Chapter 2

Chapter 2

I didn't know how I made it back to the dorm.

I drew the curtains and curled up like a hedgehog hiding from the world.

This incident would take a long time to heal from.

My teenage crush had ended in utter embarrassment.

Lying on the bed, images of Liam kept flashing through my mind.

We both came from Westwood High School.

The county was struggling, and Westwood High, although the best school, only saw a handful of students make it to prestigious universities each year.

In that small town, Liam was like the male lead in a teen drama.

He was six feet tall, handsome, played basketball, and was the student council president-the dream guy. His parents were both teachers.

And I was a poor student from the countryside, always wearing the plain clothes my grandmother made.

I looked plain and unremarkable, with a dull and dusty appearance.

To me, he was someone out of reach.

I was captivated by him the first time I saw him on the basketball court during our first year of high school.

His fair skin and handsome features made him stand out in the crowd.

Just as I was lost in thought, a basketball came flying towards me.

"Could you pass the ball over, thanks!"

He was wearing his basketball uniform, and the sweat on his forehead glistened in the sunlight.

I kicked the ball over and stood there dazed for a long time.

A few of the boys playing basketball nudged each other and winked at Liam, pointing at me.

He turned to look at me, smiled, and his eyes twinkled like the night sky.

A small crush began to grow in my heart.

I thought I could keep this little seedling buried deep inside me.

But as luck would have it, we ended up in the same class.

He sat just to my right and in front of me.

Every time I looked up, I could see his profile.

In high school, it was popular to give a symbolic apple for good luck.

Every year, girls would crowd around the windows to give gifts.

"Hey, can you help me give this apple to Liam?"

I somehow found myself agreeing to the task.

Then I skipped dinner to save money and picked out the reddest apple from a vendor outside the school, asking the vendor to wrap it nicely for me.

I placed both apples on his desk, trying to sound nonchalant.

"Liam, this is from that girl outside."

But my evasive eyes betrayed my nervousness.

He leaned back casually against the desk behind him, chugging a bottle of water. His school jacket was half off, revealing the shirt underneath.

"Thanks!"

I watched him put the apple into his drawer and finally breathed a sigh of relief.

I knew he got hungry easily after playing basketball, so I saved my own meal money to buy snacks to keep in his drawer.

Just so that when he asked his classmates for food, I could pretend to have snacks on hand.

For three years in high school, I kept my little secret close to my heart.

My teenage years weren't exciting or glamorous; they were spent buried in books day after day.

Liam was an athlete and got a recommendation to Waterfalls University.

When I found out, I quietly worked even harder.

I wore thick glasses and stayed in the classroom from dawn till dusk.

The clock on the wall ticked away, year after year. During the final sprint in senior year, whenever I felt exhausted, the math problems seemed impossible, and my grades slipped, I would hide under the covers and cry silently. Every time I wanted to give up, I would look up at Liam and pick up my pen again, scribbling on the paper.

For three years, he was my guiding light.

On the day we left school, I looked out from the fourth-floor classroom. The sunset painted the sky red, as if celebrating my success.

I walked towards the exam hall with confidence, crafting my future with each word I wrote.

My grades were excellent, and I didn't hesitate to apply to Waterfalls University.

Later, when we both got into the same university, we started interacting more.

I continued to keep my feelings hidden.

I never dared to cross the line.

If it weren't for today's farce, I would have buried my love deep inside me forever.

But Liam's joke left me with no way out.

My embarrassing feelings were exposed for everyone to see.

At that moment, I thought Liam was truly despicable.

For three years, I felt like a joke.