I got home feeling depressed.
How had everything between Liam and me fallen apart so suddenly, all because of Harry?
Now we'd become more than enemies.
Phew!
Harry must be in the kitchen.
The sweet aroma of steamed dumplings drifted from the kitchen and filled the entire house, but I wasn't hungry.
I only wished time could rewind to when Liam and I were finally getting along... when Harry was still away at campus... when he hadn't found out that I was Liam's so-called watchdog.
I think I ruined everything.
I shouldn't have told Harry.
Now he was being overprotective because of everything Liam had done to me in the past.
The sound of footsteps drew closer until they stopped beside my bed, where I lay staring blankly at the ceiling.
"Have you told his parents—"
"Yes! Yes, I have!" I snapped before he could finish.
I didn't even realize when my emotions exploded.
I turned toward Harry, my eyes already burning with tears.
"I've already told his parents that I'll no longer be Liam's watchdog! What else do you want? My life?"
Harry's eyes widened.
"Are you yelling at your elder brother?"
I quickly looked away, biting my lower lip to stop myself from crying.
He stepped closer and folded his arms.
"Listen, Jellybean. You're my younger sister. I know how much pain that long-face caused you back then, and—"
"Liam isn't evil," I interrupted. "He's changed."
Harry scoffed and shook his head.
"Really? I can clearly see you're defending that bad boy."
I shook my head immediately.
"I'm not defending him. I'm only telling you what I've seen. He has changed. Why do you keep asking me to avoid him?"
"Whatever it is..." he said coldly.
"AVOID HIM!"
His sharp voice echoed through the room.
He turned and walked toward the door.
Just before leaving, he paused and glanced back at me.
"When you're done crying a hundred buckets of tears, go to the kitchen and serve yourself some dinner."
The door slammed shut behind him.
Silence filled the room.
I let out a shaky sigh as hot tears rolled freely down my cheeks.
"Liam..." I whispered.
"No..."
I buried my face in my trembling hands.
Why did everything have to become so complicated?
Just when we were finally becoming friends...
Everything fell apart again.
**********
The next morning felt unusually lively.
Birds chirped merrily from the acacia trees, while colorful butterflies fluttered gracefully around the flowers in the garden.
The fresh breeze carried the sweet scent of blooming lilies.
Everything looked peaceful.
Everything...
Except me.
I felt sad.
Angry.
Confused.
I was already dressed in my school uniform, yet I had no desire to leave for school.
The thought of sitting beside Liam again made my heart pound painfully.
What if he ignored me?
What if he hated me even more now?
Maybe Harry had ruined every chance I had of becoming his friend.
My phone suddenly chimed as I stood by the roadside waiting for the tram bus.
I pulled it out of my school bag.
It was Lily.
LILY:
(1) Hey, pretty pretty! What's up? Hope you're already at school with Liam.
My heart skipped a beat.
(2) Our test results are finally out! You know I always do well. I only lost two marks! Hehehe! Milo lost sixty marks... even after cheating!
"Huh?"
My eyes widened.
If Milo scored only forty...
Then I'd probably score zero.
I quickly typed back.
ME:
(1) Wait a minute. You scored ninety-eight? And Milo scored forty?
(2) Did you see my result?
Her reply came almost instantly.
LILY:
(1) It was too crowded. I couldn't even see who came first. I finished second, and Barbara came third. Someone beat both of us! Who could it be?
There was no one smarter than Barbara and Lily in the whole of Bellingham High School.
They were both academic geniuses.
Teachers always chose them to represent the school in competitions.
So...
Who could possibly beat them?
Or...
Could it actually be me?
I burst into laughter.
"Oh, foolish Chloe!"
Just then, the tram bus arrived.
I climbed aboard and found a seat near the window.
As the vehicle sped through the streets, my thoughts wandered back to my test results.
What if I really passed?
What if I even surprised everyone?
I smiled at the thought.
Ten minutes later...
The tram bus stopped at the school gate.
Students climbed down lazily and wandered toward the classrooms.
Apparently, many of them hadn't heard that the examination results had already been posted.
Hehehe...
I hurried toward the notice board.
Only a handful of students had gathered there.
About three of them were my classmates.
Someone whispered,
"Someone actually beat Barbara and Lily?"
Another replied,
"Who's Liam?"
Could Liam actually be...
I raised my eyes to the top of the notice board.
There it was.
**1st Position**
**Liam Atticus**
My eyes widened.
Liam?
The first position?
The unbeatable one?
For a moment, I wondered if I was dreaming.
I had always known Liam was intelligent.
Even as a child, he solved difficult questions effortlessly.
But I never imagined he could surpass Barbara and Lily.
Slowly...
I searched for my own name.
Down.
Further down.
Still nothing.
I searched again.
Nothing.
My heartbeat quickened.
Finally, I reached the last name on the list.
I blinked several times.
My name wasn't there.
Not even once.
Wait...
Did I really score zero?
No...
That couldn't be right.
Brisk footsteps approached from behind.
Before I even turned around...
That familiar lemonade scent drifted into my nose.
Liam.
My heart skipped.
I stood frozen.
Unable to move.
Unable to speak.
He walked past me without brushing against me and stopped in front of the notice board.
It was as though I didn't even exist.
I wanted to greet him.
I wanted to apologize.
I wanted to ask if he was still angry.
But no words came out.
I simply stood there like a statue.
"This is the student everyone has been talking about," one of my classmates whispered.
"So he's the new top student?"
"I guess so."
Liam quietly stared at the results for a few moments.
Then he turned around and walked away.
Not once did he look at me.
Not even for a second.
For the first time...
I felt completely defeated.
My chest tightened as I watched his figure disappear into the distance.
Someone suddenly tapped me on the shoulder from behind.