I told the school’s notorious bad boy that I was Briar’s real boyfriend. I pulled out all the stops to keep them apart. After graduation, Briar found out the truth and broke down, crying. She hated me for destroying her love story. Even on the day I died, she was still cursing me, calling me selfish, a despicable jerk, worse than a dog. As a twisted form of revenge, she deliberately didn’t tell my family about my critical condition. I never got to say goodbye to them. I died with my eyes wide open, consumed by bitterness. After I was reborn, I chose to let go. She finally got her wish, pregnant with the bad boy’s baby. The valedictorian and the school’s bad boy were an item. Our entire senior year was buzzing with this gossip, everyone’s faces alight with barely contained excitement. I sat at my desk, quietly working on practice problems, completely oblivious to the chatter in the hallway. It wasn’t a surprise to me. Yesterday, Jax wrote Briar’s name on the blackboard, confessing his feelings to her in front of everyone. The whole class saw that cheesy, copy-pasted love confession from the internet. Briar, far from being angry, completely fell for it. Her face flushed crimson, but her eyes and brows, though, sparkled with an irrepressible delight. She pretty much gave him her silent approval. Just like that, they became the main characters of some high school romance drama. It had only been one night, and their social media profiles already sported matching couple avatars, openly declaring their relationship on SnapChat. They couldn’t wait to scream their love to the world. The old Briar would never have done something like that. But she’d changed. Ever since she met Jax, she wasn’t the Briar I knew anymore. “Ugh, how could a straight-A student like her fall for that punk? He’s always getting into trouble outside of school. Who knows if he’ll even get into college.” Leo, my best friend, sighed behind me, poking my arm with his pen. “If you ask me, Jax is miles below you.” “Should’ve known Briar liked wild types. You shouldn’t have been such a doormat for her.” I stopped writing, saying seriously, “I haven’t liked her for a long time.” Yeah, I liked her in my last life. Not this one. I still remembered her face at my hospital bed, eyes filled with such visceral hatred. She cursed me over and over, her gaze practically spat daggers at me. “Asher, you deserve this! You’re going straight to hell when you die!” “Do you know how much Jax meant to me? How dare you make decisions for me back then?!” “Karma’s a real b*tch, Asher. You don’t deserve to live.” As she ranted, tears streamed down her face, her voice choked. “Do you know he was the one I loved most…?” When she saw my life slipping away, watching the heart monitor flatline, She didn’t show an ounce of pity. She even deliberately didn’t inform my family. Leaving me to die alone. Her last words before I faded away were: “Asher, now you know what regret feels like, don’t you?” Yeah, I do. Given a second chance, I’ll be a silent shadow. I won’t get in your way and Jax’s ever again. The bell for class rang, pulling my memories back to reality. Jax swaggered in, his rebellious face practically oozing pride and arrogance. Briar followed close behind him, clutching her sleeve tightly. Her lips, redder than the ripest cherries, looked like they’d just been thoroughly kissed. I watched them calmly. It reminded me of Briar and my marriage, a long time ago. That was the first time I ever saw that kind of shy, maidenly expression on her face.
Our families tried to set Briar and me up. I never thought she’d agree. After all, we were like oil and water back then. She’d even glare at me just for walking past. After high school, Briar got into one of the country’s most prestigious universities, and I became her schoolmate. The day I received my acceptance letter, I told Briar about Jax’s crush on her. Part of it was selfish, yes. But mostly, I didn’t want romance to mess with Briar’s studies. Everyone knew what kind of person Jax truly was. He’d only been at our school for a year, but he’d already racked up a ton of disciplinary actions, constantly breaking school rules and getting into fights off campus. Not only did he smoke and drink, but he’d also gone through more girlfriends than red marks on his report card. He only saw Briar as a game. But Briar, for some reason, liked guys like him. With that charming, yet absolutely toxic, look of his, he’d sit in the back row, humming love songs all day. He’d fold his textbooks into paper airplanes and casually toss them out the window. We’d been childhood friends for so many years; I knew Briar better than anyone. If she knew Jax was planning to confess to her, she’d agree without a second thought. Then she’d fall deep and never pull herself out. “Jax, I know what you’re up to. I suggest you don’t do it, or you’ll regret it big time.” That afternoon, Jax was excitedly grabbing chalk to write on the blackboard, taking advantage of the empty classroom after school. I stood at the back door, my voice cold, cutting him off. “Why not?” He raised an annoyed eyebrow. “Because I’m Briar’s boyfriend.” “You—” The name ‘Briar’ instantly changed his expression. He knew we’d been best friends since kindergarten, in the same class since then, and our parents were even neighbors in the same building. He thought our friendship was purely platonic. “You don’t want her to reject you in front of everyone, do you? You’d lose all face at Northwood High.” I continued, showing him the hair tie on my wrist, silently asserting my claim. It was the same kind Briar wore. Jax’s clenched fist tightened, then loosened. “Oh, and by the way, we’ve been together longer than you’ve even known her.” As I left, I didn’t forget to twist the knife, making sure Jax completely gave up. I lied to Jax. But the hair ties really were from Briar. She was always losing things, so she just gave me a whole box of them. She’d just hold out her hand for one when she needed it. Soon after, Jax shifted his attention to other girls, and we had a peaceful senior year. Later, Briar went crazy trying to chase him, hoping to make up for that missed love. She found out Jax had already moved abroad. They were worlds apart. “Asher, I hate you…” She pounded my chest repeatedly, her tears flowing like a broken dam. For a moment, I hesitated. Should I have just let them be? But then I saw Briar, standing tall, going straight from her undergraduate to her PhD, becoming a dazzling female executive in the finance world, securing a future everyone envied. I still felt it was worth it. After thirty, I was still single, and so was she. Our elders started getting anxious. “Fine,” Just as I was about to refuse, Briar nodded, agreeing to the marriage. It completely blew my mind. She smiled at me, her eyes holding a tenderness I’d never seen before. Suddenly, an unrealistic fantasy sparked within me. After all these years, Briar had finally let go of Jax and was willing to look back at me. I loved her. It was the deepest secret buried in my heart. I don’t think any guy could resist a lively girl with sweet dimples who was always by his side. Her soft, long hair brushed my fingertips, sending an uncontrollable tremor through my heart. But a fantasy is just that, a fantasy. She could nonchalantly pick out a wedding dress, do a photo shoot, finalize wedding arrangements. But she would never actually say she loved me. Jax was her one true love, her ‘what if’ dream. So, she ran away on our wedding day. I was completely humiliated in front of all our guests. The video went viral, and someone even posted a breakdown of the whole story. Netizens mocked me, calling me a pathetic doormat who ended up losing everything. That manipulative snake who ruined true love deserved to be abandoned. Briar had successfully completed her long-planned revenge.
“Briar, your grades slipped by dozens of ranks in the last monthly exam. You really need to take this seriously.” Mr. Harrison, our class teacher, said earnestly, holding her report card. He glanced at Briar, then at Jax waiting outside his office, shaking his head with a sigh. “It’s normal to have crushes at your age, but you need to keep your eyes open and make smart choices. Classmates should push each other to improve, not just think about having fun all the time.” “I think Asher is doing great. He ranked first in the entire grade this time. He’s a role model for the boys…” “Mr. Harrison.” Briar cut him off, seeing Jax’s annoyed expression. “I’ll handle my own affairs. You don’t need to worry about me.” Briar snatched the report card from his hand and walked off towards Jax without a backward glance. Jax brazenly blew a whistle, practically preening, then threw his arm around Briar’s shoulders, completely ignoring everyone else, and swaggered off. No one at this school could control Jax. His parents were prominent entrepreneurs. The new school building being constructed was a donation from their family. Mr. Harrison stared at their retreating backs, a pang of heartache hitting him. He never imagined his best student would turn out this way. I was on my way to turn in homework when I ran into Briar and Jax. “Asher…” Briar was about to greet me, but swallowed her words. Jax had her hand clutched tight. I felt his hostile glare. Briar was quick to obey him, immediately averting her gaze. She walked past me like a stranger. Jax was jealous of me; I knew Briar must be thrilled about that, loving every minute of it. She thought possessiveness was a sign of love. That was fine. Time to draw a line in the sand. We’d go our separate ways.
Mr. Thompson asked me why I hadn’t been walking home with Briar lately. I hesitated for a long time but still didn’t tell him about her early relationship. Though, I figured her parents would find out soon enough. With Jax by her side, no matter how late she stayed out, Briar always made it home safely. After school, you could often see them running hand in hand down the street. Their laughter and playful teasing drifted to my ears, sounding as distant as if from another world. Some classmates even spotted them at night in the small grove at the park. Under the dark, windy sky, Jax had Briar pinned against a tree, kissing passionately. Their reputation instantly flipped. From rebellious, passionate lovers, they became the shameless, scandalous couple everyone whispered about. Briar was angry at first, but then she just stopped caring, letting them say whatever they wanted. She continued to spend every waking moment with Jax. Jax had money and bought Briar many designer lipsticks, so Briar learned how to do her makeup and dress up. She started looking down on girls who showed up to school barefaced every day, disdaining to stand next to them. She also looked down on guys who only bought a single boba for dates, secretly calling them poor. She didn’t understand that in student days, a girl’s most beautiful face was her unadorned one. Youth was them, not them transforming into youth. Even a cheap boba could leave a lasting impression for many. The last time Briar spoke to me first was when she threw a small note to Jax during class, accidentally tossing it onto my desk. “Nerd, pass it over, quick.” Briar urged impatiently, afraid I might peek. She no longer called me Asher with a cheerful smile, but adopted Jax’s habit of giving people nicknames. The next second, the math teacher stood in front of my seat, his face stern as he confiscated the note. I heard Jax click his tongue in annoyance, kicking his desk leg. Then he stood up and slammed the door as he walked out. Briar glared at me, her eyes spitting venom. She blamed me for getting them caught. Our math teacher was famously strict. After reading the inappropriate content, he immediately called both sets of parents after class. Jax’s parents, of course, didn’t show up. They let their son run wild. Rumor had it, as long as Jax didn’t get anyone pregnant, his parents didn’t care how many girls he dated. Mr. Thompson, getting the news, rushed back from the construction site, still clutching his hard hat, sweat mixed with dirt caked on his tanned skin. He finally understood why Briar had changed so much lately; it was because she was always with the school bad boy. He was utterly disappointed in his precious daughter. Mr. Thompson hit her for the first time. Briar clutched her face in disbelief, immediately protesting vehemently. You could hear the furious argument from the other end of the hallway, even sitting in the classroom. It lasted a whole afternoon.
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