Ficorpio
Chapter 1
After My Confession to the Campus Goddess Failed, She Immediately Confessed to My Archrival—and Got Rejected
I was furious!
How could he possibly reject the campus goddess?
I had to make him understand that she was the best girl in the world!
“You don’t like a beauty like her? Don’t tell me you’re into me?”
“Did you know I only got close to her so I could get closer to you?”
I began relentlessly harassing my archrival, doing everything I could to disgust him.
I never expected him to turn the tables and pin me against the wall on campus.
“How did you know I liked you?”
What the hell? Was he actually gay?
“Evan, you’re wonderful, but there’s someone I like.”
The campus goddess toyed with the end of her hair as she rejected my confession in that gentle, soothing voice of hers.
“I like Adrian Sterling. I only think of you as a good sister…”
She paused.
“Sorry—a good little brother.”
I stood there, stunned.
Had the campus goddess really been treating me like one of the girls this whole time?
That wasn’t important. What mattered was that she liked Adrian Sterling!
I’d rather lose to some random nobody than lose to Adrian.
The only reason was that Adrian and I had been at each other’s throats since freshman year.
And we were only sophomores now.
“Why does it have to be Adrian?” I pressed, unable to hide my resentment or my lack of grace. “What does he have that I don’t?”
The campus goddess continued speaking gently, but this time, a smile touched the corners of her lips.
“Who needs a reason to like someone? Evan, you’re wonderful. You deserve someone even better.”
Claire Whitmore—the campus goddess—was my unreachable moon, the girl everyone at A University would fall over themselves to pursue with the slightest toss of her hair.
Every day, countless people confessed to her. Naturally, she rejected every single one of them. But Claire never gave anyone a reason.
So why had she explained herself to me?
Why had she even admitted that she liked someone—and that someone was Adrian Sterling?
For the past few days, Claire and I had been wrapped in a suggestive little ambiguity. There had even been pink bubbles of romance floating around us.
I’d thought it was time to confess.
Otherwise, I would have been letting down all the hints she’d given me.
Who knew I’d completely misunderstood them?
My face turned green with humiliation. I didn’t even remember how I made it back to the dorm.
The only thing I knew for certain was that the news had spread across campus:
The campus goddess, Claire Whitmore, had confessed to Adrian Sterling—and Adrian had rejected her.
I heard she’d even cried!
I was furious!
I shot upright in bed.
That vicious bastard Adrian had definitely mocked her and rubbed salt in the wound!
My phone buzzed.
Chapter 2
Evan, I feel awful. Can you keep me company for a while?
It was a text from Claire, and my heart shattered.
Sure, she treated me like one of her girlfriends, but she was still my campus goddess!
At a little restaurant behind the university, Claire and I sat across from each other at a tiny table.
The place didn’t suit her at all.
Students were constantly coming and going. We didn’t look like we were on a date in the slightest. We looked like two strangers who’d been stuck sharing a table.
Well, all right. We weren’t on a date in the first place…
“Evan, he rejected me.”
Oh my God!
The campus goddess had called me Evan!
And she was crying!
That pretentious jerk Adrian had made her cry. He really deserved to die.
“He doesn’t like you because there’s something wrong with him,” I rushed to reassure her, unable to resist twisting the knife while I was at it. “What if Adrian’s into men? With a face like that, he looks totally gay.”
Claire stopped crying.
Apparently, she thought I had a point.
“Evan, behind you…”
I stiffly turned my head and found Adrian standing right behind me, his face cold.
I’d been kicking him while he was down—and he’d caught me doing it.
Adrian still wore that unbearably smug expression. The most beautiful girl on campus was sitting right in front of him, yet he acted as if she didn’t exist.
He only glared at me.
“Evan, since when did you learn to read people’s fortunes? If you’re so sure I like men, then tell me—who do I like?”
Hah. Who was he trying to provoke?
Claire was right there, watching.
She was definitely cheering me on inside!
As long as I could make her give up on Adrian, I still had a chance.
“Adrian, why have you been staring at me this whole time? There are so many people here, and there’s even a gorgeous girl sitting right in front of you. A normal man would be looking at the beautiful girl, wouldn’t he?”
I flashed him a smug grin and struck back immediately.
“Adrian, you don’t like a beauty like her? Then you must like me.”
For one brief moment, all the noise around us fell silent.
A broad-shouldered guy passing behind Adrian glanced at him in terror, clutched his chest, and hurried away as if he were afraid Adrian might tackle him to the ground for being suspected of liking men.
“Evan, you…”
Claire rose to her feet, clearly about to say something.
I couldn’t let her interrupt me.
“Adrian, just admit it.” I gave a mocking laugh. “You’ve disliked me ever since freshman year. Tell me—are you trying to get my attention?”
Adrian’s face turned red. It had to be from anger.
Although, if I was being honest…
I was the one who had disliked Adrian from the moment I arrived on campus. The second I learned he had taken the campus heartthrob title that had been practically guaranteed to me, I decided he was my personal nemesis.
From elementary school through high school, I had always been the campus heartthrob.
Then I got to college and someone actually outshone me?
The worst part was that we were in the same department.
Chapter 3
And the absolute worst part was that the university held a campus beauty election—and somehow, I ended up winning it.
“You!”
Adrian looked ready to argue, but I cut him off before he could get a word out.
“See? You’re blushing. If you like me, you should’ve said so sooner. It’s not like I wouldn’t have given you a chance.” I leaned toward him suggestively. Then I bent close to his ear and lowered my voice until only the two of us could hear. “I got close to Claire for you.”
Adrian’s expression finally changed. He stumbled backward so abruptly that he nearly hit the table behind him.
He stared at me in horror, his face so red it was painful to look at. Then he threw out a stiff, “You’re talking nonsense,” and walked away.
“Hey, why are you so shy?” I called after him.
Honestly, Adrian’s skin was paper-thin. Was that all it took?
“Evan, what exactly were you saying just now?” Claire’s expression had turned distinctly strange. “Does Adrian really like men? How do you know?”
I gave her a faint smile. “I think he does. It’s pretty obvious, actually. It’s a man’s intuition. But don’t worry, Claire. I’m straight.”
I had no idea whether she heard me. She looked completely dazed, said goodbye, and went back to her dorm.
Ah, I felt refreshed.
Once Claire had time to think it over, she would surely realize that a straight guy like me was the better choice.
Sure enough, when we returned to campus, the story about “the campus goddess Claire getting rejected” was completely buried beneath the far more explosive rumor that “Adrian Sterling liked men.”
“Evan, is it true that Adrian likes you?” My roommate, Logan Carter, studied my face with sudden understanding. “No wonder you two are always at each other’s throats. So you’ve been flirting this whole time?”
No. Wait. That wasn’t right at all!
I had meant to pin the whole mess on Adrian. I hadn’t planned on taking half the blame myself.
“Evan, you should stop chasing the campus goddess, anyway.” Logan suddenly reached over and pinched my cheek. “Your skin is so soft. You and Claire are better suited as girlfriends than a couple. She’s the campus goddess, and you’re the campus beauty. The campus beauty and the campus heartthrob are clearly a better match.”
My face darkened. I slapped his hand away.
“Get lost. I’m not gay.”
“What’s that supposed to mean, Evan?”
The dorm room door opened, and Adrian appeared in the doorway with an expression as lifeless as a corpse.
“If you’re saying you’re not gay, shouldn’t you clear that up for me, too?”
Hmph!
I was just about to answer when I noticed Claire’s profile picture flashing on my phone.
[If Adrian really does like men, then I should give up. Evan, thank you for standing up for me.]
Clear things up? Why would I do that?
I was going to protect Claire!