He Called Me a Leech, Then Got Mad When the AI I Talked to Wasn’t Him Chapter 10

He Called Me a Leech, Then Got Mad When the AI I Talked to Wasn’t Him Chapter 10

A few days after I got home, the official SAT scores came out.

On the day the scores were released, our parents made a point of gathering at my house for

dinner.

The table was full of food, and the atmosphere was lively and warm.

Everyone had silently assumed the same thing.

Ethan and I had grown up together, our grades had always been close, and we had made a

promise when we were younger.

Of course we would both put Columbia University as our top choice, keep looking out for

each other, and attend the same college.

At the dinner table, Mrs. Walker held my hand and smiled at me with gentle affection.

“Lila, you and Ethan have said since you were little that you would grow up together and go to

college together.”

“Put Columbia as your top choice, just like we planned. That way, once you’re on campus,

you two can still look out for each other.”

Ethan sat quietly to the side, watching me.

There was a faint trace of expectation in his eyes as he waited for my answer.

Just then, the phone Ethan had placed on the table suddenly rang.

The caller ID was Sophie.

The moment he picked up the call, his expression softened instantly, and his eyes filled with

undisguised joy.

Sophie’s excited voice came through from the other end, so loud and bright that everyone

could hear it through the receiver.

“Ethan, I barely cleared the cutoff, but I got into college!”

Without even thinking, Ethan put down his fork and stood up at once.

“That’s great. Don’t panic, though. I’ll come help you look up schools and finish your applications right now.”

After saying that, he completely forgot about all the adults still waiting at the table.

He took his phone and rushed out the door.

The door slammed shut behind him.

The smiles on everyone’s faces froze, and the atmosphere instantly became painfully

awkward.

My expression stayed calm. I didn’t feel the slightest bit disappointed or hurt.

Composed, I took out my phone and opened the college application portal.

Then I spoke lightly.

“No need to wait for him. I’ve already decided which school I want to attend.”

“I can handle my own applications.”

My fingers moved quickly across the screen as I selected the school and major.

Top choice: Stanford University, Computer Science with a software engineering track.

After checking everything one last time, I hit Submit.

The moment my application choices were successfully submitted, my phone rang.

The caller was Ethan.

When I answered, his incredulous voice came through the receiver, laced with panic.

“Lila? My mom said you put Stanford as your top choice?”

“Didn’t we agree that we were going to Columbia together?”

“Did something go wrong with your SATS? Did you bomb them this time?”

Holding the phone, I let out a cold laugh.

“I didn’t bomb anything. In fact, I did better than I ever did on any practice test.”

“And I never would have found a new direction.”

The other end of the call fell into complete silence.

For a long time, Ethan couldn’t say a single word.

I had nothing more to say either, so I hung up without hesitation.