Jealousy and Growth in Youthful Love

I betrayed my childhood friend, Neal Harper.

Well, not exactly.

I seduced the boyfriend of Evelyn Burgess who Neal liked.

Why? Was it because the guy named Tim Simpson was too outstanding?

Not really, because without the halo of affection, I didn't like him either.

I knew Evelyn still loved him, but I couldn't allow her to string along Neal while being with someone else.

Yet, Tim was dating Evelyn else while sweet-talking me.

Truly, a perfect pair of scoundrels.

If they wanted to play, I was game.

In the first year of high school, when it came to choosing elective courses, I was still hesitating about what to select.

I had considered choosing the arts, maybe learning piano or something, but my mom, Lisa Spencer, said we couldn't afford it, and I had no talent anyway.

"Lisa's right!" Neal squatted beside me, doodling on the ground with a stick.

"Right about what?" I shot a sideways glance at this jerk who had lived next door since we were kids.

"You have no talent! Just stick to humanities!" Neal tossed the stick aside and sprinted off. "You're so good at language, don't go into science."

I rolled my eyes. I wasn't bad at science either!

The more I looked at Neal, the more he annoyed me.

This science whiz switched to humanities on a whim for the girl he liked.

Who knew what was wrong with him.

I sighed and headed home.

Neal and I ended up in the same high school and the same class by chance. It must have been some kind of predestined connection that had kept us accompanying each other since childhood until then.

Yes, some kind of predestined connection.

I had been infatuated with that infuriating jerk since fourth grade when Neal drew me a Pikachu I loved. That's when I realized he held a different place in my heart compared to other boys.

Sitting on the couch at home, I counted the years from fourth grade to now, first year of high school. How many years had it been?

Fifth grade, sixth grade, first year of middle school, second year, third year, first year of high school...

I had been infatuated with that infuriating jerk for six years.

My passionate love was all for nothing!

Oh no, it was a secret crush.

And then this jerk liked someone else.

Neal's sister, Lucy Harper, often teased us, saying we looked like a couple.

Before Neal met his crush, he never refuted these jokes.

But after meeting Evelyn, he countered every single one, which made Lucy tease him as a lunatic.

The next day at school, I obediently handed in my course selection form to Advisor and happened to run into Neal's crush.

Evelyn.

You see, even her name sounds poetic and meaningful!

Unlike mine, Fanny Spencer.

My dad, Jack Spencer, said that the 'Fanny' gave people an impression of happiness and liveliness.

But considering how casually they named my brother, I'm quite grateful the "Fanny" wasn't too bad.

My dad joked that if I was a boy, he would have named me "Dick".

Oh my goodness!

The goddess smiled and nodded at me. No, it was Evelyn who smiled and nodded at me.

Although we were in different classes, we had met a few times.

As a student council member, I was somewhat well-known at school, even if it was for having a bad reputation.

I was known as "the cold inspector".

My senior said I was the only student council inspector who could scare the sports class. People would watch my every move from afar, and when I entered the classroom, they'd whisper, "She's here, be quiet."

Not to brag, but I could hear everything clearly.

I seemed to have gone off-topic again.

Evelyn's long hair flowed behind her, and she wore the school uniform surprisingly well, highlighting her perfect figure. Her face was beautiful, especially her eyes, which sparkled like stars and moons when she smiled.

Honestly, even I was a bit dazzled by Evelyn, let alone that jerk Neal.

If only she weren't my rival in love.

"Fanny." Evelyn, who seemed to be here to submit her form too, turned and linked her arm with mine.

I was taken aback, glancing at her fair, slender hand holding mine, and a thought flashed through my mind, "Goddess, we're not that close, are we?"

"Which class are you choosing?" Evelyn didn't seem to find anything wrong and continued chatting with me.

I wanted to pull my hand back but didn't dare, so I let her hold it.

After a moment of silence, I replied, "Humanities."

Many people kept their choices secret until the class lists were revealed, making it more interesting.

"Oh, that suits you!" Evelyn smiled gently, always looking so composed and kind.

But being held by her made me feel uncomfortable, like a caterpillar had been crawling inside me.

"What doesn't suit me?" I suddenly wanted to embarrass her and asked this question offhandedly.

She seemed surprised by my question, hesitated, and forced a smile. "I think the sports class doesn't suit you, Fanny."

Wow, our goddess is truly something. She never gives a perfunctory answer.

Her words felt thoughtful, as if she genuinely considered them, not just making small talk.

Oh, my God, she was not easy!

"I'm the vice president of the sports department, and I'm pretty good at sprinting." I raised an eyebrow and grinned.

Evelyn seemed startled by my prickly conversation style and didn't know how to respond. Luckily, her classroom was nearby.

"I'm at my classroom, see you!" Evelyn smiled, released my arm, and returned to her classroom.

I waved at her with a smile. Meanwhile, from the back row of her classroom, a boy propped his foot on the desk, tilting his chair back, hands in his pockets, watching Evelyn and me with interest.

Others might not recognize him, but I did.

It was Josh Green.

If Evelyn was a goddess to a select few, then Josh was the heartthrob of the entire grade.

Josh had a mix of nonchalance and seriousness, making his emotions hard to read.

We knew each other, but not very well.

I turned away and continued to my classroom.

Unexpectedly, I was intercepted in the hallway by the little jerk, Neal.

"I saw you coming out of the teacher's office with the goddess!" Neal grabbed my hand, the same arm Evelyn had just held.

"What do you want? Out with it already!" I glared at Neal, clearly not in a good mood.