I Ditched My Childhood Sweethearts for a Brighter Future Chapter 01

I Ditched My Childhood Sweethearts for a Brighter Future Chapter 01

I was a high school senior.

I’d had a crush on my two childhood friends for years, but they both fell for Alanna Dalhy, the school sweetheart.

Determined to change, I swallowed my pride and asked Alanna how she managed to be so universally loved.

She’d been generous with her advice.

“You need to focus on skincare, but your posture and fitness matter just as much…” She pulled out her phone. “I’ll hook you up with my instructor. His classes completely transformed the way I carry myself.”

When I met the instructor, his looks caught me completely off guard.

Later, I dragged him along to meet Alanna.

“You were right. Improving my grades completely changed my confidence and vibe.”

My two childhood friends were busy catering to Alanna’s every whim. But the moment they noticed me holding a man’s hand, their expressions turned utterly grim.

But their reaction was nothing compared to Alanna’s. She stared at the man beside me, eyes wide as if they might pop out.

“I recommended my Pilates instructor. Why the hell is my brother here?”

…

Staring at the contact information Alanna had sent over, I hesitated before hitting send on the friend request.

“His classes are pricey, but the results are undeniable. Look at my abs…” Sensing my doubt, Alanna had lifted her shirt to show me.

But she caught sight of a guy walking toward us, cleared her throat, and immediately dropped her hem.

“Paisley? What are you doing here?”

A clear, mellow male voice carried a hint of confusion.

Logan Weber, one of my childhood friends, looked at me, then at Paisley, and his face instantly darkened.

“Charles is waiting for you at home. Did you seriously come here to corner me?”

His irritation was raw and blunt. I waved my hands in a panic. “No, I didn’t…”

Alanna glanced back and forth between us. “Are you two…”

Before she could finish, Logan flashed a bright, easy smile. “Just neighbors.”

A dull ache settled in my chest. I turned and walked away.

The moment I stepped through my front door, I ran right into Charles Vale, another childhood friend of mine.

He was rushing out, shoving his arms into his jacket, his expression tense.

“Have you seen Logan?” Before I could even answer, he grabbed my arm.

“Yeah, over on Weal Street…”

He cut me off before I could finish. “I knew that schemer went to run into Alanna on purpose.”

I stayed silent. Charles adjusted his jacket, finally noticing how pale I looked.

“No tutoring session today. Logan recorded the physics lecture for you. It’s on the desk; go watch it yourself.”

He left without looking back.

I walked into Charles’s room, and Logan’s tablet was indeed sitting on the desk.

But after entering the password three times, the screen remained locked.

I called Logan, but he didn’t pick up. After a long pause, I dialed Charles.

“Hasn’t it always been your birthday?” he asked. “It won’t open?”

I gave a quiet hum of agreement.

“Then try Alanna’s birthday.” He sounded surprised, then called out to someone next to him. “Logan, when did you change it?”

Logan’s voice carried through the receiver.

“A long time ago. Just tell her. She doesn’t even know Alanna, how would she know her birthday?”

“March sixteenth,” Charles answered without hesitation. “Try that.”

The tablet unlocked. Logan’s wallpaper was still a photo he had taken of me for my birthday two years ago.

But as I scrolled through the device, there was no sign of the lecture video Charles had mentioned. Instead, I was forced to look through an album of 188 modeling photos of Alanna.

I put the tablet back and sat on the edge of Charles’s bed. On his nightstand stood a photo of the three of us from my eighteenth birthday just a short while ago.

In the picture, the two of them framed me on both sides, throwing up incredibly dorky finger hearts that had made me laugh until I cried.

Before turning eighteen, I used to wonder whether I would end up with Logan or Charles.

After all, we grew up together. I had always preferred the gentle, quiet Logan and loved chasing after him.

Meanwhile, the bright and energetic Charles would always stand up for me whenever Logan teased me. He told me that no matter what Logan decided, he would always stay by my side.

He said childhood friends were supposed to be together forever.

I believed him.