Chapter 2
Just yesterday, Ryan had his friends tear my textbooks to shreds and stomp my uniform into the mud.
"Apologize? For what?" My voice was quiet but steady as I met Ryan's gaze, my eyes sharp with resentment. "Ryan, let me make this clear: I, Sophia, don't like you anymore. I never will again."
The class erupted. Everyone had seen my obsession firsthand.
Now, seeing me so indifferent, they broke into shocked whispers.
Ryan froze, confusion and something like pain flickering across his face.
"You... don't like me anymore?" he muttered.
I held his stare, enunciating each word clearly."That's right. I don't like you. From now on, we're strangers. And tell your girlfriend to stop bothering me. I couldn't care less about your relationship."
*****
After school, a light rain began to fall, leaving the air damp and chilly.
Students dashed through the drizzle in laughing groups.
Memories of Ryan surfaced despite myself.
Back in middle school, I moved here when my dad's business brought us south. That was when I met Ryan.
He was quiet and kept to himself, always seeming distant. But after we met, he started waiting for me.
It rained often here, and knowing I wasn't used to it, he always carried an umbrella.
Every day after class, I'd find him outside my door.
And in his arms, he'd always have a bottle of my favorite chocolate milk, warmed against his chest.
My classmates would tease, "The school heartthrob is here for you again. So lucky. He's smart and handsome."
Ryan would hear them, a slight smile touching his lips. He'd take my wrist and pull me close.
Then he'd ruffle my hair gently. "Come on, let's go get your favorite grilled fish."
Chloe was the girl Ryan and I once saved from bullies.
From that day on, she became obsessed with him, stuffing homemade treats into his desk.
Ryan made his disgust clear, over and over.
Once, he even stomped on a lunchbox she'd left him, pointed right at her face, and shouted, "Even if I didn't have a girlfriend, even if every other girl vanished, I'd never look twice at someone like you!"
Chloe just shrank into her collar, her smile cold and twisted. "You'll regret saying that one day, Ryan."
And she was right.
One summer, Ryan went out to play basketball and came back deathly ill.
By the time he recovered, his memory was gone.
He forgot all our moments and believed I was the ugly girl who'd stalked him.
Now, he saw Chloe as his true love, his fated soulmate.
*****
As I reached the cafeteria entrance, a bike sped past.
I couldn't dodge in time, and muddy water splashed across my face.
I was heading to the sink to clean up when mocking voices rose behind me.
"Wow, what a mess. Has Sophia totally given up on her appearance?"
"Ever since Ryan dumped her, she's been going downhill. Her face looks awful. How does she dare compare herself to Chloe?"
"Chloe and Ryan are the perfect couple. She's beautiful, and he's at the top of the class. Who does Sophia think she is?"
"I bet she said all that today just to get Ryan's attention. No way she's really over him."
I turned to see Chloe standing there, arms crossed, surrounded by her usual followers. A smug smile played on her lips.
"Do you really have nothing better to do than follow me? If you don't believe me, time will tell," I said calmly.
Just as Ryan approached from across the yard, I walked straight to the sink, ignoring him completely, and turned on the tap.
"Why is the water so dark? What was in that puddle?" I mumbled to myself.
Still annoyed, I pulled out my phone to check the damage.
In that moment, a sudden warmth rushed through my body.
Staring at my reflection, I froze. Whole patches of freckles and pimples had lightened, and the dark spots on my face were visibly fading.
Was this... the anti-system working?