- 9.
Watching him walk away, I felt a sense of
release.
He wasn’t the Ethan of ten years from now. He
was just the boy who didn’t like Mia.
<
After the mid–term exams, I finally got my wish
and changed seats.
And then she arrived at Southwood.
Our homeroom teacher walked in, followed by a
delicate–looking girl with a shy demeanor. The
kind of girl you instinctively wanted to protect.
Olivia Reed. Ethan’s first love from my past life.
Olivia took my old seat, the one in front of
Ethan.
Just like before, the teacher asked me to tutor
Olivia in math.
Unlike before, I refused.
“Mia, do you… not like me?” Olivia stood
before me, clutching her math book, looking
utterly forlorn.
<
As she spoke, Ethan walked back into the
classroom.
Since our conversation about the future, he’d
kept his distance, only observing me from afar.
Just like now. He sat at his desk, watching us.
I kept my head down, working on a problem.
“No, I just don’t want to waste my time.”
The implication being: you’re too dumb, I don’t
want to teach you.
Olivia seemed to get the message. Her face
flushed crimson.
I had to admit, she looked genuinely
heartbroken.
She stammered, “Did I… do something to upset
you?”
く
I looked up, a flicker of annoyance crossing my
face.
This was how she always was in my past life,
making me look like the bad guy in Ethan’s eyes.
I glanced at her and stood up, scoffing. “If that’s what you want to think. And you’re blocking the light.”
I lightly tapped her shirt with the cap of my pen,
signaling for her to move.
And then she fell.
Just… fell.
I was stunned.
Knocked over by a pen cap? This was a new
level of dramatic.
<
And of course, Ethan chose that exact moment
to walk over.
And of course, Olivia fell right into his arms.
Please, just get together already and stop
tormenting other people.
Olivia leaned against Ethan, tears welling in her
eyes. She sniffled delicately. “I just wanted to
ask you about a math problem. I didn’t mean to
make you mad, Mia. I’m sorry. Ethan, I’m okay,
thank you.”
Ugh…
Ethan frowned at the damsel in distress in his
arms. I expected him to explode at me.
Instead, he let go. Olivia, caught off guard,
landed on the floor with a thud, her eyes wide
with shock.
<
Mine were too.
((
€9)
Ethan glanced at her impatiently and scoffed.
“Try not to make it so obvious next time.”
So he could see through her pathetic act.
I shook my head, grabbed my water bottle, and walked past him.
Some things, once lost, are lost forever.
Ethan followed me out.
