Chapter 2

Over the weekend, Ryan was out early and back late. When he came home in the middle of the night, he explained, "We were just talking, only checked in together for a bit. That's all."

On Sunday night, Ryan's mother, Joss Evans, came back from her business trip and called me over for dinner.

Joss stared at me, her face blank and voice icy. "Ryan's hardly ever home these days, and his grades have slipped. Aren't you supposed to help him study?"

I automatically sat up straighter and finally mumbled, "This test was pretty tough."

Joss suddenly put down her fork, slowly dabbed her hands with a handkerchief, not even bothering to look at me. "You've done really well all these years. He listens to you, stays out of trouble, and gets decent grades. I always thought you had potential.

"But lately, he's acting out of control. If you can't keep him in line, maybe you're not the right person to be his live-in study support anymore."

I was actually Ryan's live-in study support, but he had no clue.

I did my schooling at my grandma's place and only came home to Eastivelle to spend the holidays with my parents.

But Ryan seemed to really like me. Every time I was back, he'd stick to me like glue.

Ryan would always blurt out, "Emily, let's hit up the amusement park! Emily, I want to do my homework with you."

When the break was over and I had to head back for school at my grandma's, Ryan would pout and cling to Joss, begging, "Mom, can I transfer to Emily's school? I don't want to be away from her!"

Joss didn't take it seriously.

That was until we hit sixth grade, and Ryan skipped school, bought a ticket, and snuck off to my grandma's place to find me.

Our parents couldn't help but laugh. "Why don't we just set up a childhood engagement? They can wait till college to tie the knot."

But that same year, my dad's factory went up in flames. My parents were trying to lead their workers to safety, but they never made it out alive.

The fire claimed their lives, and losing her own child was just too much for Grandma. She couldn't bear the grief and passed away not long after.

People I used to call family changed overnight. Suddenly, the shares in my parents' company became just prizes to fight over, and they snatched up every last thing that was worth anything.

It was Joss who stepped in, hired a lawyer, and made sure one of my parents' houses—right next door to the Evans' place—was saved for me.

I ended up as an orphan with nothing but an empty house.

Then Joss handed me an agreement: [Emily Carter must supervise Ryan Evans' studies all the way to his college, as payback for the help I've given her.]

And just like that, I left my quiet hometown and transferred to Eastivelle.

I became Ryan's study companion. My main job was to keep him on track at school. To everyone else, I was just his little tagalong.

Those years without my parents were the toughest of my life.

Ryan was the one who stood by me through it all. I was grateful to him, and honestly, I did have feelings for him, too.

But now, all that was left was the debt I owed for all those years he'd been there for me. So I decided to see him through his SAT, and after that, I would leave.

That night, Ryan came back with a cup of coffee for me.

I said, "Joss was asking why your grades have been dropping."

He raised an eyebrow. "You didn't rat me out, did you?"

I replied, "No. I'm tutoring you lately."

He smirked. "I've got to clock in for daily romance. No time for anything else.

"Oh, and starting tomorrow, I'll be picking Sophie up to and from school. You be extra careful on your bike, alright?"

As soon as Ryan left, Sophie texted me. She sent over a photo of the two of them, locked in a messy kiss, a trail of saliva still connecting their lips. Her message read: [Hey Emily, I'm working on training your guy. You just kick back and enjoy the perks.]

Suddenly, it was like that tense string inside me finally snapped.

Oddly, I actually felt lighter somehow.

The next day, as soon as I walked into the classroom, I found out that Sophie had added me to a group chat.

Sophie: [Hey Emily, just so you don't get the wrong idea, I pulled you in so you can witness our romance check-in game in real time.]

Sophie: [Day two of our relationship. Ryan called to wake me up, picked me up for school, and even bought me my favorite sandwich.]

A bunch of people started chiming in after that.

[This is too cute. I'm living for it!]

[Oh my god, that's so romantic!]

[Wish I had some tall, rich, handsome guy to play this whole love game with me.]

I took a bite of the sandwich in my hand. It made me think back to Sophie's second day after she transferred in. I'd brought her one just like this, fresh from the shop.

She practically jumped into a hug, squealing, "Emily, thank you! Seriously, you're so sweet."

But the next moment, I caught her tossing the sandwich into a bathroom trash can, mumbling, "Ugh, trash. And just like that scent she always carries. Totally turns my stomach."

Just then, someone strolled past my desk and teased, "Emily, are you eating a sandwich now just to be like Sophie?"

My go-to breakfast was always a sandwich and milk—a habit I brought over from living with my grandma.

Ryan always stayed up way too late and could never drag himself out of bed in the morning.

School mornings were always a mad dash; we'd scarf down breakfast in the car, and then head straight into morning reading once class started.

No wonder some people had never seen me eat like this before.

I said, "No, it's not like that."

Not that anyone was paying attention.