When the mock test result came out, my academic performance's ranking rose from the fifth to the third.

However, Eliza's ranking dropped from the 20th to the 30th.

Someone said, "How come Eliza's grades have slid so much?"

"And Claire's ranking has made it to the top two."

Eliza cast an angry glance at me with red eyes.

"Claire, now you're happy?

"You study so hard every day merely to convince everyone that Ethan shouldn't have picked me, don't you?"

Then, she rushed out.

She didn't come back even when the bell rang.

As the class monitor, I was sent by the teacher to look for Eliza.

Half an hour later, I found Eliza sitting on the flower bed by the basketball court.

Opposite her was Ethan who was humoring her in a low voice.

As Ethan said something, Eliza chuckled through tears.

The sunlight shone through the leaves on them. They looked like a loving couple.

Seeing me come over, Ethan narrowed his eyes and threw the basketball at me as if to stand up for Eliza.

But the basketball hit my hearing aid.

With a buzz, I couldn't hear anything completely in my left ear.

Obviously, Ethan didn't see that coming. A gleam of astonishment flashed in his eyes.

Then, he walked to me.

"Claire, transfer to another school.

"Eliza is short-tempered. She always falls out with me because of you."

In fact, a month ago, he asked me, "Claire, be my girlfriend after we finish high school, OK?"

I was busy preparing for the college entrance exam. So, I subconsciously wanted to refuse him.

Yet, Ethan said, "Claire, don't make things difficult for me.

"Eliza will be upset as long as you're here.

"You won't want your father to be put in a tough spot, right?"

My father was working at the Gilbert Group.

Ethan threatened me with my father's job for the sake of Eliza.

I knew my father had worked at the Gilbert Group for 23 years since he was 22 years old. I couldn't let him lose his job in middle age.

"OK."

Ethan seemed to be relieved. "I'll let you come back when she cools down."

It seemed that Eliza had heard his words. She walked over and held Ethan's hand arrogantly. "Ethan, I think Whitney High School is nice."

Whitney High School was the worst high school in Seattle.

Of course, Ethan knew that.

He just smiled casually, "Alright. You're the boss."

I clenched the shattered hearing aid and it bit into my palm deeply.

It hurt very much but it refrained me from shedding tears.

A while later, I tossed the broken hearing aid into the rubbish bin.

Then, I turned around and left.

Ethan had the transfer formalities processed very quickly for me.

The news that I'd transfer to another school was spread all over the school.

While I was packing my stuff, there was an outbreak of muttering. "Seriously? Did Ethan really expel Claire for the sake of Eliza? I thought Ethan and Claire were childhood sweethearts."

"I knew it. The childhood sweetheart can't compete with the late-coming love. Ethan was really nice to Claire. But since Eliza appeared, he has never gone home with Claire together."

"It's such a pity. Claire's grades are so good. She must be able to get into Harvard. But now that she has to transfer to another school, her grades will surely be affected."

"I heard she'll transfer to Whitney High School. That's a notorious school full of bullies. If Claire goes there, I'm afraid her efforts of years will be in vain."

***

Amidst everybody's sympathetic eyes, I carried my stuff and intended to leave.

When I got to the stairwell, I heard Ethan's friend say, "Do you forget that Claire has hearing problems? Will she be bullied if she goes to another school alone?

"You two have been friends since you were little. And you used to like her so much. Will you really make her leave?"

Ethan leaned against the wall and chuckled, "Why not? That was then. Don't you know a childhood sweetheart is no match for a late-coming love?

"Besides, I'll let her come back in three months."

Then, he seemed to perceive something and then raised his head.

He saw me standing at the stairwell.

As he spotted my red and swollen ear, his brows furrowed.

He subconsciously grabbed my hand. "Let's go. I'll buy you a new hearing aid.

"Just take it as compensation."

I shook my head. "No need. The old hearing aid was bought by you, anyway.

"Now we're even."

The moment he broke my hearing aid, the stinging pain in my ear made me have my heart set on cutting ties with Ethan.

Ethan was stunned.

That hearing aid was the gift he gave me on my 17th birthday.

Ethan's parents were strict with him, so he didn't have much pocket money. It took him two months' part-time salary and all his pocket money to buy me this hearing aid.

At that time, this 17-year-old man put the hearing aid on me while I was sleeping.

When I woke up and shed tears in surprise, he comforted me in panic.

Ethan was so nice to me that his mother, Nancy Gilbert, had asked me to be her daughter-in-law many times. Ethan grinned, "Of course. This is the girl I've taken care of for years. Surely, she'll marry me in the future."

Everybody believed that we'd go to college together, fall in love, and get married.

Ethan lived next door with his grandpa since he was little. We grew up together. He asked me to get up and carried my schoolbag for me.

He confessed his love to me and I agreed with a blush.

However, everything changed as Eliza came into our life.

When she made her appearance as the transfer student, Ethan stared at her for a while.

Then, I knew something had changed.

Afterward, as expected, Ethan and Eliza became closer. He no longer went to school with me. The back seat of his bike became Eliza's spot.

Even though I drew a distance from Ethan, Eliza still disliked me.

She pointed fingers at me, saying that I studied hard merely because I wanted to convince others that Ethan had made a wrong choice.

Gradually, even Ethan thought so and hated me for that.

Holding Eliza's hand, he scolded me for being too scheming.

Eliza also sniveled, accusing me of having no sense of boundary and coming between the two of them.

But in fact, I was Ethan's childhood sweetheart. It was he who confessed his love to me and asked me to be his girlfriend after high school.

Ethan stood aside and said nothing.

I was completely disappointed.

So, I kept a distance from Ethan and thought I could finish high school peacefully.

But today, I realized that it was merely my wishful thinking.

***

Ethan opened his mouth and wanted to say something.

Eliza said, "Ethan, let's go. We'll go home together."

He took a glance at me and still left.

When I was back home, my father said carefully that he wanted to quit his job and start his own business.

He asked me and my mom for our opinions.

"If I start a business, our life won't be as stable as now.

"And I'm short of funds. So, I want to sell our house and buy a new one in the suburbs.

"What do you say?"

My mother frowned. "Alfred, why don't you forget about it? Claire will go to college soon. After she finishes college, we'll need to help her prepare for the wedding. What if...

"We're old now."

They knew about me and Ethan. Hence, for years, even though many people tried to poach my father from the Gilbert Group, he was never swayed. He even worked rather hard and refused to leave because Ethan was the only son in his family.

My father pursed his lips. "You're right. Well..."

I interrupted him, "Dad, just start your own business. You have my support."

I knew my father's abilities. Having worked for years in this industry, he had rich experience and resources.

These years, because my grandparents had health problems, our family didn't have much savings.

My father must be eager to start his own business and have thought it over. Otherwise, he wouldn't ask us at this moment.

"Do what you want to do."

My father's eyes turned red.

My mother also chimed in, "Claire has grown up indeed.

"Alfred, just go ahead."

***

After we made the decision, my mother immediately contacted a real estate agent.

Old as the house was, it was in the center of the city. And the price my father asked for was quite reasonable. So, the house sales contract was signed shortly.

The buyer agreed to let us stay in the house for a few more days.

My parents would go house-hunting in the suburbs when they clocked off every day.

On my birthday, my mother knocked off work early and asked me to take a few pieces of birthday cake to the Gilberts.

I hesitated for a while.

Yet, urged by my mother, I went to the Gilberts' house.

She didn't know it was Ethan who made me transfer to another school.

After all, Ethan told everybody that it was my own decision to transfer to another school.

My mother disagreed with that, but as the transfer procedure had been handled, she just heaved a sigh and said nothing.

It was Nancy who opened the door.

She was delighted to see me. "Hi, Claire."

"Hi, Nancy. My mother sent me to bring you some cake."

Shortly after I said that, I heard some laughter from Ethan's room. That was Eliza's voice.

As expected, when the door was opened, Eliza, who was wearing a skirt, walked out of Ethan's room.

Nancy gave an embarrassed look. "Claire, Ethan has her over here..."

I knew what she wanted to say and then shook my head. "It's OK. The cake is already here. I gotta go."

Then, I just left.

Nancy's voice came from behind, "Ethan, you're going too far. Didn't you use to like Claire? You'll break her heart.

"Claire must be mad."

Then, Ethan's casual voice followed, "Whatever."

***

The next morning, my parents and I moved into a new house.

Due to the price, my father chose a finely decorated second-hand house.

It happened to be close to Whitney High School.

The day when I went to Whitney High School, I rejected my parents' offer to take me to the school.

I knew my father had just started his business and must have a lot to handle.

So, I went to the Whitney High School with my schoolbag alone.

The headteacher, Gary Kempton, was a chubby bald man. Upon seeing me, he beamed with delight.

When I got to the classroom, there was a noise inside.

Because my left ear couldn't hear anything and my right ear was rather acute, I was freaked out when somebody fell off the chair.

Gary comforted me with a smile, "Don't be afraid. Just wait a second."

Then, he rushed inside and yelled, "Everybody, be quiet."

No one paid attention to him...

He shouted with a blush, "Otherwise, I'd call your parents."

Finally, the class quieted down.

"Today, we've got a new transfer student."

I walked in and stood on the desk podium, saying, "Hello everyone. My name is Claire Shaw."

A sensation was caused among the students. "The transfer student is so pretty."

"Hurry. Check if my hairstyle looks good today."

A grumpy voice came from the corner of the classroom, "So noisy!"

Instantly, a silence reigned in the classroom.

I was a bit startled. After hesitating for a bit, Gary asked me to sit in front of that guy.

Hearing that, I couldn't help hesitating.

Gary comforted me, "It's fine. He won't beat girls."

I was speechless.

This guy seemed quite violent.

My deskmate was a girl. She introduced herself to me, "My name is Mary Waller. You can call me Mary."

I nodded.

As the teacher walked in, I took out my textbook.

The academic progress in Whitney High School was different indeed.

During class, almost all students were doing their own things.

Some were sleeping, some were reading novels, and some even doing manicures.

Notes flew over my head back and forth.

The teacher seemed quite used to the scene. She took a few sips of tea and then picked up the textbook. "Where was I?"

I reminded her, "The third question."

She nodded, "Yes."

Then, she looked at me in shock. "I can't believe a student is actually listening to me."

It was not until Mary walked me through that I realized that Class 13, where I was allocated, was actually at the bottom of the grade.

The whole class was full of all the backward students in the school.

After I transferred to this school, Gary had begged the school principal in tears before he had me in his class.

Watching Mary eating ice cream in class, I felt this world was so bizarre and lively for the first time.

Afterward, the teacher appeared more passionate about lecturing.

Then a few students started to focus as they were impacted by the teacher.

When the class was over, everyone rushed out of the classroom, except for the boy sitting in the corner.

He still didn't wake up.

The school gate would close shortly.

I went forward to remind him, "Hey, school is over."

That guy raised his head and opened his eyes.

He stared right at me.

Then, he curled his lips.

"Thank you, honey."

I was shocked.

This guy was not only fierce but also called me honey at first sight.

The next second, he stood up. It was then that I realized that he was actually a few centimeters taller than Ethan, who was 185 cm.

Without explaining himself, he grabbed his coat and put it over his shoulders.

"Let's go.

"The school gate will close soon."

I came to myself and replied, "Oh."

Then, I just followed him.

The guy was tall.

Holding a black bike with one hand, he looked rather dashing.

Passers-by all laid their gaze on him.

But he seemed to have been used to this.

I deliberately walked slowly to draw a distance from him.

But I found he was walking slower and slower.

As the sun shone in front of him, his shadow paused by my feet.

He turned around to look at me. "Hey, even a snail can walk faster than you."

I was speechless.

He was such an instant buddy.

On the way back home, I realized that he and I lived in the same neighborhood.

He found that too and then curled his lips.

Later, I learned from Mary that his name was Felix Jolly.

He was the campus bully at Whitney High School.

It was said when he went to the canteen, he'd be followed by many people and called boss.

"A gangster he must be!" I thought.

One day, at noon, I saw a bunch of guys following Felix in the canteen and rushing forward with his meal card. "Felix, I've run out of my allowance this month. You gotta help me."

"Me too. Boss! You're my boss!"

Felix seemed to have perceived my gaze and then took a glance at me before saying, "Get lost!"

But he still took his meal card back.

The other guys left at once.

It turned out this was why they called Felix boss.

A few days later, Gary demanded we form study pairs.

In other words, the first place would help the last place with his study.

The second place would help the last but one place, and so on.

"OK, let's start the division.

"Start from Claire then.

"Who's the last place? Hands up."

A guy in front of me immediately meant to stand up and raise his hand.

All of a sudden, someone behind me stood up and said in a cold voice, "Me."

That guy turned his head. "Come on, Felix. Your score was two points higher than mine.

"Gary, I'm the last place.

"Claire, help me out here."

A few days ago, I was made the head monitor.

Felix darted a glance at him. "I cheated in the last exam."

That guy sat down and mumbled, "Did you have to cheat to get a few more points only?"

I was rendered speechless.

When I was tutoring Felix, I was surprised to see he barely did the questions during the exam.

Then I asked him to complete a test paper.

He actually almost got full marks.

Then how come he was at the bottom of the ranking?

Curious, I checked his other test papers.

Then the mystery was solved—he sucked at liberal arts subjects.

After I explained a few questions to him, he understood them very quickly.

Sure enough, those adept at maths were bright.

I actually grew a bit jealous.

After all, I started doing my homework independently in primary school and almost never went out on weekends.

After getting admitted to Central High School, I studied till midnight every day. Whenever I felt sleepy, I'd go to the bathroom, wash my face with cold water, and continue to review what I learned during the day.

On the contrary, after I explained to him a few points briefly, he could grasp them perfectly and even extrapolate them.

After tutoring him for a while, I was surprised to realize he had an excellent memory.

But his writing skills were horribly poor.

I tried to teach him to write better, saying, "When writing, try to add more details to make your articles more vivid."

After a while, he leaned against the desk behind him.

Arching an eyebrow, he said, "For example?"

I looked at him. "Why don't you give it a go? Remember—details."

He chuckled.

"OK. For example, the head monitor and I both fell asleep lying on the desk."

"Yeah, great. And now with details..."

I looked at him, encouraging him with my eyes.

It was early summer, and it was a bit hot. I picked up the juice my mom had brought and took a sip.

He looked at me, his eyes deep. "The head monitor and I slept together, and it was so wild."

I couldn't help but spit out the juice.