"What's up?"
Xander stood in front of me with a gentle smile.
I looked away.
Maybe I just wasn't in the mood to talk.
"You're not saying a word?" he asked. "Are you okay?"
I nodded silently.
He stepped closer and gently held my shoulders.
"You're not," he said softly. "You look devastated. Can you tell me what's wrong?"
Why would I tell him?
The only thing bothering me... was Liam.
"Talk to me, Chloe."
"I'm fine."
He gently tapped my shoulder.
"I'll catch up with you later. Maybe during recess."
I gave a slight nod, and he walked away.
I slowly dragged my feet toward the classroom, my heart pounding heavily.
Just then, I bumped into Lily and Milo.
"What's up, Chloe?" Lily asked. "Have you checked your result?"
I sighed.
"Zero..." I whined. "What am I going to do?"
"Zero?" Milo's eyes widened. Then he scoffed. "Looks like I'm becoming a genius now. At least I scored much better than the friend of a genius! Hehehe."
Lily smacked him lightly on the arm.
"You're actually happy she failed?"
Then she turned back to me.
"Don't mind him. He's just feeding his oversized ego."
I nodded, smacking my lips.
"We're heading back to the notice board to see the top student. There's a rumor going around that Liam took first place. Is he really that intelligent?" Milo asked as he turned to leave.
I quickly pulled him back.
"There's no need. I already checked."
He looked at me curiously.
"It's true."
Milo's eyes widened.
"That long-face is really that intelligent?"
"Why are you asking me?" Lily snapped. "Ask his friend."
She pointed at me.
"Chloe."
Milo looked at me again.
"What's going on between you and Liam? Did you two talk today?"
A chill ran down my spine like icy water flowing down a mountain.
Heavy.
Cold.
Steady.
I lowered my head.
"We broke up."
I had to tell them.
Keeping everything bottled up was becoming too painful.
"Broke up?" they exclaimed at the same time, their eyebrows shooting up.
I nodded without meeting their eyes.
"How did it happen?" Lily asked softly.
I took a deep breath.
"My brother said I couldn't be Liam's watchdog anymore. He wanted everything between us to end."
I paused, trying to steady my voice.
"So... I went to Liam's house yesterday and told his parents that I had too many things to do this term and couldn't continue being his watchdog."
My eyes began to sting.
"They understood... and Liam..."
I swallowed hard.
"He agreed."
My voice cracked.
"He said he didn't need a watchdog anymore... that he could take care of himself."
Silence settled between us.
Lily sighed before gently patting my shoulder.
"That doesn't mean he hates you."
She smiled reassuringly.
"This whole misunderstanding happened because of Harry."
She leaned closer.
"I still see compatibility between you and that long-face."
I blinked.
"In the future?"
She nodded confidently.
"Yes. In the future."
She stretched her hands dramatically through the air.
"The chemistry between you two is so obvious... it's so bright that even a blind person could see it."
"Huh?"
I couldn't help smiling a little.
It would really be nice if Liam and I became friends again.
Real friends.
But...
Was Lily being dramatic again?
Milo lightly tapped her forehead.
"Can you stop acting like a fortune teller?"
He rolled his eyes.
"Let's just get back to class before Mrs. Barb catches us."
Then he turned to me with a teasing grin.
"I'm still shocked that our top gamer girl came last in class."
He chuckled.
"I used to think gamers were always smart."
I raised my hand to hit him.
Before I could, Lily grabbed my wrist.
"At least Chloe didn't cheat during the test."
She narrowed her eyes at Milo.
"But someone here actually cheated with a textbook."
Milo scratched the back of his head awkwardly.
"That was only... a little misunderstanding."
Lily burst into laughter.
"So was your score."
I couldn't help giggling too.
For the first time that morning, the heavy weight in my chest felt a little lighter.
The three of us walked back toward the classroom together.
From a distance, I spotted Mrs. Barb standing at the classroom doorway.
Liam was beside her.
"What on earth are Mrs. Barb and that long-face doing over there?" Milo whispered.
"Maybe they're discussing something important," Lily guessed.
I remained silent.
Without realizing it, I had already started walking faster.
"Chloe..." Milo called.
"You're walking too fast."
I stopped.
"Huh?"
He smirked.
"Relax. Liam isn't going to disappear. He's still standing right there."
"What do you mean?"
He laughed.
"Didn't you notice? You were almost running toward him."
Lily giggled.
"I noticed too."
She pointed at me playfully.
"You wanted him to see you before he walked away with Mrs. Barb."
"Hehehe..."
I looked at both of them, completely speechless.
Was it really that obvious?
Maybe...
Maybe I really did want Liam to notice me.
Hmmph.
Making friends wasn't easy.
Especially with someone like Liam.




Mrs. Barb suddenly pointed at me as I walked with Milo and Lily.
"Chloe, please hurry up!"
My heart skipped a beat as I quickened my pace.
I hoped nothing serious had happened.
I glanced at Liam from the corner of my eye.
He wasn't even looking my way.
Maybe...
Maybe he had already forgotten I existed.
No.
That couldn't be.
I stopped in front of Mrs. Barb while Lily and Milo continued toward the classroom.
I bowed politely before her, then looked up, trying to appear confident.
Trying to act as though I was perfectly fine with Liam.
"Ma... you called me?"
She nodded, cleared her throat, and began,
"The examination results are out."
She paused briefly before asking,
"Have you checked your result?"
"Yes, Ma," I replied, lowering my gaze to the floor.
"What do you think about it?" she asked sternly. "Do you think your parents will be pleased when they discover you came last in class?"
My heart almost stopped.
Wait...
My result portal was linked to both Mom's and Dad's phones.
Oh no!
They must have seen it already.
Harry would definitely laugh at me when I got home.
What had I done to myself?
"Ma..." I muttered softly. "I know I didn't try hard enough."
She pointed toward Liam.
"He's the top student in Bellingham High School, and he also happens to be your seatmate."
My heart pounded.
So... what was she trying to say?
"You should learn from him," she continued firmly.
More like Liam?
That sounded impossible.
She folded her arms.
"You two should cooperate more. I believe he'll make an excellent second Mathematics tutor for you."
My eyes widened.
Was she serious?
I'd rather hide under a table than ask Liam to tutor me.
What if he was still angry?
And what if Harry found out?
I'd be doomed.
"Ma..." I began nervously. "I can get a home tutor instead—"
She immediately interrupted me.
"Do you want your parents spending unnecessary money?"
I fell silent.
"Liam is your seatmate," she continued. "He's exceptionally brilliant and more than capable of helping you improve your academic performance."
I slowly turned toward Liam.
He hadn't said a single word.
Not one.
Hmmph.
Mrs. Barb continued,
"After school or in the evenings, whenever you're both free, I expect you to study together. It'll benefit you the most, Chloe, because you're falling behind academically."
"Ma... I don't really have the chance to—"
"I'm making it compulsory," she declared without giving me a chance to finish. "And I expect to see significant improvement within the next three weeks."
With that, she turned and walked back toward her office.



Silence settled awkwardly between Liam and me.
Neither of us spoke.
I turned to leave.
"Chloe."
His deep voice stopped me in my tracks.
It was the first time...
...he had called my name first.