Chapter 2

Because at that moment, I could only think about that photo that had stunned me.

What was his name again?

Oh, right. Troy Levine.

On the train ride home, I opened Logan's Instagram. He was so obsessed with himself that his feed never included anyone else.

I let out a sigh. It seemed that if I wanted to know what Troy looked like, I would have to wait until school started.

I felt a little disappointed for a second, then pulled out my phone and started scrolling through photos of hot guys.

As the train approached my stop, a campus interview video popped up. The question was "Who's the hottest guy on campus in your opinion?"

I wasn't really interested and was just about to swipe past when I suddenly heard someone say "Troy Levine".

At that moment, the arrival chime sounded.

As I stepped off the train, I turned up the volume on my headphones. I replayed the clip several times to make sure I hadn't misheard, and the college name matched.

That photo crossed my mind again.

Apparently, Troy, the hottest guy on campus, was pretty wild behind the scenes.

…

As the new semester got closer, Logan grew more distant. Whenever I messaged him, he usually took days to reply.

I clenched my teeth in frustration. If he hadn't been useful to me, I would've unfriended him a long time ago.

That night, I stared at our one-sided chat and, still not ready to give up, sent Logan another sticker.

This time, he replied surprisingly fast. "Um, I just don't think we're a good match. We can stay friends, but we shouldn't try to be a couple."

I was lying on my bed with my legs crossed, wearing a face mask. My eyes lit up the moment I saw his message. I felt like I'd waited forever for this moment.

Smirking, I typed, "Why? Did I not do well enough or something?"

Then, I sent an "awkward" emoji.

Logan replied, "No, don't overthink it. This is my problem."

I rolled my eyes. It was the same tired breakup line every jerk used, with nothing original about it.

Once I was done ranting in my head, I slipped into my sweetest, most innocent act and sent a dramatic crying sticker.

"You don't have to comfort me. I know I'm not good enough for you. You deserve someone better. I wish you a happy life."

Logan went still, his chest tightening before he even knew why.

After a while, he finally replied, "You're great. You should be more confident. Sweetie, this is on me. If you want anything, just tell me, and I'll make it happen."

A rush of excitement ran through me. I tore off my face mask, sat up straight, and called Logan.

When he picked up, I sniffed and made my voice catch a little. "Would you really say yes to anything I asked?"

"Yeah," Logan said, sounding suddenly serious. "Actually, I know you're not very confident about your looks. Don't worry. I don't care about that. If you want to see me, I can come right now and—"

I didn't feel like listening to him go on, so I cut him off, "Then, set me up with a new boyfriend."

Logan froze, and it took him three seconds to react. "What?"

I let out a sigh. "Logan, the moment I saw your photo, I knew we were never going to work. You're so handsome. How could someone like you ever like someone as ordinary as me? I'm already grateful we can be friends."

Logan had been furious a second ago, but my words took the anger right out of him. His ego got the boost it wanted, and guilt followed right after.

So he said, "Zoey, don't put yourself down. You're great. I-I will introduce you to my roommate right now. He's handsome, too. He's got a ton of admirers at our college, but he's turned them all down.

"That means he doesn't choose girlfriends based on looks. You two should talk. You might end up getting along."

I went quiet for a moment, then let out a soft sigh. "Okay, I'll give it a try."

Then, I asked, trying to sound casual, "By the way, what's his name?"

"Troy Levine. His name is Troy Levine."

Perfect!

My eyes crinkled into a smile as I held back my excitement and steadied my breathing. "Okay, I'll add him on WhatsApp and follow him on Instagram. Send me his contact. Thanks, Logan."

Logan laughed. "It's nothing. Don't forget. We're friends."

Ten minutes later, Troy and I had added each other as friends. I opened his Instagram right away.