I stood there awkwardly as my mom clung to me tightly. I looked at Ava for help, but she just met my desperate eyes with a mischievous smile.

"Darling, are you sure you're alright? You can always stay at home for a couple more days," Mom said, finally letting go of me.

Hiding a sigh of relief, I replied, "I'll be fine. Dr. Malthus said I'm all set to go back."

I smiled brightly, trying to reassure her that I was fine. The past few days leading up to my departure from home, my parents had tried to convince me to stay at home a bit longer. To be honest, it was a little overwhelming, but I knew they meant well.

But I can't afford to delay returning to college.

An important scene would happen at the beginning of this semester.

Dad frowned, but he patted Mom's shoulders as he gave her a look.

She sighed. "We understand, but you better call us every day, young man."

"Every week."

"Every other day."

"Twice a week, it is," Dad interjected. "That's final."

I nodded. I picked up my backpack and turned to leave the mansion I had been staying in for the past month.

"Julien!"

I turned, only to see both of my parents giving me disappointed looks.

Oh, right.

I walked towards them, hesitantly opening my arms before I was engulfed in their warm embrace.

"Have a safe trip, Jules."

"I will, Mom."

"Get yourself a girlfriend, son."

I disentangled myself from their arms, my ears turning red. "Dad!"

Amidst their chuckles, I gave them a final wave, before leaving. As I walked to the black car outside the gates, I smiled a little. Although I was a bit reluctant to part with such a loving family, it was also the first time that people had sent me off. It was a stark contrast to my quiet escape from the orphanage after I got into college.

"Hey, Jules!"

I jerked out of my reverie as I saw a hazel-eyed boy waving enthusiastically from inside the car. Speeding up slightly, I opened the door, greeting him with a grin.

"Hey yourself, Al."

As the car pulled out of the driveway, I turned to him and said, "So, how have you been?"

Staring at me incredulously, he said, "Shouldn't I be the one asking you that? Shouldn't you still be resting?"

Although I rolled my eyes at his statement, I felt warm inside. "You sound just like my parents."

He grinned. "That does sound like Abe and Charlotte. Do you know that they called me to tell me to watch out for you at B University?"

I shoved him, not knowing what to do with the warm feeling that continued to grow inside me. "I'm fine."

Seeing me squirm slightly, he thankfully changed the topic. "How's Charlotte's project going? Even my Dad won't tell me what's going on with that."

"I'm actually not sure," I said. "I think that Mom wants it to be a surprise. Dad's also helping keep the whole thing a secret."

We continued to talk for the entire ride. Al's dad's company was coming out with a new prototype for a car. The Bauer family had spent the winter break in Germany refining the designs and speaking to a prominent car manufacturer there for a collaboration. I grinned as Al talked about it excitedly. When I had asked him if he had come up with the design, he smiled bashfully before admitting that he did. Alaric had always been an earnest and humble guy from Julien's memories and what I knew from the novel. Julien had brought him out of his shell, but Al would always shy away when talking about his accomplishments. I frowned. It was the same disposition that led to his terrible ending in the novel. Someone had--

"Hey, why are you frowning?"

I looked at Al only to see his hazel eyes filled with concern. I waved at him. "It's nothing."

I won't let anything happen to you, Al.

"Fine, don't tell me," he huffed. "We're here, by the way."

I stepped outside the car to take in the view. The university had looked impressive from Julien's memories, but it was nothing compared to seeing it in person. B University was one of the oldest universities in the capital. It explained the heavy presence of pine trees, which symbolized longevity and virtue. There even seemed to be a small bamboo grove in the distance. With recent renovations, there were also many state-of-the-art facilities like a technology lab and at least two fully-equipped gyms for the student-athletes on campus.

"C'mon, Julien," Al said. "The freshman address is starting soon."

I tore my eyes from the picturesque campus, which honestly looked more like an estate than a university.

It really deserves to be called the best university in the country.

I closed the car door, waving goodbye to the driver. I continued scanning my eyes around the campus as we walked towards the entrance to the main hall. Al was saying something, but I was only absentmindedly listening.

"Oof!"

I rubbed my chest as someone crashed into me. Looking down slightly, I saw a blonde girl rubbing her head slowly.

"I'm so sorry. I'm, ah! How are you--"

"What happened?" Al turned to look at me as I stared after the girl who had run off.

I turned to him and said, "I have no idea. She looked at me and then ran off. I wonder if she's okay. She was pretty pale."

Alaric elbowed me. "Are you sure you didn't scare her off? You can look quite scary sometimes, you know?"

I elbowed him back. "Shut it."

***

How is he still alive? I saw the car hit him full-on! Why aren't things going the way I want?

A girl pounded on the wall in front of her, not noticing the wary glances that were cast her way. She gritted her teeth, but then she suddenly smiled. A chilly aura emanated from her.

"No matter. I am the protagonist of this world. He will be taken care of sooner or later."

Laughing maniacally, she looked back at where the two boys had stood. "No one will stop me from getting what I want."

"Maria? What are you doing here?"

She turned around to see a handsome boy approaching her. Instantly, a demure smile appeared on her face. There was no trace of the mania she had displayed.

"I was waiting for you."

Flashing a blinding grin at her, he said, "You silly girl. Let's go. The ceremony's about to start."

"Okay!"