The shove from Seraphina had slammed me against the wall , and a dull ache from my old wound started to spread across my back . I winced . Suddenly , a bottle of painkillers appeared in front of me . It was Adrian . He gestured toward my back . " Looks like you reopened your wound . Need to go to the nurse's office ? " Even a complete stranger could see something was wrong . Peter hadn't noticed a thing . In the span of a few minutes , Peter's desk had been colonized with pink stickers and a matching thermos that weren't his . A pink hair tie was looped around his pale wrist , a stark contrast to his dark , gloomy aura . Seraphina was wearing his school blazer over her shoulders And in her hands was the bento box I had made for Peter . She took one bite , gagged , and threw the entire container into the trash . " My dog wouldn't eat this garbage , " she declared . " No wonder you're so skinny . From now on, you're eating with me ! " Peter stared at the discarded bento box in the trash can . He said nothing . I left the classroom and went to the nurse's office to get re - bandaged . By the time I returned , school was over , and the only person left was Adrian . My desk had been moved next to his . " My old deskmate was Seraphina , " he explained simply . " Since she moved , I brought your desk over . " Since my mission was over , it didn't matter where I sat . " It's getting dark , " Adrian said . " Want me to walk you home ? " I didn't want to get involved with the original male lead . I was about to refuse when a cold voice cut in from the doorway . " That won't be necessary , " Peter said . " I'll take her home . " 4 Peter lived in a rundown neighborhood on the other side of town . To complete my mission , I had moved in next door , forcing myself into his life by following him to and from school , chattering relentlessly . When he got too annoyed , he'd pointedly put in his earbuds . I was undeterred . I told him about the white cat in the schoolyard who'd had six kittens . About how the sweet and sour pork in the cafeteria was too salty . About the university I wanted to get into , the teddy bear I wanted for my birthday , and even how many times I'd gone to the bathroom that day . At that , he would always turn and glare at me , his usually pale face flushed with pink . " Why are you telling me this ? " " I thought you were wearing earbuds , " I'd say innocently . " How can you still hear me ? " He would just stomp ahead , trying to put distance between us . " Am I really that annoying ? " I'd call after him . Before he could answer , I'd sigh and say to myself , " You know , people only talk a lot when they're happy . And I like you , I really , really like you . Being near you makes me happy . That's why I want to talk . I hope one day you'll want to talk to me , too . " He would always turn his head away , as if burned by my earnest gaze , but he would take out his earbuds . He still wouldn't wait for me , and he still wouldn't speak , Back then , the idea of him waiting for me after school , of him being the one chattering away , seemed like an impossible dream . I never thought it would come true today . 09:37 Chapter 1 02 17 0 The sound of summer cicadas filled the air , but it couldn't drown out Peter's constant stream of words . " I didn't expect Seraphina to move her desk next to mine . It's probably just another one of her whims . She'll get bored in a few days and move back , and then you and I can be deskmates . " " She's not as fragile as she looks . Her hands were all red from moving the desk , but she just insisted she was fine . " " She said some weird things today . She said she had a dream that I died saving her . I think it's hilarious . Does she really think I'm that stupid ? It was strange . This was the most Peter had ever spoken to me , and it was all because of another girl . He talked and talked , and every single word was about Seraphina . As we neared the entrance to my alley , he suddenly stopped . " Why are you so quiet today ? " What can I say ? What am I supposed to say ? I wanted to ask . Instead , the words that came out were : " Are you happy right now ? " Peter froze . Before he could answer , the sound of a car door opening came from the end of the street . Seraphina bounced out and linked her arm through his . " I'll be walking him home from now on , " she announced brightly . " We won't need to trouble an outsider like you anymore ! " But Peter cut her off . " She's not an outsider . " We were all stunned . Peter himself seemed shocked by his own words . He pressed his lips together as if in regret . " You should go home now , " he said to me . The hot summer wind felt suffocating . From behind me , I heard his nervous voice . " This neighborhood isn't safe at night . You should go . " He was carefully escorting Seraphina back to her car , leaving me alone in the dark . Seraphina was right . He was devoted to his female lead . The system was wrong to send me . In this story , in this world , I was , and always wou- Id be , an outsider . Chapter 2