Chapter 2

Bella hurried after me, hesitated, then asked, "Amanda, you really don't like Jason anymore? Guess I'm out of business..."

She quickly added, "Come on, don't cry. There are tons of guys out there. He's not the only fish in the sea."

I let out a bitter laugh. "I'm not crying. I'm seriously pissed off."

If only I'd seen through Jason sooner, maybe I wouldn't have ended up so miserable in my last life.

Bella looked totally lost, but I changed the subject. "Have you eaten yet? My treat."

She nodded eagerly.

*****

We headed to a trendy restaurant off campus.

In my last life, I was so obsessed with Jason that I hardly hung out with my college friends.

Honestly, that was kind of a shame.

We'd just finished ordering when a group suddenly showed up at the entrance.

Leading the group were two faces I knew all too well.

Sophie was the first to spot me.

She asked, "Amanda, did you pick this place because you knew Jason won the game and is celebrating here?"

Her comment got everyone glancing our way.

Jason looked at me, his expression conflicted, clearly buying into what she said.

Bella leaned in and whispered, "Should we go somewhere else?"

I shook my head, keeping my voice steady. "No need."

Why should I change my plans because of him?

Seeing me stay silent, Sophie's face turned grim.

Her eyes lit up as she tugged on Jason's sleeve." Jason, since we booked a big table, why not invite them to join us?"

Jason didn't take his eyes off me.

Back in the day, I would've been over the moon and probably blurted out something embarrassing.

But this time, I politely declined. "No need. We've already ordered."

I shifted my gaze away, deliberately ignoring Jason's sour expression.

After we finished eating, I was about to pay when Jason showed up behind me out of nowhere.

"Let me get it," he said.

Before I could say anything, Jason continued, "Think of it as payback for all those bottles of water you used to bring me."

"No need," I replied, my voice flat. "I was too naive. It had nothing to do with you."

With that, I settled the bill and walked out of the restaurant without looking back.

Bella caught up to me, sighing nonstop, "Amanda, is this your new tactic? Did you see Jason's face now? Tsk, he looked totally stunned."

I smiled, saying nothing.

It was not her fault.

She'd seen how crazy I used to be about Jason.

She'd seen how I completely lost myself chasing after him.

No one believed I could ever get over Jason.

*****

For the next few days, I did my best to avoid any interaction with Jason.

I stayed away from every other extracurricular he was involved in, except for the elective I'd only chosen because of him.

Since I knew he'd be playing, I made sure to steer clear of the basketball court.

I thought things would stay this peaceful.

That was until one day, I got a call from Bella.

She asked, "Hey, Amanda, can you lend me some money? I accidentally got a customer's clothes dirty..."

Before I could respond, Sophie jumped in, her tone full of attitude.

"Oh, come on! Don't give me that crap. I know you did it on purpose," Sophie snapped.

I instantly got a bad feeling.

"Where are you?" I asked.

Bella sounded like she was about to cry. "The place I work part-time..."

I hopped in a cab right away, not because Bella was the first real friend I'd made since my second chance at life, but also because I suspected Sophie was deliberately giving her a hard time.

Sure enough, when I arrived, Sophie was sitting right next to Jason.

"This outfit was a gift from Jason. He bought it with his scholarship. Admit it, you did it on purpose, didn't you?" Sophie said.

Bella stood off to the side, looking nervous and apologizing again and again.

I stepped up and shielded her behind me, making it clear I was here to protect her.

"How much for the outfit?" I asked.

Sophie narrowed her eyes at me.

"So you called in reinforcements, huh?" she snarked.

She started to say something else, but Jason stepped in and cut her off. "Alright, let's drop it."

I blinked, surprised. Everyone knew he and Sophie were childhood sweethearts.

Sophie's expression turned sour, but she didn't say another word.

I pulled out my phone.

"Tell me your account. I'll cover the cleaning fees for that dress," I said calmly.

Jason's expression grew cold. "No need."

I couldn't be bothered to argue, so I pulled out some cash from my pocket.

"This should be enough, right?" I asked. "My friend still needs this job. If you have any more problems, take it up with me. Don't make trouble for the other customers."

Bella's voice was choked up, almost on the verge of tears. "Sorry, Amanda, for causing you trouble. I'll pay you back as soon as I can."

I patted her shoulder gently.

When I left, Jason followed me out.

"If you wanted to see me, you didn't have to pull a stunt like this," he said coldly.

I blinked, not getting it. "Huh?"

"You really care so much about your friend?" Jason asked.

I nodded. "Yeah. Can't I?"

Watching him act like this, I honestly couldn't remember what I ever saw in him.

Jason dropped that topic and said, "Let me take you home."

"No need," I said, ignoring the murderous look Sophie shot me from the doorway.

"Let's keep our distance," I added.

Once I got in the cab, I called my mom.

"Mom, I want to go study overseas," I said.

In my last life, my mom had already wanted me to study abroad.

But I ended up staying here, all because I wanted to stick by Jason.

My mom couldn't hide the happiness in her voice. "Great, I'll get everything arranged right away."

After hanging up, I stared out the window.

I felt a bit dazed. So much in my life was different now.

I used to be crazy in love with Jason, but now, he was really nothing to write home about.

I started focusing all my energy on my studies, aiming for top grades so I could qualify for the exchange program.

Sometimes, I'd catch sight of Jason and Sophie together, but I pretended not to notice.

Seven days before I was set to leave the country, my mom called. "Honey, Alex is back. Will you drop by home tonight?"

Alex? The neighbor guy who was really good at painting?

"I'll come home tomorrow," I replied calmly. "I'm going to a friend's birthday party tonight."

My mom added, "Well, have Alex pick you up after it's over."

"Alright," I replied.