Chapter 2

I knew I sounded harsh right then, but I couldn't stop myself.

I'd scored 626 on the National College Entrance Exam—200 points above the undergraduate cutoff—yet I couldn't get into college now.

Nicole swayed where she stood, and her tears fell even harder.

"Fi, don't blame Preston. I begged him… I was just too scared to lose you. Your grades are so good. Once you get to college, you'd definitely make new friends. I was afraid you wouldn't want to be my friend anymore…"

She cried so hard that it looked like she might pass out at any second.

Preston's expression finally changed. He frowned and looked at me with clear displeasure.

"Fiona Rycroft, Nicole is already feeling terrible about not getting into college. The way you're speaking to her now is too much."

Too much?

Nicole had opted to take the arts entrance exam earlier in the year to bolster her chances of getting into college. But when her results came out three months ago, it turned out she couldn't get into any of the seven colleges she applied to.

I begged Preston to tutor her.

But what had he said back then? He'd said that Nicole was just too stupid and that tutoring her would only be a waste of time. She'd be better off working at a construction site rather than staying at school and dragging everyone else down.

It was only after I threatened to break up with him that he finally agreed.

But now, just three months later, he'd helped her sabotage my college applications.

Nicole's sobbing grew even louder.

"Fi, it's all my fault. I shouldn't have changed your application for my own selfish reasons… Please, forgive me…"

She dropped to her knees. Preston panicked and quickly helped her to her feet. When he turned to me again, there was a hint of reproach in his eyes.

"Fiona, let's talk outside."

He dragged me onto the balcony and shut the door behind us.

"Fi, what's done is done," he said with a sigh. "The best option now is for you to redo your senior year with Nicole. I'll see you on campus one year from now. Nothing's going to change during this time. It's not a big deal."

Not a big deal? My whole body started to shake uncontrollably.

"Preston Nolin, do you know what a 626 score means?" I asked. "It's the top one percent in the entire state.

"I woke up at 4:30 am and went to sleep at midnight every day. I was doing practice exams even on New Year's Day. I threw myself into studying for three straight years to get that 626, and you say it's 'not a big deal' and that I should just redo my senior year?"

I couldn't hold back my tears anymore.

"Aren't you my boyfriend, Preston? Why would you do this to me?"

He didn't say anything. He just lowered his eyes and avoided my gaze.

A silence fell over the balcony. The only sound that could be heard was Nicole's broken sobbing coming from inside the room.

After a long pause, Preston finally spoke.

"Nicole's had it hard."

I froze.

He continued quietly, "Her family favors boys over girls. They barely even give her enough money for tuition. If you're not there with her, she won't be able to survive redoing another year."

It felt like someone had dumped a bucket of ice water over my head.

So in his eyes, my future, my three years of hard work, and my score of 626 were all inconsequential because Nicole had "had it hard".

My voice came out surprisingly calm. "Preston, do you pity her or do you like her?"

He didn't answer. Instead, he said, "Fi, you're being unreasonable."

Tears started falling again. I raised my hand and wiped them away.

Then, I smiled.

"Fine. I won't make a scene. We're done. Don't contact me again."