Chapter 3
I got into this top high school from an unremarkable school back home.
Back at my old school, I was always ranked first in my grade.
I thought I was smart and really good at studying.
I understood everything the teachers taught on the first try and breezed through all the homework problems.
But after my first monthly exam here, my grades were really disappointing.
No one could understand how I felt in that moment.
I thought studying was my natural talent, something I could rely on for my future.
But after leaving my small hometown school, I realized I was just ordinary.
I couldn’t even get into a decent college.
So I studied like crazy.
I didn’t care about being isolated or bullied.
In my world, grades were my only goal.
Through my relentless effort, I pushed my way into the top 50, but that was as far as I got.
Then I understood that some things can’t be achieved through willpower alone.
There are too many external factors that are essential for success.
When my dad sent me here, he’d heard this place had excellent teachers.
It really was way better than my old school.
But even within the same school, teachers are ranked differently.
All the best resources were funneled into the top class–the so–called elite class.
Every student in there was on another level, from prominent families, and 90% were Alphas.
They enjoyed the best educational resources at school.
Backed by their families‘ full support, these kids firmly held the top 50 spots, making them feel completely out of reach for someone like me.
Among them, Marcus was the most outstanding.
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Chapter 3
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I’d been hearing his name for two years.
He would be the future Alpha of a top–tier Blood Pack. Strikingly handsome looks and always scored at least 30 points above second place.
Even though he was cold and aloof, rarely interacting with others, he was still the most popular Alpha on campus- untouchable and admired by almost every girl, including me.
In our final year, someone like him ended up by my side–all because of a cruel game. Honestly, it felt almost unreal.
That remote, old study room became mine and Marcus’s secret base.
After school, we’d always show up there, like it was silently agreed on.
We didn’t talk, just worked on our practice tests.
When I encountered difficult problems and was scratching my head, he’d lean over quietly.
He picked up his pen and explained it to me.
Marcus truly deserved to be in a league of his own.
His problem–solving approach was always clear and concise. Many tangled problems became clear and simple under his analysis.
Boys who explained how to solve problems seriously were really charming.
His lashes hung low like resting butterflies, occasionally fluttering their wings.
His slender fingers held the pen, gliding through line after line of formulas in elegant, flowing handwriting that re- flected his quiet confidence.
Without realizing it, I became mesmerized watching him.
Suddenly, the pen that had been writing lightly tapped my forehead.
The fair and handsome boy pretended to be angry,
“What are you thinking about? You’re daydreaming.”
As if under a spell, I raised my hand and poked his eyelid with my index finger.
“There’s a mole here.”
It’s light brown, barely visible, tucked in the fold of his double eyelid. Easy to miss unless you looked closely.
Marcus froze for a moment, then smiled. His smile was beautiful.
I snapped back to reality, hastily pulled back my hand, and deeply lowered my head.
My ears burned with embarrassment under his gaze.
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Chapter 3
Sunlight streamed through the window, casting both our shadows on the desk.
Under the Tyndall effect, tiny dust particles were like my wild heartbeat, with nowhere to hide.
It was on such a warm afternoon that Marcus confessed to me, “Emma, I like you. Will you be with me?”
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