I Ditched My Childhood Sweethearts for a Brighter Future Chapter 04

I Ditched My Childhood Sweethearts for a Brighter Future Chapter 04

“Come to Harvard, Paisley,” he said. “Nothing is more important than your future. Since you’re putting in the work, you should aim for the absolute best.”

For the past eighteen years, I had trapped myself in a tiny world with Logan and Charles, refusing to look outside.

I had watched them step out of our bubble, panicking and scrambling to keep up.

Until someone finally told me that my own choices mattered just as much.

I stared at Waylon, my heart hammering against my ribs, until a passerby accidentally knocked over the dessert sitting on the edge of the desk.

The sudden noise snapped me back, and I hurriedly dropped my head to focus on the exam. Beside me, Waylon stood up, cleared his throat, and walked toward the restroom.

Watching his retreating back, I noticed the slight flush on the tips of his ears.

For the first time, a doubt crept into my mind. Did I actually love Logan? Why had my heart never raced this fast around Logan or Charles?

Was I truly in love with them, or was I just terrified of being left behind by my closest friends?

Waylon seemed to source these custom tests out of thin air, but every single question targeted my exact weaknesses.

It took me the entire afternoon, and I chewed through three pen caps before I finally managed to grind my way through the exam.

“Not bad.”

Looking at the sheet covered in red marks, I braced myself for Waylon to turn cold and strict again like yesterday.

But he simply nodded, tapping the only two questions I had gotten completely right. “You retained everything from yesterday.”

I turned to look at him in surprise. A faint smile played at the corners of his lips, a look of genuine praise in his eyes.

“I’ll pick you up after evening study session tomorrow.”

Before I could fully savor the small victory, Waylon delivered another blow.

“But my evening session doesn’t end until after nine.”

I was on the verge of tears. Waylon stared at me for a few seconds before nodding calmly.

“So let’s make the most of the time we have and try to get you back by ten thirty.”

Thanks to his relentless schedule, I became terrified of not getting enough sleep for the next day.

The moment I got home, I didn’t bother heading over to Charles’s room to hang out. I crawled straight into bed and passed out.

In my hazy, half-asleep state, I heard Charles and Logan come looking for me, but my mom turned them away at the door.

The next morning, I rushed into the classroom early, pulling out the exam Waylon had graded the day before to start corrections.

My phone lit up with a series of motivational links Waylon had shared.

[One Hundred Days of Grinding: Getting Into an Ivy League.]

[The Ultimate Comeback Guide for Students.]

[What every teacher secretly thinks: ‘If you bomb this, I never knew you.’]

…

When Logan walked into the classroom, his face was like a thundercloud.

The moment he spotted me, he marched over with heavy strides.
“Why didn’t you tell me you were coming to school early? Charles and I waited for you forever.”

His gaze locked onto the half-finished exam on my desk, his eyes narrowing slightly.

Charles poked his head out from behind Logan, his eyes crinkling with a look of relief. “Nice job, Paisley. Are you finally putting in the effort for us?”

Logan let out a small scoff, though his mood clearly brightened.

“You’ve been like this since kindergarten. Always pulling a last-minute cram session just to stay in the same school as us. If you had just taken things seriously earlier…

They were being incredibly loud, and Logan was blocking the light over my paper.

A wave of irritation washed over me, and I looked up. *Can you move? You’re blocking my paper.”

The air instantly grew still. Logan stared at me, his eyes wide with sheer disbelief.

I had always humored him, never speaking to him with such blunt impatience.

Beside him, Charles frowned, his eyes falling on the notebook to my left. He reached out and snatched it. *Whose notes are these? Logan, did you write these for her?”

Logan shook his head. I stood up to grab them back, but Charles dodged my hand, flipping to the front cover. *Waylon… Why does that name sound so familiar?”

Logan frowned, taking the notebook from him, his voice dropping several degrees. *Do we even have someone by that name at our school?”

Charles shook his head, looking utterly baffled. *Where did you borrow notes from some random nobody? If you need study guides, I can just give you mine…”

As he started flipping through the pages, I forcefully ripped the notebook out of his hands.

“Give it back. It’s none of your business.”