Chapter 3

From that day on, my life revolved around studying with Chloe.

During class, I stayed in my room, but the second the bell rang, I met her in our usual corner of the library.

We worked quietly, occasionally exchanging notes.

She didn't talk much when explaining concepts, but every word she said was precise.

Once, I got stuck on an advanced calculus problem. She glanced at it for two seconds, then tapped a number on the sheet with her pen.

"You missed this constraint."

I reread the prompt. She was right.

"How did you spot that so fast?" I asked, a bit self-conscious.

"Because I've already done all these practice sets," she said simply. "Your issue isn't that you don't know the math. You're just careless with the details."

I froze. She’s done all of them?

I buried my head in my notebook, pretending to study hard, hoping she couldn't hear how fast my heart was beating.

On the other hand, Tyler was skipping classes constantly.

He stopped turning in essays. Any free time he had was spent running off to see Bella.

In the dorm, he would look at me with pure disdain, always finding ways to brag.

"Bella just bought me a new mechanical keyboard. Look at this. Can your 'study buddy' do that?"

I tried to warn him. "You should really study, Tyler. The SATs are coming up."

Tyler rolled his eyes. "You've been hanging out with Chloe too much. You're becoming just as dry as she is."

"What's the point of studying all day? Chloe tells you to run, you run. She tells you to study, you study. Are you her boyfriend or her puppy?"

He looked at my practice sheet and sneered.

"In a real relationship, your girl should either be spending money on you or letting you into her bed. You? You're just letting a girl boss you around."

I didn't argue.

Some paths can only be understood once you fall into the ditch yourself. I had already fallen once; I wasn't going back.

When the results of the next SAT prep test came out, my score had jumped significantly.

I snapped a picture of my report card and Snapchat-ed it to Chloe: 【Thanks to you.】

She sent back a photo of her own scorecard.

Still a perfect 1600, sitting comfortably at the top of the district.

I couldn't help but smile at my screen.

Tyler, who was sitting nearby, leaned over to peek. His face instantly darkened.

"You just got lucky," he said loudly. "Everyone knows your real level, Ethan. Don't act like you're some genius now."

I slid my phone into my pocket and ignored him.

The bell rang, and Bella was waiting for Tyler at the classroom door.

He went out for a bit and returned holding a brand-new iPhone 15 Pro Max.

He intentionally waved it in front of my face. "Pretty nice, right? Bella bought it for me. The latest model."

I stared at the phone. I had the exact same one in my past life.

Back then, I thought Bella had saved up her allowance to buy it for me. I had cherished it like a treasure.

Only later did I find out she had used my social security number to open a high-interest online credit line. I was the one paying for it all along.

Seeing me quiet, Tyler assumed I was jealous. He proudly shoved the phone into his pocket.

"What's the point of being smart? You don't marry rich by getting good grades. You do it by knowing how to make a girl spend her money on you."

I remembered the cold, indifferent look on Bella’s face when I was dying in my past life.

"You're right," I said quietly. "It’s all about having a good eye."