Chapter 3

“So when the guys passed me a couple of cans, I should’ve just said no?”

“Exactly. You should’ve turned them down. It’s not exactly a favor once there’s an exchange.”

I stood there, a heavy tightness squeezing in my chest.

It never occurred to me that even Troy had that opinion of me.

I guessed my three years of hard work were nothing more than transactions paid for in energy drinks.

It served me right.

…

As I stood there in a daze, the professor tapped me on the shoulder.

“Class is about to start. Why are you still standing here?”

I was grounded back to reality.

It hit me that Troy was long gone.

The fact that he left me there to be lost in my thoughts was hurtful.

Troy, of all people, had the wrong idea about me.

I stepped into the classroom, only for the bustling chatter to halt.

Shane, who always sat with me, took a seat in the back row next to Conrad and Rafe.

The trio joked around and fell silent the moment I entered the room.

I walked around to sit next to Shane.

“This spot is taken.”

Without looking up, Shane tossed a book over to block the seat.

I stopped.

“Who’s sitting here?”

“It’s not like you know the person.”

My eyes shifted to Conrad. There was a vacant seat next to him.

Following my line of vision, Conrad quickly threw his backpack onto the chair.

“Taken.”

I stood in the aisle and looked around the room.

The people I used to hang out with shied away from my gaze.

Some buried their faces in their phones, while others turned to chat with those nearby. No one looked my way.

I eventually found a seat in a corner.

As I sat down, the girl in front of me glanced back, then scooted her chair forward as as if I had the plague.

My phone buzzed.

It was a notification from our class group chat.

Somehow, Mickey had wormed his way into our group and posted a message.

“Hey guys, the computer parts I ordered have arrived. They’re all legit and priced at half the rates you find online. Just reach out if you need anything.”

He followed with a cute GIF.

Shane fired back a response.

“The kid’s the real deal! My Legion is in your hands!”

Conrad chimed in.

“Mickey for the win!”

Even Troy jumped on the bandwagon.

I stared at the screen for a moment before flipping the phone face-down onto the desk.

The lecture started when the professor walked in.

Halfway through the lecture, I flipped open my notepad to take notes.

The boy next to me leaned over and bumped into my right hand.

My pen skidded sideways, etching a jagged line across the page.

I took the page out and went back to writing.

Out of nowhere, a guy in the back kicked my chair from behind.

I glanced at him.

He didn’t even lift his head. With a faint smirk, he said, “Oops, my bad.”

…

Once class ended, I packed my things to leave.

As I rose to my feet, Shane’s voice came from the back.

“Hang on for a sec, Axis.”

I spun around.

Shane sank his back against the seat, his legs crossed. He had that holier-than-thou look on his face.

“Didn’t you say that you used the thermal paste that costs three hundred bucks a tube? Why don’t you show it to us?”

Conrad jumped in with a snicker.

“Yeah. Enlighten us.”

Rafe whipped out his phone.

“Show us. I want to take a picture and look up online to see whether it’s worth the money.”

The remaining students in the classroom shifted their attention to me.

I gripped the strap of my backpack.

“It’s at home.”

“Home?”

Shane broke into laughter.

“Hahahaha! That’s a load of crap!”