Chapter 3

After that rush of excitement, I forced myself to chill out. Not wanting to draw any attention, I slipped on a mask I had stashed in my pocket.

Meanwhile, Chloe was grinning ear to ear, holding Ryan's hand as she announced to everyone, "Hey, guys! Today marks our 100-day anniversary, so I ordered a feast for everyone, and each of you gets a fancy cake."

The whole class erupted into cheers.

Ever since I got bound to this system, Chloe's luck had gone totally wild. She started winning the lottery over and over like she was cheating at life.

She raked in a total of 10 million and blew it all on luxury cars, a fancy mansion, and designer brands from head to toe.

Meanwhile, my family's company suddenly had a huge financial hole, missing exactly 10 million, the same amount Chloe had won.

My dad was desperate, begging everyone he could, pushing himself to the limit at every business dinner, drinking way too much. It didn't take long before a checkup showed his liver was failing.

I'll never forget the look of guilt on his face as he lay in that hospital bed, saying to me, "Sophia, I'm sorry. I'm not a good father. I can't even take care of you guys, and now I'm just making things harder for everyone."

At that moment, Ryan was handing out boxed meals and cakes to everyone, but when he got to me, he skipped me entirely, not even glancing in my direction.

"Here, these are for you," he said without any expression, shoving both the meal and the cake to the girl sitting next to me.

The girl looked so excited that she was about to cry. I kept quiet, went to get some cheap vegetarian food, and sat down to eat.

I was lucky to still be here, and that made me realize just how precious this last year of high school really was. I couldn't afford to care about the little stuff.

All I could do was give it everything I had. Maybe, just maybe, I could save myself and my family.

The cafeteria was massive, and everyone except me was happily enjoying fancy dishes from the hotel, each with their own special cake.

Chloe made a show of grabbing Ryan's arm right in front of me and said, "Ryan, look how pathetic Sophia is. Should we let her have a taste? Just one little bite..."

She said it like I was some pathetic stray dog she felt sorry for.

Ryan frowned in disgust and put his arm around Chloe's shoulders.

Everyone around us perked up, eager for the drama, and he said coldly, "Does she even deserve it? Her dad has to come to my house, groveling like a dog."

While everyone was laughing their heads off at me, I stood up, picked up my tray, and with zero hesitation, marched over to Ryan.

Then I dumped every last bit of food right on top of his head.

"It doesn't matter if you don't like me, or if you've fallen for someone else," I said, trying my best to keep my voice from shaking.

I added, "But Ryan, you shouldn't just insult me like this, or my family."

Thick, sticky sauce dripped down his hair, and his eyes went wide, burning with fury.

But then, as he looked at me, a trace of confusion and lostness flickered in his eyes.

He moved his lips, like he wanted to say something, but in the end, nothing came out.

Chloe rushed over, shrieking in concern, but Ryan just said, "I need to clean up," and practically ran out of there in a panic.

Not long after, a bunch of school leaders came over, all gathered around one guy.

Everyone's attention was on him. Not the staff, but the boy with short, dark brown hair.

That was Maxwell, the straight-A genius who kept winning gold at every major competition.

Every top school had tried to lure him with huge offers, hoping he'd break into elite universities and bring glory to the school. Nobody expected our principal to actually land him at our school.

"Oh my god, he looks like he just stepped out of a manga! How is he this good-looking?"

"Seriously, he's even hotter in person than on TV. He's like the ultimate smart-girl heartthrob!"

"Wait, what? Why is he suddenly ditching the principal and heading our way?"

I quickly raised my book to shield my head, but he still stopped right in front of me.

I could feel his intense gaze burning into the top of my head, making my scalp prickle.

"Is something wrong, Maxwell? Do you know her?" the principal asked, coming over.

"Nope, I don't think so," Maxwell replied. With a little laugh, he said, "Hmm, looks like I got the wrong person."

Seriously? Got the wrong person? I couldn't help but roll my eyes inside. Back before I moved, we were inseparable. Ate together, walked home together, it was almost like we were roommates.

The principal grinned, "Hey, it's getting late. If you're hungry, just swipe my meal card. And if you ever need anything, hit me up anytime."

He gave Maxwell a reassuring pat on the shoulder and said with a satisfied smile, "Next year's all on you."

Once the school leaders left, Maxwell sat down right across from me without a second thought, like he owned the place.

Maxwell shot me a playful look. "Wow, you're something else. Changed your contact info and didn't even bother to tell me?"

I covered my face with my hand and mumbled, "Had a bit of an accident. I really don't want anyone seeing me like this right now."

Chloe leaned over and asked me, "Sophia, do you guys know each other?"

Then she squeezed in beside me, carefully arranging her most dignified smile.

"Hi, Maxwell. I'm Chloe Evans," she said, her tone extra polite.

Maxwell didn't acknowledge her at all.

Chloe looked a little embarrassed, then tried to change the subject, turning the spotlight on me.

"By the way, Sophia, what's with the mask? Don't you think it's kind of rude to talk to Maxwell with your face covered?" she said, her voice oozing fake concern.

Just as Chloe reached out to yank off my mask, I bolted up, hugging my books to my chest, and made a quick exit.