been a laugh or a scoff. Hard to tell.

"You expect us to believe a three-star hero walked across an active incident zone to thank some random student for not running?"

"Don’t give a fuck what you believe. That’s what happened."

Mera’s tail swished.

I didn’t look at her but I felt it.

Aurora raised her hand.

Solana nodded.

"Did she say anything else?" Aurora’s voice was careful. Curious but not aggressive. "Like about recruitment or agencies?"

Smart girl.

I pulled the card from my jacket pocket.

Held it up.

Agency logo visible from across the room.

The class exploded.

"She gave you her card?"

"Vanguard wants him?"

"How does that make any sense?"

"He’s ranked fifty-ninth!"

Cheon stood up. "This is ridiculous. You can’t just hand out recruitment offers to students who haven’t even completed their first week. There are protocols. Standards. You’re a Null!"

"Sit down, Miss Cheon." Solana’s voice cut through the noise. Not loud. Just firm.

Cheon sat.

Slowly.

Her eyes never left mine.

Solana walked over to my desk.

Held out her hand.

I gave her the card.

She looked at it. Front. Back. Front again.

Whistled low.

"Personal cell number. Handwritten." She looked at me over the top of her glasses.

"Maybe she likes me."

"Maybe she does."