Chapter 4

Back in school, I had a friend everyone envied.

That was Liam.

Perhaps even then, the concept of class had already divided us.

A poor student like me was worlds apart from Liam and Scarlett’s circle.

They were a group no teacher could control.

Fights and brawls? Someone always covered for them.

Every day, people flocked to fawn over them.

It was in this environment that Liam got very close to me, a girl who couldn’t even afford the school buns for all three meals.

I thought, during that time, Liam truly considered me a friend.

He gave me his unused textbooks.

He gave me his meal card so I could eat.

He eagerly discussed homework problems with me.

Back then, a group of girls used to bully me.

He stepped in front of me.

He said I was *his* person, and they shouldn't bully me anymore.

—Everything was so perfect before that, wasn't it? He was my savior.

Until one day.

He told me he had a crush on a girl.

It was Scarlett Thorne.

The very girl… who used to bully me.

"She's actually quite interesting."

"Stubborn, I like that."

That was his evaluation of Scarlett. It was only then that I realized he never really saw me as a person either.

That night, he took me out for drinks.

Scarlett called a group of people and cornered me in the restroom.

She used an X-Acto knife to carve my back, over and over.

I still remember her face, refined, perfect,

Like a demon from hell.

She said she hated people like me who thought they were hot stuff because of someone else.