Chapter 3

Her eyes reddened on command.

"I don't deserve to ask you for help, but I really do want to learn. Can you forgive me?"

The classroom went silent, and every eye turned toward me.

Mason clicked his tongue.

Leaning back in his chair, he looked past me at Paige on the floor.

"Get up. I'll teach you."

As soon as he said it, the whispers around us grew louder.

"Of course Mason is taking Paige's side."

"Hannah is so petty. Paige is literally on her knees, and she still won't forgive her?"

"Aren't Mason and Hannah childhood friends? Why is he defending Paige?"

In my last life, Paige's kneeling had left me flustered and helpless.

The next day, rumors spread through the class chat that I'd used my grades to bully a classmate and forced Paige to kneel in public.

Then an anonymous post appeared on the school's social board, vividly describing how I'd tormented her.

The rumors snowballed until I felt people pointing at my back whenever I walked through school.

But this time was different.

I took a deep breath, finished the final question, and stood.

"When did I ever say I wouldn't teach you?"

Paige froze. "You clearly did."

I didn't argue. I simply pressed the button on the voice recorder.

I'd prepared it as soon as I came back.

I wouldn't fall into the same trap twice.

Paige's voice played clearly from the recorder.

When it ended, the students who'd been whispering looked embarrassed.

Paige's expression shifted. She could only lower her head in humiliation.

Mason started to speak, but I cut him off without concern.

"Whatever you want to say, I don't want to hear it right now."

Mason froze, and his gaze darkened.

After that, he started giving me the silent treatment.

He used to leave milk on my desk in the morning. Now the milk disappeared, and whenever he passed my seat, he stared straight ahead as though I didn't exist.

In my last life, the slightest coldness from Mason would have made me restless. I would chase after him between classes and ask what I'd done wrong.

He was using silence to wait for me to surrender.

Like every time before, he stood still and expected me to walk back to him.

But this time, I put all my attention into my exams.

I worked through practice paper after practice paper, and my notebook of mistakes grew thicker.

Even when Mason deliberately coughed as he passed my desk, I didn't look up.

It lasted until the entrance exams.

When I sat in the testing room, I felt calmer than I'd expected.

After the second day's exams, I went home and even watched television for a while.

The door suddenly opened. Mason walked in with Paige behind him.

They passed me without looking over and went straight into Mason's room.

The door hadn't shut completely, and fragments of Mason's comforting words drifted out.

I laughed bitterly, turned off the television, and went to my room.

So even the icy Mason Blackwell knew how to comfort someone.

The next day, I reached school just before check-in. When I went to take out my documents, I discovered that my admission ticket was gone.

I searched my backpack in disbelief, but couldn't find it.

Seeing Paige in line ahead of me, I gave a cold laugh, left campus, and sat in the coffee shop across the street.

Two hours later, I acted as though nothing had happened and entered the restaurant my parents had booked in advance.

Not long after, the private dining-room door opened and Mason walked in.

Paige followed him.

I didn't miss a beat, spearing another roasted peanut with my fork and carrying it steadily to my mouth.

Mason's gaze landed on my face, but he still said nothing.

"Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Whitaker."

Paige wore a sweet smile as she greeted my parents and took the seat beside Mason.

"Sorry. My parents aren't home today, and I didn't want to be alone, so I shamelessly invited myself to dinner at Mason's."

Mason frowned and shifted his gaze to the ribs on the table, but his words were clearly meant as an explanation to me.

"Her reward."

Mom stared for a moment, then smiled and said the more people, the livelier the meal.

Not long after sitting down, Paige looked at me with apparent concern.

"Hannah, why didn't you take the exam today?"

The instant she said it, Mason's head snapped toward me. For once, obvious shock and panic broke through his usually indifferent expression.

"What happened? You missed an exam?"