Chapter 3
[I don’t want my good intentions to end up hurting everyone.]
The second I read Ivy’s message, I felt my blood boil.
[Ivy, say that again. When did I ever accuse you of anything?
[You all want to go on this graduation trip, fine. Go! But why are you dragging me into it?]
Bentley let out a cold laugh.
[Ivy’s not making anything up. Everyone still remembers the whole entrance exam blessing fiasco.]
I froze for a second, then scoffed at the irony.
Before the college entrance exams, Ivy suddenly suggested taking everyone’s admission tickets to a temple to get them “blessed,” writing down good wishes for each of us, to supposedly help us get into top universities.
But I knew the rules. If there were any writing on an exam ticket, it would be considered cheating.
So I refused.
Worried others might get dragged into it, I even told our homeroom teacher.
He was furious and immediately put a stop to the plan before it caused real trouble.
I thought I’d helped the entire class avoid a disaster, but when the exam results came out, the same people I tried to protect started throwing shade at me.
They muttered that if I hadn’t snitched, maybe the blessings would’ve worked, and they’d all be heading to a top university.
Thinking about it now, I typed out a public message in the class group chat.
[I swear to the heavens. I have never said a single bad word about Ivy offering to pay for the graduation trip. If I have, may lightning strike me on the spot!]
In this life, I had no plans to play the hero. That message was just to cover my own back, so if anything went wrong again, they couldn’t pin it on me.
But of course, someone still had to stir the pot.
[Swearing doesn’t prove anything. What, is she gonna lose a chunk of flesh now?]
Bentley jumped in again.
[Don’t worry. I’ve got ways to shut her up for good.]
That made me pause. A strange sense of unease crept in. Just as I was about to ask what he meant, I was kicked out of the group chat by the admin.
But honestly? I didn’t care.
The entrance exams were over. I had no reason to keep in touch with any of them anyway. Even if they hadn’t kicked me, I would’ve left on my own.
Chapter 2
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07:55 Fri, 27 Jun
- 9.
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Just in case something else happened, I went straight to the hospital that night and paid off all my mom’s surgery fees.
But things still didn’t go smoothly.
When I got home, I realized my ID card was missing.
My heart dropped.
Then I remembered Bentley’s last message in the chat, and the fact that he was the only one who knew the code to my front door.
Could he have snuck in while I was at the hospital and stolen it?
Furious, I stormed straight to his house and grabbed him by the collar.
“Bentley, did you take my ID? Give it back. Now!”
He frowned and looked at me with obvious disgust.
“What the hell’s wrong with you, Nadia? Why would I steal your ID? Ivy just didn’t want you to miss out on the trip and feel left out. So she figured she’d surprise you by secretly applying for your visa. She even got you sunscreen and a sun shirt. You should be grateful.”
Ivy, standing beside him, gave a fake sweet smile.
“We’re all in the same class. No need to be so formal.”
As she spoke, she tried to shove things into my hands.
If I hadn’t lived through this once already, I might’ve fallen for her little act.
I jerked back hard, and the sunscreen dropped, spilling everywhere. The sun shirt also got dirty at the edge.
“I already said I’m not going on that damn trip! Do you not understand plain language?!” I snapped.
Ivy’s eyes welled up instantly, and she started crying.
“I was just trying to do something nice. I thought it’d be meaningful for the whole class to have one last memory together.”
Then she swayed and collapsed into Bentley’s arms.
Witnessing that, his face changed in an instant.
“What’s wrong with you, Nadia?! Ivy’s trying to do something thoughtful and you treat her like this? You’re seriously out of line.”
Chapter 3
