Chapter 4

It was quiet for a few days before welcome week came about.

Sydney and Jonas were the hosts. The moment they walked backstage, people started teasing them again.

"What a perfect match! Why don't you two just make it official already?"

Jonas paused, reflexively glancing over at Sydney.

I thought she would brush it off vaguely like she did last time, but instead, she said flatly, "That's enough. Jonas and I are just friends."

Jonas snapped his head up and looked at her in disbelief.

Sydney avoided his gaze, she cast an ominous look past the crowd and settling in a corner. To be precise, her gaze landed on me as I moved the props and on Clara, who was trailing behind to help me.

The person who had started the teasing felt a little awkward. With a forced laugh, he turned to strike up a conversation with Clara.

"Clara, you've been hanging around Tyler every day lately. Are you trying to get with him?"

Clara gave a little smile and nodded. "Yeah. It's been so obvious! Couldn't you tell?"

The crowd burst into another round of hooting and hollering.

Getting excited, the person turned to me again. "So what about you, Tyler? Does Clara stand a chance?"

I smiled and nodded. "I'd say she definitely has a chance."

The moment I finished speaking, there was a clatter as the microphone slipped from Sydney's hand and hit the floor. Jonas froze for a second, then bent down to pick it up.

"Sydney, what's wrong with you tonight? Is something on your mind?"

Sydney took the microphone back, her face terrifyingly pale. "It's nothing."

After a two-second silence, a smirk suddenly tugged at the corner of her lips.

"I just think some people are real pieces of work. One moment they're desperately pursuing someone, and the next, they behave like nothing ever happened and move on to someone else just to enjoy being pursued again. To be this desperate for a girl is truly a rare sight."

The smile on my face vanished.

Clara frowned. "Sydney, watch your mouth."

Ignoring Clara, Sydney glared at me, an inexplicable rage burning in her eyes. "Am I wrong, Tyler?"

I didn't say a word, though my heart ached a little inside. Back when I pursued Sydney, it wasn't just because she had good grades, good looks, and made me look good when we walked together.

I had genuinely loved liked. I loved how her long hair blew wildly in the wind. I loved the way she lowered her eyes over a problem, casually spinning a pen between her fingers. I loved her so much that, on the day she agreed to be my girlfriend, I tossed and turned in bed and couldn't sleep all night.

Yet now, as I stared at Sydney, who was speaking maliciously just to humiliate me, I felt sad for myself; I felt sad for the Tyler who had once fallen for such a vile woman.

I was just about to speak when Clara's face suddenly turned grim.

"Sydney, that's enough."

Sydney sneered, "What? Your heart breaks for him?"

Clara's expression darkened as well. "Drop the sarcastic attitude. Who are you to talk about him like that?"

The two went back and forth, and the atmosphere grew tense. Before anyone knew it, Sydney suddenly reached out and yanked Clara's hair. Clara didn't hesitate for a second and grabbed hers right back.

Chaos immediately ensued backstage.

"Stop fighting!"

"Pull them apart. Quick!"

A crowd of people rushed forward in a flurry. Shaken by the scene, I quickly squeezed through the mess and threw myself in front of Clara to shield her.

"Sydney, are you out of your mind?"

Sydney froze mid-action. Her hair was already a tangled mess, but she didn't seem to care at all. She stared dead at me as I protected Clara from her.

"Tyler, are you insulting me because of her?"

I blurted those words before I could stop myself. "She's my girlfriend. Who else am I supposed to stand up for? You, a nobody to me?"

The moment the words left my mouth, Clara whipped her head around to look at me. The same girl who was pulling on someone else's hair a second ago now had her eyes lit up.

"Girlfriend?"

Sydney, on the other hand, looked as though she had been punched square in the face. Her expression was even uglier than before.

"Girlfriend? Tyler, how long has it been since we broke up, and you're already seeing someone new?"

All of backstage fell silent. The people who had been busy pulling them apart froze in unison. Prying glances swept back and forth between Sydney, Clara, and me.

A chill ran down my spine, but I forced myself to bite back. "Sydney, have you lost your mind? You claim you're my ex-girlfriend, but where's your proof? You can't just expect everyone to believe I actually dated you."

Sydney sneered. "Of course I have proof."

With that, she pulled out her phone. However, the moment she unlocked the screen, her hand froze.

She seemed to have finally remembered what had happened not long ago.

She had been the one to propose deleting all our photos and messages. She had even returned every other item that could prove we had ever been together.