Chapter 1

Getting into Hale University was a dream that both Ned Nicholson and I shared.

To qualify for the extra adjustment points that would also be taken into consideration during the application process, I joined the cheerleading squad and went through vigorous training, learning all the difficult moves and tumbling and getting myself bruised and battered every day during practice.

After coming back from practice, I would then stay up with Ned, helping with gathering his debate resources and practicing with him. I would also go through his points after the practice and slowly dissect the practice rounds before important debate championships, well into the dead of the night.

When he was told that he had gathered enough adjustment points to qualify for Hale University's intake, Ned was so happy that he hugged me and gave me a twirl a couple of times. He was also crying tears of joy.

However, he had gone and swapped out our application forms for a different college just for the sake of another person who wasn't me.

…

I could hear Ned and his friends' voices coming from inside the room. One of them, Troy Keller, asked curiously, "Today's the last submission day for the university application forms. You won't be able to change it anymore after today. Are you sure that you won't regret it?"

Ned shook his head and grinned in amusement.

"I won't. Miranda isn't the kind to hold grudges against me. Once the intake is confirmed, even if she's mad or unhappy about the situation, it won't be an issue once I coax her otherwise. She's a good girl like that."

Troy was indignant and said, "And how sure are you that Miranda will really follow you to Jafferton College? That's so far away from home—it's in a whole other country!"

Ned just smiled confidently and said, "Miranda has always been with me ever since we were young. We've never been separated from each other for any longer than a week!

"Also, we've already made a promise to each other. We would start dating once we graduated from high school, and then we'd get married after college. So, who else could she even go to college with if it's not with me?"

Another one of his friends, Ryan Walters, disagreed with him. He chided Ned, querying, "Don't you think you're going overboard, Ned Nicholson? We all know how much Miranda wants to go to Hale! And now, you just swapped out her application form without even informing her about it?"

Ned rubbed his temples, feeling a little guilty.

"Well, Miranda was the main reason why Scarlett quit the Cheerleading Championship. Scarlett never got to win with the team because of her, and that's why Scarlett didn't manage to qualify for the adjustment points needed. And she can only go to Jafferton College."

Ned then sighed and continued. "It's sad to see Scarlett going to Westward all by herself for her studies. She's a pitiful little thing. She'll feel a lot more secure if I go to college with her."

…

I was standing outside the door, grabbing tightly at the doorknob. Tears were welling in my eyes, threatening to fall.

Back then, Ned had told me that Scarlett had just recovered from a grave illness and had a very weak body. He said that she had finally managed to get into the cheerleading squad after many tryouts, and told me to take good care of her.

Since Ned had asked nicely, I made sure to teach Scarlett as patiently as I could. When she cried and said that she couldn't keep up with our difficult and highly acrobatic routines, I made the routines less difficult so that it wouldn't crush her spirit.

However, after practicing for some time, Scarlett then said that she was too tired to practice and still chose to hang around instead during our practice.

So, even if I hadn't been on the team, Scarlett would still have never made it to the Cheerleading Championship.

Ned was well aware of everything that had happened, but he still blamed me for Scarlett's failure because I'd "stolen" the gold medal from her and "destroyed" her dream.

As I heard more laughter coming from the room, I gradually released my hold on the door handle and left silently.

I didn't let my tears fall until after I got back to my own room. Then, the water dam broke.

I couldn't forget Ned's confident smile when he was acing the International Debating Championship and his determination to pull all-nighters just to solve a few more problems and score higher during the exam crunch.

We had both been advancing toward the same goal. We'd promised our futures to each other.

So, how could Ned forget about his promise to me just because of Scarlett?

We've worked so hard in the past. All his efforts finally came to fruition after he won the Top Presenter Award during the championship, which gave him enough adjustment points to qualify for Hale University straight away.

And yet, he'd abandoned it all after promising to go to Jafferton College with Scarlett, and he didn't even care about my opinion on that, by swapping out my application form.

He had been so sure that I wouldn't reject him, hadn't he? That was why he never bothered discussing it with me. Did he really think that my feelings were unimportant to him?

I switched on my laptop and thought about it for a long, long while. I suppressed the reluctance I felt just from imagining being separated from him after high school and withdrew my enrollment application to Hale University.

Instead, I polished up my CV.

I had previously removed the fact that I'd won the gold medal in the Cheerleading Championship. Besides, I'd also left out some of my qualifications, such as the Chartered Financial Analyst qualification and Project Management Professional certification I'd obtained simply out of interest.

Then, I sent my polished CV and new enrollment application to Dayward University instead.

Actually, nobody knew that I longed to get into Dayward Business School the most.

I was the youngest daughter of the Montez clan, who were the mafia, and my dad, Vincenzo Montez, had always treated me like his precious little princess.

My family owned a myriad of businesses, and Dad was currently the one in charge of all of them.

He'd told me a long time ago that he wanted me to help him manage the family businesses once I'd graduated from university.

I'd once dreamed of applying for Dayward Business School, but I'd given up on that dream for Ned.

Ned had always dreamed of being an astronaut. When we were little, we often used to look up into the sky and dream about floating freely in outer space.

That was the main reason why I agreed to apply for the Astrophysics degree at Hale University with him.

But now, there was someone else he'd rather go to college with. And that meant that it was time for me to leave quietly as well.