02

Meeting you

Ava slapped herself, anger fueling her. "Enough! Or do you want more, Professor Jeon?" she muttered to herself, taking a deep breath to calm down.

"Go back to your seat, Miss...Ava," Professor Jeon said, smirking. Ava stomped back to her desk, her glare fixed on him.

“Hate,” she thought. "Only after meeting you do I understand its true meaning. You’re the very definition of it. Should I call you my professor, my archenemy, or maybe...my unfortunate alibi?" A smirk tugged at her lips. "No matter what, I won’t let you win, Mr. Pro Max."

Two weeks ago

"Ava, you’re the best driver ever!" Camellie cheered as Ava accelerated, the wind whipping through their hair.

“Oh, please,” Ava laughed. “Since when have you known stress, you human Pythagorean theorem?”

Alice gripped her seat. “Could we slow down a bit, maybe to 155? There’s a warning sign!”

“Oh, honey, relax,” Camellie replied. “We’ve only got this one life, so let’s enjoy it. Who knows what tomorrow holds?”

“You’re right,” Ava sighed. “Life’s fleeting, and this world? Just temporary. Gotta enjoy each moment.”

As they drove on, Camellie suddenly yelled, “Stop! Stop here, Ava!”

Ava brought the car to a halt. “What’s with the sudden stop?”

Camellie pointed to the starry sky above. “Look at this...us, the stars, everything. It’s beautiful.”

They sat in the quiet, savoring the moment. Ava sighed. “Tomorrow, we start our last year. What if we’re not all in the same class?”

“Girl, stop overthinking,” Camellie assured her. “We’re definitely sticking together.”

Alice chimed in, “The last-year professors are mostly men, apparently.”

“Still single in our last year though, can you believe it?” Camellie laughed.

“None of them compare to my dark romance characters!” Ava exclaimed, grinning.

“Real men are way better than your fictional ones,” Camellie teased.

“Why don’t you fall for a soft bookish guy instead?” Alice suggested, only to be met with stares.

“Oh, whatever,” Alice pouted. “Let’s get something to eat—I’m starving!”

They drove to a burger shop, but Ava wanted pizza. As her friends went inside, Ava realized she’d left her phone in the car. On her way back, she noticed an old woman calling for help. A man had stolen her purse! Ava didn’t hesitate, sprinting toward the thief and kicking him to the ground. The crowd cheered as she handed the purse back to the grateful woman and arranged for her safe ride home.

Rejoining her friends, Camellie teased, “Already started your superhero routine without us, huh?”

Ava laughed. “Thought you missed it.”

They spent the rest of the night laughing and sharing stories before Ava finally returned home, exhausted.

The Next Morning

Ava woke up, got ready, and headed downstairs. “Good morning, Mom.”

“Good morning, Ava,” her mom replied. “Did you get home late last night?”

“Yeah, something happened on the way back.”

“Alright, but make sure this year, you bring your grades up. I don’t want to be embarrassed with only 80% again,” her mom said as Ava’s hand paused over her breakfast.

She sighed, putting down her fork and retreating to her room. After a moment, her dad knocked and entered, ruffling her hair. “Don’t mind your mom. Now, eat your pancakes, champ, and get to college on time.”

After finishing breakfast, Ava headed to college, where she met up with her friends and found their new class assignments. To their dismay, Ava was placed in a separate class from Camellie and Alice.

As she waited for her friends to sort out a class change, Ava felt someone touch her back inappropriately. She spun around and, without a second thought, slapped the tall, muscular man standing behind her. The loud slap turned heads, including Camellie and Alice.

“This creep touched me!” Ava spat.

The man clenched his fists, his eyes filled with controlled fury. But before Ava could say more, a girl stepped forward. “Actually, I saw what happened. It wasn’t him—it was that guy over there, laughing with his friends.”

Realizing her mistake, Ava’s face burned with embarrassment. “I... I’m sorry,” she stammered. But the man, still glaring, turned and walked away without a word.

Camellie sighed, “Smooth move, Ava.”

Shaking off the incident, they found their seats in the classroom, waiting for their first professor. Just as Ava dropped her pen, it rolled across the floor, coming to rest at the feet of a man in black shoes. She looked up slowly, and he

r eyes met a familiar, furious gaze—one that made her heart skip a beat.

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