Chapter 1

The day our practice test scores came out, I moved up from fifth to third in our grade.

Meanwhile, Vanessa dropped from twentieth to somewhere in the thirties.

Someone commented: "What happened to Vanessa? She's fallen so far behind."

"And Lily's moved up two more spots."

She immediately teared up and glared at me.

"Happy now, Lily?"

"You study so hard just to make everyone think Ethan made a poor choice picking me, don't you?"

Then she stormed out.

The bell rang for class, but she never came back.

Our clueless teacher asked me, as class president, to find her.

Half an hour later, I spotted Vanessa sitting on a planter near the basketball court.

Ethan was bent over, speaking softly to console her.

Whatever he said made her smile through her tears.

Sunlight filtered through the trees onto the pair, creating a scene straight out of a teen drama.

When Ethan noticed me approaching, his eyes narrowed. As if to appease Vanessa, he tossed his basketball toward me.

Accidentally, it hit my hearing aid.

After a buzzing sound, my left ear went completely silent.

Ethan clearly hadn't expected this—surprise flashed across his face for a split second.

Then he walked toward me.

"Lily, you should transfer schools."

"Vanessa has a temper. She keeps fighting with me because of you."

Just a month ago, he had asked me:

"Lily, will you be my girlfriend after SAT?"

I hesitated to refuse with SAT so close.

Ethan continued, "Don't make this difficult for me."

"Every day you're here is another day Vanessa will be upset."

"You wouldn't want to make things hard for your dad, would you?"

My father worked at Ethan's family company.

For Vanessa's sake, he was threatening my dad's job.

I knew Dad had worked at their company for years—from age twenty-two to forty-five. I couldn't let him lose his job in middle age because of me.

"Fine," I agreed.

Ethan seemed relieved. "Once she calms down, I'll bring you back."

Vanessa apparently overheard and strutted over, possessively tugging at Ethan's hand:

"Ethan, I think Lincoln High would be perfect."

Lincoln was ranked dead last among high schools in our city.

Ethan knew this perfectly well.

But he just smiled lazily. "Alright, whatever you want."

I clenched the broken pieces of my hearing aid in my palm until they dug into my skin.

The pain helped me hold back tears.

After a long moment, I tossed the broken hearing aid into the trash and walked away.

Ethan quickly arranged my transfer.

News that I was leaving spread throughout the school.

As I packed my things, people whispered around me:

"Seriously? Ethan's really kicking Lily out for Vanessa? Didn't they grow up together?"

"Hey, that's why they say childhood sweethearts can't beat love at first sight. Ethan used to be so good to Lily, but since Vanessa showed up, he hasn't walked home with Lily once."

"What a shame. Lily's grades are so good—she had a shot at Harvard or Yale. Transferring now will definitely hurt her chances."

"And Lincoln High? That place is known for troublemakers. All her hard work could be wasted."

……

Under everyone's pitying stares, I carried my things toward the exit.

When I reached the stairwell, I overheard Ethan's friend trying to reason with him:

"She has a hearing impairment, man. Won't she get bullied at another school?"

"You grew up together. You used to be crazy about her. Are you really okay with sending her away?"

Ethan leaned against the wall and chuckled.

"What's there to feel bad about? The past is the past. Childhood sweethearts can't compete with love at first sight, haven't you heard?"

"Besides, in three months, I'll bring her back."

After saying this, he sensed something and looked up.

He saw me standing at the top of the stairs.

His eyes fell on my slightly swollen ear, and he frowned.

Instinctively, he came forward and grabbed my hand.

"Come on, let me buy you a new hearing aid first."

"Consider it my replacement for the broken one."

I shook my head.

"No need. That hearing aid was originally a gift from you anyway."

"Now we're even."

Chapter 2

The moment he broke my hearing aid, the sharp pain made me determined to cut all ties with Ethan.

Ethan was stunned.

That hearing aid was a gift he'd given me on his seventeenth birthday.

His family never encouraged lavish spending for their children, and Ethan's allowance wasn't generous. He had worked two summer jobs to afford it, spending every penny of his savings.

Back then, the seventeen-year-old boy had sneakily put the hearing aid on me while I was asleep.

When I woke up and tearfully realized what he'd done, he had fussed and tried to comfort me.

Ethan had always been good to me. So good that his mother often said I should become her daughter-in-law. Ethan would grin confidently: "As if you needed to say that. You think I raised my future wife all these years for someone else?"

Everyone assumed we'd attend the same college, date, and eventually marry.

Ethan had lived with his grandfather next door to my family since we were kids. We grew up together—he'd wake me up each morning and carry my backpack.

When he confessed his feelings, I blushed and said yes.

Until Vanessa appeared, everything changed.

When she arrived as a transfer student, Ethan, sitting next to me, stared at her for a long time.

In that moment, I knew something had shifted.

Sure enough, Ethan and Vanessa grew closer. He stopped walking to and from school with me. The back seat of his bicycle became Vanessa's exclusive spot.

Even though I distanced myself from Ethan, Vanessa still disliked me.

She accused me of studying hard just to make people think Ethan had chosen wrong.

Gradually, even Ethan started to believe this and grew to resent it.

He held Vanessa's hand and berated me for being manipulative in front of the entire class.

Vanessa tearfully claimed I had no boundaries and was a third wheel in their relationship.

But Ethan and I had grown up together. He was the one who confessed to me, saying we'd be together after SAT.

Ethan stood by silently, offering no explanation.

My heart froze completely.

I stayed away from Ethan, thinking that would bring peace.

Until today.

……

Ethan opened his mouth, wanting to say something.

But Vanessa called from across the way, "Ethan, let's go home together."

He glanced at me one last time, then left.

At home, Dad cautiously brought up his desire to quit his job and start a small company over dinner.

He carefully asked for my opinion and Mom's.

"If I start this business, our finances won't be as stable as they are now."

"And we don't have much savings. I'm thinking of selling our house and buying another one in the suburbs."

"What do you think?"

Mom frowned.

"Honey, maybe we should forget it? Lily's about to start college. We'll need to prepare for her tuition and later for her wedding. What if..."

"We're not getting any younger."

They knew about Ethan and me. For years, despite many offers to leave Ethan's family company, Dad had remained loyal. Especially since Ethan was an only child, Dad had been particularly devoted and never felt right about leaving.

Dad pressed his lips together:

"You're right. So..."

I suddenly spoke up, interrupting him:

"Dad, I support your business plan."

I knew Dad's capabilities—he had experience and had worked in the industry for years with good connections.

Our savings weren't plentiful because of Grandparents' health issues over the years.

He must have been eager to start his own business and considered it thoroughly, or he wouldn't have asked us now.

"Do what you want to do."

Dad's eyes reddened.

Mom chimed in: "Our girl's all grown up."

"Honey, go for it then."

——

Once decided, Mom immediately contacted a real estate agent.

Though our house was old, its central location and Dad's fair asking price helped us sign a contract quickly.

The new owners agreed to let us stay a few more days.

My parents spent every evening after work looking at houses in the suburbs.

Until my birthday arrived.

Mom got off work early and asked me to take some birthday cake to Ethan's family.

I hesitated.

Chapter 3

But under Mom's urging, I walked to Ethan's front door.

She didn't know that my transfer was because Ethan had forced me to leave.

Ethan had always claimed it was my own decision to transfer.

Though she didn't approve, after seeing the completed transfer notice, she just sighed and didn't say more.

Ethan's mom opened the door.

Seeing me, she brightened. "Lily! Come in!"

"Mom asked me to bring you some cake."

Just as I finished speaking, I heard laughter from Ethan's room—Vanessa's voice.

Sure enough, the door opened, and Vanessa emerged wearing a short skirt.

Ethan's mom looked embarrassed. "Lily, she's just..."

I knew what she wanted to say. I shook my head.

"It's fine. I've delivered the cake, so I'll head out now."

As I left, I heard his mom scolding him:

"Ethan, aren't you being too harsh? Didn't you like Lily before? You'll hurt her feelings."

"Lily must be upset."

Followed by Ethan's casual response:

"That's her problem."

The next morning, my parents and I followed the moving company to our new house.

Due to budget constraints, Dad had chosen a well-maintained second-hand home.

Coincidentally, it was very close to Lincoln High.

On my first day at Lincoln High, I declined my parents' offer to accompany me—I knew Dad was busy with his new business startup.

So I headed to Lincoln High alone with my backpack.

The homeroom teacher was a chubby, balding man who beamed when he saw me.

When we reached the classroom door, chaos erupted inside.

Due to my left ear being deaf, my right ear was extra sensitive. Someone dropped a chair, making me jump.

The teacher smiled reassuringly. "Don't worry, wait here a moment."

Then he barged in with his hands on his hips and bellowed:

"Everyone! Quiet down right now!"

No one paid attention...

His face reddened: "Or I'll call your parents."

That finally quieted them down.

"Today, we have a new transfer student."

I walked in, stood at the podium, and introduced myself briefly:

"Hi everyone, I'm Lily Smith."

The classroom erupted in cheers:

"The transfer student is gorgeous!"

"Quick, is my hair messed up today?"

From the corner of the classroom, someone impatiently cut through the noise:

"Shut up, already."

Instant silence fell.

I was surprised. After the homeroom teacher hesitated for a moment, he directed me to sit in front of that person.

I hesitated.

The teacher reassured me: "Don't worry, that guy doesn't hit girls."

Me: ............

So he hits other people.

How intimidating.

My deskmate was a girl who introduced herself:

"I'm Madison Miller. Everyone calls me Maddie. You can call me Maddie too."

I nodded.

The teacher came in, and I quickly took out my books.

Lincoln High's curriculum was indeed different from my previous school's.

During class, almost everyone did their own thing.

Some slept, others read novels, and a few did their nails.

Paper airplanes with cheat sheets flew over my head.

The teacher seemed accustomed to this. After taking a few sips of tea, he picked up his book again:

"Where was I just now?"

I carefully reminded him: "The third major question."

He nodded: "Right."

Then he looked at me in shock:

"Someone's actually listening to my lecture?"

Only after Maddie explained did I realize that if Lincoln High was considered a subpar school, then Class 13, where I now sat, was rock bottom among rock bottoms.

It housed all the lowest-performing seniors in the school.

When I transferred, the homeroom teacher had cried and pleaded with the principal to assign me to his class.

Watching Maddie eat ice cream during class, I felt for the first time that the world was bizarre yet somehow vibrant.

After that, the teacher clearly lectured with more enthusiasm.

Gradually, a few students were inspired to start paying attention.

Until class ended.

Everyone rushed out.

I saw that the boy in the corner was still asleep.

The school was about to close.

I walked over to remind him: "Hey, class is over."

He lifted his head, raising his eyelids slightly.

His narrow eyes looked straight at me.

Below his high, straight nose, his thin lips curved upward.

"Thanks, wifey."

Me: ?!!