All Chapters of The Denial Strategy: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

10 Chapters

Chapter 1

Sydney Davies fell silent for a long time before agreeing with a cold expression. The more I thought about it later on, the more it didn't seem right, and I tossed and turned all night, unable to sleep. The next day, disguised from head to toe with a hat, mask, and sunglasses, I secretly cornered her.She crossed her arms with a haughty expression on her face and said, "You want to get back together with me, huh? Well, unless you apologize and promise that from now on–"I looked around before lowering my voice. "No. I'm here to beg you never to tell anyone that we used to date. I'm terrified I'd be laughed at for having terrible taste."..."You're terrified you'd be laughed at?" Sydney repeated the words in disbelief. "Tyler, would people laugh at you for dating me?"I couldn't blame her for being surprised. Sydney had good looks, great grades, and came from a wealthy family. Ever since high school, plenty of guys had a crush on her.When I was pursuing her back then, I had pu

Chapter 2

Thoughtful?Somehow, that comment stirred a bitterness in me. Sydney had never been thoughtful toward me. Although we hadn't been together for very long, we had eaten together a few times. I had clearly told her more than once that I was allergic to seafood, yet every time she picked a place to eat, she would still suggest going to her favorite seafood bar.I used to think she just had a bad memory, but now it seemed it might not have been a bad memory after all. It was just that because she didn't have feelings for me, she couldn't be bothered to remember.The moment that thought popped up, a shiver ran down my spine. If people found out that the first love I had tried so hard to win over never even had feelings for me in the first place, wouldn't that be even more embarrassing?In an instant, that bitterness in me vanished. Only one thought remained in my mind: nobody could ever find out I had dated Sydney!I dragged Grayson along and picked a seat as far away from Sydney as p

Chapter 3

Sydney's expression froze. She probably didn't expect the guy who was calling her "baby" just yesterday to address her so formally today. It was as though we were nothing more than friends to begin with.I, on the other hand, was pleased that I remained so polite and composed, even after a breakup. Now, no one would laugh at me! Sydney, however, seemed even more annoyed as she rubbed her temples in frustration."Tyler, why did you tell everyone that you've never been in a relationship before?"I was baffled by her question. "You agreed this morning that you wouldn't tell anyone we were ever together. So what's wrong with me saying that?"Sydney stared at me for a good while. The lighting in the stairwell was dim, yet her eyes were terrifyingly dark.After a long pause, she suddenly sneered. "There's nothing wrong with it. I'm just worried you won't be able to handle the fallout later."I found her even weirder.Why would I be handling a fallout? As long as I insisted I had nev

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

Chapter 5

Sydney stared down, her fingers flying across her phone screen. She searched through all her photos, chat history, and even her saved messages. Yet, there was nothing.The backstage grew eerily quiet as everyone stared at her. Earlier, she had sounded so certain she had proof, and her inability to produce it made the situation instantly awkward.Someone couldn't help but ask, "Where's the proof?"Sydney's fingers froze on the screen. After a long silence, she spoke up, her expression ugly."I… I deleted it."Absolute silence fell over the room for two seconds."All of it?"Sydney remained silent, which was taken as tacit admission. The people who had been gossiping moments ago looked uneasy."So that means you have no proof, right?""Is it just me, or does it feel like she's jealous because she saw Clara going after Tyler?""Wait, does Sydney have a crush on Tyler too?"The voices weren't loud. However, the backstage area was so small that Sydney heard every word, and her ex

Chapter 6

The show was starting soon. Clara's face was scratched up, so the backstage coordinator told her to head to the student health center.I glanced at the bleeding scratches along her cheek and said, "I'll go with you."Just as I said that, a sudden thump rang out behind us. I turned around to see Sydney slamming a water bottle onto the table as if she were mad at it.Clara, on the other hand, smiled brightly. "It's fine. It's just a minor injury. Don't you have to move the props?"I frowned. "You're bleeding. How is that a minor injury?"As I said that, I grabbed a tissue from the table and handed it to her. Clara took it with a big smile. "Thanks, babe."The people nearby burst out laughing. "Clara, you really don't miss a chance, do you?""Clara's still on a trial period, you know."Clara wasn't bothered about it at all. "It was just a slip of the tongue."She may have said that, but her smile said otherwise, and my ears burned. I was just about to tell her to zip it when

Chapter 7

"You're nuts."After blurting out those words, I turned on my heel and walked away. Behind me, Sydney laughed softly, almost as if she had just struck gold.I figured as long as I stood my ground and refused to admit a thing in front of everyone else, the whole matter would simply blow over. However, who would have guessed that by noon the next day, as Grayson and I were heading out to grab lunch at the campus dining hall, things would take another turn?Just as we reached the bottom of the stairs, I spotted Sydney standing by the curb. In front of her was a familiar face—one of our friends from high school, Keith Olson.I instinctively slowed my pace, only to hear Sydney ask, "That summer right after high school graduation, did you ever see Tyler and me hanging out together?"Keith froze for a moment. "The two of you? No, never."Sydney frowned. "Think carefully. You must have seen us at some point.""Honestly, no," Keith said, scratching his head. "Besides, it was scorching ho

Chapter 8

I froze for a moment. I hadn't expected her to corner me for so many days just to ask this, but there was no reason to hide the answer either.I nodded. "Yeah, because it was pretty embarrassing."Sydney's face darkened. "Was dating me really that embarrassing to you?"I was getting a bit annoyed by her questioning. "Haven't you asked me that? The answer is still the same."With that, I tried to step around her to leave, but she reached out to stop me. "Why?"I paused and asked, "Why what?""Why was it embarrassing?" She stared at me, looking genuinely perplexed. "Is it because of Jonas?"I found it a little funny and couldn't help but chuckle. Even now, she still believed we had broken up solely because of Jonas.I stayed silent for two seconds before asking her, "Sydney, do you remember when our very first date was after graduation?"She frowned as she answered, "July.""I mean, what time?"She froze, seemingly trying to recall.I cut in and answered for her. "Twelve-th

Chapter 9

After that day, Sydney never came looking for me again. Whenever we bumped into each other on campus, she would glance at me from afar and quickly look away.I breathed a sigh of relief. This was for the best, after all. Going our separate ways was how a breakup should be handled. That way, it would be a win-win for both parties, and neither would be the subject of ridicule.Without Sydney popping up to ruin the mood every now and then, Clara and I grew closer. She still brought me breakfast every day. She'd hold a seat for me whenever we went to the library, and whenever it rained, she would always tilt the umbrella toward me.Grayson watched in envy and couldn't help but ask, "Tyler, how much longer are you going to keep Clara under consideration?"I thought about it for a moment. "I need a little more time."After all, I had been too careless in choosing someone last time, so I had to be extra cautious this time around. Making the same mistake twice would be the real embarras

Chapter 10

Suddenly, my eyes watered, and I quickly ducked my head to take a sip of coffee. Getting teary-eyed over an ex in front of a current suitor was way too embarrassing!However, Clara reached up on her tiptoes and gently patted my head."Tyler, if it hurts, it hurts. If you want to cry, go on. What's so embarrassing about that?"Those words made my tears flow even harder. No one in my life had ever said that to me.Growing up, my mom loved to tell me, "Look at your cousin. See how well he's doing?""If you come in second place, people are going to make fun of you." "Grown men don't cry! Hold yourself together."My dad was no different. Before any family gathering, he'd always warn me, "Keep your mouth shut, and don't make a fool of yourself."Over time, I truly started to believe it. It felt like the most important thing about living was never losing, not making a fool of myself, and making sure I didn't become a subject of ridicule. So, if I fell, I couldn't cry. In exams, I h

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