Don't Mess with the Girl with Candy novel Chapter 307

“Juniper!” Janet cried, running up to the car.

“Your mom is fine,” Juniper said as she opened the car door. She then introduced Janet to her friends. “This is my cousin, Janet.”

“Hi, Janet,” Qadir, Queenie, and Dolce greeted her with warm smiles.

Janet, who came from a poor background and was often ostracized at a school filled with the children of the elite, was taken aback. No one had ever been this friendly to her.

“Hi, hello,” she stammered, nodding repeatedly like a pecking chicken.

“Hey, we are now friends,” Qadir said, sensing her awkwardness. He was a natural at making people feel at ease. He slung a friendly arm around her shoulder. “Eclara High and Aurora High are pretty close. We should all grab dinner after school sometime. Milkshakes are on me.”

Janet stiffened slightly at the casual contact. Juniper’s friends were… a bit much.

Just as Juniper was about to intervene, Melvin appeared.

“It’s not safe on the side of the road. Let’s go,” he said, his voice flat as he smoothly removed Qadir’s hand from Janet’s shoulder.

“Holy crap!” Qadir’s eyes widened as he recognized the man. “You’re… the racing legend, Melvin Steele!”

Melvin shot him a look, his mind still fixated on the image of Qadir’s arm around Janet. He was not pleased. He remained silent, his expression cold.

“Juniper, Juniper, is this for real?” Qadir, unfazed by the cold shoulder, turned to Juniper. “You know him?!”

Qadir scratched his head, completely baffled. What was going on? Melvin didn't seem very friendly.

“Actually,” Shanley interjected, unable to watch any longer. “Qadir’s a good kid. He doesn’t mean any harm. When he says he sees Juniper as a ‘bro’, he really means it.”

Melvin understood the implication immediately. He took another look at the boy, who had a goofy, harmless smile. Maybe he had overreacted.

“Hello,” Melvin said, his tone softening as he took the pen and paper and signed his name with a flourish. “And thank you for looking after Juniper.”

“Of course!” Qadir was ecstatic to get the autograph. He lowered his voice conspiratorially. “By the way, Mr. Steele, do you know J? Is there any chance I could get J’s autograph too?”