Chapter 2
With that, my fingers danced across the screen.
I typed: [Let's break up.]
Then, I hit send.
Everything happened in one smooth motion, as fast as lightning.
But I wasn't done yet. I tapped on Yonder's profile, found the "Delete Contact" option, and slammed my finger down on it.
The system asked: [Are you sure you want to delete this contact?]
"Yes," I shouted, like I was performing some kind of sacred ritual.
It was like the whole world had hit pause.
The whole class was stunned, jaws dropping to the floor, mouths hanging open like they'd all been hit with a petrification spell.
Mariah Seymour, my bestie sitting next to me, was so shocked she slid right off her chair.
I didn't pay any attention to them. I looked up and gave Marcus a challenging stare.
Well?
Was this enough to prove I was serious?
Did this show that I truly realized my mistake?
If he ever dared to say I wasn't paying attention in class again, I'd... I'd copy the law code a hundred times.
I thought I'd catch a look of approval on Marcus's face, maybe even a bit of surprise.
But nope.
His face was weird.
Super weird.
The moment I hit delete, I saw Marcus's black phone on the podium buzz.
Then, right before my eyes, Marcus's face started to drain of color.
He went so pale, it was like he'd seen a ghost.
The cold, sharp, and dismissive look on his face melted away, replaced by a shock and panic I couldn't describe.
His lips trembled, like he wanted to say something, but he couldn't get a word out.
Behind those gold-rimmed glasses, his eyes were raging, locked on me like he was about to eat me alive.
What was going on?
Was my move so bold that I made him, the guy who was always so untouchable, short-circuit right in front of everyone?
The silence in the classroom dragged on for a whole half minute.
In the end, Marcus looked like someone had drained every ounce of strength from him. He staggered, clutching the podium to keep himself upright.
He barely managed to speak, his voice rough and shaky.
"Class dismissed," he croaked.
He didn't even bother with his thick lesson plan. He simply grabbed his buzzing phone and fled the classroom, not looking back for a second.
He left me and the whole class completely stunned and in total chaos.
Marcus bolted.
Like, literally.
We all watched as his tall figure vanished out the door so fast, one would think Godzilla was hot on his heels.
After several seconds of stunned silence, the whole lecture hall erupted.
"Holy crap! Am I seeing things? Did Professor Nightmare end class early?"
"Was he crying just now?"
"No way. He was just... pissed off. Yeah, Justine totally pissed him off."
"Justine is a legend. She's the first one to go head-to-head with Professor Nightmare. She dumped her boyfriend in front of everyone to focus on her studies. That's some fierce spirit."
"OMG, Justine, you're a legend. Your homework? I got you from now on."
Everyone was talking so loud, my head was spinning.
I couldn't bother with them. I stood there, completely lost, staring at the door.
Marcus's reaction just now was totally weird.
He wasn't pissed because I talked back, and he wasn't shocked into speechlessness from my crazy stunt either.
It was something way deeper, like pure panic and... heartbreak?
I must be losing it, thinking Marcus could actually feel heartbreak.
He was basically a robot when it came to law. Panic and heartbreak weren't even in his dictionary.
Mariah finally scrambled up from the floor, grabbed my arm, and shook me like crazy. "Justine! Have you lost it?
"You deleted Yonder? That's the guy you've been chatting with for three months. The one with the killer voice, super decent values, and he's, like, ridiculously sweet."
Mariah shook me so hard I was seeing stars. I felt a massive pang of loss welling up inside.
Yeah, I deleted Yonder, the guy who'd sent me hot chocolate whenever I was on my period, packing the delivery notes with all sorts of sweet reminders.
He'd also hopped on a call with me when finals had me losing it, reading out the law in a that deep, soothing voice to lull me to sleep.
I'd secretly fallen for him, even though I'd never seen him face-to-face.
And just like that, I deleted him on impulse, just because I got mad for a moment.
My nose tingled, and my eyes got teary.
"Mariah, I... I was furious," I sniffled. "How could Professor Novak talk about Yonder like that? He doesn't know how great Yonder is."
"But you can't be so impulsive," Mariah groaned, frustrated. "What are you gonna do now? You don't even have his number. Now that he's gone from your contacts, how are you ever gonna find him again?"