Chapter 1

Kyle's POV

Noticing that I hadn't responded, my childhood friend, Claire Lindwood, urged, "Kev and I have applied to Whetford University, so hurry up and apply to a college in Valefront."

I stared at my SAT score of 1590 on the screen, but I couldn't feel even a lick of joy.

I did exceptionally well on the SAT, scoring even higher than on any mock exams I had taken in the past.

I could also apply to the two famous universities they mentioned just now.

But after the SAT, no one asked how I did on the exam.

When the results were released, no one cared about my score, either.

After all, my younger twin brother, Kevin Winslow, had walked out of the exam hall with an extremely worried look on his face. "I think I didn't do too well this time. What should I do?"

Our parents had assured him that it wasn't important, and they could fork out some money to send him overseas for his studies.

Our older sister, Natasha Winslow, had waved her hand dismissively. "There's nothing to worry about. If worse comes to worst, I can provide for you."

Meanwhile, Claire had comforted him in a low voice, "Kev, no matter how badly you did, you're still going to score higher than Kyle. At worst, all three of us can retake the exam, and we can teach Kyle while we're at it."

In their eyes, my only purpose was to make Kevin look good by being the inferior twin.

After all, he was born with good looks and inherited all the best traits from our parents.

When we were younger, anyone who saw Kevin would be tempted to praise him, hug him, and kiss him.

But as the older brother, I was ordinary-looking and average. I wasn't the handsome type, either.

Even friends and relatives would struggle to say anything about me, and in the end, they'd say stiffly, "He looks like a good kid."

When I was a child, I had assumed they were praising me.

So, when our parents only bought toys for Kevin, I didn't make a fuss about getting one, too. When Natasha came home from school and only got snacks for Kevin, I didn't throw a tantrum demanding a bite.

Even in summer, when Kevin got all the sweet bits of the watermelon while I was given the outer edges of the fruit, I didn't protest.

Because every time this happened, our parents would spare me a little more of their attention.

They would say, "Kyle, you're such a good kid for doting on your brother."

When we grew older, Kevin and Claire would always take turns being the top scorer in the school.

Meanwhile, I was a slow learner, so I was always stuck at around the 100th place mark.

I wasn't anywhere near their academic level.

This time, I finally managed to catch up, but they still considered me the same old useless Kyle Winslow, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

I couldn't help but ask Claire, "You said before that Ellerby College is your dream school, right? Are you seriously not going to apply?"

Claire was stunned for a moment. Then, she scoffed unapologetically. "There's no difference between Whetford University and Ellerby College. The only thing that matters right now is where Kev wants to go."

Claire had said many times that Ellerby College was her dream school.

But now, when Kevin said he wanted to go to Whetford University, she changed her mind just like that.

I suddenly felt like even the last bit of attachment I had was pathetic.

I silently moved my cursor to the top of the screen.

Then, I typed "Mallowpoint College" in the search bar.

It was a college in the southernmost parts of the country.

It was 750 miles from home.

I clicked on the link, submitted my application, and confirmed it, all in one go.