Chapter 3

That night, sleep wouldn't come easily. Half-awake, half-asleep, I found myself pulled back to those restless, buzzing days of my school years.

No legendary high school memories, no dramatic coming-of-age moments. In a school packed with overachievers, I was just another face in the crowd.

The only thing remotely interesting about me was that, in my senior year, I became deskmates with Xavier.

He was the school's prince charming: heir to a wealthy family, top of the class, and the captain of the debate team.

Meanwhile, I was stuck near the bottom of the class, constantly stressed out. So even though we shared a desk, we hardly spoke at all that year.

The most memorable moment we actually shared was during the debate competition in the first semester of senior year.

Classes were off that afternoon, and everyone from our class went to check it out.

I didn't go. My ranking had dropped again, so I stayed back in the classroom, hunched over my desk, grinding through practice questions.

That was when the back door creaked open and Xavier walked in. He was wearing a sharp white button-down, his hair a little tousled, still carrying a hint of energy from running. He leaned over to dig through his backpack.

"Why are you here all by yourself?" he asked.

I stared for a second, caught off guard. "Are you talking to me?" I asked.

He chuckled. "Is there anyone else here?"

I looked around the empty classroom, suddenly feeling self-conscious. "I just wanted to get some extra studying in. My last test didn't go so well."

He nodded, and after a moment, he pulled out a stack of papers. Just as he was about to turn around, he noticed his tie had come undone, hanging loose around his neck.

He tried to fix it a few times, but it still looked messy. Looking a little embarrassed, he asked, "Can you help me tie it?"

I stared at him, eyes wide. "I-I don't know how to do that either."

"Xavier!" Just then, Anna Wilson, the class beauty from next door, called out from the doorway. "Did you find it yet?"

"Yeah, I got it," Xavier said, waving the papers. "Just my tie came undone."

"Let me help." Anna walked in quickly.

She naturally took the tie, stood on her tiptoes, looped it around Xavier's neck, tied a neat knot, and smoothed out his collar. "Let's go. It's about to start."

Just as Xavier was about to head out, he suddenly remembered something. He pulled a thick notebook from his backpack and handed it to me. "Here you are."

I flipped it open. Inside, it was packed with notes, every page crammed full.

Xavier flashed me a smile. "Hang in there."

He was almost out the door when it hit me. Before I knew it, I was on my feet. I called out, "Xavier!"

He turned back. "Yeah?"

Gripping the notebook so tight that my knuckles turned white, I stammered, "Good luck. H-Hope you guys win."

Sunlight streamed in through the window, lighting up the curve of his smile. "Of course," he said.

After Xavier left, I was a mess. I couldn't sit still and couldn't make sense of a single word in my workbook. My mind just kept wandering.

After hesitating for ages, I finally ran for the auditorium. But by the time I got there, the competition was already over.

On stage, Xavier was looking triumphant, holding up the team's first-place trophy. Right next to him, Anna was accepting the Best Debater award.

They shot each other a smile, and the applause from the crowd was absolutely deafening.

I stood on the edge of the crowd, overhearing someone beside me squeal, "They're so shippable. He's hot, and she's gorgeous, both at the top of their game. Total power couple."

I looked down, touched my nose, and couldn't help but smile too. They really did look good together.

*****

I spent the whole night tossing and turning, and by the time morning rolled around, I was a total zombie at work.

While I was spacing out at my desk, I overheard my coworkers gossiping about some new vice president who just got dropped into the company.

"He's the chairman's youngest son, just got back from studying overseas," one of them said.

Not long after, the sound of footsteps and polite greetings drifted over from the elevator. Someone said with respect, "This way, Mr. Sterling."

I was munching on a sandwich and peeked out, spotting a group of people surrounding someone as they walked past.

The guy was dressed to the nines, standing tall and confident. Every now and then, he'd give a slight nod as his subordinates reported to him. There was even a photographer tagging along, snapping pictures of him.

I watched for a moment, honestly surprised. I never thought I'd run into Xavier again so soon. So he was the heir to the company. "Some things never change," I murmured.

I ducked back behind my computer. He really was made to be the center of attention.