I finally worked up the courage to confess to my crush before graduation. I wrote him a long, heartfelt essay. He rejected me politely, saying he liked someone else. Bitterly, I typed back: "I wish you happiness." "Xander." He replied with a question mark. "?" "I'm Liam." Crap. Did I just confess to the Valedictorian by mistake? 1 There was a legend at our school. Handsome, top of the class, plays varsity basketball. His name is Liam Stone. With one year left until graduation, I was sitting comfortably at the top of the class rankings and feeling a bit bored. I decided I needed a crush to spice things up. But half the school was in love with Liam Stone. I knew I didn't stand a chance in that queue. So, I set my sights on Liam's desk-mate and best buddy. Xander Cruz. A tanned, athletic jock who was back in senior year to catch up on his academics. 2 Week one of observing Xander: I discovered he was actually pretty nice. When I dropped my pen, he, sitting in front of me, would eagerly pick it up. Unlike Liam, who was cold and silent. Liam sat there like an ice sculpture, never even turning his head. Week two of observing Xander: I discovered he wasn't exactly the sharpest tool in the shed. Compared to the genius Liam next to him, it was... noticeable. But I figured I needed some motivation to come to school, so I forced myself to have a crush on him. I couldn't like Liam. He was too out of reach. 3 Soon, I found another pro for Xander. Stamina. During the track meet, he ran the 1000 meters without gasping, like an ox. Liam, on the other hand, turned red despite his pale skin. At the finish line, he was bent over, panting. I walked towards Xander with a water bottle, but saw a crowd of girls already surrounding him. Suddenly, I felt resistant. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Liam. He had straightened up and was standing properly near the finish line, quite close to me. I handed the water to him instead. Liam coughed lightly before speaking. "Thanks." I shook my head, looking at Xander surrounded by the crowd, feeling a bit disappointed. Seems Xander is popular too. 4 Recently, the school forum started a poll for "School Hottie." Xander snuck his phone into study hall to show me. Currently, the security guard at the gate was #1. Liam was #2. Xander was somewhere in the double digits. My desk-mate, Sarah, sighed. "The guard is just a meme. Everyone knows the real king is Liam." Xander suddenly asked me. "Grace, what do you think?" In the front row, Liam, who was focused on his work, leaned back imperceptibly. I didn't notice. "I think you're good-looking too, Xander." Xander raised an eyebrow, glanced at Liam, and laughed. "I think so too. Honestly, Liam is just average." He leaned closer to talk to me. "Grace, you have great taste!" Obviously. I spent a month forcing myself to find this tanned jock attractive. Xander leaned even closer. He whispered, "Do you really think I'm better looking than Liam?" Glancing at Liam's cold, pale profile, I hesitated for a second, then nodded immediately. "Absolutely." Xander was so happy his eyebrows danced. He kept stealing glances at Liam. He wanted to say more. But Liam spoke coldly. "You're loud." Must have disturbed his studying. But we were whispering. So unfriendly... 5 I missed the last monthly exam, so this time I was in the same exam room as Xander. With thirty minutes left, I finished my paper and got bored, so I observed Xander. He wasn't writing. He was looking around. He scanned half the room and found me. He jerked his chin at me, holding a paper ball. Is he asking for answers? "Grace, for you..." The proctor walked over right then and grabbed Xander's hand. "Student, I've been watching you. Cheating? What is this?" The teacher opened the paper ball. I looked over curiously. If he was asking for answers, my crush was about to turn into trash. The paper was flattened. Inside... Was a piece of gum. Xander smiled shyly. "I saw she was bored. Giving her a snack." The proctor and I were both silent. After the exam, Liam came over. Weird. Usually, he studied in his own exam room. Liam stood in front of Xander, his back to me, showing a handsome profile, standing straight. I didn't know what they were saying. "Grace, how did you do?" Liam suddenly turned to ask me. "Pretty good." Liam pursed his lips and nodded. Why ask? Trying to steal my rank? Schemer. During the second exam, I finished and watched Xander again. He took out his phone. I thought he was cheating, but he just scrolled TikTok for the whole period. Didn't even read comments, just scrolling. Giggling while scrolling. After the exam, I asked him how he dared to bring a phone. He looked shocked. "How did you know?" Then he laughed dryly and whispered. "I was bored. Didn't know any of the answers." "Why didn't you look them up?" Xander looked at me, righteous. "That would be cheating!" Me: ...Respect. 6 Results came out. I was first again. Surprisingly, Liam was second. I have to admit, in senior year, Liam improved fast. Only a few dozen points behind me. But he still needs practice. Next time, I'll control my score to give him false hope. Hehe, fun. 7 Xander got a 250. Not an insult. He ranked 250th in the grade. Sarah laughed at him, but he wasn't mad. "So many people in the grade, and I got this specific rank. I'm the chosen one." I chimed in. "The chosen idiot?" Xander rubbed the back of his head, eyes bright like a puppy. "I'll do better next time." I found another pro for Xander. Optimism. 8 Liam kept asking me questions lately, so I had no time to observe Xander. Between classes, he stood by my desk in his uniform, holding a pen with those pale, defined fingers, looking down at me. "Grace, do you know how to solve this?" I couldn't refuse. I watched him walk to my side. His exquisite eyes stared at me, listening intently. Liam smelled like cold, clean air. It was nice. One question after another. During evening study hall, he even took Sarah's seat. Sarah praised his thirst for knowledge. But why did he keep asking me simple questions? And chatting with me. Seriously, I suspect Liam wants to steal my first place. 9 No progress with Xander. I actively asked Xander if he had any questions. Xander thought for a moment and opened his chemistry book. "Why is this element here? Can't it be over there?" Me: ... "Ask Mendeleev." Xander looked blank, staring at me with clear, stupid eyes. "Who's Mendeleev? An exchange student?" I suddenly got the ick. Maybe I should like Liam. At least he knows Mendeleev. 10 My stomach was upset during study hall. Coming out of the bathroom, I bumped into Liam and Xander. Xander wasn't in uniform, wearing a black tee. His back looked muscular. Liam was in uniform, slender and straight like a poplar tree. Different styles. I had to admit, my eyes were easily drawn to Liam. I decided to like Liam. Then I heard Xander teasing Liam: "Peacocking much? Did you hear? The girl you like said I'm better looking than you~" Liam pursed his lips, the air around him dropping in temperature. "None of your business." They walked away. I stood there frozen. So Liam has someone he likes. Guess I have to force myself to like Xander after all. The next morning, I told Sarah that Liam had a crush, so she should stop liking him. Sarah pouted. "I was just joking. Liam looks unreachable. Who would actually like him?" I agreed deeply. Someone like Liam is for viewing, not touching. Especially since he's taken. "But who on earth thinks Xander is better looking than Liam?" Sarah mused. "Liam is the universally acknowledged hottie." I lifted my chin in agreement. "Seems Liam's crush has bad taste." Not tasteless, just... niche.
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