The results of the arts entrance exam have been released. All seven colleges that my best friend, Nicole Porter, applied to have rejected her. If she wants to get into college, she'll have to work hard on her general admission exams. So, I seek out my boyfriend, Preston Nolin, who's the top of our year, and ask him to tutor Nicole.

However, Preston, who has always been mild-tempered, seems extremely reluctant to do so.

"Fi, you've helped Nicole out far too many times over the past few years. When she couldn't pay her school fees, you were the one who paid them for her using the prize money you won from the competitions.

"When Nicole's sexist parents caused a ruckus at school, you were the one who called the police on them. But because of that, her family got their revenge on you and almost left you blind in your left eye.

"Now, Nicole can't even get into any of the seven colleges she applied to. Since she's not book-smart, she should just drop out of high school and find a job. This outcome is the best for everyone involved."

Preston and I have been in a relationship for three years. Yet, this is my first time getting mad at him.

"Nikki is my best friend as well as the most important person in my life! You're not allowed to badmouth her like this! Since you don't want to help her at all, then we might as well break up!"

In order to avoid breaking up with me, Preston has no choice but to comply.

Later on, Nicole's grades keep improving by leaps and bounds. I've also worked hard in my studies, resulting in me getting pretty decent grades in my College Entrance Examination. In fact, I've hit the threshold where I can attend one of the most prestigious colleges in the state with Preston.

But when there's barely a minute left before the deadline is up, Nicole changes my dream college to the top college in the country, one that I'm definitely not qualified for.

As for Preston, he just watches Nicole tamper with my application without showing any intention of stopping her.

The deadline to change college applications was 5:00 pm. It was now 5:02 pm.

Two minutes. That was all it took to turn years of my hard work—and the score I'd fought desperately for—into nothing.

I turned to Nicole Porter, my voice shaking. "Why?"

She was my best friend.

The day the results came out, she hugged me and congratulated me for getting into a prestigious college here in the state, just like I'd always wanted.

But now, she'd personally tampered with my college applications, leaving me with no college to attend.

Nicole's face was deathly pale, tears streaming down her cheeks.

Preston Nolin stepped in front of her. He looked at me, his voice calm.

"Fi, I was the one who gave Nicole the login info for the application portal."

There was no explanation. Just a statement. Just like how he'd been standing to the side when Nicole was changing my application earlier. He'd even deliberately blocked me from coming over to check.

It took everything in me not to cry. My voice hoarse, I asked, "Preston Nolin, aren't you supposed to be my boyfriend? Don't you want to go to the same college as me anymore?"

Murlowton University was Preston's dream college.

Back in our first year of high school, he was running on the track during gym class when he stopped in front of me, covered in sweat.

"Fi, let's aim for Murlowton U together. We'll go to the same college, and after we graduate, we'll get married!"

Back then, his eyes sparkled brightly, and his gaze was filled with me and only me.

And so, from then on, I woke up at 4:30 am every day and didn't go to sleep until midnight, all so I could get into the same college as him. I hadn't had a real weekend in years. Any spare time I had was spent doing practice exams or rushing to tutoring sessions.

Three years. Over a thousand days and nights.

And now that Murlowton University was within reach, Preston was the one pushing me away with his own two hands.

All my efforts had suddenly turned into a joke.

Even as he heard my question, Preston's expression remained calm.

"Fi, I'll wait for you at Murlowton U. But Nicole's score was too low. It's not enough to get into college. She has to repeat her senior year."

"So just because she did badly and can't get into college, I'm supposed to sacrifice myself and keep her company?" I demanded, my voice rising sharply. "What exactly is she to you that you'd ruin my life for her?"

I knew I sounded harsh right then, but I couldn't stop myself.

I'd scored 626 on the National College Entrance Exam—200 points above the undergraduate cutoff—yet I couldn't get into college now.

Nicole swayed where she stood, and her tears fell even harder.

"Fi, don't blame Preston. I begged him… I was just too scared to lose you. Your grades are so good. Once you get to college, you'd definitely make new friends. I was afraid you wouldn't want to be my friend anymore…"

She cried so hard that it looked like she might pass out at any second.

Preston's expression finally changed. He frowned and looked at me with clear displeasure.

"Fiona Rycroft, Nicole is already feeling terrible about not getting into college. The way you're speaking to her now is too much."

Too much?

Nicole had opted to take the arts entrance exam earlier in the year to bolster her chances of getting into college. But when her results came out three months ago, it turned out she couldn't get into any of the seven colleges she applied to.

I begged Preston to tutor her.

But what had he said back then? He'd said that Nicole was just too stupid and that tutoring her would only be a waste of time. She'd be better off working at a construction site rather than staying at school and dragging everyone else down.

It was only after I threatened to break up with him that he finally agreed.

But now, just three months later, he'd helped her sabotage my college applications.

Nicole's sobbing grew even louder.

"Fi, it's all my fault. I shouldn't have changed your application for my own selfish reasons… Please, forgive me…"

She dropped to her knees. Preston panicked and quickly helped her to her feet. When he turned to me again, there was a hint of reproach in his eyes.

"Fiona, let's talk outside."

He dragged me onto the balcony and shut the door behind us.

"Fi, what's done is done," he said with a sigh. "The best option now is for you to redo your senior year with Nicole. I'll see you on campus one year from now. Nothing's going to change during this time. It's not a big deal."

Not a big deal? My whole body started to shake uncontrollably.

"Preston Nolin, do you know what a 626 score means?" I asked. "It's the top one percent in the entire state.

"I woke up at 4:30 am and went to sleep at midnight every day. I was doing practice exams even on New Year's Day. I threw myself into studying for three straight years to get that 626, and you say it's 'not a big deal' and that I should just redo my senior year?"

I couldn't hold back my tears anymore.

"Aren't you my boyfriend, Preston? Why would you do this to me?"

He didn't say anything. He just lowered his eyes and avoided my gaze.

A silence fell over the balcony. The only sound that could be heard was Nicole's broken sobbing coming from inside the room.

After a long pause, Preston finally spoke.

"Nicole's had it hard."

I froze.

He continued quietly, "Her family favors boys over girls. They barely even give her enough money for tuition. If you're not there with her, she won't be able to survive redoing another year."

It felt like someone had dumped a bucket of ice water over my head.

So in his eyes, my future, my three years of hard work, and my score of 626 were all inconsequential because Nicole had "had it hard".

My voice came out surprisingly calm. "Preston, do you pity her or do you like her?"

He didn't answer. Instead, he said, "Fi, you're being unreasonable."

Tears started falling again. I raised my hand and wiped them away.

Then, I smiled.

"Fine. I won't make a scene. We're done. Don't contact me again."

I promptly turned around and walked out of Preston's house without looking back.

On the way home, my phone kept buzzing.

It wasn't Preston, but Nicole. Message after message popped up on my screen.

"Fi, I'm sorry. I really just lost my head for a moment. I was just so scared of losing you… Please forgive me, okay?"

I didn't reply.

I pulled up her chat window and blocked her.

When I got home, my parents were in the living room watching TV.

The second my mom, Margaret Banks, saw me, she smiled and walked over.

"You're home! How'd the applications go? Are you going to the same college as Preston?"

I looked at her—at the fine lines at the corners of her eyes, at the streaks of gray near her temples, and at the very obvious anticipation in her eyes.

I opened my mouth. "Mom…"

Just that one word, and all the composure I'd been faking crumbled in an instant. I threw myself into her arms, crying.

"Mom, I can't go to college anymore."

I told them everything—from how Nicole changed my application to how Preston just stood by, watched, and even took pity on her.

By the end of it, I was shaking all over.

One was the person I'd liked—and he'd liked me—for the past six years. The other was my best friend. Together, they'd turned my 12 years of hard work into a joke.

My dad, George Rycroft, was so furious that he wanted to go to the police. Mom wiped her tears away and held him back. "What's the use of calling the police? Even if they arrest her, the application can't be changed…"

She turned to me, her voice trembling.

"Fi, I'll go make some calls right now and ask if there's any way to fix this."

I shook my head. "I've already checked. There's nothing we can do. Once it's submitted, no one can change it."

The room fell silent for a few seconds before it was interrupted by the sound of the doorbell ringing.

I went to open it. Standing outside the door was Preston.

"What are you doing here? We've already broken up."

I tried to shut the door, but Preston hurriedly stepped forward and pressed his hand against the door.

"Fi, don't say stuff like that," he said, a trace of displeasure in his voice. "I don't like hearing it. Also…"

He looked at me.

"You blocked Nicole? She's been crying nonstop."

I was stunned for a second, then a laugh escaped me. And here I thought he had come to apologize. But as it turned out, it was still about Nicole.

"What? Does her crying make your heart ache? Or do you feel bad for her again? What do you want me to sacrifice this time so you can make her feel better?"

Preston's expression darkened.

"Fiona, there's nothing going on between us! You're being too harsh!"

"You two changed my college applications and turned my three years of hard work and my score of 626 into nothing, and I'm the one being harsh? I have even harsher things to say, Preston Nolin. Want to hear them?"

Preston looked at me, disappointment filling his eyes.

"Since when did you become so petty, Fiona? Isn't Nicole your best friend?"

Best friend. Those two words stabbed straight into my heart.

In 10th grade, when Nicole couldn't afford her tuition, I gave her every cent of the scholarship money I'd saved for the whole year.

In 11th grade, her parents came to school and made a scene. They wanted to drag her back home and marry her off for money. I was the one who stood up for her and called the police.

In return, her family held a grudge and hired some thugs to corner me, nearly blinding me in my left eye.

In 12th grade, when she failed her arts entrance exam, I begged my own boyfriend to tutor her.