West Coast, East Ivy, and the Boy Who Never Chose Me Chapter 01

West Coast, East Ivy, and the Boy Who Never Chose Me Chapter 01

Right before the SATs, West Coast University’s official social media page released a campus promotional reel.

My childhood sweetheart Kael Rainer and my best friend Liora Hale locked gazes beneath the cherry blossom grove, their eyes filled with soft affection.

They walked hand in hand across every corner of the campus, acting exactly like a real couple. The sweet atmosphere was almost cloying.

I was stuck in a gap year retaking my exams, staying up late every night cramming just to get into the same university as them.

A classmate held up her phone and sighed aloud.

[Is this, like, the official ‘we’re a thing’ moment? So sweet.]

[They went to the same high school—both total geniuses, and they fell for each other. I’m so obsessed with this couple.]

My pen froze mid-air.

No one knew Kael and I had kept our relationship a secret for three whole years. He’d promised me that once I got accepted into West Coast University this time around, he’d make our love public.

A message popped up from Liora.

[Elowen, your boyfriend is literally driving me insane. He’s taking forever to finish our course paper.]

Then a voice note from Kael popped up right after her text:

[Babe, can you, like, cut off your best friend? I seriously can’t stand her dramatic ass.]

The two of them were famous rivals who bickered nonstop whenever they met. Yet neither of them had told me they were filming a couple’s music video together.

On the weekend, I headed to West Coast University to see them like I always did. I froze in place when I spotted them strolling side by side, their fingers tightly intertwined.

“Babe, our group project is due soon. Let’s reschedule our meetup for next week.”

I stood there for a moment, then typed out a simple “Okay” in reply. I turned around and pulled up the application page for East Ivy Academy.

There was no need to waste another year of hard work anymore. East Ivy had always been my dream school, after all.

…

The sun blazed bright overhead, and a gentle wind drifted through the air.

Kael and Liora returned to Lincoln Memorial High School as distinguished alumni, invited to deliver an encouraging speech to students prepping for the SATs.

“Are you two dating? You look perfect together!” a student shouted, teasing them loudly.

I set down my textbook and lifted my eyes. The two people who were always at each other’s throats around me now wore bright red blushes on their faces.

Kael cleared his throat softly.

“We totally had each other’s backs through all that brutal SAT prep.”

That single line sparked endless speculation from everyone in the crowd. Whistles and playful jeers echoed across the auditorium.

“Stand by each other? Please—we were clawing our way to the top spot, not holding hands.” Liora’s cheeks were still pink as she fired back.

The teasing grew even louder.

“They went from total rivals to full-on lovers! I’m rooting for them so hard.”

“They ended up at the same college and even have classes together. Nothing’s gonna tear them apart.”

“You two are literally meant for each other.”

The second the speech was over, students swarmed them, pleading for a reenactment of the couple hand dance from the campus promo video. Normally, Kael kept people at arm’s length—but today, he actually went along with it.

He took Liora’s hand in front of the crowd and stared at her with sparkling eyes. I had never seen such a shy, tender look on his face before.

I closed my textbook and walked away without a single expression on my face. My phone vibrated in my pocket a second later; it was a message from Kael.

“The school’s admissions goals pretty much forced this on us. I had to do a scene with someone I can’t even stand.”

I glanced back toward him. Liora had been pushed over by the crowd, and Kael pulled her into his arms, leaning down to shield her carefully.

A sharp sense of humiliation from his betrayal washed over me. My face turned cold, and my fingers tightened around the textbook in my grasp.

“See that? Only Liora deserves our campus star. Stop daydreaming about Kael!”

“You’re so ridiculous. A nobody like you? You don’t even have a shot.”

A group of girls blocked my path, shoving me around and hurling cruel taunts. They had bullied me constantly ever since they noticed my phone lock screen was a photo of Kael.

What they never knew was that Kael had personally set that picture as my wallpaper three years ago.

For three years, he’d refused to acknowledge our relationship in public. He always kept a full meter of distance between us at school, and whenever people teased us, he’d say I was just a girl who grew up next door to him.

But once we stepped off school grounds, he grew jealous if I talked to other guys, kissing me until my legs went weak. He would stay up all night taking care of me whenever I fell ill. He told me he loved me, yet this love was always hidden from the world.

I picked up my scattered textbooks and prepared to leave. A boy with acne across his cheeks walked over holding a bouquet of jasmine flowers, fidgeting nervously as he spoke.

“Elowen, will you go out with me?”

Kael stood not far away with his arm around Liora, and our eyes met. Liora looked uncomfortable and tried to step away from him.

“Don’t move. You twisted your ankle earlier,” Kael said, steadying her by the shoulders, his voice laced with worry.

“Kael, your old friend’s literally getting asked out right in front of you,” one of his old classmates teased.

Kael shrugged his shoulders, his tone completely flat and emotionless.

“I don’t care. She’s never been my type.”

Without a moment’s hesitation, he took Liora’s hand and walked toward the school infirmary.

He had left me behind, completely. Unsurprisingly, everyone around me laughed and mocked me relentlessly.

I stood rooted to the spot and took a deep breath. Something deep inside my heart had shattered into pieces.

When I got home, I gathered every gift Kael and Liora had ever given me and tossed them all into the trash can. My phone lit up with a new message.

“Elowen, good luck on the SATs. Once you get into West Coast University, we’ll go public and be together properly.”

The room fell dead silent. I wiped the tears from my eyes and tapped the block button on his contact.

We sat at the dinner table that evening, and my mom brought up casual conversation.

“You’ve improved a lot during this gap year retake. Have you decided which college you’re applying to?”

My dad let out a long sigh.

“Pretty clear. She got into a school last year, but she passed on it—all to follow that Rainer boy around.”

I kept my face calm as I picked up my fork and took a bite of food.

“East Ivy Academy sounds perfect to me.”