Chapter 2

I caught the almost imperceptible relief on his face.

The wind tugged at the hem of his shirt as he chuckled.

“Yeah. Don’t worry.”

“Oh, and...” He hesitated. “Emma, I still hope you can... try not to fall for me.”

My fingers clenched together.

For a moment, I could barely breathe.

“I thought about asking other girls before, but the second they see me, they immediately get that look. You know what I mean.”

His smile grew brighter and more careless.

“But you’re different. Whenever you see me, you never even look my way. I know you’re a little...”

His gaze swept over my body.

“Look, being a nerd was the right choice for you.”

“That’s why I feel safe doing this with you.”

As he spoke, he ruffled my hair hard, treating me like some trusted teammate.

I pulled away.

“Don’t worry. I don’t like you.”

The next day, for the first time, Ryan ignored Madison and walked straight toward me.

He placed a gift box on my desk.

We barely knew each other, yet he acted as if we’d been friends forever.

“A bracelet. It’s your style.”

I glanced at the brand name.

It started with a B. I’d never heard of it.

He smiled.

“Can I wait for you after school and walk you home?”

Over and over, I reminded myself that this was a lie.

Eventually, I would wake up from this dream.

Still, I held out my wrist and let him fasten the bracelet around it.

Then he lowered his head and kissed me.

Whispers erupted around us.

Several students pulled out their phones to take pictures.

There weren’t many moments from my dull teenage years worth remembering.

But this one was beautiful.

For the next two weeks or so, Ryan and I became practically inseparable at school.

Even though I knew he treated me exactly the way he used to treat Madison.

He gave me gifts where everyone could see.

He waited for me after school every day.

He even helped me straighten up the classroom after class.

He invited me to his basketball games and, right in front of Madison, only accepted water from me.

Whenever there was a school activity, he deliberately came over to partner with me.

One afternoon, we were walking side by side beneath the trees as a breeze rustled through the leaves.

I frowned anxiously and spoke quickly.

“Madison kept looking at you today. I think if you keep this up a little longer, she’ll come to you herself.”

Ryan stopped.

Then he stepped back and looked at me.

Suddenly, he laughed.

“Emma, why do you look... more anxious about this than I am?”

My chest rose and fell.

He seemed to have forgotten that one month was the deadline he’d set for our arrangement.

He’d told me that if Madison still hadn’t responded after a month, he would give up.

He couldn’t pretend to be close to a stranger forever.

I turned and kept walking.

I didn’t remind him.

It was selfish, but I wanted a little more time.

I thought Madison would hold out for a long time.

She lasted three days.

Ryan and I were about to see a movie when she stopped us.

She smiled at Ryan.

“Ryan, you don’t mind if I come too, right? As far as I know, you two aren’t actually together.”

Ryan leaned against the counter, raised an eyebrow, and smiled.