All for Nothing

All because of Leo Cullen’s words, I gave up a place at a top-tier university in Ceres and stayed behind to retake the entrance exams with him—three times.

By the fourth year, a girl arrived at our cram school, and Leo forgot the promise we made.

He started skipping class, picking fights, smoking—doing everything but studying.

One day, I stood at the school gate, blocking his path with a textbook in hand as he tried to ditch class.

He smirked, unimpressed, and blew a bubble with his gum, letting it stick to the ends of my hair.

“Naomi…,” he began, “who still cares about studying these days?”

So I stopped caring and avoided him entirely.

When he fooled around in the classroom, I went to the library.

When he played basketball, I sat in a quiet corner with my books.

Even when I craved noodles from my favorite shop, I’d scan the room first to make sure he wasn’t there.

“Are you avoiding me, Naomi?” he asked later, his face in a frown.

I shook my head.

“Why would you think that?”

The crease between Leo Cullen's brows deepened at my question.

He didn’t even know why he blurted it out.

The thought had struck him suddenly as he watched how seriously I was studying.

A flash of anger crossed his face.

“Don’t worry about why I’m asking—just answer me! Are you avoiding me?

“Besides, I’m the one asking questions right now. You don’t get to turn this around!”

I stared at that arrogant, rebellious face.

I couldn’t hold back any longer.

This was the fourth year I’d stayed by his side to take the entrance exams.

In truth, I had already passed the exam three times.

The universities I got into weren’t top-tier, but they were all reputable.

But back then, Leo had come to me and asked, “Will you retake the entrance exams with me, Naomi? I want us to go to the same university together.”

He was my fiancé, and we had grown up together—inseparable since we were little.

When we were young, we made a promise to go to the same university when we grew up.

So, without much hesitation, I agreed to stay behind and repeat the year.

Of course, my decision faced heavy opposition from my entire family.

But I lied to them without a second thought.

I said the university I got into wasn’t ideal, and insisted on repeating the year.

And then it became one year, and then another, and another.

This was already the fourth year I had stayed by Leo’s side.

And still, he couldn’t get into university.

“You can’t keep wasting time like this. It’s already our fourth year. If you still don’t get in… what will you do with your life?” I sighed as I tried to convey the urgency of his situation.

I had meant it as a kind, heartfelt reminder, but to Leo, it sounded like an insult.

He let out a cold laugh.

Then he suddenly yanked a handful of my hair, his face twisting in anger.

“Don’t think just because you’ve stuck around a few years, you get to lecture me! You could read a thousand books and still be nothing but a boring, lifeless nerd!”

The pain hit before I could even react.

I looked down and saw a thick clump of hair in his palm.

He had ripped it right from my scalp!

Tears welled up in my eyes as I stared in shock.

In all our years growing up together, this was the first time he had ever hurt me.

For a moment, a flicker of panic flashed across his eyes.

But it vanished quickly beneath the cold, distant look he gave me.

He muttered an empty “sorry,” turned around, and walked out of the classroom.

Yet I still heard him mutter under his breath, “Boring nerd.”

The pain became unbearable, so I headed to the bathroom to check in the mirror.

At the stairwell landing, I overheard Leo talking to Betty Granger.

“This is fresh from Naomi’s head. I win the bet, right?”

Betty gasped in delight.

“Wow, you’re amazing, Leo! You even managed to yank out that much of Miss Top Student’s hair! Let me touch it—maybe I’ll get smarter too!”

My heart sank.

So that was all I meant to him —a stupid bet.

A wave of cold bitterness washed through me.

Behind me, my classmate, Kitty Fox’s worried voice rang out, “Naomi? Are you okay? There’s blood on your head!”