Jace hadn't spoken to me in three days. Just as I was about to swallow my pride and apologize first, the school’s golden boy confessed his feelings to me. I instinctively looked at Jace. "Do you want me to say yes?" A friend nudged him. "You and Maya grew up together. Don't say something you'll regret just because you're mad." Jace sneered, looking utterly unimpressed. "She could strip naked in front of me and I wouldn't feel a thing." "She can date whoever she wants. I don't care." At the same time, a floating comment appeared in my vision: [LMAO, Jace, you look pathetic trying to act tough. Your knuckles are white from clenching your fists, but sure, you 'don't care.'] [Male lead is digging his own grave. His eyes panicked just now but he still has to run his mouth.] [Golden Boy, cover our girl's ears! The male lead's mouth needs to be sewn shut!] [Girl, just pick the Golden Boy. He saves your doodle-filled scratch paper like it's treasure. If you beckoned, he'd crawl to you.] I swallowed the bitterness in my throat and looked at the blushing boy in front of me. I smiled. "Okay. Let's give it a try, boyfriend." Chapter 1 Jace was giving me the silent treatment again. I gathered a few friends to meet up with him, intending to make peace. After all, since we were kids, every time he got mad, I was the one to back down first. He showed up. But he wasn't alone. Mia was with him. She was the scholarship student who transferred this semester. She was proud, aloof, and didn't mesh well with most of the class. She especially looked down on me. She called me a "princess" who only knew how to act helpless and rely on men. Whenever I spoke, she’d cover her ears with a look of disgust. "Ugh, that voice. So fake." But that was just my natural voice. I looked at Jace, opening my mouth to say something conciliatory. Mia stepped in front of me, chin raised, her voice sharp. "Maya, please control your boyfriend. Stop letting him show up around me. I have no interest in your little love drama. It's a waste of my time." I was confused. But my upbringing kicked in, and I politely explained, "You misunderstood. Jace isn't my boyfriend yet." She ignored me and continued aggressively. "Why do you have to come to my workplace and bother me?" "Do you rich people just get a kick out of humiliating us poor folks?" I was even more baffled. This coffee shop outside school was our usual spot for homework. I had no idea Mia worked here. There wasn't a trace of a smile on her face. She acted like our mere presence was an imposition. "It's my first day, and you bring a whole crowd and order so much." "Extra syrup, no syrup, oat milk, almond milk. Are you deliberately trying to make my life hard?" Even with my good temper, I was starting to get annoyed. "Ordering based on preference is normal, isn't it? If you can't handle it, you can find another job instead of lecturing the customers." Jace looked at me, a flicker of impatience in his eyes. "Maya, apologize." I froze, bewildered. My eyes stung. "What did I do wrong? Why should I apologize?" Chapter 2 This was the second time Jace had forced me to apologize to Mia. It was also the reason for our current cold war. Last week, our homeroom teacher held a meeting with the class officers. He mentioned that Mia's family was struggling—her dad broke his leg and lost their only source of income. He suggested a secret donation drive, emphasizing that we should keep it quiet to protect her pride. As the academic chair, collecting the money fell to me. But when Jace came over to my house to study, he accidentally knocked over the notebook where I was recording the donations. And Mia just happened to see it. She stared at the amounts listed next to everyone's names. Then she grabbed the notebook, tore it to shreds, and threw the pieces in my face. "Maya, I don't need your charity!" "My family is poor, but I have dignity!" "Acting all high and mighty like this... it's disgusting!" She was crying, but she held her head high, defiant. Like I was some unforgivable villain. Even though I had emptied my entire allowance and donated the most. The whole class looked at me, their silent gazes accusing me of hurting someone's pride. My eyes turned red, and my hands trembled under my desk. I instinctively looked at Jace. I hoped he would say something. Anything. We had grown up together. He always hated seeing me treated unfairly. But this time, he stood next to Mia and frowned. "Maya, apologize." I turned to leave in anger. He grabbed my wrist. "Be good. Just apologize and it'll be over." He gripped me tight, so tight my bones ached. Like he wouldn't let me go unless I publicly atoned for my sins against Mia. I swallowed my grievance and pain, clenched my fists, and said my first "I'm sorry" to Mia. But she bit her lip and shook her head. "Maya, you're not sincere. I don't accept it." My nose stung. I was on the verge of tears. Jace’s eyes darkened. "Maya, come on. Louder." My nails dug into my palms. My heart ached terribly. I didn't want to drag this out. I bowed deeply to Mia. "I am sorry. Is that enough?" Then I ran out of the classroom and took the rest of the day off. I cried my eyes out at home. When my mom asked, she comforted me, saying scholarship kids sometimes just had strong pride. I tried to rationalize it. I tried to convince myself that Jace just didn't want things to escalate to the teacher and make it awkward for everyone. My friends tried to comfort me too. They said Jace kept staring at my empty seat. That he checked his phone eight hundred times a day, waiting for my text. That he was calling people at 3 AM asking what gifts girls liked, surely for me. They showed me photos. They told me to give him an out. So, that led to today's attempt at reconciliation. Chapter 3 But here we were again. I hadn't done anything wrong this time either. Yet he still wanted me to apologize. I suddenly started to doubt... did Jace actually care about me? "I don't think I'm wrong." "Jace, I won't apologize." Mia scoffed. "You look down on me, of course you won't apologize." "I won't hold it against you. Because I'm different from you. I don't have the luxury of being willful." She loved doing this. Using these words to put us on trial. Amplifying her poverty and struggles to stand in opposition to us. But was it a sin that my parents gave me a comfortable life? "Mia," I clenched my fists, my voice losing its softness. "Poverty isn't an excuse for you to be unreasonable. I don't owe you anything. This is your job. If you don't want to do it, I can ask the manager to cancel the order, and we'll go somewhere else." Jace suddenly raised his voice. "Maya!" Mia huffed and walked away. I felt exhausted. The desire to make peace vanished. My friends looked at each other, awkward silence filling the air. Jace stared in Mia's direction, lost in thought. A moment later, she came back with a tray to serve our drinks. Whether intentional or not, when she placed my cup down, she slammed it. Coffee splashed all over my white pants. I jumped up, grabbing napkins. She glanced at me lightly, muttered "High maintenance," and turned to leave. I called her out. "Mia, apologize! You ruined my clothes." She turned around. Jace, who had been silent, finally spoke. "Forget it. It's just a pair of pants. It's not necessary." I looked at him in disbelief. "Not necessary?" Mia lifted her chin. "It's my first day. You should know I might be clumsy. Why wear white to a coffee shop? Are you saying you're blameless?" I was trembling with rage at her twisted logic. Jace frowned and pulled me down. "That's enough. She's working hard. Stop making a scene." Me? Making a scene? Why was it that when it concerned her, I had to apologize? But when she messed up, my reasonable request became "making a scene"? I felt like I didn't know Jace anymore. Seeing our standoff, Mia pulled a bracelet out of her pocket and slammed it on the table, looking at Jace. "I won't accept your gift. You rich people are too much trouble. Please don't give me random things in the future." It was the exact same bracelet my friend had sent me a picture of. So the person he was buying a gift for at 3 AM wasn't me. My heart sank, bit by bit. I looked up and met Jace's eyes. He looked displeased. "Maya, can't you be considerate of others?" "You've really been spoiled by everyone! You've become so mean!" Bitterness spread through me. I opened my mouth, but no sound came out. Everyone said Jace liked me, that we would end up together eventually. So bowing my head temporarily didn't mean much. But if he liked me, why was it never him bowing to me? Why did simply wanting fair treatment make me "mean" in his eyes? Just as my emotions were about to explode... The coffee shop door opened. A familiar figure walked slowly toward me. It was Liam, the school's Golden Boy and top student. In front of everyone, he handed me a letter. He said he liked me and hoped I would consider being his girlfriend. The air went still. Jace whipped his head around to find my eyes, his face turning pale. Chapter 4 It was too sudden. I instinctively asked Jace, "Do you want me to say yes?" I don't know why that question triggered him again. His expression shifted instantly, becoming cold as ice. My friends started whispering urgently. "Maya, are you kidding? You and Jace have been close since forever. How could you be with someone else?" "Yeah, you like him so much. Just apologize and you guys will make up." "He's just stubborn. He's soft on the inside, you know that." I stayed silent. I stared stubbornly at Jace. A friend nudged his shoulder. "You and Maya grew up together. Don't say something you'll regret just because you're mad." Jace sneered, looking utterly unimpressed. "She could strip naked in front of me and I wouldn't feel a thing." "She can date whoever she wants. I don't care." At the same time, the floating comments appeared: [LMAO, Jace, you look pathetic trying to act tough. Your knuckles are white from clenching your fists, but sure, you 'don't care.'] [Male lead is digging his own grave. His eyes panicked just now but he still has to run his mouth.] [Jace only bought the bracelet to apologize to Mia on Maya's behalf! He doesn't like her!] [Male lead, speak up! What is your mouth for? You're gonna be groveling later.] [Golden Boy, cover our girl's ears! The male lead's mouth needs to be sewn shut!] [Girl, just pick the Golden Boy. He saves your doodle-filled scratch paper like it's treasure. If you beckoned, he'd crawl to you.] [I'm a college student, and I support the female lead getting with the Golden Boy.] The sudden text floating in the air confused me. The "male lead" they were talking about was Jace? And Liam... liked me? How could he like me? He sat next to me in class, but I once overheard him telling someone I was "high maintenance" and my voice was annoying. That I looked like a "pick-me" girl. [That's just jealousy! He's jealous you follow Jace around and never look at him.] [Yeah, he's basically crawling on the floor in envy. He pretends to sleep during breaks just to smell your hair.] [Tsk tsk, this creepy shadowy vibe. Love it.] Really? My thoughts slowly returned to reality. But then I heard Jace speak again. "Come on, Maya. Stop playing these games." "Dragging the Golden Boy into your little drama? Did you pay him?" "What, you didn't come to me for a few days so you went to seduce him instead?" [Oh no, oh no. Male lead regretted it the second he said it. His hands are shaking but he's trying to look cool.] [Baby girl, just comfort Jace. He looks like he's about to shatter.] [Yeah, you came here to make peace anyway. Why make everyone awkward?] [Honestly, the female lead is kinda dramatic sometimes.] [Right? If she just went to him that night, they would've made up. But she waited three days. The guy couldn't sleep waiting for her text. He loves her so much, okay?] [I'm Team Childhood Friend. Don't let the new guy win! Baby girl, do it for me. Reject the Golden Boy and go hug Jace.]
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