Just a few days ago, I was making out with Julian’s rival, but now he wanted me to seduce our class president, Noah Miller. Why? Because Noah was the guy the girl Julian actually liked had a crush on. In my past life, I caused Noah to miss his SATs and ruined his bright future. In this life, I dyed my hair back to black, put on a modest maxi dress, and sat quietly next to him. "Class President, tutor me so we can go to Stanford together!" Later, when Noah and I were constantly seen together, Julian went insane with jealousy. "Maya, hasn't this little acting game gone on long enough?" Noah wrapped his arm around my waist and sneered, "Is this the idiot who got a 3 on his AP Physics exam? Maya, stay away from him. Stupidity is contagious." 01 I realized I was back in the plot of a trashy, angsty high-school drama novel. I was the stereotypical "fallen" popular girl—skipping class, smoking, and destined for a botched abortion. Right now, Julian Chase had me pinned against the door of a stall in the boys' bathroom, kissing me aggressively. His kiss was urgent and rough. His hand slipped toward my collar, popping two buttons off my school polo. The reason? Today, Chloe Evans had rejected his confession. She told him the truth: the guy she actually liked was our class president, Noah Miller. Julian was the school’s resident bad boy. He was rebellious, handsome, and had dated nearly every pretty girl in our grade. This was the first time he had fallen hard, and it was for a timid, innocent "good girl" who didn't want him. He had a fire in his chest and nowhere to vent it. So, right after the bell rang, he dragged me into the boys' bathroom and kissed me like he was starving. In my past life, I gave him my first time in this cramped, filthy place. Later, after an accidental pregnancy, I bled to death on an operating table in a sketchy clinic trying to get an abortion. Thinking of that, I immediately brought my knee up and slammed it between his legs. The lust-filled teenage boy let out a pathetic squeal of pain. "Maya! What the hell are you doing?!" I glared at him. "It's dirty in here!" Julian grimaced, glancing around the bathroom, and clicked his tongue impatiently. "Tsk, fine. We'll go somewhere else next time. Happy?" "Julian, I meant you. You are dirty!" I scrubbed the back of my hand fiercely over the lips he had just kissed, looking at him with pure disgust. Then, I kicked the stall door open and walked out. I didn't want to spend another second breathing the same air as him. Julian’s eyes widened in disbelief. "Maya, what are you playing at? Weren't you just telling me how good my kisses were?" "What, did you get too into character when I told you to seduce Noah?" "You're a psycho!" I was too busy rushing back to my locker to grab mouthwash to care about his bruised ego. It was study hall. When I walked into the classroom, several classmates turned to look at me. I sat back in my seat, feeling a bit uncomfortable. Seeing the desk next to me was empty, I turned to ask the guy sitting behind me, Tyler, "Where's Noah?" "Called to the principal's office." "What for?" Tyler's eyes went wide. "Do you have amnesia? Midterms just came out. Noah dropped over four hundred ranks! Of course he's getting a talking-to." "What?!" The memories of my past life flooded back. On the day of midterms, I had fainted from low blood sugar and was sent to the nurse's office. When I groggily woke up, I saw Noah sitting rigidly in a chair beside my bed. "What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be taking a test right now?" "I turned in a blank scantron." Noah's voice was completely flat, as if he were stating a boring fact. He leaned over to tuck the blanket around me and asked, "Are you feeling sick anywhere else?" "I'm dizzy!" I intentionally made things difficult for him. "Noah, I want candy. The artisan pear and osmanthus hard candies from that shop across town." "Okay." He didn't hesitate. He got up and left to buy them. Later, when the midterm ranks were posted, he scored a zero on his science composite. For the first time ever, he fell from the number one spot to rank 400. Because he had skipped school by jumping the fence to get my candy, the disciplinary committee gave him a major infraction. Back then, I had thought maliciously: Good. The golden boy is dragged down into the mud. The teachers who love him most will start to hate him. Julian will be so happy. But now... "Principal Davis! I'm sorry, it's all my fault!" I burst into the office, panting, and bowed deeply to the principal. "I was the one who stopped Noah from taking the test! I made him jump the fence to buy me things! He's a perfect student who follows the rules. I threatened him! I told him if he didn't listen to me, I'd have older guys from outside school beat him up." "I'm sorry, Mr. Davis! Put the infraction on my record. He's going to an Ivy League school! He can't have a stain on his transcript!" I was already the school's notorious bad girl. Me doing something terrible wasn't surprising. The principal didn't doubt me. He sent Noah back to class and then gave me a brutal scolding. He told me Noah was a once-in-a-century genius, the pride and hope of the school, with a limitless future. He told me that trash like me needed to stay far away from him. I shouldn't be a stumbling block on his bright, shining path. I nodded sincerely and agreed to every word. The consequences of doing the opposite... I had already learned them the hard way in my last life. When I walked out of the office door, Noah's cool voice drifted from behind me. "Why did you lie for me?" I turned to look at him. He hadn't left. He had been waiting for me the whole time. The summer breeze swept through the hallway, rustling the hair on his forehead. Those familiar eyes... usually as dark and still as a lake at night, but right now, they were strangely sparkling. It felt like a flashback to my past life. Julian and I had gotten careless, and I ended up pregnant. The school and my parents found out. We had just turned nineteen, terrified and clueless. The guidance counselor and my parents interrogated me, demanding to know who the father was. I lied and said the baby was Noah's. Julian hated Noah, so I had to hate Noah too. Making him take the fall shouldn't be a big deal, right? That was how I comforted myself. The counselor obviously didn't believe my nonsense. He had absolute faith in Noah's character and furiously accused me of lying. After all, my record was a mess, my morals were questionable, and I was a certified delinquent. But when he actually brought Noah in to confront me... Noah just looked at me quietly and said softly, "Maya isn't lying. It's mine." I looked away, consumed by guilt. Meanwhile, Noah absorbed the screaming, the insults, and the physical blows from my parents. The counselor looked like his world had collapsed, storming off in anger. Noah received two major infractions. The school revoked his guaranteed admission to Stanford and gave it to the runner-up. And on the day of the SATs, I died on an operating table. Just like that midterm, he turned in a blank test. ... "I'm sorry, Noah. I'm really, really sorry." Emotions choked my throat, making my nose sting. I offered him a heartfelt apology. Noah frowned and walked toward me. "What did Principal Davis say to you?" I forced my tears back. "He told me to stay away from you and stop bothering you." "And you agreed?" I nodded. I had personally dragged Noah into hell. I ruined his reputation, made him miss his SATs, and destroyed his future. But now, there was still time. As long as I drew a hard line and stayed far, far away from him, I wouldn't ruin him again. There was still time. Noah's gaze darkened. His fingers clenched and unclenched. "Maya, since when does a rebel like you listen to teachers?" 02 "I'm doing this for your own good. You'll understand later." I didn't offer any more explanations. I hurried back to the classroom, packed up my things, and moved my desk to the very back corner of the room. When Noah returned, he saw my empty spot next to him. He pressed his lips into a thin line and said nothing. He went back to doing practice problems and reading, just like normal. Seeing this, Chloe Evans walked over, clutching a workbook. Her voice was soft and sweet. "Class President, I'm stuck on this AP Physics problem. Could you teach me?" She was about to sit in the empty chair next to him. But the moment she took a step forward, Noah planted his hand on the chair I used to sit in. With a quick pull, he yanked the chair far away. "Tomorrow. I have practice tests to finish." Chloe almost sat on the floor. Assuming he was in a bad mood from being yelled at, she kindly tried to comfort him. "Class President, don't be sad. I know how capable you are. You'll definitely be number one again next time." "Just... don't hang around those bad students anymore..." "Chloe." Noah cut her off. "You're on the student council. Is chatting during study hall in line with the rules?" "I..." Tears quickly welled up in Chloe's eyes. She timidly whispered, "I'm sorry, I know I was wrong." Then she went back to her seat, buried her face in her arms, and quietly sobbed. I watched the two of them, spacing out. Chloe was beautiful, obedient, and a straight-A student. Only a wonderful girl like her could stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Noah and guide him down the right path. Too bad this nerd had zero understanding of how to treat a girl gently. Looks like I'd have to step in and play wingman when necessary. Just then, my phone buzzed. I got a Snapchat message from Julian. [Got a room. The Crystal Rose Motel, Room 508.] [Remember to buy Plan B on your way. I don't like wearing those things.] I laughed out loud in anger. No wonder he skipped study hall. Does this idiot actually think I'm playing hard to get? [With your toothpick? Save it to clean your teeth!] I quickly typed the sentence and blocked him without hesitation. To think I liked a guy like him in my past life... I must have had brain damage. 03 The next day. I dyed my hot-pink hair back to black. I had altered my uniform skirt so much it couldn't be fixed, and I had no idea where I threw my school blazer. I'd have to wait until Monday to buy a new set from the administration office. On my way to school, I ran into Tyler, who lived in the same neighborhood. I called out to him. Tyler looked around wildly before his eyes finally locked onto me. His jaw dropped like he could swallow an egg, followed by a purely instinctive curse. "Holy sh*t! Maya? Why did you dye your hair black?" I walked up to him. "Does it look weird?" Tyler blushed, scratching the back of his head. "Not weird. Just... you look... innocent." "Ah, no, no, just not used to it." I ignored his babbling and yanked the school blazer right off his back. "Let me borrow this for a couple of days. I'll give it back soon." I threw the oversized jacket over my shoulders. Tyler's face turned even redder. "Maya... when you wear it like that, it looks like you aren't wearing anything underneath." Tyler was tall. His jacket completely covered my mini-skirt. If I buttoned it up, all you could see were two pale, bare legs sticking out from beneath a massive blazer. I took the jacket off and tied the sleeves around my waist instead. "How about this?" "That's much better." Tyler and I walked side-by-side to school. He asked, "Julian scheduled a fight with the guys from the vocational school tonight. What time are you going?" "I'm not." The fight was because a guy from the vocational school had catcalled Chloe. Julian got furious and issued a "challenge." In my past life, I was worried Julian would get outnumbered, so I skipped study hall to go back him up. Who knew that to protect Chloe and help her escape, he would completely abandon me there. If Noah hadn't shown up later, I don't even want to know what horrific things might have happened to me. Only an idiot would do something so thankless twice. "Huh? Then what are you doing?" Tyler asked, curious. "Homework." "Hahaha, homework? Did I hear that right? Maya stopped clinging to Julian and is trying to be a good girl doing homework now?" A mocking laugh came from behind us. Tyler and I both turned around. Julian and his sidekick, Chad, pulled up on a motorcycle and stopped behind us. Chad kept sneering, "Julian, look! Maya even dyed her hair black. Trying to copy Chloe, huh?" Julian had dark circles under his eyes, looking like he hadn't slept well. His gaze locked onto me, displeasure radiating from him. "Where were you last night? Do you know I waited for you all night?" "What I did last night is none of your fcking business. And you waiting all night is none of my fcking business either." Ugh. Early mornings are already annoying enough. I rolled my eyes and turned to walk away. "Maya!" Julian shouted my name angrily. Chad patted Julian's shoulder. "Julian, can't you see? Maya's doing this on purpose. She knows you like Chloe, so she's trying to get your attention by copying her!" "Look, Chloe has black hair, so she dyed her hair black. Chloe always ignores you, so she's ignoring you. Chloe likes that nerd Noah, so she's hanging out with Tyler." "She probably thinks that if she acts like Chloe, you'll like her." Chad shook his head like an expert. "Women, man. You can't give them too much attention. Ignore her for a few days, I guarantee she'll come running back, begging you to talk to her." Julian's expression improved significantly. "So many little tricks." He scoffed coldly. "She wants to be Chloe? What a cheap imitation." He revved the engine. With a roar, the motorcycle sped away. 04 The news of Julian's upcoming fight with the vocational school quickly spread through the class. A girl said to Chloe, "Chloe, be careful. Julian is getting into fights with other guys for you. A certain someone is probably dying of jealousy." Both of them turned to look at me. I was busy doing practice problems. I muttered to myself, "The magnesium stole my zinc... Mg + ZnSO4 = MgSO4 + Zn." The girl scoffed. "Look at her, pretending to study. She's probably dreaming about confessing to Julian right now." Chloe glanced toward Noah's desk. Noah was looking at me too, but he quickly turned his head back. His gaze was deep and unreadable. Chloe bit her lip and said loudly, "I don't care who Julian fights. Don't associate me with him." The girl finally shut up. I studied seriously for an entire day. I filled half a notebook. But I had fallen so far behind that trying to catch up made my brain feel like it was going to explode. So, after the last bell rang, I snuck up to the roof alone to memorize SAT vocabulary words. But I accidentally fell asleep while reading. By the time I woke up, the sky was dark. When I went back to the classroom for evening study hall, both Chloe and Noah were gone. I had a bad feeling and quickly asked Tyler, "Where are they?" "Oh, Chloe left with Julian." "I'm asking about Noah!" "Noah? No idea! Since when do you care about him? But actually, after Julian and Chloe left, I didn't see him either." Crap! I dropped my SAT prep book, spun around, and sprinted out of the school. When I finally reached the abandoned warehouse district, relying on my memory from my past life... The two sides were already in a brutal brawl. I stood outside the crowd, frantically searching for Noah. Chad saw me, a smug smile twisting his bruised face. "Julian, look who's here! I told you, how could Maya actually stay at school and study while you're out here fighting?" Julian's eyes fell on me. He sneered, "Maya, stop f*cking clinging to me. I don't have time to protect you right now!" He threw a punch at a guy who was trying to grab Chloe. But the 200-pound guy didn't even budge. Instead, he grabbed Julian by the collar and hoisted him into the air. Chloe screamed in terror. Just then, I spotted Noah grappling with someone a short distance away. I pushed through the crowd and ran toward him. As I ran past Julian, he strained his neck and yelled, "Maya, I don't need your..." Before he could finish, I brushed past him and threw my arms around Noah from behind. "Noah, watch out!" A fist was flying toward Noah's head. He quickly spun around, shielding me in his arms, and kicked the attacker away. Julian's words died in his throat, his eyes wide with absolute disbelief. In that moment of distraction, the 200-pound guy slammed Julian brutally onto the concrete. He let out a bloodcurdling scream of pain. I yelled, "Noah, run!" Noah understood. He grabbed my hand, and we sprinted away. The guys from the vocational school chased us relentlessly. Noah and I dashed into an alleyway. There was a narrow, hidden nook off the main path. We ducked inside. But the space was incredibly tight. We had to press our bodies tightly together just to fit. If I nodded my head even slightly, I'd probably kiss Noah's chin. Noah's breathing drifted against my ear. In that tense, quiet moment, it was both ticklish and overwhelmingly distracting. I gritted my teeth. "Can you breathe a little quieter?" Noah suddenly chuckled. "Maya, you're pressing into me." I looked down. My chest was pressed firmly against him. My face flushed red. I suddenly remembered my character setting in this novel—the brainless, D-cup "fallen" popular girl. "Shut up!" It was a long time before the footsteps outside finally faded away. Noah and I stepped out of the alley. "Are you hurt?" Noah asked. I shook my head, then immediately started scolding him. "Are you an idiot? Those guys were fighting over Chloe to show off. Why did you get involved?!" "Weren't you there for Julian..." "I don't give a crap about their drama! I fell asleep on the roof studying vocabulary. Did you think I was here to help Julian?" I reached out, grabbed Noah by the chin, and inspected his face. Thankfully, there was only one small cut. "You idiot. Didn't you think about what happens if a straight-A student like you gets a police record?" Noah obediently let me inspect his face, but his eyes were glued to me. "Maya, are you worried about me?" "Duh! You're a perfect student. Your future is bright, you have limitless potential. You're nothing like us!" Noah pressed his lips together and stayed silent, letting me drag him to a pharmacy. I bought antiseptic and cotton swabs, carefully cleaning his cut. Afraid of hurting him, I leaned in close, gently blowing on the wound. The moment I stood back up, Noah, who had been completely silent, suddenly called my name. "Maya..." "Hmm?" "You don't like 'good students.' So, I won't be a good student anymore, okay?" Noah sat on the steps outside the pharmacy, looking up at me very seriously. "Don't you dare!" I was shocked he even had that thought. "Being a good student is amazing! The teachers and classmates like you, you can get into a top Ivy League school, find a great job, make a ton of money..." "But you think I'm boring." Noah cut me off, his thick, raven-black eyelashes lowering. "You couldn't even stand sitting next to me in class." 05 I couldn't explain to Noah that I had been reborn. I also couldn't tell him how miserably I ruined him in my past life. I could only warn him to focus on his studies and stop having crazy thoughts. After that, I walked toward the school in silence. He followed behind me. Not too fast, not too slow. Always keeping a safe distance. As we passed through a small park, a groan of pain came from the shadows. I glanced over. It was Julian. He was slumped against a large oak tree, covered in bruises and blood. He had even lost one of his sneakers. Chloe was nowhere to be found. This time, without me to stall for him, the rebellious, arrogant bad boy had gotten beaten to a pulp. Seeing me, Julian's eyes lit up. "Maya, you came looking for me?" Then he complained irritably, "Why took you so long?!" I stood perfectly still. Noah walked up and stood beside me. Julian's gaze darted back and forth between us, his face instantly darkening. "You've been with him this whole time?" "Yeah!" "You... whatever. Come help me up." I crossed my arms, lifted my chin, and looked down at his pathetic state like I was admiring a painting. Nothing happened for a long minute. Only then did it dimly dawn on Julian that I had absolutely no intention of helping him. His face turned ugly. "Maya, don't take this too far. If you come over here right now, I'll forgive everything that happened the last two days. Otherwise, you won't be able to fix this!" "Fix what? How are you going to punish me? Dump me? Never talk to me again? Go wholeheartedly after Chloe, or some other girl?" I smiled. "Julian, that's exactly what I want." Julian frowned. "Maya, over-acting is boring!" I shrugged and turned to Noah. "See? Trash belongs in the dirt. Saving him is a waste of effort. Let's go." With that, I grabbed Noah's hand and walked away. "Maya!" The guy behind me slammed a fist into the ground, issuing his final threat. "If you walk away now, don't come crying to me later begging for forgiveness!" I never looked back. 06 Julian ended up in the hospital. Chad’s injuries were minor, so he returned to school quickly. He organized the class to buy flowers and a fruit basket to visit Julian. Seeing me sitting at my desk, completely indifferent and reading a book... He marched over, sat on my desk, and sneered, "Maya, I'm giving you a chance to redeem yourself. You want it or not?" "No." Chad frowned. "I haven't even told you what it is." "If you want to talk about Julian, save your breath. I have zero interest in hearing it." Chad looked incredulous. "Maya, Julian is in the hospital right now. This is exactly when he needs someone to care for him. If you swoop in now while he's vulnerable, maybe he'll..." "Why would I swoop in? He didn't get hurt for me." "Oh, so you're jealous!" Chad looked like he had a sudden realization. "Well yeah, you can't compare to Chloe. But you're way better at being a lapdog. Maybe if you keep licking his boots long enough, Julian will be moved!" "Get lost!" I kicked him right off my desk. "If you keep running your mouth, I'll sew it shut!" Julian had a lot of "bros," and whenever they saw me, they respectfully called me "Maya." Many of them even supported me becoming the "official girlfriend." Only this Chad guy. Every time he saw me, it was always mocking or sarcastic. Like I had dug up his family's graves or something. "You... you ungrateful bitch!" Chad clutched his butt, wincing in pain. Realizing I wasn't going to play ball, he went looking for Chloe, but couldn't find her anywhere. The classroom was a chaotic, noisy mess. I grabbed my physics textbook and headed out, looking for a quiet place to study. To my surprise, I saw Noah and Chloe in an abandoned club room. I quickly hid out of sight. I heard Chloe speaking to Noah in a soft, gentle voice. "Noah, did you get hurt yesterday? I was so worried about you, but I couldn't reach you." Noah: "I'm fine. You came all this way just to say that?" Chloe clutched her skirt, took a deep breath, seemingly summoning a lot of courage before speaking. "I hate Julian, Maya, and that whole group. They're violent, brainless, and full of bad habits. Nothing good ever comes from getting involved with them! Noah, we're not like them. We have to stay far away from them to..." "Chloe." Noah stood with one hand in his pocket. His skin had a nearly sickly, porcelain paleness to it. His dark eyes behind his wire-rimmed glasses were as dead as stagnant water. "If you hate Julian, stay away from him. You don't need to report it to me. But if you're trying to tell me to stay away from Maya, I'm sorry. I have no intention of doing that." He was done talking. He turned to leave. Chloe quickly blocked his path. Her eyes were slightly red, looking as stubborn as a little rabbit. "Yes, I admit Maya is interesting. When everyone else is burying their heads in books, looking dull and tired, her kind of beauty stands out. The school forbids dyed hair, but she dyes it bright pink. The school requires modest uniforms, but she alters her skirt to be super short. She wears makeup, smokes, skips class, fights, swears... and she's still the center of attention for all the guys in school." "But Noah, you and her are not the same kind of person! She likes playing pranks for fun. Seeing you run around in circles makes her happy. Your grades dropping last time... getting into that brawl this time... she's going to drag you down and ruin you!" Chloe was pleading earnestly. "Noah, I'm helping you! I'm trying to correct your path and guide you back to the right one!" "Are you done?" Noah finally showed a look of impatience. "You like me, don't you? You think you and I are the same kind of person?" He took long strides, backing Chloe up step by step. "You think you know me so well?" "Just because I get good grades, helped you with a couple of math problems, and almost never say no when classmates ask for help... just because the teachers like me... you think I'm a good boy?" Chloe's back hit the wall. She had nowhere left to retreat. She bit her lip, her voice trembling. "Aren't you?" Noah's lips curled into a smirk. He reached his long arm past Chloe's ear and slammed his hand against the wall behind her with a loud thud. She flinched violently. "I have 5,276 pictures of Maya on my phone. Every night, I have to look at them just to fall asleep." "The scrap fabric she threw away when she shortened her skirt? It's under my pillow. I don't even know how many times I've kissed and touched it." "She said my fingers were pretty. I really wanted to turn them into a specimen and give them to her." "I'm crazier than Julian. I play the 'good student' because I'm afraid of scaring her." "Chloe... do you still dare to say you like me?" Chloe covered her mouth, her entire body trembling in terror. Her face was soaked with tears. Finally, she pushed Noah away and ran out. I stood frozen in shock, only to lock eyes with the person right in front of me. Noah said, "Done eavesdropping?" I instinctively took two steps back. Noah walked right up to me. The "good student's" dark side had been exposed. The bright, perfect academic god was actually a hidden psychopath. His fingers, hanging by his sides, curled slightly. The veins on the back of his porcelain-white hands bulged. Suppressing his panic, he asked, "Are you afraid of me?" The moment he asked, I actually calmed down. I was someone who had seen two lifetimes of Noah! I knew better than anyone how gentle, restrained, and wholeheartedly devoted he could be. "No." I quickly shook my head. "I wouldn't be afraid of you, no matter what." I thought for a moment and added, "Noah, I still like you best when you're studying. You look so confident and radiant. I want to be your desk-mate again. Will you tutor me so we can go to Stanford together?" Noah looked at me in shock. "Maya... you have to keep your word." "Of course." I reached out and hooked my pinky finger around his. "Pinky promise. Liars are dogs." I shamelessly moved my desk back to its original spot, sitting next to Noah again. I figured... Since even a straight-A, perfect student like Chloe couldn't capture Noah's heart and guide him to the right path. Then I, the instigator of all this bad behavior, would have to do it myself. In my past life, I caused him to miss his SATs. In this life, I was going to personally watch Noah get accepted into a top university. Watch him shine brilliantly, build a successful career, and have a happy, fulfilling life. If he wanted me, I would stay by his side. If he got tired of me, I would leave quietly. In this lifetime, it was my turn to protect him. I started pouring all my time into studying and making sure Noah was studying too. Noah tutored me. He was brilliant. No matter how difficult the problem was, his explanations made it simple. With his help, I could actually solve a few fill-in-the-blank math problems on my own. I even scored a 63 on a math quiz. Noah bought me osmanthus hard candies from across town as a reward. I slumped over my desk, exhausted. "The max score is 150. I got a 63." Considering I had boldly claimed I wanted to go to Stanford, I was surprised Noah didn't laugh his head off. Noah patted my back consolingly. "Don't rush. Take it step by step." Sometimes, when I got incredibly frustrated with a problem, the craving for a cigarette would become unbearable, and I’d start getting antsy. Noah humored me. "Are you feeling uncomfortable? Do you want some candy to take the edge off?" He was always the first to notice when I was off. I bared my teeth, trying to look menacing. "Candy is too sweet. I want to bite someone." Noah actually unzipped his jacket, rolled up his sleeve, and offered his arm to my mouth. "Bite." When I didn't move, he offered his other arm. "Or this one?" "You asked for it!" I grabbed his arm and bit down, leaving a visible teeth mark on his forearm. Noah didn't even flinch. I suspected he was made of wood and couldn't feel pain. "Noah, during class today, you secretly looked at me over a dozen times. You weren't paying attention! The bite was your punishment. If you don't get first place on the midterms this time, watch how I deal with you!" Noah chuckled. "Don't worry. Looking at you won't stop me from getting into Stanford." I pouted. "You better." 07 Right before midterms. Julian was discharged from the hospital. I hadn't seen him for over half a month. He had lost a lot of weight, and there was a scar stretching from his left brow bone to the corner of his eye. It was deep; it probably wouldn't heal perfectly. It wouldn't exactly ruin his face, but for someone as vain as Julian, it was definitely going to bother him for a while. Good news though. Probably because Chloe had completely abandoned him during the fight, his attitude toward her had cooled significantly since he returned. Once, they ran into each other face-to-face. Chloe finally mustered the courage to say, "Julian, I'm going to Stanford in the future. You getting into fights for me and getting yourself hurt... I just think it's childish. I'm not moved by it. I could never like someone like you." Julian didn't react much. He just said, "Got it," and walked right past her. Meanwhile, I was glued to Noah, studying constantly. Even at the cafeteria, I chased him down to ask about problems I didn't understand in class. I tied my hair up in a ponytail and wore a uniform skirt that went past my knees. No more skipping class, no more fighting, no more smoking. No more wasting my youth with Julian and his deadbeat crew. One weekend, Noah and I were at a fast-food joint doing homework. Coincidentally, Julian and his boys came in to order food. They must have just been smoking outside; the smell of mint mixed with nicotine rolled off them. Noah noticed my discomfort and naturally rolled up his sleeve, offering his forearm. "I didn't bring candy. If it's bothering you, bite me." I couldn't help but laugh, complaining, "They stink so bad!" Then I leaned closer to his neck and sniffed. "Noah, you smell the best." Noah's body went completely rigid. The tips of his ears unconsciously turned red. He pretended to be serious. "Focus on your work." "Yes sir, Mr. President." Chad, who had just grabbed their food, witnessed this entire exchange. He couldn't help but complain to Julian, "How long is Maya going to keep this act up? I'm starting to think she's not faking it. She looks like she genuinely likes Noah." Julian's face darkened. He turned and walked to the door to smoke, but his lighter failed to spark several times. Chad yelled from behind, "Julian, aren't you going to eat?" Julian grew increasingly irritated. "Lost my appetite!"
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