4
I frowned, a growing sense of dread coiling in my stomach. “What are you talking about?”
Liam‘ gritted his teeth. “You know exactly what I’m talking about.”
I fell silent, a wild, absurd thought blossoming in my mind. If I had returned six months in the past, was it possible Liam had, too? If so, then his current reactions, his fury, his strange accusations – they all made a terrifying sort of sense.
–
My mind reeled. The universe truly has a twisted sense of humor, I thought. But I wanted nothing more to do with Liam. So I decided to play dumb. “I have no idea what you’re talking about. Jake and I have nothing going on. I’m not interested in him. Please, make sure he gets that message and stops bothering me.”
I spat the words out, my voice laced with annoyance. Internally, I silently apologized to Jake. There was no other way. To truly distance myself from Liam, I had to push away his friends too. This time, I just wanted a quiet life. I was an ordinary person. I couldn’t possibly belong in their world of golden boys.
“You…!” Liam looked absolutely furious.
“How can you be so shameless?” he seethed. “You clearly schemed to seduce Jake, and now you’re telling him to get lost?”
I raised an eyebrow, a mocking smile playing on my lips. “What scheme? Didn’t you tell Jake not to be fooled by me? I don’t care to fool him, nor do I care to associa- te with any of you. We’re not friends. Don’t bother me again.”
Liam sneered. “I certainly hope not.”
Absolutely,” I agreed, my voice flat.
That absolutely” was my silent farewell. Liam, may our paths never cross again.
Liam paused, his mouth opening as if to speak, but no words came out.
Chapter 2
I turned and walked away. Jake, still confu
him
After several failed attempts, Jake
by the
whole i
cident, eventually stopped trying to reach out. When he sought me out, I simply pretended not to see
Ime by the classroom door. The moment I stepped out, he stood directly in front of me.
“Sarah, can we talk?” His face
pale, dark circles beneath his eyes betraying a restless night.
I sighed. “Didn’t I tell
you to
stop looking for me? I’m not interested.”
Jake’s expression was visibly wounded. “Is it because of Liam? What did he say to you? Whatever it was, it’s not how I feel, Sarah. Please, don’t let it get to you.” My voice was cold. “It has nothing to do with him. I’m genuinely not interested in you. Stop looking for me. I need to focus on my studies right now.” Jake pressed his lips together, forcing a strained smile. “You misunderstand. I just want to be friends. Can’t we even be friends?”
I felt a pang of guilt, but I stood firm. “I’m sorry, but please don’t come looking for me anymore.”
This entire scene was witnessed by many, including my roommate, Chloe.
That night, returning from studying, I heard Chloe’s voice from inside our dorm room.
“Does Jake have some kind of… weird taste?” she pondered. “Why would he be interested in Sarah? I’m racking my brain, and I just can’t figure it out. Sarah’s so plain, and he’s so handsome. Why would
pursue her, and then get rejected by her? This world is just bizarre.”
Chloe lamented, and I stood outside, my lips twitching. I wasn’t sure if I should just walk in. Honestly, I hadn’t worn the ring, and I wasn’t interested in Jake. Logically, without the ring’s aura, he shouldn’t have been interested in me at all. So, yeah, I found it pretty bizarre myself.
After Chloe finished, Lucy asked, “I know, right? It’s so weird. Maybe Jake just values personality more. Hey, Chloe, how are things going with Liam? Haven’t you been
out with him a lot these
*st few days?”
Chloe’s expression stiffened. “We’re doing great.”
“So, when are you two going to mak
it official?” Lucy pressed.
Chloe hedged. “Oh, it’s still early. We’re taking things slow.”
Seeing them change the subject, I finally walked in. They froze when they saw me, but quickly offered cheerful greetings. Chloe, ever the gossip, immediately asked what had happened between me and Jake.
“Sarah, did Jake confess to you?”
I smiled. I had no desire to burn bridges. Being surface–level roommates for the rest of college sounded perfectly fine. “What are you talking about? He was just asking me for help with some questions. Why would he confess to me?”
Chloe’s eyes darted around. “So you’re not interested in him at all?”
“No interest whatsoever. How could we possibly be? My only interest right now is studying.”
