Chapter 1

It wasn't until a train attendant arrived with a cart selling beverages that Alexis Jink, my girlfriend, suddenly remembered me.

She picked out a bottle of watermelon juice and considerately put in the straw before placing it in front of Samuel Yonder, my "younger brother" in name only.

Then, she handed me a bottle of mineral water. "Ethan, I had no idea what you'd want, so I got you a bottle of water."

She easily remembered that Samuel loved watermelon juice, yet she couldn't remember what I, her boyfriend, preferred.

A wave of bitterness crashed through me, thoroughly snuffing out my delight at scoring unexpectedly high on my SAT.

Instead of accepting the water, I hailed the attendant again and bought myself a bottle of watermelon juice.

As Alexis' hand was left hanging in mid-air, her expression darkened slightly in displeasure.

"Ethan Grant, weren't you the one who insisted on coming on this graduation trip? Then why have you been going around with that scowl on your face the past few days? I seriously don't understand you!"

Three years ago, to encourage me to study at the same high school as her, she had promised to take me on a holiday around the country after we graduated.

And so, I spent the next three years looking forward to having fun on the beach with her and taking her for a ride on a scooter as we chased the sunrise.

Now, however, she had twisted it so that I was the one who had insisted on the trip. In fact, it wasn't until right before we departed for it that I learned that she had brought Samuel along.

Upon our arrival at the beach on our first day, Alexis took the trip itinerary I had planned out and flipped through it.

Samuel leaned over to look as well before putting on a conflicted expression. "We're going to so many places? If I had known earlier, I would've brought a pair of walking shoes."

With that, Alexis canceled all our original plans, even tossing the itinerary I had spent countless nights painstakingly planning out into the trash.

"Ethan, we're here to have fun, so relax a little. There's no need to be so rigid about everything."

After that, we headed to all the famous sights and tourist hotspots.

With ears flushed red, Samuel asked me, "Ethan, could I take photos with Alexis? I don't know what poses to make, and it's so awkward to do them alone."

Before I could reply, Alexis had already stuffed the camera into my hands.

"Ethan, you don't have to bother with me. Just focus on making Samuel look as handsome and cool as possible. Don't leave him with any regrets, okay?"

I let out a self-deprecating laugh, not even able to muster the energy to refuse.

I had originally planned to take a photo with Alexis on the beach to post on my social media to officially announce our relationship. For the sake of that goal, I had even spent considerable time honing my photography skills.

Yet now that we were by the sea, the camera lens was focused instead on my girlfriend with another guy.

Back in the present, Samuel moved into action, swiftly bringing me out of my memories. His hand darted out to grab the bottle of water before he winked at Alexis and nudged her.

"Alexis, Ethan must be in a terrible mood because he failed to get a good score. As his girlfriend, why can't you be more considerate of him? Hurry up and cheer him up."

Samuel had always been so understanding and considerate. Ever since he came to our family a few years ago, while I was still in high school, our differences became apparent.

He had a way with words that always endeared him to others, and when compared to him, I became a good-for-nothing who could never hold a candle to him.

My parents once told me that they loved my character, and that was why they had named me Ethan. They had hoped that I would stay strong and never lose my way.

However, ever since Samuel entered our lives, the words I most often heard from them became, "Ethan, why can't you be more like Sam?"

Even Alexis, whom I had known since we were young, wasn't an exception.

Alexis stood up and smoothed her hair, looking embarrassed. "Sorry. I was just too excited and failed to keep my attitude in check."

On the surface, it sounded like she was apologizing to me, yet she was turned toward Samuel, and the words had been spoken to him.

For a moment, I couldn't discern who it was that she was truly trying to appease.

Samuel came over to lean against the side of my seat.

"Ethan, don't listen to her. At most, you'll just have to retake the test. We'll be waiting for you at Jocaster University."

Alexis was quick to agree. "Ethan, though your foundations are a little shaky, I'm still sure that you'll be able to attend Jocaster University if you take some time to solidify them. Once you're in, Sam and I can tutor you together."

I didn't bother responding. I merely looked down and continued to scroll on my phone.

I had done exceptionally well on the SAT, and my scores were much higher than what I got on the mock exam. With this score, I would also be able to choose any major I wanted at Jocaster University.

However, I no longer wanted to be in the same university as them.

I absolutely refused to be compared to Samuel again.