I nodded. “Sure.”
Damon studied me, clearly thrown off by my sudden change in attitude. But that didn’t matter. He was the one with a time limit now, not me.
Claire Bright was there too, and when she spotted me, she shot a dramatic eye–roll in my direction.
I looked straight at her. “Claire, you got something wrong with your eye?”
“What?” Claire blinked, caught off guard.
“Why’re you rolling your eyes at me? Do it again, and I’ll poke them out for you.”
Claire jerked to her feet, fuming, but Damon pushed her back down. “Claire, have some manners.”
Her face turned red with anger. “Damon, I can’t believe you’d talk to me like that!”
I raised my hand and slapped her across the face. Everyone froze, shocked.
Claire cupped her cheek, and Damon’s expression changed immediately.
“Callie Reid! How dare you hit me!”
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Claire Bright lunged at me like a wild animal, but Damon held her back firmly.
“Claire, calm down. Just let it go,” he said quietly.
Claire gradually settled down, glaring at me with a look that could burn a hole. “Callie Reid! Just wait. You’ll be the one crying next.”
Ignoring everyone’s stares, I calmly sat down and continued eating, not a care in the world. I even made Damon peel shrimp for me, and he obediently followed suit.
Claire couldn’t stand it and soon excused herself to the restroom. Not long after, Damon followed her.
One of Damon’s friends leaned over, smirking. “So, Miss Genius, what’s your trick? How’d you make the campus heartthrob fall for you so hard?”
I glanced up. “Simple. Get good grades, and he’ll suck up to you too.”
The guy laughed awkwardly, clearly not convinced.
Sometimes I wondered–if Claire and I were both guys, would Damon still throw his future away to help her?
Putting down my chopsticks, I casually walked to the restroom, finding Claire sobbing in Damon’s arms. “Damon, why are you always siding with her?” she wailed.
Damon held her close, whispering, “Just hang in there, Claire. Tomorrow, it’ll all be over.”
“This is for your college dreams. I’ll make sure you get into Cedarwood Law.”
Claire finally smiled, but it lasted only a moment before she froze. I was standing right there, and she stumbled out of Damon’s embrace, her voice cracking. “Callie, it’s not what you think. He was just comforting me,”
Damon’s expression went blank for a second. “Callie…”
“Explain?” I said with a mocking laugh. “Let’s break up.”
I’d only agreed to date him for fun anyway.
11:26 AM
<
D
Damon’s voice turned desperate. “The one I love is you, Callie. I don’t want to break up.” He had no idea how much I’d heard, so he was careful not to say too much.
Feigning heartbreak, I pointed to Claire. “Then why were you hugging her?”
- it.
Damon exhaled, relieved, and walked toward me slow
“She
Was just feeling down. I was comforting her.”
Claire nodded eagerly. “Yes, that’s all it was.”
Even though she hated me, Claire was trying hard to salvage my gr
“No. I want to break up. I don’t want something dirty.”
Damon’s face twisted with shock.
I left the restaurant, heading straight to the police station.
”
S
suchten destiny onglify face to stifle a laugh.
Putting on a helpless face, I said to the officer on duty, “Ma’am, we don’t have a computer at home. Can application?”
The officer was more than happy to help and waved me over. “What was your score?” she asked.
“Seven hundred and two.”
you help
me with my college
The officer gaped at me, then chuckled. “With that score, you’ll make it into Washington Ivy for sure, huh?”
I nodded. “I’d like to apply to their finance program.”
After I finished applying, a few small gifts were handed to me by the officers. One smiled and said, “Let us know when you get your acceptance letter! We’d be thrilled.”
With tears in my eyes, I promised, “I will.”
In my past life, I’d dreamed of this. In this one, I wouldn’t let it slip away.
When I got home, I found Damon waiting at my door. He jumped up as soon as he saw me.
“Callie, let me explain. There’s nothing between Claire and me. She’s just my mom’s friend’s daughter.”
I took a step back. “Leave me alone. I’d rather just think of you as some trash I stumbled upon, okay?”
“Wait…” Damon’s expression softened with what he thought was sincerity. Suddenly, his phone rang. He saw it was his dad and tried to silence
I smiled. “Go ahead and answer.”
Damon stared at me, then reluctantly answered, turning his back to me. I couldn’t hear much, but I knew what Mr. Everett would say.
I spoke up right behind him, “I already submitted my application.”
Damon froze, clutching his phone in silence.
“You still hoping for my score?” I asked quietly. “Planning to use it to get Claire into my college? Not a chance.”
