Chapter 8
Less than ten minutes after Mia posted her status, the class group chat exploded.
[What does she mean by "some spots aren't solved by stepping aside once"?]
[Weren't Alex and Sophie engaged since they were kids?]
[Who even gets engaged these days?]
[Why does Mia's post sound like she's declaring war?]
Someone tagged me in the comments.
I didn't reply.
Mia quickly deleted her post.
But screenshots had already spread all over the class group chat.
Alex called me.
I was busy helping Ms. Taylor sort out some stuff for the Riverdale Arts Center, so I let his call go.
He tried calling three times in a row.
When the fourth call came in, Ms. Taylor glanced at me. "Is it something urgent?"
"No," I replied and put my phone on silent.
About ten minutes later, Alex showed up at the office door.
He was clearly out of breath, like he'd run all the way here. "Sophie, why didn't you answer your phone?"
Ms. Taylor was right there, and I didn't want to get into it with him.
"My phone was on silent," I said.
"Did you see what Mia posted?" he asked.
"Yeah, I saw it."
"She wasn't trying to start anything."
Alex rushed to explain. "She's in a bad mood because of the admission slot.
"I made her take that post down."
I nodded. "Got it."
I kept my cool, maybe a little too much.
Alex was at a loss for words.
He paused. "Some people in class are already getting the wrong idea about her.
"Could you clear things up in the group chat?"
I looked up. "Explain what?"
Alex said, "Tell everyone we're not really engaged or anything.
"It was something the grown-ups said when we were little, nothing serious.
"So nobody thinks Mia's trying to come between us."
I stared back.
So he really knew the engagement would embarrass Mia.
In my last life, he never once took the initiative to deny it.
Whenever he needed me to cover for him, I was the girl he'd grown up with.
But when it came to facing his family, suddenly I was his future wife.
He loved it when Mia got jealous over him, and he loved having me always waiting in the wings for him.
Now, the moment a few classmates started gossiping, he was desperate to clear Mia's name.
"Fine by me," I replied.
Alex looked surprised. "You're actually going to do it?"
"Isn't this what you wanted?" I replied and pulled out my phone.
The class group chat was still buzzing.
Alex, worried I'd say something wrong, reminded me, "Say our families are close, and it was a childhood joke.
"Don't bring up Mia.
"And don't mention the admission slot either."
He thought of everything.
He was all about shielding Mia, while leaving me to do all the explaining.
I turned to him. "There's really no need for me to explain.
"It'll sound way more convincing coming from you."
Alex was silent for a few seconds.
He probably realized I had a point.
Right in front of me, he posted a message in the group chat.
Alex: [Sophie and I grew up together. That so-called engagement was a joke between our families when we were kids, never anything official. Don't start rumors over a graduation photo, and don't go after people who aren't involved.]
People who have nothing to do with this.
So Mia's the one who's not involved, huh?
Meanwhile, after being at the mercy of both families most of my life, I'm the one left to do the damage control.
The group chat went quiet in no time.
Alex glanced over at me.
Like he was waiting for me to show some support.
I forwarded his message.
I added one line. [He's right. If it was a joke, there's no need to take it seriously.]
As soon as I sent it, Alex's expression shifted. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"I'm backing up your explanation," I replied.
"That's not what I meant."
"So what did you mean, then?"
Alex was caught off guard.
He denied the engagement to protect Mia.
But he couldn't stand the idea of me actually letting go of it.
After a while, he frowned and said, "I don't want people in class to get the wrong idea.
"As for the teacher appreciation party, we'll go with whatever our families have planned."
I smiled. "If the engagement was never official, then what's there to plan for the teacher appreciation party?"
Alex gave me a hard look. "Sophie, that's enough.
"I've already told you, there's nothing going on between me and Mia.
"You don't have to keep bringing it up."
So now it's my fault for not letting it go.
I put my phone away. "I need to get back to sorting these materials.
"You're free to leave."
Ms. Taylor hadn't said a word the whole time.
Alex, mindful of Ms. Taylor being there, didn't say anything more.
Before leaving, he leaned in and whispered, "I'll come find you tonight.
"Let's talk things through."
I didn't say yes.
Because there's nothing left between us worth talking about.