Chapter 6

I knew Ethan’s personality too well. You had to stroke his ego.

If I nagged him like Mrs. Gable did, he would only hate me, and he’d hate school even more.

So, I tried to trick him into focusing on his studies again.

For example, I would take a brutally hard math Olympiad question to him and ask him how to solve it. But just as he got focused and started sketching out formulas, I would suddenly snatch the paper back and say, "Oh, never mind, I got it!"

Then I’d explain the solution to him with a smug grin, adding, "Bummer, Ethan. Guess you're getting a bit rusty." I wanted to trigger his competitive nature.

But my tricks stopped working because Mrs. Gable finally called Ethan’s mom about his failing grades.

The two middle-aged women staged an intervention. They sat him down, begging him to focus on his future, telling him he could date whoever he wanted once he got into a good college.

Ethan’s mom even brought me into it.

"Look at Chloe! She used to have average grades, but she worked her butt off just to get into the same AP classes as you."

"Ethan, I’m not trying to control your life. But you are brilliant. If you ruin your shot at the Ivy League over a high school crush, you will regret it forever."

"Exactly," Mrs. Gable chimed in. "Even if you want to date, you should date someone who shares your goals. This Skylar girl..."

Mrs. Gable trailed off.

Ethan didn't say a word. He just sat there, taking their lecture in silence.

The summary of their speech was simple: "Break up with Skylar, study hard, and get into Harvard."

They thought his silence meant he was listening.

But after that day, Ethan didn't just skip study hall. He started skipping core classes too.

See? I told you. You have to handle him with care, or he snaps.