Chapter 1

At our graduation party, our homeroom teacher had a little too much to drink and jokingly suggested that my deskmate, Elaine Jenkins, and I would make a good couple.

Elaine, however, openly mocked me for being a nerd.

The mood in the room instantly turned awkward.

Meanwhile, in Elaine's private group chat, a few of her closest friends were having a field day.

[Elaine is playing the whole hot-and-cold game again! Who was it that secretly gave Jordan vitamins last time? And who stayed up half the night studying because she wanted to get into the same college as him?]

[She's just trying to get his attention! That is what girls do when they like a guy. She totally adores him!]

After Elaine became my deskmate, I secretly created an anonymous account and slipped into her private group chat with her friends. I only wanted to figure out what she actually liked.

From their casual conversations, I accidentally discovered that Elaine had a crush on me too.

Hence, for a long time, I convinced myself that even though her words were cruel, deep down, she did not really hate me.

Our homeroom teacher was already looking uncomfortable, but Elaine showed no intention of backing down.

"Our class has two people who barely talk at all. Jordan is such an old-fashioned nerd, and Nancy is practically mute. Why not put those two together?"

The moment Elaine finished speaking, the private room fell silent for a second, then it exploded with deafening laughter. Several girls who were close to Elaine even slapped the table as they joined in.

"Elaine, your mouth is seriously brutal! No matter what, Jordan is the smartest person in our class. You could show him a little mercy!"

"Seriously! Nancy does nothing but solve problems on the worksheet. Her expression barely changes outside of class. Elaine, you actually want to set those two up? That is ridiculous!"

Our homeroom teacher awkwardly raised his glass, clearly trying to smooth things over, but Elaine casually cut him off.

She lounged against the couch, idly turning a glass in her hand. The light reflected off it and across her face, which wore a mischievous, mocking smile.

"Am I wrong? What does he do all day besides bury his nose in textbooks? Even the way he dresses looks like he grabbed whatever happened to be in his closet. And those glasses make him look ancient.

"A boring guy like that could practically throw himself at someone, and nobody would want him."

She looked straight at me, lifting her chin slightly. There was unmistakable confidence in her eyes.

She was certain I would not dare talk back, certain I would do what I had done for the past three years—lower my head in silence and endure every insult she threw at me.

I sat in the corner, my face expressionless.

My phone kept vibrating in my pocket, so I lowered my head and tapped the screen, only to find messages flooding the private group chat.

[Elaine's reverse psychology is way too sweet! She's obviously trying to get Jordan's attention! The teacher suggested they should get together, and she got so happy that she can't even control what she's saying!]

[Obviously! Last time, the girl from the class next door gave Jordan a bottle of water, and Elaine literally threw a basketball at her feet. She's just super possessive!]

[She picks on Jordan every single day. She definitely likes him. She's just way too proud to admit it!]

[Isn't it obvious? The more she teases him and picks on him, the more she cares about him. Jordan should just say a couple of nice things to her. Why does he have to argue with her?]

As I watched the messages flash across the screen, an overwhelming wave of exhaustion and irritation washed over me.

There had been a time when I had let those same words get into my head.

I told myself she had hidden my test papers because she was only teasing me. I convinced myself that she mocked my ordinary looks because she simply did not know how to express her feelings.

Even when she deliberately embarrassed me in front of everyone, I found excuses for her, telling myself that teenage girls were just awkward and terrible at handling their emotions.

I had even turned to the supposedly all-knowing group chat, where everyone was convinced they could see the truth from the outside. I had hoped they could help me make sense of the twisted way she supposedly loved me.

However, the moment I heard her contempt and mockery just now, I finally woke up.

How could someone who did not even understand the most basic form of respect possibly talk about love? Using insults and humiliation to show affection was not being a tsundere. It was bullying.

I turned off my phone, slipped it into my backpack, and calmly stood up.

The laughter in the room gradually faded, and everyone's eyes turned toward me. A faint smile tugged at the corners of Elaine's mouth. She was waiting for me to argue back, just like I always did, so she could brush me off and shut me down again.

However, I did not even look at her. I picked up my backpack and walked straight through the crowd to the far corner of the room.

Nancy was sitting there.

She was the top student in our entire grade, the 'practically mute girl' Elaine had just mentioned. She was quietly sipping a glass of warm water, completely out of place amid all the noise and chaos around her.

I stopped in front of her.

"Nancy, I remember you were already accepted into the physics program at Westbridge University through early admission, right?"

Nancy looked slightly startled. She raised her head and looked at me with those cool, unreadable eyes before giving a small nod.

"Could I get your contact information? I still have a few questions about choosing a college major, and I was hoping I could ask you about them." I pulled out my phone and opened my social media account.

The whole sequence happened so quickly that the entire private room fell into a deathly silence.