My boyfriend left me to die in a burning building to save his "first love." Consumed by the flames, I was reborn back to the day he confessed his feelings to me. Amidst the cheers of the crowd, I rejected him cold. Instead, I walked towards the quiet, brooding boy in the shadows. He grabbed my wrist, his voice trembling: "Didn't you say you were going to marry me when we grew up?" 1 "Say yes! Say yes!" When I opened my eyes, Caleb Vance was holding a massive bouquet of red roses, smiling at me. But my mind was flooded with memories of the fire. I saw Caleb firmly carrying his "white moonlight," Layla, out of the inferno. He walked away without looking back. He didn't even glance at me. In my despair, I prayed to God: If I get another chance, I will never choose him. I will run as far away from him as possible. Suddenly, a voice echoed: "Are you sure?" I was resolute: "Yes." I didn't expect to actually wake up on the day Caleb asked me out. 2 Caleb and I were childhood sweethearts. Everyone knew I loved him. At the start of senior year, he confessed to me after evening study hall. That day, I thought our feelings were finally mutual. I thought we were meant to be. Later, I found out he only asked me out to make Layla jealous. Even through college and after graduation, he was entangled with her. Every time he had to choose between us, I was the one left behind. I finally woke up and asked for a divorce. But Layla showed up at my door to provoke me. Then the fire happened. I waited for rescue, but all I saw was Caleb holding Layla, walking away without a backward glance. In that moment, my heart died. So, this time, amidst the cheers of our classmates... I rejected him. The noisy football field fell silent instantly. In my past life, I was Caleb's shadow. I chased him, cared for him, brought him breakfast every day, gave him water during gym class, bought his school supplies, organized his test papers, and waited for him after school. Everyone with eyes knew I loved him. Caleb's face darkened instantly. "Sunny, say that again?" I looked at him and sneered. "I'll say it a hundred times. Caleb Vance, I don't want to be your girlfriend. I don't like you. We're seniors now; I just want to study." The crowd gasped. Whispers erupted around us: [I'd believe the earth is flat before I believe Sunny doesn't like Caleb.] [Maybe she's playing hard to get?] [But getting rejected publicly? Caleb looks like he's gonna explode.] I didn't want to be the center of attention. I turned to leave, but Caleb grabbed my wrist, suppressing his rage. "Sunny, are you crazy?" Am I crazy? You should ask yourself that. Layla told me later that he only confessed to me because he was mad at her. They had a fight, and Layla flirted with another guy in their class. Furious, Caleb turned around and confessed to me. Because he was certain I loved him. He knew I wouldn't say no. He wanted Layla to beg for forgiveness, so he used my feelings as a pawn. I looked down at my reddening wrist and peeled his fingers off one by one. I pointed at the girl standing at the back of the crowd. "You like her, don't you? You two fight, and I'm the sacrifice? What am I, a clown?" 3 Caleb froze. He looked at Layla's retreating figure, then back at me, his eyes warning. "Sunny, are you done making a scene? Why drag other people into our business?" A scene? His defensive posture just confirmed everything. I pulled my hand away and enunciated every word: "Caleb Vance, do you speak English? I said, I. Don't. Like. You." He scoffed. "If you don't like me, who else could you like?" Seventeen years of affection gave him the confidence to believe I couldn't live without him. But I fought hard to be reborn. I just want to live for myself. I walked past Caleb toward the boy standing alone in the crowd. The class valedictorian, Ethan Hunt. I stood next to him and said to Caleb, "I like studying. I want to go to Harvard." Then I turned to Ethan: "Hey genius, I might need your help with tutoring from now on." 4 After rejecting Caleb, we entered a cold war. Everyone bet I wouldn't last a day before crawling back to him. I smiled. And placed my own bet. [Forever.] [No way, did Sunny hit her head?] [Whisper: Caleb is furious. Sunny didn't bring him breakfast, and he's already thrown a tantrum this morning.] Not my problem. I just want to study. I just want him to leave me alone. My grades were actually good in high school. But in my past life, after getting together with Caleb senior year, I followed him to a local state college. I found out later he stayed local because Layla was here too. He did it on purpose. I opened my backpack and found the expensive stationery set I bought for Caleb. As I took it out, I heard Caleb's desk mate say, "See? Told you she wouldn't last the morning." Caleb looked smug, waiting for me to present it to him. I took everything out. And handed it to my desk mate, Ethan. "Here, genius. A little bribe in advance. I'll be bothering you a lot." Honestly, Ethan and I barely interacted in my past life. He was always studying. I asked him a few questions once. But I vaguely remembered him asking where I wanted to go to college. Back then, my world revolved around Caleb. So I pointed at Caleb and said, "Wherever he goes, I go." Ethan didn't say anything. Now, as I gave him the supplies, he looked up at me. His cool gaze held a hint of curiosity. I smiled frankly. "Sorry if this is weird. If you don't want it, I'll throw it away." Hearing "throw it away," Caleb's face turned ugly. He kicked the leg of the desk in front of him. But to my surprise, Ethan said "Thanks" and accepted it. 5 After deciding to study and stay away from them, I realized how far behind I was from my dream school. But I fell in love with the feeling of battling math problems late into the night. I loved discussing different solutions with the top students, the feeling of enlightenment. Life without revolving around Caleb was actually fun. Soon, the senior year pep rally arrived. In my past life, I was pushed onto the stage and goaded into confessing to Caleb again. What did I say? Oh right. "Youth should have no regrets. Love who you love. I'm confident I can get into the same college as Caleb Vance. The rest of the time, let's enjoy our youth!" The whole school was shocked. Parents were called. Thinking back, I want to punch my past self. This time, I stood quietly in the crowd, memorizing vocab words, trying to be invisible. But during the open mic session, a girl shouted, "Doesn't Sunny know public speaking? Let her say something for our class!" Others chimed in: "Haha, is she going to confess to Caleb again? Embarrassing." "Didn't she reject him? Is she trying to beg for him back now?" "I bet she doesn't dare." "Yeah, she's chicken." "So lame. She bet she wouldn't apologize, but she's still a simp." I took a deep breath. It was coming. They wanted to see me fail. I understood. I spent 17 years chasing Caleb. Even he thought I was just throwing a tantrum. Only I knew how precious this second chance was. I turned to look at Caleb, not far behind me. Our eyes met. He looked triumphant in his uniform, chin raised, waiting for me to get on stage and apologize publicly, to wash away the humiliation of my rejection. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Ethan looking at me too. For some reason, I felt guilty. Encouraged by the teacher, I stepped up to the podium. Behind me, whispers: "If Sunny doesn't confess today, I'll lose respect for her." "Caleb is the man. You can't spoil women." "..." Looking at the sea of faces, I adjusted the mic and spoke clearly and confidently: "Good morning, teachers and students. I am Sunny from Class 1." "The September breeze brings the scent of new beginnings. Shouldering the hopes of our mentors and carrying our own dreams, we face the dawn of the entrance exams. I solemnly swear: Sharp swords come from grinding, plum blossoms bloom from the bitter cold. Nine years of hard work for one moment of glory. I will give it my all. I hope everyone persists and fights for this year. Let our dreams set sail!" Thunderous applause greeted me. In my past life, after my confession, I heard whistles, jeers, and boos. I finally changed the trajectory. But I didn't expect Caleb to block my path after the assembly. "Sunny, we need to talk." 6 "I have nothing to talk to you about." I didn't even give him a second glance. I walked straight toward the classroom. Caleb chased after me, grabbing my arm. Ignoring my struggles, he dragged me to the side of the field. "What is wrong with you?" He frowned, questioning me. I shook him off. "How many times do I have to say it? I just want to study." I tried to leave. He blocked me with his arm, eyes full of disbelief. "Study all you want, but why didn't you bring me breakfast? Why did you give my stuff to someone else? Why didn't you wait for me after school? Why did you rej—" He choked on the last word. I finished it for him. "Why can't I reject you? Are you a hundred-dollar bill? Does everyone have to love you?" He was furious, grinding his teeth to keep control. Yeah. Before, he was the one rejecting me. He was high and mighty, only caring about himself. He enjoyed my devotion while giving all his love to someone else. And me? I was grateful for crumbs. I was so stupid. Like he was the last man on earth. After a long silence, Caleb spat out, "Sunny, you've changed." I looked up at him. "Caleb, I was blind to like you. Go be happy with your Layla. Stop buzzing around me like a fly." I walked away. Behind me, Caleb growled, "Fine, Sunny. Don't regret this."
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