Chapter 1
During my sophomore year, a new girl transferred into our class.
She was cute and innocent, and her grades were top-notch.
But honestly, she seemed a little off in the head.
She kept insisting that she and my childhood friend were the fated couple, like the ultimate OTP straight out of a campus romance novel.
And to make things even weirder, there were these floating comments around her, as if the universe itself was backing up her claims.
[Healing little sun girl x moody top student, now that's the flavor!]
'Brooding? Seriously?' I thought to myself.
'So who was that needy puppy begging me for hugs last night?'
I squinted, pulling my gaze away from Liam.
Then I glanced at the new girl standing up front.
Lillian Ashford had long, slightly wavy hair, a petite, almond-shaped face, and baby-soft skin so perfect that even with my eagle eyes, I couldn't spot a single flaw.
She radiated confidence.
She was the textbook sunshine girl heroine, straight out of a school romance novel.
How did I know she was the heroine straight out of a school romance novel?
Well, that was all thanks to those pop-up comments floating around her.
[Lillian really is the school romance heroine, she grabbed everyone's attention the second she walked in!]
[Even the brooding top student by the window can't stop staring at Lillian.]
[Obviously, Lillian's way more gorgeous than anything outside the window.]
By the window?
I looked around, since the right side was next to the hallway and there was nothing to see, it had to be the left.
On the left, the front row was all girls, and in the back row by the window, there were only four guys.
Combining what the comments said about the top student, I thought. Wait, does that mean...
I quickly looked over at Liam's seat.
Seriously? Liam? Brooding? The male lead?
I just couldn't wrap my head around it.
I nudged my desk mate, and she immediately leaned closer, ears perked up to listen.
"Quinny, did you see the new girl..." I started.
Wait, why can't I say it?
Quinny leaned in, whispering, "Come on, what is it? Spill!"
"It's... something right next to her..." I tried to say, but the words just stuck in my throat.
Ugh, seriously? I can see it, but I can't even talk about it?
"Serena, don't just leave me hanging like that..." Quinny turned to me, annoyed, not even caring if the teacher noticed.
"Serena, what's up with you? Why do you look like you just saw a ghost?" she asked, concern in her voice.
Finally, I realized, I couldn't actually talk about this weird pop-up phenomenon out loud.
"It's just... look at how smooth the new girl's skin is. How does a high schooler even have skin that perfect?" I said.
"Seriously, she doesn't even get pimples!" Quinny chimed in, not doubting a thing.
Looks like she can't see the pop-up comments. Am I the only one who can see them?
Is this world actually a freaking novel?
So does that mean my whole future's already written out? Am I even gonna make it into my dream college?
I rested my chin on my hand, trying hard to remember if I'd ever read a story with a main character named Lillian.
If I could just remember, maybe I'd find some clue about what was going to happen to me, Serena.
Historical stories? Nah. Boy's love? Nope. Showbiz dramas? Pass. Fantasy epics? Not it.
Quick transmigration stories? Not ruling them out, if there was a school arc, I'd keep them on the list.
*****
Once I'd mentally sorted all the novels I'd read over the years, I started digging through my memories.
But nope, nothing. Not a single thing rang a bell.
"Serena, what are you spacing out for?" Quinny nudged my arm, giving me a puzzled look.
"Liam's been calling your name like, a million times. Why are you ignoring him?" she asked.
"Huh? What's up?" I blinked, totally zoned out. Only then did I realize class was already over.
Liam stood in front of me, his voice low. "The teacher needs me at lunch. Go get your food without me, okay?"
"Oh." I slumped down, totally drained. Thinking this hard was seriously exhausting.
Liam frowned, didn't say anything else, and just grabbed my cup, heading over to the water dispenser.
"Wow, Serena, your childhood husband is so thoughtful." Quinny teased, grinning at me.
"Childhood husband? Isn't that kind of old-school?" Before I could answer, a curious voice chimed in from beside me.
I looked up and saw it was the new girl, Lillian.
The teacher had just assigned her to the empty seat next to me.
And just then, the pop-up comments around her refreshed again.
[Originally, the male lead's family fell on hard times, so his mom sent him to stay with the cannon fodder childhood friend's family. Who would've guessed they'd basically claim him as their own and never let him go?]
[The poor childhood friend goes around school telling everyone that the top student is her childhood fiancé.]
[She even has him running errands for her all the time, treating him like her personal servant.]
[No wonder the male lead's gotten so brooding. Poor guy.]
[Good thing our little angle, Lillian, showed up to save the male lead.]
I was completely confused.
Did I really treat Liam like my personal slave?
Okay, sure, he carried my backpack, helped out with classroom chores, and sometimes ran out to buy me snacks.
But... but he offered to do it.
"Heh, it's just because Liam, the guy who was standing here a second ago, lives at Serena's place. We're just joking around," Quinny explained.
"Oh." Lillian nodded, but there was a subtle hint of disapproval in her eyes.
"It's warm," Liam said softly, setting the cup down on my desk. I mumbled a half-hearted thanks, still feeling totally drained.
As I took a sip, I caught a glimpse of Liam turning to leave, their eyes met for a brief moment, almost like fate, before he walked away.
[They locked eyes! That one look is gonna last forever!]
[The honor student totally got smitten the moment their eyes met, he got all flustered and rushed right back to his seat!]