- 2 days ago
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00:02This hot guy is my secret crush.
00:12This is Luke, the star of the whole school, and everyone loves me.
00:19And I, a person with excess body weight.
00:26I starved myself crazy to lose weight.
00:28That day after practice, I almost fainted from hunger on the sidelines of the field.
00:33Luke caught me out of nowhere and dragged me to the campus cafeteria.
00:37He held back his anger.
00:41What the hell, will you stop dieting already?
00:44Anyone makes fun of your weight, I'll handle it.
00:47Got it?
00:53But the day I confessed by the volleyball court after afternoon practice,
01:00After I mumbled, I like you, twisting the hem of my hoodie.
01:03I like you.
01:04The one who reacted the most wasn't Luke.
01:06It was Chad, star football player leaning against the net post.
01:10What? Chloe, you're actually obsessed with Luke?
01:13His loud voice carried straight across the entire beach volleyball court.
01:19Everyone can hear it.
01:20The entire beach volleyball court fell silent for a second, then burst into louder laughs.
01:27Damn, Luke's got game. Even the heavy girl tracked him down to the court to confess.
01:32Yo, Luke! You turned down all those hot girls just for this?
01:36That's hilarious!
01:37Luke stopped smiling, twisting his volleyball wristband, and stared at me.
01:42You serious?
01:44My face burned. I stared at my shoes, not saying a word.
01:48I didn't mean to draw this big of a crowd.
01:50Should have waited till he was alone after practice.
01:54A loud crash cutting off Luke suddenly stood up.
01:56With a swift motion, a volleyball flew past my ear and landed on the ground behind me.
02:02Everyone went quiet when they saw he was actually mad.
02:05He looked down at me with that mocking smirk.
02:08Real question. What made you think I'd say yes?
02:12You think I got bad taste or something?
02:15Hey, fat ass. You don't think you're kind of gross?
02:19I could not take it anymore.
02:21I ran into the restroom and locked myself inside a stall.
02:28Suddenly, Diana walked in with a group of people
02:32and splashed a bucket of water on me.
02:36I stood there without moving.
02:37Cold water dipped from my hair onto the floor.
02:42Look in a mirror before you embarrass Lucas.
02:48I'd been teased about my weight my whole life and grew super introverted.
02:52Until Luke sat next to me.
02:54He never judged me.
02:55And even snapped at people who joked about my size.
02:59That's boring.
03:00Back when I just wanted a sweet high school romance, Luke was my whole source of dopamine.
03:05But that day, he dumped a bucket of cold water right over me.
03:09Turns out miracles never happen to nerdy fat girls like me.
03:13But I never saw him come back that day.
03:16Luke rubbed his temples and walked out.
03:18His friend came over to switch his seat with the teacher's permission.
03:23The guy gave me an awkward smile.
03:26Uh, Luke went home sick with a stomach bug.
03:29Said he wanted a new seat.
03:31He caught my blank stare and quickly added,
03:33It's not about you! Don't overthink it!
03:35I blinked back stinging eyes, my chest tight.
03:39Why was I such a freak just for eating half a portion more mac and cheese,
03:42or one extra chicken tender?
03:44I stared at my chubby hands and decided to stop daydreaming about being prom queen.
03:52Three days later, Luke showed up in the hallway with his arm around Diana, the cheer captain.
03:57Diana did competitive dance 5'6", 92 pounds.
04:01Me, Chloe, 5'4", 140 pounds.
04:06Chad the football player teased.
04:08Luke's finally off the market, huh? You serious or just messing around?
04:13Diana pouted, fake offended.
04:15What?
04:16You think I let just anyone put their arm around me?
04:19Luke raised an eyebrow, letting her claim stand.
04:22All his friends whooped and whistled.
04:24I stayed hard at my SAT prep book, my grip on the highlighter loosening.
04:29At least no one cared about that whole incident anymore.
04:31No one was teasing me. That was good enough.
04:34For a long time after that, Luke and I never crossed paths.
04:37I got used to working alone, pulled up in the library studying for the SATs, still less than a year
04:44away.
04:44On that practice test, I got a perfect score in AP Lit beat Ethan, the GPA-obsessed nerd, for the
04:50first time.
04:51Right after class, he asked the teacher if he could sit next to me, and became my new deskmate.
04:56Heh. Mr. Davis said my essay sucks. Told me to learn from you.
05:01New partner? Nice to meet you.
05:02It took me a second to realize I had a deskmate again.
05:05I was kind of happy.
05:07I eagerly handed him my vocabulary notebook and gave a small smile.
05:11Here. I just memorized all this.
05:14Thanks.
05:15I looked up by accident and caught Luke staring from across the room, cold-faced.
05:22I didn't realize he was that disgusted by my confession, disgusted that he hated seeing me even a little happy.
05:28The next day, my new partner Ethan brought me two fresh cinnamon rolls.
05:33For me?
05:34Yeah. Thanks for the notes.
05:37A quiet scoff cut through the air.
05:40Damn, bro. Didn't know you had such low standards.
05:45What's that supposed to mean, Luke?
05:46There's a meme of a plus-size obese woman on the table.
05:50For you. Since you're into that, right? I can bring you bigger poters tomorrow if you want.
05:55Ethan shot up, red-faced, and yelled,
05:58Why the hell would I be into a pig?!
06:00Luke didn't even get mad. He just raised an eyebrow and drawled.
06:04Oh, my bad. Saw you switch seats. Thought you were into her. My bad.
06:09All his friends whooped, making us the center of attention again.
06:12Ethan lettered a curse, grabbed his things and ran off.
06:17Neither of them even looked at me the whole time.
06:19But every word was about shaming me.
06:21I stared at the meme on the desk.
06:23My cinnamon roll went cold and I didn't take a single bite.
06:27Before Luke walked away, I forced out a dry voice.
06:30Why are you doing this?
06:31What, you that desperate for attention?
06:34You throw yourself at every guy that sits next to you?
06:39After that day, not just Ethan, every guy in our grade avoided me like the plague.
06:44The cheerleaders and most other girls didn't want to talk to me either.
06:48Everyone loved those bubbly, California sunshine-type girls.
06:51I was just super introverted, like underbaked dough straight from the oven, not pretty, not nice, stuck at the very
06:58bottom of the high school food chain.
07:00Even so, I never went back to dieting.
07:03Then, it started pouring out of nowhere, hard, fast, raining.
07:07Everyone screamed and ran for the gym doors.
07:10I didn't even make it out of the sandpit by the field when my knee dislocated hard.
07:14I went straight down into the wet mud.
07:17When the bone popped back in, the pain was excruciating.
07:20I lay on my side in the muck, too hurt to sit up.
07:25Then, two pairs of expensive sneakers stopped next to me.
07:28Rain poured into my mouth as I begged.
07:30I can't stand up. Please, can you help me?
07:34The person stopped.
07:36A few seconds later, he pulled his leg away.
07:39Can't.
07:39It was Luke's voice.
07:41Told you you should have lost weight.
07:42Now you can't even run.
07:44Fell over like a bowling ball.
07:46Luke held a big black umbrella over Diana.
07:49They made me look even more pathetic.
07:51Soaked through like a drowned rat.
07:53Luke's face was blank.
07:55No pity at all.
07:57His cold voice cutting through the rain.
08:00Even with rain filling my mouth, my throat felt like sand.
08:03I couldn't make another sound.
08:05I just tried to push myself up, desperate.
08:07I could hear the mean comments from the gym doors.
08:10She doesn't look like she's faking.
08:12Her knee's messed up.
08:13Should we help her?
08:14Go ahead if you're into tank-sized girls.
08:17FK off.
08:18Who said I liked fat chicks?
08:20Still couldn't stand.
08:21Just sat there, numb.
08:23I forced myself to think about what grandma would make for dinner tonight.
08:27At the end of the day, I pulled myself up out of the mud all alone.
08:31The laughs and whiskers from the gym doors followed me the whole way.
08:34I didn't dare look back.
08:36I dragged my hurt leg all the way to campus security, used their phone to call out sick
08:40and go to the ER.
08:42Grandma heard about my dislocated kneecap and decided my weight was putting too much stress
08:47on my joints.
08:47She started strictly counting my calories, said she'd get me in shape for prom and protect
08:52my knee.
08:52I stayed home two days before limping back to school.
08:55Grandma only let me have one slice of low-fat avocado toast for breakfast, and I was miserable.
09:00Then my teacher walked in with a new student.
09:03The guy dressed super weird black mask.
09:06Baseball cap pulled low.
09:08Whole face hidden in shadow.
09:11The teacher scanned the room and pointed to the empty seat next to me.
09:15Simus, you can sit next to Chloe.
09:18Then she left.
09:19Silas pulled out the chair and sat down.
09:21Neither of us said a word.
09:25Yo, Luke, check this guy.
09:27Looks like a Halloween ghost.
09:28Face all covered.
09:29You think he's some disfigured freak?
09:31Diana sat on Luke's lap and giggled.
09:34Obviously.
09:35Hot guys don't hide their faces.
09:37Ghost freak?
09:38And the fat girl.
09:40Ultimate loser couple right there.
09:44Luke didn't react at all.
09:46He just spun his pen around, stone-faced, and said nothing.
09:51Silas and I went almost a month without saying a word to each other.
09:55I just didn't want to talk.
09:56I don't want what happened to Luke and to happen again.
10:00But at lunch that day, I noticed him hunched over his desk, hand clamped to his stomach, broad shoulders shaking
10:07a little.
10:08I hesitated, then walked over.
10:09Hey.
10:11You got a stomach ache or something?
10:12After a second, he grunted a yeah from his throat.
10:15Yeah.
10:17He was obviously in bad shape.
10:19Come on.
10:20I'll take you to the nurse.
10:21Thankfully, he didn't flinch away from touching a fat girl like me.
10:26Most of his weight leaning on me.
10:28Good thing I was sturdy.
10:29I never would have been able to hold him up otherwise.
10:31The nurse gave him painkillers and told me to go get him a hot bowl of chicken noodle soup from
10:36the cafeteria.
10:37I ran there and back, huffing and puffing.
10:40When I got back, Silas was alone in the nurse's office.
10:43You act like you hate me, but you still played hero?
10:46Huh?
10:46I blinked confused.
10:48I don't hate you.
10:49I thought you hated me, so I didn't want to bother you.
10:53Real nice of you, partner.
10:58Why would I hate you?
10:59I licked my dry lips and shrugged.
11:02Because I'm fat.
11:03Silas let out a low, warm laugh.
11:05His eyes were deep and nice, like a calm lake on a quiet day.
11:09I just knew he wasn't some disfigured freak like Chad and everyone said.
11:14After that day, the wall between Silas and I slowly came down.
11:17But he still kept to himself, never took off his mask or hat around people.
11:22Never talked to anyone but me.
11:23And my weight was changing fast, too.
11:26Before I knew it, I was down to 128 pounds.
11:30Grandma was so proud, said at 115 I'd fit into the hottest prom dress there was.
11:35Funny enough, the first person at school who noticed was Luke.
11:39During lunch that day, I sat on a bench on the lawn,
11:42forcing down a sad, low-fat chicken salad Grandma packed.
11:45I grabbed my tote and was heading back to class.
11:48Luke walked right up and grabbed my wrist hard.
11:51You starving yourself again?
11:52I tried to yank free and rolled my eyes.
11:55None of your business.
11:56Luke, let go.
11:58He didn't let go.
11:59He just started pulling me toward the cafeteria.
12:01You're gonna pass out from low blood sugar, you know that?
12:05You wanna collapse on the sidewalk and wait for an ambulance?
12:07I warned him one last time.
12:10Let go or I'll bite your hand off!
12:12Luke laughed, angry.
12:14He let go of my wrist and smirked.
12:16You really love throwing kindness back in people's faces, huh?
12:20Looked him dead in the eye and said one word.
12:23Fake.
12:25Then I turned and walked straight to class, no looking back.
12:30The classroom was almost empty, just a few nerds catching up on homework.
12:34Silas was at his desk.
12:36He was hunched over again, and I rushed over.
12:39Your stomach acting up again?
12:43I wanted to get more meds, but I'm too dizzy to remember where the nurse's office is.
12:48Saw you from the window earlier, almost asked for help, but you were busy with that jock.
12:53Didn't want to interrupt.
12:58Chloe, it hurts so bad, I think I'm gonna die.
13:03I'll run and get you medicine right now, hold on!
13:07Silas pressed a hand to his stomach and slowly stood up.
13:10I'll come with you, show me the way.
13:12I held his arm carefully and we walked downstairs.
13:15Right at the stairwell we ran into Luke, coming up.
13:18Silas stumbled a little, leaning his weight against me, shoulder to shoulder.
13:22I can't walk, just let me lean on you for ten seconds, okay?
13:26I almost pushed him away, but I could hear how much pain he was in.
13:29I let him stay.
13:31Luke's face went ice cold when he saw us.
13:33Luke!
13:34But Chad and Diana called out to him from behind.
13:36Chad whooped when he saw us.
13:38Holy shit!
13:40Fat ass and the ghost freak?
13:42What is this, some weird gross couple thing?
13:46Silas, who'd been barely standing a second ago, straightened up like a board.
13:51His eyes went sharp, cold as ice.
13:54What did you just call her?
13:56Fat sis!
13:58Am I blind?
13:59If she's skinny, then I'm a toothpick.
14:02Silas's mouth curved under the mask, cold and sharp.
14:05Nah, you're not fat.
14:07You're just all talk and no bite.
14:09Before Chad could throw a punch, I grabbed Silas's wrist and ran like hell.
14:19We hid in the nurse's office and I finally caught my breath.
14:22Thanks for that, by the way.
14:25But don't mess with guys like him.
14:27He's won state wrestling awards.
14:29You'd end up in the hospital.
14:31He was being mean to you.
14:34Chloe, I'm never gonna let anyone be mean to you.
14:36Period.
14:39The next day, Chad showed up with a black and blue face, limping bad.
14:43No way it was some random guy off campus.
14:46No one around here can kick my ass that bad except Luke.
14:50I'm gonna find that hooded piece of shit and kill him.
14:54When you're whining, listen, I heard the front office talking.
14:57Some billionaire heir from Wall Street is going your senior year, laying low.
15:01Went to fancy private school in Europe, speaks three languages,
15:03already got into Ivy League early.
15:07Bro, who do you think it is?
15:09Already got into Ivy League early.
15:11Bro, who do you think it is?
15:13I was still processing the gossip when I looked up and caught Silas's eyes calm.
15:19Chloe, can you show me how to do this one?
15:24Grandma told me to stop at 115, but my appetite shrank so much with studying and stress
15:29that I was down to 90 pounds at 5'4".
15:34Winter turned to spring.
15:35Before I knew it, SATs were only a month away.
15:39Diana, in charge of costumes for the spring musical, was going down the list asking for sizes.
15:44She stood at the front, calling names one by one.
15:47When she got to me,
15:49Chloe, I don't think standard sizes will fit you.
15:53You'll probably need a custom costume.
15:57I looked up from my test.
16:00I wear a small, actually.
16:07The whole class went silent.
16:09Then everyone turned to look at me.
16:11The shock on their faces told me no one had noticed,
16:14except Simus and Luke.
16:16Damn, is that actually Chloe?
16:18Told you she'd be hot when she lost weight?
16:20Diana's face went sour real fast.
16:23All those staring faces made me uncomfortable.
16:26Ethan, who hadn't talked to me in forever, looked straight up stunned.
16:30It made me even more awkward.
16:32I'd never had people look at me like that before.
16:34I was used to the shocked looks about how much I ate.
16:37Whoa, Chloe, you ate a whole large pizza?
16:39No way! One plate of pata isn't enough for you?
16:41I can barely finish mine!
16:43Chloe, how do you eat a hot dog in three bites?
16:46Ethan's ears went pink when I looked at him.
16:48He cleared his throat and said loud,
16:50Miss Carter said auditions are still open, right?
16:53Chloe has a great voice.
16:55She should try out for lead.
16:56Diana always auditioned, and with her dance background,
16:59she almost always got the lead.
17:01Diana forced a smile.
17:02Chloe's shorter than me.
17:04I don't know if she could pull off a lead dress.
17:06Ethan shrugged.
17:07She's prettier than you, though.
17:08They can just buy a new dress.
17:10Chad, who always hated me, scoffed and stood up.
17:12What's that about?
17:13You sticking up for the fat girl now that she's skinny?
17:16You into her or something?
17:18Ethan glanced at me quick, almost bitter.
17:20So what if I am?
17:20It's not like she'd go for me anyway.
17:22Something in that set Luke off.
17:23He slammed his cup down so hard it shattered.
17:26The whole room went quiet.
17:27Luke just went,
17:28Oh.
17:28And said that, Luke.
17:29Slipped.
17:29That killed the conversation.
17:31Luke cut his palm picking up the glass.
17:33He didn't even flinch.
17:34When he got to my desk,
17:36blood was dripping off his fingertips onto the floor.
17:39He nodded at my box of band-aids.
17:41Hey, you got a band-aid?
17:42Cut my hand on the glass.
17:44Silas huffed a laugh next to me.
17:46He tugged the trash bag hanging between our desks and said dryly.
17:49Hey, look at this bag.
17:50He paused.
17:51Then added lazy.
17:52Full of crap.
17:53I looked away from Silas and shook my head at Luke.
17:55No.
17:56He could bleed out for all I cared.
17:57No idea why he had to ask me.
17:59Luke didn't look surprised.
18:01His face went pale.
18:02He spoke even quieter.
18:04Got it.
18:04His voice was so soft it almost got lost in the air.
18:07I ended up getting the lead in the spring musical.
18:10After that, everything changed.
18:12First time I showed up on the anonymous gossip page.
18:14First time people asked for my Snapchat.
18:16First time so many people were nice to me.
18:19Guys and girls both.
18:20Even some guy from another class showed up between classes.
18:23Chloe, I bought an extra Frappuccino.
18:25It's for you.
18:26I said no, like always.
18:28No, thank you.
18:28But Silas called the guy back before he could leave.
18:31Chloe, I think my blood sugar's low.
18:33I want that Frappuccino.
18:34But I forgot my money.
18:36What do I do?
18:36It's okay! I have money!
18:38I pulled out my wallet,
18:39counted out five dollars,
18:40and handed it to the guy.
18:41Can I buy it from you?
18:42My deskmate wants it.
18:43The guy just stared, mad but with nothing to say.
18:46Hanging out with Silas was easy.
18:47Even after all those people started being nice to me,
18:50he was still my only real friend.
18:52Naturally, rumors started about us.
18:54I heard Chloe, the new hot girl from third period,
18:56has a thing for the ghost guy.
18:57Wild.
18:58I saw his face once.
18:59He's all disfigured. Super gross.
19:01Yeah, me too. Burn scars all over.
19:02Chloe likes kissing that lumpy mess.
19:04But Silas never took off his mask or hat around anyone.
19:07He even ate alone.
19:08If it wasn't for me,
19:09people wouldn't be talking trash about him.
19:11So I started pulling away.
19:12Silas noticed.
19:14One morning during homeroom,
19:15after a long silence, he said quiet.
19:17Chloe, you can switch seats if you want.
19:19I blinked confused.
19:20Huh?
19:21I'm used to being alone.
19:22You don't have to be seen with someone like me.
19:24Everyone says I'm ugly and gross,
19:27that I don't deserve to be around you.
19:28You should get a new deskmate.
19:29Who said that?
19:30Doesn't matter.
19:31He smirked bitter.
19:33Silas always stood up for me when people called me fat.
19:35Now it was my turn.
19:37I found those guys, turned them down flat, and warned them.
19:40If you keep spreading rumors, I will go straight to the principal and have this handled under the school's bullying
19:45protocol.
19:47When Silas found out, he put his head in his hands, shoulders shaking silently.
19:52I thought he was crying, upset.
19:53I patted his shoulder.
19:54No one's gonna say mean stuff about you anymore.
19:57Okay?
19:58His shoulders shook harder.
19:59I decided, very logically, that he was just really touched.
20:03Nothing else bad happened all the way through finals.
20:05The only big gossip right before graduation was that Luke and Diana broke up.
20:09Luke broke up with Diana.
20:10After school, Silas and I were walking ahead.
20:12Behind us, Chad tried to comfort Luke.
20:14Dude, don't be sad.
20:15There's better girls out there.
20:16Luke walked right past me, slow and casual.
20:19As he passed, he stared straight ahead and said flatly,
20:22Why would I be sad?
20:23I never even liked her.
20:25Sarah suddenly raised his finger toward the back and gave a meaningless lip gesture.
20:29Hey, sounds like a dog barking over there.
20:33I checked my answers after the test.
20:35I'd aced it.
20:36Way better than I expected.
20:38We're going to organize the final graduation party.
20:46When I got there, Luke was leaning against a tree outside the restaurant, cigarette in hand.
20:51He was staring right at me, and it made my skin crawl.
20:54I looked away and tried to walk past him.
20:56Luke stepped in front of me, blocking my path, towering over me in the shadow.
21:02What is wrong with you?
21:03I tried to push him away, but he grabbed my wrist easy.
21:06He looked down at me, half-smoking.
21:08No matter what I say, you're never going to give me a chance, are you?
21:11I looked away.
21:12I have no idea what you're talking about.
21:14Drop it.
21:15You know exactly what I'm talking about.
21:16You know, I said I never liked Diana just so you'd hear it.
21:19I went quiet.
21:20Stopped fighting.
21:21After a long second, I looked him in the eye.
21:24Yeah, I know.
21:24And I know you liked me back then, too.
21:27That's the only reason I was stupid enough to confess.
21:29The first time I tried losing weight, I did it in secret.
21:33Starved myself.
21:34Stopped taking the bus.
21:35Walked to and from school every day.
21:37I wanted to lose weight fast, so I could wear my favorite dress and confess to Luke.
21:45But he noticed how pale I was, and how I kept holding my stomach.
21:49You on your period?
21:50I shook my head, brushing it off.
21:52I'm fine.
21:53It'll pass.
21:54Luke wouldn't let it go.
21:56Come on.
21:56Insisted on taking me to the nurse.
21:58I finally told him I'd been skipping meals.
22:00He frowned even harder.
22:02He told the teacher I had low blood sugar, then pulled me toward the cafeteria.
22:07He pressed me against the wall and let out a cold sneer, walking ahead, and scoffed.
22:14You care that much what people think?
22:16You'd actually starve yourself?
22:18I was so dizzy from hunger I could barely hear him.
22:21I just nodded.
22:22Yeah.
22:24Luke was so mad, he squeezed my hand tight.
22:27Will you stop fucking dieting already?
22:30Anyone makes fun of your weight?
22:32I'll handle them.
22:33Okay?
22:34I smiled a little and mumbled.
22:35You don't think I'm fat?
22:36Like, ugly?
22:38Luke stopped walking.
22:39He didn't let go of my hand.
22:41He turned around, leaned down close to my face.
22:44He looked at me like he was solving the hardest physics problem on the exam.
22:48I looked.
22:49You're cute.
22:51All of you.
22:53Not cute for a big girl.
22:55Your face.
22:56You have a really pretty face.
22:57He said it like it was a fact.
22:59In that moment, my crush on him grew bigger than ever.
23:03I held his hand back, like I was finally climbing out of all that self-hatred.
23:08And then, one second later, he pushed me right back in.
23:11And I stayed there for a really long time after that.
23:14Luke's eyes widened.
23:15His grip on my wrist loosened.
23:17He looked down, a sad, bitter smile on his face.
23:20I liked you.
23:21For a long time.
23:24But being with you, all the stares, all the jokes, it was too much.
23:27That's exactly why you don't get to ask for a chance now.
23:30I walked away.
23:31A few meters out, I heard his voice again.
23:33But I liked you more than any of them ever did.
23:35Quiet.
23:36Like he was talking to himself.
23:38Like he knew none of it mattered.
23:39I fixed my face and pushed open the door to the private dining room.
23:45I scanned the room.
23:47Silas wasn't there yet.
23:48Our teacher waved me over with a smile.
23:51Great scores, Chloe.
23:52Come sit here.
23:53Diana had been scowling at me ever since I walked in.
23:57Then she smiled all sweet and said,
23:59Don't let her grades fool you, Mrs. Carter.
24:02Chloe's been sneaking around with a guy this whole time.
24:04I stared at her, confused.
24:05What are you talking about?
24:07Con, we're graduating.
24:08It's fine.
24:09Don't be mad.
24:11I laughed.
24:11Annoyed.
24:12About to set the record straight.
24:14When our teacher cut in.
24:15Wait, who?
24:16Who's Chloe dating?
24:17Her deskmate, Silas?
24:19Diana said it like it was big news.
24:21And our teacher's eyes went wide.
24:22Diana preened.
24:23I just don't get it.
24:25Chloe's such a good student.
24:26Why would she go for someone with bad grades and a bad reputation?
24:30Our teacher frowned at Diana, weirded out.
24:32Diana didn't notice she was too busy glaring at me.
24:35Come on, Chloe.
24:36Don't deny it just cause he's ugly.
24:37Make him take off his mask.
24:39Show everyone the burn scars.
24:41I didn't care that much about the dating rumor.
24:43But lying about Silas?
24:45That I couldn't stand.
24:48Diana, have you ever actually seen scars on his face?
24:52She froze.
24:53Well, no, but...
24:56But you're saying it like it's true?
24:59Everyone says it!
25:01I nodded, playing her own game.
25:03Everyone also says you bribed your way into that cheer scholarship.
25:07By your logic, that must be true too, right?
25:09Diana panicked.
25:10Who's saying that?
25:11She looked around the room, wild-eyed, looking for someone to blame.
25:14The room was loud.
25:16Another group was bugging our teacher.
25:18We heard from the grade coordinator there's a billionaire heir in our grade.
25:20Who is it? What's his name?
25:21Is he hot? He must be, right?
25:23Our teacher was too busy to answer either group.
25:26The noise hit its peak.
25:27Everyone talking over each other, then the door opened again.
25:30The room went dead silent.
25:32Everyone stared at the guy in the doorway, sharp features, tall, movie star, handsome.
25:37The girl closest to him blushed and said,
25:40Um, can we help you find someone?
25:42Our teacher laughed and said,
25:44What, you don't recognize him?
25:47This is the guy you've all been talking about.
25:50Diana shrieked.
25:50Silas?
25:52Everyone else lost it.
25:54The heir?
25:55No way.
25:56That's Silas?
25:57The trilendual, Ivy League-bounded billionaire heir?
26:00Alright, alright, stop teasing them.
26:03Silas, we barely recognized you without the mask.
26:05I was totally stunned, like I'd been struck by lightning.
26:08Silas, this stranger in front of me raised an eyebrow, looked right at me, and hummed.
26:13I said yes.
26:15Yes to what?
26:19The whole room wrapped up.
26:25No wonder he aced all the multiple choice on that test once, just wrote the final answers.
26:29I thought he cheated.
26:30I always said his eyes were too pretty for him to be ugly.
26:32He had those same sneakers as that NBA star once, I swear they were fake.
26:39Dinner ended fast, everyone still buzzing the whole time.
26:43On the walk home, Silas answered all my questions.
26:46He'd worn the mask and hat when he first transferred, cause he'd gotten in a fight and his face was
26:51all bruised.
26:52Then he just got used to it.
26:53When I first transferred here, I wore a mask and a hat because I'd just been in a fight not
26:57long before and the wounds on my face hadn't healed yet.
27:00Later I just got used to wearing it.
27:01You've already been recommended for admission, so why are you still taking the final examination?
27:05I did it just so we could go to the same college, babe.
27:09This is my first relationship.
27:12No one in my family ever really liked me.
27:15Grew up being compared to everyone else, constant pressure.
27:19Always felt like everyone left me.
27:21His eyes were soft, almost shy.
27:26No wonder he aced all the multiple choice on that test once, just wrote the final answers.
27:30I thought he cheated.
27:31I always said his eyes were too pretty for him to be ugly.
27:33He had those same sneakers as that NBA star once, I swear they were fake.
27:40Dinner ended fast, everyone still buzzing the whole time.
27:44On the walk home, Silas answered all my questions.
27:47He'd worn the mask and hat when he first transferred, cause he'd gotten in a fight and his face was
27:52all bruised.
27:53Then he just got used to it.
27:54When I first transferred here, I wore a mask and a hat because I'd just been in a fight not
27:58long before and the wounds on my face hadn't healed yet.
28:01Later I just got used to wearing it.
28:02You've already been recommended for admission, so why are you still taking the final examination?
28:07I did it just so we could go to the same college, babe.
28:10This is my first relationship.
28:13No one in my family ever really liked me.
28:16Grew up being compared to everyone else, constant pressure.
28:20Always felt like everyone left me.
28:22His eyes were soft, almost shy.
28:25I tried to kill myself once when I was little, after my family bailed on me.
28:29Then I just got used to it.
28:31He tried to say it casual, but I could see the hurt in his eyes.
28:34My throat tightened.
28:36Rich kid life sounded miserable.
28:38He saw my eyes getting wet and brushed a thumb under my eye.
28:45Don't feel bad for me.
28:46This is the first time someone chose me instead of leaving.
28:49That's more than enough for me.
28:51He said it like he expected so little.
28:53Hey, don't cry, Chloe.
28:57So, what was it I got wrong again?
29:04Nothing.
29:06Boyfriend.
29:08If I denied it now, he'd probably break.
29:12And I knew I felt something for him, too.
29:16Trying it out wouldn't hurt.
29:17He was so starved for affection.
29:20Our city had more top colleges than anywhere else.
29:23The school Silas got early acceptance to was ranked almost the same as the one I applied to.
29:28So when he turned it down to apply to the same one as me,
29:30his cold, distant family didn't even put up that much of a fight.
29:35By the end of summer break, I was fully used to calling Silas my boyfriend.
29:39He took things slow.
29:40The most we'd done was a kiss on the forehead when he walked me home at night.
29:44Other than being a little clingy, he was basically perfect.