Chapter 2

I stopped looking at Elena, turned around, and made my way toward school.

Elena trailed after me as she always did. She locked arms with me and protected me from the bicycles that sped past us just like before. She also reflexively pulled me closer to her when the red light was lit up.

Her movements were so natural that it was as if nothing had changed. However, I coldly pushed her away every time.

I noticed that my desk had been moved next to the trash bin in the last row when I stepped into the classroom.

Leon was sitting in my original seat. He kept his head down as he organized his books. His eyes reddened as if he hadn't expected the sudden turn of events either.

The female student next to me immediately explained, "Mr. Hollander's the one who changed your seat. Leon needs to prepare for his interview after landing a spot on the recommendation list. Sitting in the front will make it more convenient for him."

I didn't respond. I simply bent down and picked up the books scattered across the floor, one at a time. I could still make out some footprints that hadn't been cleaned properly on my math worksheets.

Leon suddenly crouched down and picked up some of the books for me. His eyes were bloodshot. "I'm sorry, Rowan. I'll give your seat back to you, okay?" he murmured in a small voice.

The way that everyone looked at me changed in an instant.

Just then, Elena entered the classroom from the back door. She immediately spotted Leon crouching on the floor, noticing the bloody papercut on his finger.

Her expression darkened in an instant. She pulled Leon behind her, then turned her gaze on me. It was the first time that she looked at me with visible disappointment in her eyes. "Do you have to be like this, Rowan?"

I wasn't bothered enough to explain myself to her. Holding the books close to my chest, I made my way toward the last row.

…

The mock exam results were released that afternoon. I had scored first place in my entire year.

Chaos erupted in the school forum just before the evening self-study period was over. Someone had anonymously uploaded an audio recording of the words I said a few days ago in the stairwell.

"He's been good at acting ever since he was a child. He's addicted to stealing other people's things."

The audio recording also included a caption. "The genius of the school has been bullying his stepbrother for a long time out of jealousy that the latter was included in the recommendation list."

The post was immediately pinned to the top of the page. Everyone was criticizing me in the comments, calling me a malicious person. Some of them even dug up the fact that Mom had passed away, labeling me a failed product of a mistress' attempt to win Dad's favor.

My fingers slowly turned cold as I gripped my phone.

Meanwhile, Leon was shedding tears at his seat. A group of people surrounded him, offering words of comfort. Elena stood next to his desk, subconsciously blocking him from my view.

That evening, before classes ended for the day, Edmund informed us the parent-teacher meetings would take place the next day.

My heart plummeted into my gut.

As expected, tears spilled down Michelle's face the moment she stepped into the classroom the next afternoon. "Leon has always been cowardly, Mr. Hollander. He's always covered in wounds when he comes home. He tells me that Rowan hates him."

Leon hung his head as he sat next to her with bloodshot eyes.

The other parents began to whisper among themselves.

"So what if he has good results? His personality is terrible."

"Someone like him will grow up to be a dangerous man."

The most absurd part of the entire situation was that Elena was there too. Edmund had said that, as the student representative, she needed to help resolve the so-called school conflict.

Elena stood next to the podium. She remained silent for a long time before she finally said in a low voice, "Rowan's been emotionally unstable recently."

Her single sentence shoved me into a deep abyss.

I whipped my head up to look at her, but she averted her gaze. At that moment, I suddenly recalled an incident from my freshman year. Someone had accused me of stealing money, prompting all the students to rummage through my bag.

Elena kicked over a desk and shielded me behind her. "Touch him again. I dare you."

But in that moment, she became the one to ruin me with her own two hands.

After the parent-teacher meetings, the school revoked my eligibility for the Outstanding Student Award. They also temporarily suspended my scholarship that was meant to help impoverished students, citing that I showed tendencies to engage in bullying.

I sat alone in the empty classroom and tore the scholarship application form to shreds, little by little.

Elena pushed the door open, stood there, and watched me for a long time. She finally seemed to realize the situation had escalated. A few moments later, she slowly approached me and placed a new competition registration form on my desk.

Her voice was hoarse when she said, "I'll help restore your eligibility to participate in the competition as long as you stop targeting Leon, Rowan."

I slowly pushed the form back to her. "Did you think that I would fall at your feet in gratitude and continue waiting for you in the same spot if you gave me some handouts? The recommendation list, the scholarships, my reputation… You hope to silence me with these things even though you're responsible for ruining them in the first place."

I stared at her. "However, you're the one who disgusts me the most right now."

Elena didn't seem to expect me to be so harsh. She gritted her teeth. Her voice had taken on a resolute and stubborn edge when she said, "Fine! Let's see the extent of your stubbornness."