Chapter 1

“Tessa, you can’t get on the bus! I just realized your exam venue is on the east side. Both of our buses are headed west!”

On the morning of the college entrance exam, I had barely stepped onto the bus when someone yanked me back down.

Arielle Sanders’ grip was stronger than I expected. I stumbled backward and slammed straight into a telephone pole.

However, I did not have time to worry about the pain. I hurried to the front of the bus and checked the destination signs. Sure enough, both buses were marked ‘West'.

I held out my hand toward Arielle. “If you only realized this now, give me the assignment list for the exam venues. I’d like to confirm.”

Her eyes slowly turned red. “I left it at home.”

“You actually forgot something that important?”

I stared at her, unable to keep my voice from rising. “If you left it at home, how did you even realize my exam venue is different from everyone else’s?”

Arielle took two steps back, biting her lip stubbornly.

Then, she suddenly raised her voice. “I’m sorry! I’m so sorry! It’s all my fault! You can hit me or yell at me. I deserve it!”

Her voice broke as she spoke, sounding like she was about to cry. Several classmates immediately rushed over to comfort her.

Before I could say a word, they turned on me instead.

“Tessa, the college entrance exam is a once-in-a-lifetime occasion. You didn’t bother confirming your own exam venue. How is that Arielle’s fault?”

I shot a glance at them.

“If she’d told me earlier, I would’ve taken an Uber hours ago. She waited until the buses were about to leave before telling me my exam venue is on the east side. I'm just asking to see the list so that I can confirm the address, yet I’m the one being petty?”

They exchanged glances and remained silent.

Arielle panicked. Then, to my surprise, she bowed to me.

“I’m really sorry. I-I… was too overwhelmed. I stayed up two nights trying to confirm everyone’s exam venues. Then I was up early this morning to do a roll call and arrange the buses. I was so exhausted that I left the list at home…’

The moment she said that, everyone’s sympathy for her came rushing back.

“Tessa, why are you making her bow to you? This isn’t even her fault!”

“Seriously, Tessa, how can you blame Arielle for your own carelessness?”

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Dylan Lowe jump off the bus. He strode over to Arielle, gently helped her straighten up, then glared at me. “You're bullying her again?”

He was my childhood best friend. However, just like countless times before, he jumped to the same conclusion that I was bullying her again.

After the other students all chimed in and explained what happened, Dylan’s expression darkened even further.

“Arielle spent two nights checking the exam venues for all 40 people in our class. And even after all that, she still went out of her way to warn you about your exam venue because she was worried you’d go to the wrong place and miss the exam.

"Yet this is how you repay her? You didn’t even thank her and you actually blamed her in front of everyone?”

The corner of my mouth twitched. I almost laughed at how ridiculous it was.

“Of course, you’d say that, Dylan. You could make a dead man sound alive. She got my exam venue wrong, and somehow, you’ve managed to turn that into my fault?”

Arielle sniffed softly behind him. “Please stop fighting. This is all my fault.”