Chapter 2I Let Them Have Their Romance And Claim The Scholarship Myself

It didn't take long for the entire school to buzz with the news of Jaxon and Lily's insanely romantic rooftop confession.

This time, they were officially a couple.

Watching Lily lean into Jaxon's chest, giggling softly and acting completely unlike the fiercely ambitious girl I knew, felt surreal.

It made me think of the pathetic version of myself from the past. The guy who practically handed her his beating heart on a silver platter. The idiot who would run across town at midnight just because she texted, "I'm craving ice cream." The fool who buried his favorite jacket at the bottom of the closet just because she once casually mentioned the color was ugly.

But all that pathetic behavior evaporated the second I opened my eyes to this second chance.

I gave the happy couple one brief, indifferent glance before diving back into my textbooks.

Over the next few months, the gossip mill never stopped churning.

Lily started skipping classes for Jaxon. She threw him lavish surprise parties, got into screaming matches with other girls over him, and even followed him to sketchy underground clubs to get matching tattoos.

Her signature composed, icy demeanor was entirely gone, replaced by a frantic, uncontrollable euphoria. She was drowning in teenage rebellion, entirely forgetting the promises she made to herself about conquering the academic world.

Natural talent only gets you so far. The consequences of blowing off school eventually caught up with her. Her grades plummeted, and she shockingly dropped out of the top fifty in our grade.

Jaxon knew I used to have a crush on her. He purposely walked up to my desk, draping an arm around Lily, and smirked. "You two used to hang out all the time. Never felt a spark for the boy next door?"

Lily scoffed, rolling her eyes in disgust. "Arthur? He's so rigid and boring. Who would ever like him?"

Jaxon laughed out loud, grabbing her waist and pulling her into a messy, aggressive kiss right in front of the whole class. The other students gasped, their faces turning red as they awkwardly looked away.

I didn't even blink at the two clowns performing their little circus act. I just flipped the page of my calculus workbook.

My relentless grind paid off immensely.

In the final statewide mock exams, I absolutely shattered my previous plateau. I successfully turned the tables and claimed the undisputed number one spot.

Even better, the school counselor called me in and told me that the coveted full-ride scholarship for a joint program in London was going to be awarded to me. He patted my shoulder, telling me to keep up the stellar work and make the school proud.

In my past life, that golden ticket belonged to Lily. Now, the gears of fate had shifted, and the reward for unwavering dedication belonged to me.

With the overseas offer secured, I didn't even need to take the final SATs, but I didn't slack off. Instead, I studied harder than ever, devouring college-level material and expanding my horizons.

As for Lily, she was rapidly fading into the background of my life.