All Chapters of Dare To Love The Chubby Nerd : Chapter 71 - Chapter 80

CLARA’S POVI stared down at the glowing screen, watching Mr. Chase's name flash across it. I let it ring out till it stopped. The room fell silent for just a second before it started buzzing again—still Mr. Chase.I pulled my knees to my chest and let that one ring out too. He called eight times in total. Eight times, and with every missed call, my chest tightened until I felt like I couldn't breathe. I couldn't bring myself to answer a single one. What was I supposed to tell him?I sat there on the edge of my bed, sobbing quietly into my hands, when the phone lit up again. I almost didn't look, terrified it was him making a ninth attempt, but when I peeked through my fingers, I saw Maya’s name.I snatched it up fast. "Maya! Finally, where were you?""I'm so sorry, Clara. I had my phone on silent; we were having movie time at home. What's going on?"I broke down completely, the words spilling out of me in a frantic rush. “I didn't get paid, Maya.”“What? Why? What happened?”“Maria q

CLARA'S POVI stepped into his room, panting like crazy; my chest moved up and down."Do you have a piece of paper and a pen?" I asked quickly.Jaxson frowned. He looked at me with deep confusion. "Paper? What for?""Please, just get me a pen and paper."He walked over to his desk, picked up a small white notepad and a black pen, and handed them to me. I placed the notepad against the wall and scribbled the account details Mr. Chase sent. My hands shook so much I could barely read my own handwriting."Here," I said. I shoved the paper into his hand. "Thanks for helping."He looked at the paper, then back at me. "Clara, what is this about?""Please, Jaxson. I don't have time to explain; it's really urgent."He sighed, pulled out his phone, and opened the digital wallet app. He typed the account number in. "Okay. It brings up a name. Chase Properties," he read out loud. "How much are we talking about?""One thousand eight hundred dollars," I said.His head snapped up; he raised his head

CLARA'S POV December's here already; the freezing weather made everyone calm and quiet. I thought about my life lately as my pencil moved across the blank paper; I sketched the facial lines slowly because I wanted to get the details perfectly right. Maya sat opposite me at the quiet library table; she looked up from her heavy textbook with a deep frown on her face. "Why are you sketching right now?" Maya whispered loudly across the table. "You're not reading at all; you know we don't have enough time before the exams." "Oh, Maya, I'll be fine; it's just a little break from facing books all the time," I replied quietly. I turned the sketchbook page around so she could see the drawing clearly. Maya squinted at the paper for a moment; she looked very confused by the portrait. "Who is this man?" "Guess," I said softly. “I don't know, a movie character?" I laughed slowly. "No, Maya, It's my dad.” Her eyes went wide. “Oh my, I've never seen him before," She said, taking the book to

CLARA'S POVMaria opened the thick brown file carefully and pushed a single sheet of printed paper towards me; the bold letters at the top of the page clearly stated it was an official warning letter for bad behavior."Read the document very carefully and sign now," Maria instructed. "It is a formal acknowledgement of your gross disregard towards me; it clearly states you will never disrespect or disregard your superior, else you shall face severe punishment from the household management.""I will not sign anything because I did absolutely nothing wrong. Not to you, not to anyone," I said confidently, pushing the paper back. "You lied about not giving me permission when you did. You were raising your voice over a little walk to the gate. Maria, please, I'm just trying to do my job properly and take good care of Lily without any unnecessary drama.""You still have words, don't you? You're still taking back?" Maria said, genuinely surprised. "If you refuse to sign this paper right now,

JAXSON'S POVI broke out in a cold sweat fast. I gripped the edge of the desk, trying to think about literally anything else."You okay?" Clara asked, tilting her head at me. "You need something else?""No, I'm good," I said, my voice coming out rougher than I meant it to. "Just tired. Long day.""Oh. Okay." She started stacking her own notebooks. "Thank you again, by the way. For letting me keep the cash the other day."I forced myself to focus on the conversation instead of anything else going on. "Yeah, what happened, exactly? You came into my room so terrified, and you never told me the full story.""Family issue, nothing to worry about," she said quickly, not looking up. "It's handled now, and thanks again for helping out."I let it go, mostly because I didn't have the energy to push. My eyes drifted around her room instead, and I saw the book again, the same book from the car. The thick black sketchbook sat on the corner of her desk, slightly hidden under a textbook."That's the