"Did you forget today's Math Bowl?"
"Huh? That's today?"
The Math Bowl was, in Korean terms, like a math competition. The only difference was that schools competed in one-on-one matches in turns, and the school with the highest total score would win the district championship.
"Yeah! And today we're up against Jaxby!"
For reference, Jaxby High School was the runner-up at the last state championship. In other words, they were our constant rivals.
"We can't lose, no matter what. So, Chloe, you have to come!"
Unlike me, Scott still showed affection for this school. With burning determination, he dragged me toward the math classroom.
* * *
"Looks like we won again today, thanks to you, Chloe."
While waiting for Scott at the main gate, Mr. Samson, the teacher in charge of the Math Bowl, spoke to me.
"Every time you solve the problems so perfectly, I can't help but be impressed."
That was all thanks to Chloe's original brain. Seventeen-year-old Chloe's sponge-like mind absorbed every lesson flawlessly. That was why I could still solve problems so well, even though I had graduated from high school three years ago and was already working.
"Yes, of course."
I replied with a small smile. As long as I was possessing Chloe, there was no way I'd lose that perfect 4.0 GPA.
"Then get home safe, okay?"
"You too, sir."
As Mr. Samson walked toward the parking lot, I stared blankly at his receding figure and muttered, "When is Scott getting here…?"
Scott had said he'd go get the car from the parking lot, but ten minutes had passed and there was still no sign of him.
"...It's starting to get chilly."
California blazed under the sun during the day, but cooled quickly once night fell.
"Ah, if I'd known, I would've at least brought a cardigan."
It was my own fault for not realizing there'd be a Math Bowl on the first day of school. At this rate, I was going to catch a cold in the middle of summer.
"This won't do. I'll just wait in the lobby."
With that decision, I pushed open the front door and bumped into something with a thud.
My nose got squashed flat, and tears welled up in my eyes.
"Ah, sorry."
I was about to snap back at the half-hearted apology, but froze the moment I recognized the voice.
Brown curly hair, blue eyes, and a sharp, artistic face—Jake Sullivan looked at me with casual indifference.
"You okay?" Jake adjusted the guitar strap on his shoulder and asked.
"Oh, uh… Yeah…"
Judging by the warmth rising in my body, my blood circulation must've been working overtime. My heart really needed to calm down.
"Alright then."
Jake walked straight out through the door. I regretted not being able to say more because of my awkward reaction. After all, Jake was the only hope I'd found since transmigrating as Chloe.
No matter how many times I see him,that face gives me hope.
It was simply a shame that someone with looks like his couldn't even land a lead role.
He's an extra like me…
Feeling genuinely regretful, I stared at the spot where Jake had just walked away when a sharp honk rang out from outside.
"Hey, you nerd bastard! Move your car already!"
Turning toward the commotion, I saw a flashy red convertible. In front of it stood a shabby-looking Japanese-made Camry.
"S-sorry. I think the engine froze."
It was Scott.
He was flustered, fumbling as he repeatedly tried to start the Camry.
"Fwoze, he says~"
Kyle Jensen, sitting in the passenger seat of the convertible, mocked Scott's words in a sing-song tone. I clicked my tongue at the sight.
"The engine just won't start, just a sec…!"
"Engine's not starting, he says~"
Kyle Jensen was infamous for being a troublemaker. He already had no problem bullying other kids, and after being chosen as a starting football player at the end of sophomore year, he had become even more arrogant. That was why it wasn't unusual to catch him picking on someone on the very first day of school.
Six months of accumulated data told me one thing.
Kyle Jensen was the type who bullied the weak and cowered before the strong. In other words, don't back down; growl right back.
"Hey!"
I pointed straight at Kyle Jensen and shouted.
"Are you stupid? Can't you say anything without copying other people?"
He snickered at me.
"Oh, hey there, nerd's girlfriend."
Scott panicked and shouted, "S-she's not my girlfriend!"
The boys in the convertible burst into laughter.
"Pfft, what the hell is that loser saying?"
Except for one person.
The guy in the driver's seat, whose good looks practically glowed.
"Stop it."
It was the male lead, Aaron Eisenhower.
Aaron Eisenhower's hair was slicked back with wax, revealing a clean forehead. Judging by the slight furrow in his perfectly handsome brow, he clearly wasn't pleased with the situation.
Aaron Eisenhower was, literally, the archetype of the high-teen male lead. Stoic, arrogant, and the one who constantly made Brittany feel like she was walking on eggshells.
Before I knew it, Eisenhower had stepped out of the driver's seat and walked over to Scott.
"Let me take a look."
After inspecting the Camry's hood, he turned to Scott.
"Looks like your battery's dead."
"R-really?"
Standing beside the bewildered Scott, I tugged lightly at his sleeve.
"Hey, why don't you just ask someone you know to connect jumper cables for you?"
"Uh… But…"
Scott hesitated, glancing around the parking lot. That was when I realized there weren't many cars left there.
Well, I guess there's no other choice.
I gestured toward Aaron Eisenhower's red convertible.
"Then we can just hook up the jumper cables to that one and start the engine."
It was the only way to get Scott's car running again and finally go home. That was all I meant by it, but Aaron Eisenhower looked at me with a strange expression in his eyes.
"Dream on, nerd's girlfriend."
"Pffft, you're kidding me? You want to hook this up just to feed that crappy Camry?"
Hearing the lackeys still chattering behind him, I finally understood why the male lead reacted that way.
Ah. So, he didn't want to use his precious luxury car for something like this, huh?
A textbook alpha male, self-centered as always.
Ha… Bri, do you really have to like this guy?
Bri, the darling of everyone, had plenty of boys who adored her. But out of all of them, she just had to fall for Aaron Eisenhower, the one guy who never even looked her way.
Because of that jerk, how many daggers has she taken straight to the heart…
Anger bubbled up again, stirring up my stubbornness. So I shot back, "Big deal. It's probably worth less than my future annual salary anyway."
The surroundings went dead silent.
Then—
"Pffft! Hahaha!"
"Did you hear that?"
"In front of Aaron, the rising star of college football, who's already on the fast track straight to the NFL, she's bragging about her salary?"
The NFL stood for the National Football League, in other words, professional football.
I scoffed as if it were nothing special.
"Please. Even if he makes money, it won't last."
Chloe's parents weren't fans of watching sports. Because of that, I'd only seen a handful of football games in the past six months.
Still, whenever we happened to flip to a football broadcast, they always said the same thing—
That the players' massive salaries were just compensation for their ruined health.
"By the end, it's concussions, spinal injuries, all that. They'll just end up hauling all that money to their doctors anyway."
I grinned and pointed at myself.
"Someone like me, for instance."
I didn't actually plan on becoming a doctor, but I wasn't about to lose in a war of words.
That was when Aaron Eisenhower's eyebrow twitched.
"Is she for real?!"
Kyle Jensen, still in the passenger seat, must've been furious. He got up and started toward me, but Eisenhower stopped him.
"Leave it, Kyle."
Kyle immediately shut his mouth and slumped back into the passenger seat.
"Scott."
"H-huh?!"
Startled by the male lead's sudden call, Scott's voice cracked, causing the crowd to burst into laughter again. But they immediately quieted under Eisenhower's cold gaze.
"Do you have jumper cables in the trunk?"
"Uh, yeah…"
As I listened to the sound of Scott fumbling to open the trunk, I glared at Eisenhower's lackeys.
"What are you looking at?"
"Mind your own business."
When I shot back without missing a beat, Eisenhower's lackeys began whispering among themselves.
"Was she always like that?"
"You don't know?"
"Know what?"
"She went nuts last semester."
In that moment, flashes of my past came rushing back—the time I'd caused a huge commotion, even jumping into a pond in a desperate attempt to return to reality.
Seriously? Calling someone crazy right to their face…
Just as I was about to say something, the sound of an engine roaring to life cut through the air.
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