All for Nothing

"All because of Leo Cullen’s words, I gave up a place at a top-tier university in Ceres and stayed behind to retake the entrance exams with him—three times.By the fourth year, a girl arrived at our cram school, and Leo forgot the promise we made.He started skipping class, picking fights, smoking—doing everything but studying.One day, I stood at the school gate, blocking his path with a textbook in hand as he tried to ditch class.He smirked, unimpressed, and blew a bubble with his gum, letting it stick to the ends of my hair.“Naomi…,” he began, “who still cares about studying these days?”So I stopped caring and avoided him entirely.When he fooled around in the classroom, I went to the library.When he played basketball, I sat in a quiet corner with my books.Even when I craved noodles from my favorite shop, I’d scan the room first to make sure he wasn’t there.“Are you avoiding me, Naomi?” he asked later, his face in a frown.I shook my head.“Why would you think that?”"