Chapter 44: Pride Doesn’t Matter
"What the heck is this man up to now?" Matthew thought as he eyed Lenox stepping in front of him again.
"Thanks, but I can handle it," Matthew said.
Lenox didn’t move. "Matthew, having pride is fine, but letting it mess with your studies? That’s just careless."
Matthew blinked. "What are you talking about?" He eyed the paper and couldn’t help but suspect that Lenox is trying to frame him or something.
"I mean, come on," Lenox said, waving the paper slightly. "You’re clearly upset. That much is obvious. But this whole thing—ignoring your friends, skipping lunch, staying out of sight is not helping anyone. Especially not you."
Matthew remained still.
"Look," Lenox continued, "I know you’re angry about what happened the other night, about me sending Catherine home. Do you think I was trying to interfere or something? But come on, man. That’s not what it was. She had a headache. She asked. What was I supposed to do—say no?"
Matthew gave him a look but said nothing. He didn’t even know Lenox sent Catherine home. But even if he did, he wouldn’t have cared, anyway.
Lenox took that as a sign to keep going. "And now you’re just... avoiding everyone. You didn’t sit with us during lunch, you disappeared for hours. And now you’re turning down help for an exam that’s clearly important."
He lifted the paper again, just slightly.
"I’m saying this because I care," Lenox added. "Don’t let something petty like this ruin your momentum. Pride doesn’t matter if you end up failing."