Chapter 17 We will all be buried in the tomb called the universe
"One root beer."

Peter stood in front of a shop called Kelly's Fruit Shop and said to the owner.

The place was a combination grocery store, soda fountain, and gas station.

In addition to selling cold drinks, they also sell beer, cheap wine, Xiao Huangshu, and various brands of cigarettes.

"Well, no need to keep following me, Gwen, I've seen you."

While the boss was preparing the soda, Peter turned around and spoke to the person behind him.

At a corner, Gwen stood out awkwardly.

"Good afternoon, Peter."

Gwen was dressed very casually today, with her golden hair tied up with a clover green headband and a tight basque shirt that made her breasts look particularly straight.

She tried to make her expression look natural, coughed, and said to Peter, "I was in the coffee shop just now and saw a figure that looked like you, so I followed you. I didn't expect it was you."

"Well, what a coincidence."

Peter pretended not to see through Gwen's little trick and took the large frosted cup from the 1990s from his boss.

"I remember you liked root beer, Gwen."

He said as he handed the cup to Gwen.

"For me?"

Gwen blinked.

She was a little surprised that Peter remembered that she liked root beer.

"Well, just consider it as a thank you for your righteous words in Vice Principal Morton's office yesterday."

As Peter spoke, he placed a five-dollar bill on the marble counter and pushed it toward the boss.

Gwen took the soda, exhaled, tasted it lightly, raised her head and said, "I thought you would blame me. Maybe I did something stupid yesterday."

Peter shook his head and said, "No, some people don't even have the courage to do stupid things."

Gwen's mood brightened when she heard Peter's comment on her courage.

She really wanted to ask Peter why he came out of the Presbyterian Hospital, but she felt that it would be presumptuous and impolite.

So as she hesitated, the atmosphere became silent and quiet.

"I believe you had nothing to do with Josh's death, Peter."

After a while, Gwen, who was holding a root beer, looked at Peter firmly and said, "Peter, you are a victim."

"Actually, Gwen."

Peter took the change from his boss with a calm expression and said to her, "Whether it was the previous bullying or the suspicion I was given after Josh's death, these are not important to me."

"Isn't it important?"

“Some people just don’t have the capacity for empathy.”

Peter said slowly: "They don't realize that their actions will actually hurt others. Humans have never become better, they have only become smarter.

When you become smarter, you will still pluck the wings of butterflies and find better reasons for this behavior. Principal Morton said that he would feel sad for my previous experience, but he would not, and I also believe that no one can understand the feelings of an unrelated person every day, every hour, every moment, and they don’t care. "

Gwen was a little speechless after listening to Peter's words.

She felt a little sorry for Peter.

"That's me, too, Gwen."

Finally, Peter added to Gwen.

"So, I can't empathize with others, and naturally I don't care about what others think."

Gwen originally wanted to say that you are not that kind of person, but in the end she swallowed her words.

"Thanks for buying me a root beer."

She handed the frosted cup to Peter and whispered, "I can feel you."

"Want another drink?"

Peter asked her.

"No, I think my stomach can't hold it anymore, even though I like root beer very much." Gwen waved her hand, indicating that she was full from drinking.

"What do you think. Will this happen again, Josh? Peter."

She still wanted to discuss the "Josh" incident with Peter.

“I always feel that things won’t be that simple.”

Gwen frowned and expressed his thoughts, "Maybe the murderer will continue to commit crimes. He hid the body in the storage room, perhaps as a provocation."

Peter nodded. “Maybe, maybe that guy is pretentious and likes to show others death.”

"Death is such a disgusting word."

Gwen said with a frown on her face, looking a little annoyed.

Peter, who was standing next to him, heard Gwen say that she hated death, and suddenly thought of Ms. Weber's comment that she was the "Hand of Death."

After a while, he turned his gaze to the passing vehicles on the road.

I don't know if he was talking to himself or to Gwen.

“Death may not be scary, as entropy increase is irreversible and heat death will most likely be our end.

From ancient times to the future, everyone we can imagine, everyone we cannot imagine, all species, living things, non-living things, everything, will eventually die.

In a sense, we are all buried in a tomb called the universe."

Listening to Peter's words, Gwen stared blankly at his profile.

Under the sunlight, the lines of Peter's profile suddenly made Gwen feel mysterious and handsome.

Her heart beat faster.

After separating from Peter, Gwen took the subway home.

Although she was still feeling a little depressed, the conversation with Peter in the fruit shop made her feel much better.

The only pity is that I still don’t know why Peter appeared in the Presbyterian Hospital.

In the room, she turned on the computer.

In the mailbox, an email about the school postponing the regional football championship appeared on the front page.

Opening the email, Gwen briefly read it and then deleted it.

This was the first time in ten years that Midtown High School had made it to the regional tournament, and the school was supposed to hold a big event on game day.

Unfortunately, due to Josh's incident, the game time has been temporarily postponed.

"But that has nothing to do with me. I'm not on the football team or the cheerleading team."

Gwen shook her head and continued browsing her email.

Soon she found another boring email.

It was a somewhat strange love letter.

Although as a member of a "famous" band in school, having fans confess their love to you shouldn't be a strange thing.

But something like confessing love via email seems strange.

Please know that your email address is not public.

Since the sender of the email was not signed, she had no way of knowing the name of the person who made the confession.

"Is it a prank?"

Gwen muttered to herself and deleted the email.

I looked up at the Black Forest Cuckoo on the wall and saw that the clock hand had already pointed to seven o'clock in the afternoon.

Closing the computer, she prepared to go to the kitchen to make something to eat.

Her father just called her and told her that he would not be home tonight, so she had to prepare dinner by herself.

Somehow, an idea suddenly popped into her mind.

If only this email was from Peter to himself.

(End of this chapter)