Chapter 1

The first time I heard that nickname was on the lawn.

It was an ordinary Wednesday afternoon. I'd just finished my early shift at the café off campus and was carrying a free iced hazelnut latte, looking for a spot on the school lawn to study.

Two girls sat in front of me, scrolling their phones. When they saw me sit down, they laughed.

"Look. The leech is here."

"Following Sebastian around every day, drinking iced lattes on his money. How does she even have the nerve?"

At first, I thought they meant someone else.

Then I heard Sebastian's name. I froze, looked up. The two girls were staring right at me, smug smiles on their faces.

My fingers tightened around the cup holder on instinct.

Leech?

They meant me?

I glanced around, and only then noticed how many people on the sunlit lawn were looking my way.

My head went blank.

I explained.

"This coffee wasn't bought by Sebastian—"

"Come on, Maya. Buying it with Sebastian's card, having Sebastian buy it for you. What's the difference?"

The girl across from me cut me off with a scoff.

"Everyone at school knows you're an orphan. You can only afford this school because the Rivers family supports you. And you're buying this expensive coffee? Seriously, don't you feel ashamed?"

People were whispering.

I was shaking. I gathered my homework and moved to leave.

The girls noticed. They stood before I did, walked past me, and slammed into me head-on.

I went down. The full cup of latte tipped and poured all over me, dripping down my pant leg, staining the edges of my study notes black.

"Everyone knows you're Leech Maya now. So get lost. Sebastian has his own life."

I knelt on the lawn, the cold coffee seeping through my clothes onto my skin. I couldn't stop trembling.

People passing by stopped. Crowded around.

"Who's that girl?"

"She's the leech Chloe talked about."

"They say she's an orphan the Rivers family sponsors. Clings to Sebastian every day, rides his car, uses his card, gets in the way of his life—"

No. That's not true.

After my parents died, I did receive help from the Rivers family, but I worked constantly to cover my own living costs and pay back tuition.

"Oh my god, why does our school even take students like this..."

I lowered my head, crushing the already dented paper cup in my fist, and fled.

I ran all the way to the school's football field.

On the field, Sebastian was in a closed Wednesday practice with his teammates. Sunlight caught on his blond hair. He wore jersey number 10, sweat pouring down his face in the middle of the field.

In the stands, cheer captain Chloe sat in the front row in a delicate white pleated skirt, a sports drink in her hand, cheering for him every few seconds.

When she saw me run up, clothes stained with coffee, a flicker of satisfaction crossed her face. Then she waved at me warmly.

"Maya! You're here!" She beamed. "Come sit! Want some water?"

I ignored her. My eyes locked on Sebastian.

"Sebastian, I need to talk to you."

My voice was quiet, but at the edge of the noisy field, it was enough for him to hear.

Sebastian turned at the sound, saw me covered in coffee, and looked surprised.

"Maya, what happened to you?"

I didn't answer.

"Come out here. I have something to ask you."

I'd never used that tone with him before. It surprised even me.

Sebastian clearly paused. In his memory, I was always the obedient one, standing behind him, organizing his bag, going along with whatever he decided.

He stared at me for two seconds, then, with forced patience, told the coach something and walked slowly over.

"What is it now?"

He stopped in front of me, his voice light.

I took a deep breath and bit hard on my lower lip.

"The whole school is calling me a leech. Did you know?"

Sebastian scratched the back of his head, a little awkward.

"Oh, that. Yeah, I heard."

I looked up at him, disbelief flooding through me.

Sebastian just shoved his hands in his pockets and shrugged.

"You heard. Then why didn't you stop them?"

My voice was shaking, beyond my control.

"Stop what?" He shrugged, indifferent. "It's just some nickname people throw around in high school. What's the big deal?"

"John on our team gets called 'Pighead.' He doesn't care either."

He even let out a short laugh, like this really was just some trivial school joke.

"But that nickname is humiliating me!"

It came out almost as a scream.

"You're overthinking it, Maya."

Sebastian reached out and patted my shoulder, perfunctory. The gesture was flippant and cold, chilling to the bone.

"That's just Chloe's personality. She likes to joke around. She doesn't mean any harm."

No harm?

I slowly turned my head to look at Chloe in the stands, smiling as she watched us. She toyed with her water bottle and gave me a leisurely shake of her head.

I forced the words out.

"Sebastian, do you really think them calling me a leech is just a joke?"

Sebastian's brows furrowed deeper. The impatience in his voice finally broke through.

"Alright, alright, Maya. We have a game next month. I need to practice. And besides—"

He paused, his eyes shifting away.

"You do ride in my car and follow me around every day. People thinking that... it's kind of normal."

I stood frozen. The world went still.

Only Chloe's bright laughter drifted into my ears from behind.

In that moment, I finally saw him for who he was.