Chapter 2

Before the concert ended, Natasha found me by the side of the road.

She frowned. "What's your deal, Shane? You walked out before the encore was even over, and now I’m missing it too."

I shrugged. "You can go back and finish watching. I'm heading back to campus."

I turned to leave, but she grabbed my arm. "Are you mad? Just because I didn't let you kiss me on camera?"

I did not answer, but the corners of her lips curved into a bold, confident smile.

"Shane, I know you're crazy about me, but you can't force something like that, right?

"When the mood is right, it'll just happen naturally. Come on, don't get so worked up over something so small."

My own girlfriend had rejected me in front of an arena packed with 10,000 people, and the entire internet was mocking me as a simp, yet she thought it was something small.

I said coldly, "So rejecting me is a small thing, but dedicating a song to Lincoln is a big deal?"

Natasha's expression shifted the moment I mentioned Lincoln.

"Why do you keep bringing up Linc? I told you, he's my best friend."

"Ha. Best friend." I laughed coldly.

"A friend you eat with every day, walk to and from class with and spend birthdays with soaking in the hot springs at some resort. Natasha, do you really think I'm an idiot?

"If you care about your friend so much, why don't you just date him already?"

Something I said must have struck a nerve. Natasha's face flushed red, and she took a step back, glaring at me.

"Shane, I told you not to joke about Linc! If I ever hear you say something like that again, I won't forgive you!"

Every word out of her mouth was in Lincoln's defense. I shook my head in disappointment, then turned and walked away.

When I got back to campus, the door to my dorm room was slightly ajar, and I could hear brazen mockery coming from inside.

"I've been watching Shane's video all night. I'm laughing so hard my stomach hurts. He basically has 'simp' written all over his face."

"Seriously. He spent three years chasing Natasha, and when she finally said yes, he thought he'd made it. Little did he know, she wasn't moved by him at all. She was just using him to spite someone."

"Lincoln is the son of Natasha's family driver, and the class difference is just too big. Otherwise, they wouldn't have spent all these years dancing around each other. Shane just lucked out."

"Yeah. Shane isn't as good-looking as Lincoln and he doesn't know how to sweet-talk a girl like Lincoln does. If I were Natasha, I'd pick Lincoln too."

I leaned against the wall, feeling utterly hollow.

When I first started college, I had fallen for Natasha at first sight.

Since I had never dated anyone, let alone pursued someone, I only ever dared to admire her from afar.

It was my roommates who encouraged me, telling me there was no girl I could not win over as long as I had thick enough skin, pushing me to confess.

After she turned down my first confession, they were also the ones who told me that as long as I was persistent enough, Natasha would come around sooner or later.

Over the past three years, they had given me plenty of ideas on how to win her over. None of them had worked, yet I had been grateful from the bottom of my heart that they were willing to help me plan.

To thank them, I had asked my father to set aside three spots for them in the company's recruitment drive at our school this year, planning to surprise them at graduation.

Now, it seemed I had been bending over backward for people who never cared about me at all.

Just like the onlookers, they had laughed at my humiliation and rubbed salt in my wounds.

I kicked the dorm door open. The three of them fell silent instantly, then quickly plastered on smiles.

"Shane, you're back. We all saw the video. Don't take it too hard. Natasha was probably just shy and didn't want to kiss you in front of all those people."

"Exactly. She's already your girlfriend. It's only a matter of time."

"Man, you have no idea how many guys in our department are jealous of you. You actually landed the hottest girl on campus."

They had been like this for years.

On the surface, they seemed to be cheering me on, yet in reality, they had been pushing me to pursue Natasha step by step until I became the simp they laughed about.

I looked at the three grinning faces in front of me, and a chill crept up my spine. Maybe from the very beginning, they had only encouraged me to chase Natasha so they could watch me make a fool of myself.

I did not play along like I usually did. The three of them exchanged a look, grabbed their toiletries in unison, and headed out.

I took out my phone and made a call.

"Dad, I've decided to go to Tellaria.

"Also, cancel the company's recruitment fair at our school this year. As for the three spots I asked you to save for my roommates, we won't need them anymore."