Hello 330

Posted by AdminM, ? Views, Released on October 19, 2024

Chapter 330

He didn’t flinch. Just stood th

ere, staring.

“Do you know me?” I asked, not even bothering with a smile.

“No.”

I gave him a once–over. He wasn’t exactly the kind of guy you’d notice right away, but the more I looked, the more attractive he seemed. Today, he’d swapped the hoodie for a light blue T–shirt, looking clean and laid–back. Casual, but in a way that worked for him.

“So, we just keep bumping into each other for fun, huh?” I shot back, not buying his “no” for a second.

“We don’t know each other,” he sa

it you look a lot like someone I know.”

I couldn’t help it–I laughed. Really? That line was so old, it could’ve been my grandma’s.

Seeing the mockery in my smile, he blushed. “I’m serious, I can show you.”

Before I could say anything, he pulled out his phone and swiped a few times. When he held it up, my breath caught. Staring back at me was a girl with a bright smile, her hair in a perfect bun. She looked like me–like, freakishly close. The only real difference was a little beauty mark by her eye, something I didn’t have.

I stared at the photo for what felt like forever before finally meeting his eyes again. “She does look like me. But I swear, I don’t know her.”

“I know,” he said. He pocketed his phone, looking almost sad.

“Then why are you following me?” I asked, glancing down at his sneakers. Not exactly giving off creepy stalker vibes, more like… gym teacher? Or maybe a grad student?

He didn’t say anything.

I figured he was feeling guilty, so I cut straight to it. “Dude, this is stalking. I could totally call the cops.”

His eyes widened a bit. “I–I don’t mean any harm. I swear.”

+

“Look, even if you’re not trying to be creepy, following a girl around? Not okay. It’s sketchy, and it makes me feel unsafe. You get that, right?” My voice took on a more serious edge, the way I’d talk to someone at work who was messing up.

He dropped his head a little. “Yeah. I’m sorry.”

I sighed. “Look, you don’t seem like a bad guy. But yesterday and today? Not okay. Don’t make it a thing.” It was a warning.

He didn’t

argue, and I started to walk away.

“Wait,” he called out.

I paused, turning back.

“My name’s Wade Smith. I’m a PhD student,” he said, pulling out his student ID.

+25 BONUS

Chapter 330

My eyes flicked to the school name: Kelhmark Royal Academy. Whoa. That was, like, the elite school in Kelhmark.

Suddenly, he wasn’t just some random guy. Yesterday, watching him take off like that, I know there was something different about him. And now, bam–my instincts were totally on point.

*KRA was my dream,” I admitted with a little laugh, handing his ID back. “Didn’t get in though. Guess it wasn’t meant to be.”

It was true. I didn’t go to KRA because of Jace. He hadn’t wanted to, and me, being a lovesick idiot, decided to follow his lead instead of my own plans. Spoiler alert: neither of us ended up there.

Thinking about it now, I couldn’t help but roll my eyes at how dumb I’d been.

Wade’s expression changed, gettin

really sick. She might not make it m

-e

e serious. “The girl in the photo you saw… she’s really sick. Like,

onger.”

I blinked, not expecting that. ‘Is she your girlfriend?”

He swallowed, his jaw tightening. “No. She’s my advisor.”

A brilliant girl, from the sound of it, but something awful had happened.

“What happened to her?” I asked softly, not sure if I should.

His face crumpled a little, like he was holding back more than he wanted to. “It wasn’t an illness. She was in… in a car crash. About a year ago.”

There was a weird, heavy pause. Even though his words were choppy, I got it. I glanced at him, the sadness rolling off him, and blurted, “Was the accident your fault?”