Chapter 2: The Confession Showdown

The campus bad boy is always the most eye-catching guy in the crowd.

Casual, a little wild—no wonder Savannah, who’d never seen much of the world, found him both enviable and irresistible.

But that’s all in the past.

Now, my heart is set on studying.

If there’s anything else, it’s chasing the American Dream and working hard to become a successful, independent woman!

Love is overrated; grades and scholarships are the real deal.

Looking around, I was surprised to see that Savannah Li, the professor’s favorite, hadn’t arrived yet.

The professor tapped the mic, put on thick glasses, and started roll call:

"Mariah Jefferson—"

"Here!"

"Autumn Blake—"

"Here!"

...

I was secretly relieved—thank goodness I came today.

Finally, the old macroeconomics professor looked up: "Savannah Li."

No answer.

He cleared his throat: "Savannah Li!"

Still silence.

"Class, please tell Savannah: one unexcused absence means a 15-point deduction from her participation grade. My class doesn’t accept retroactive excuses. This was clear from day one!"

He scribbled on the attendance sheet, the scratch of his pen loud in the hush.

Whispers broke out. Savannah’s name was big news—everyone wanted to gossip, the hum of the projector barely audible over the chatter.

Mariah looked stunned. "That’s odd. She’s the top student—never misses class."

I hid my smile behind my book. "What’s odd? People in love are always a bit blind."

Especially in that sweet, ambiguous stage.

Mariah’s eyebrows shot up. "Oh, come on!" she puffed her cheeks. "You’re just jealous."

I gave up arguing. "Yeah, yeah, sure."

Under my breath, I couldn’t help but think: If only GPA points were as easy to win as love triangles. Maybe then I’d be on the cover of the alumni magazine.

After class, the professor randomly picked me to return midterm papers to the department office.

Humming, I walked to the admin building, scrolling through my Instagram feed full of Carter Reed’s latest shots—him dunking, grinning with teammates, even a goofy selfie at Taco Bell.

I had to admit, the campus bad boy was easy on the eyes.

But his attitude was domineering. If he took the basketball court, everyone else just waited outside—no one dared interrupt.

Rumor had it he had a hundred ways to make people uncomfortable.

Sounds cool, right?

But honestly, isn’t that just classic jerk behavior?

I was scrolling through Instagram as I opened the office door—and nearly dropped my phone in shock—

Inside were Carter Reed and Savannah Li.

Carter was gripping Savannah’s slender wrist, pressing her against the wall, half his body leaning in, pinning her there.

Savannah looked like a startled deer, lips parted, face flushed.

Her heart was clearly pounding out of her chest.

She’d already fallen into his trap, with no way out.

Just as the air thickened and the atmosphere turned charged, I—the uninvited guest—barged in.

Like a third wheel flipping on the lights in a blackout.

Carter froze mid-move and shot me a furious glare, the corners of his eyes suspiciously red.