The classroom was empty after school, so every voice sounded louder than usual.

"Chester, I really do love Edward." Nevaeh stood there, holding Edward's hand. The two of them leaned close together, their bond firm and unshakable.

I snapped back to the present and looked at their still-youthful faces. For a moment, everything felt unreal.

My throat tightened, and I said nothing. I just bent down to pick up my backpack from the floor.

My hands were shaking. I tried to pull the zipper closed, but it kept slipping.

Nevaeh watched me, her tone as icy and sharp as ever. "If you want to cry, then cry. I'm not changing my mind."

Edward, who was usually so proud, had his head lowered. His voice sounded almost humble.

"I'm sorry. This is my fault. I shouldn't have shown up in Nevaeh's life. If you want to hit me or yell at me, I'll take it."

I did not even look at him. My eyes stayed on Nevaeh.

She immediately reached out and pulled Edward back up when he started to kneel.

"This isn't his fault," she said. "I just didn't understand my own feelings before."

Then, she looked at me and said the words that still cut just as deep, even after living through all of this once already.

"I only ever saw you as a brother."

Even with a second chance at life, I still could not accept that.

Every morning on the way to school, she used to bring me my favorite blueberry muffins, still warm in the bag.

On rainy days, when my favorite shoes got dirty, she would crouch down, not caring about how she looked, and wipe them clean for me.

All those years, whenever people teased that we were destined to get married, she never once denied it.

However, in the end, I was just a brother to her.

I nodded and forced a smile.

"All right. We'll cancel the engagement. You two can be together. I'll talk to my parents."

She froze for a second, clearly not expecting me to give in so easily.

"You don't have to worry," she added, her tone softening a little. "I'll still treat you the same as before."

She reached out, but I stepped back slightly.

"I'm not feeling well today. I'm heading home."

I practically ran out of the school building. Only after I jumped into the car that had come to pick me up did my racing heart finally settle.

My phone rang in my pocket. It was my sister, Tracy Smith.

"Chester! Have you thought about what I told you last time?"

Her bright, eager voice poured through the speaker. "With your grades, staying here to study that boring finance stuff would be such a waste! Come to Hollandia and study media. You can keep me company, too! Okay?"

I held the phone as my mind drifted to an old box of my mom's books. Inside were neatly arranged records from her days as a reporter, stories of the risks she took and the things she uncovered.

When I was little, I loved flipping through those pages. Back then, I thought my mom was the bravest person in the world. Because of her, I fell in love with that career and decided I wanted to study media, too.

However, Nevaeh wanted to attend Brookshire University for finance, so I changed my path just to stay by her side.

"Tracy," I cut her off mid-sentence. My voice was still a little hoarse, but it was steady. "I've decided. I'm coming to Hollandia."

There was instant silence on the other end. A few seconds passed before she spoke again, disbelief clear in her voice. "Really? Are you sure? What about Nevaeh? Can you really let her go?"

Nevaeh…

I looked down at the empty water bottle in my hand, and suddenly, a memory from that morning hit me.

My throat had been dry, but the water dispenser at school was broken, so I could not get any water.

I saw Nevaeh carefully hand her own cup to Edward, her voice soft.

"Drink slowly. It's really cold."

At the time, I had been too focused on fixing my mistakes in a problem set to think much of it.

However, that memory overlapped with other memories with Nevaeh, who would always notice I was thirsty before I did and get up right away to fetch water for me.

The care that once belonged only to me had been given to someone else, unchanged, as if it had never been mine at all.

I spoke into the phone, my voice quiet but firm. "She likes someone else. I'm not going to force my way in between them."

After I said that, I hung up and shoved the empty bottle deep into my backpack.

When I got home, I told my parents about my plan to study abroad.

They were overjoyed and immediately started making arrangements.

Then they told me that with my grades, I could leave as soon as I graduated high school.

Three months…

There were only three months left until graduation. I let out a breath I did not realize I had been holding.

Just three months.

After that, Nevaeh and I would have nothing to do with each other anymore.

The next morning, I got up early on purpose so I could miss Nevaeh, who usually came to walk to school with me.

By the time she walked into the classroom, I had already previewed the lessons for that day.

Edward was right beside her. In his hand was my favorite blueberry muffin.

Nevaeh met my eyes. She quickly looked a little embarrassed and tried to explain.

"I heard from your driver that you came early today. I was going to bring this for you, but Edward was hungry."

I lowered my head again, flipping through my book like nothing mattered.

"It's fine."

She walked over quietly. "Don't be mad about this. Do you want me to go buy you another one?"

She still thought I was the same short-tempered guy I used to be.

However, I had already lived through this once.

I just shook my head. "I'm not mad."

It was only a blueberry muffin. I could buy as many as I wanted for myself.

With that thought, I pulled out the muffin I had left untouched in my drawer and started eating it right in front of her.

Edward, who had been standing behind her looking a little smug, froze for a second.

Nevaeh let out a small breath of relief when she saw. "I guess I won't need to bring you blueberry muffins anymore."

As she said that, she took out a notebook from her bag.

"Your math scores haven't been great lately. I stayed up late to organize these notes for you. Take a look!"

Maybe due to her guilt, the notes were even more detailed than before. They were clear enough that even an idiot could understand them.

I took the notebook, then handed it straight to Edward with a gentle smile.

"I think you need this more than me."

Edward's face darkened instantly. "Chester, are you trying to make me mad?"

"I know I'm not as strong in math as you are, but Nevaeh's always made notes for you. Now you give her notes to me right in front of her, actually because you're blaming me for the connection between us, don't you?"

As he kept talking, his whole body started trembling, as if he had just been deeply humiliated.

I had not expected his reaction to be that dramatic.

Nevaeh stepped forward and pulled him into her arms, gently comforting him. Then, she looked at me. "I know you're upset, but don't make things hard for Edward. He has his pride."

I almost laughed.

How had I never noticed before that Nevaeh could be so blind?

Edward tugged on her sleeve and shook his head. "Don't argue with Chester because of me. This really is my fault. Maybe I'm just too insecure, so I misunderstood him.

"I'm sorry."

Before Nevaeh could even respond, I spoke first. "No, I'm the one who should apologize. I didn't realize I hurt your feelings."

Nevaeh froze.

Even Edward opened his mouth then closed it again, clearly not expecting that from me.

I looked at Nevaeh and placed the notebook back into her hands.

"From now on, you don't need to come find me anymore. I don't want Edward to feel uncomfortable."

With that, I turned and went back to my seat, burying myself in my studies again.

Only Nevaeh remained standing there, unable to snap out of her shock for a long time.

Maybe what I said had had some effect, as Nevaeh stopped looking for me.

It lasted for a few days before she started again, stubborn as ever. She would press her notes into my hands, and sometimes she would stay behind, insisting on helping me work through problems.

"Aren't you coming to Brookshire University with me to study finance? Your math still needs work."

For once, I did not argue.

In her world, I was still the same guy who would follow her without hesitation, no matter what she chose.

Maybe in this new life, we could at least be friends, even if we could not be together.

However, every time I looked up from studying, tired and unfocused, I would catch Edward staring at me with quiet resentment.

Then, one month before final exams, everything snapped.

I had just walked out of the school gates and was about to head to the bookstore across the street to pick up some reference books. I saw Nevaeh rushing toward me.

She was dragging Edward along with her. His face was pale, and there was blood on his clothes.

Before I could even react, she stopped right in front of me.

"Chester!" Her voice was tight, her anger barely held in. "You hate him so much that you hired people to beat him up outside of school?"

I froze.

I looked at Edward. Half his face was swollen, and the way he looked at me was full of fear and anger.

"I have no idea what you're talking about." I frowned, a sense of disbelief rising in my chest.

"No idea?" Nevaeh let out an icy laugh that quickly caught the attention of the students nearby, who began turning to look.

"When those thugs were kicking him, they said Mr. Smith told them to teach Edward a lesson. Who else would use such disgusting methods besides you?

"So this is the real you! All that patience was just an act."

I looked at Edward. He was trembling.

"Chester, if you've got the guts, fight me fair and square instead of pulling dirty tricks like this.

"We're both guys. You should be ashamed of yourself for chickening out.” As he spoke, his body shook even more.

"I didn't do it." I looked straight at Nevaeh, my voice calm. "I wouldn't stoop that low."

"Where's your proof? Who's going to believe you?"

She would not listen. Edward's condition and his words had completely clouded her judgment.

She paused for a moment, like she was making a final decision. Then, her voice turned icy, each word clear and sharp. "Edward. Hit him back, just like how he hit you."

The words exploded in my ears. I stared at Nevaeh in disbelief.

She was telling Edward to hit me.

All my life, even my parents had never laid a hand on me.

Edward looked startled, too. He shook his head.

"Nevaeh…"

"Do it!" She shoved him lightly toward me, then grabbed hold of me, her hands locking me in place. "He owes you. I'm right here. No one's going to touch you ever again!"

More and more students gathered around us, their whispers buzzing like a swarm of mosquitoes.

Under all those eyes, Edward looked even more helpless and fragile. He raised his hand slowly, his fingers trembling.

It was as if he finally made up his mind.

He shut his eyes and swung.

Smack!

The sound was sharp and loud.

Pain burned across my face. The force was strong enough to make my ears ring. I tried to struggle, but Nevaeh's grip tightened, her nails digging into me in warning. She was born with immense strength. However, she hesitated when she saw the blood trickling from my nose.

She probably had not expected Edward to hit that hard. Something flickered in her eyes.

When she saw Edward standing there, shaking after the slap, she immediately let go of me and gave him a hug.

"It's okay now."

Then, she looked back at me. "I'm still willing to tutor you if you apologize properly now. We can still go to Brookshire University together.

"You’ve always wanted us to move out, right? We could even buy a place near campus…"

I looked at her.

Suddenly, I laughed.

"Brookshire University? You can go with Edward.

"I won't be joining you two."