The boy in front of Eveline causes her eyes to widen. It was none other than Aspen College's handsome and popular hunk, Gabriel Winston.
Gabriel was in his final year of a master's program and would shortly graduate from college, joining his family business, if Eveline could recall with clarity.
"Where is your focus?" Her eyes instantly became cold as Gabriel's aloof voice jolted her out of her reverie.
Everyone at the college knew that Eveline had a thing for Gabriel, but she never once showed it to him. Maybe she was shy even after they had known each other since they were children.
"Shouldn't you see me coming instead?" Eveline said it with the greatest contempt and stepped away from him right away.
Eveline had made a vow to fight those who denigrated her and stay away from those who had destroyed her life.
Gabriel was taken aback by her audacity, but before he could say anything, Eveline turned around and departed, leaving him stranded in the large lobby.
"What am I seeing? Did Eveline scold Gabriel?" A student who had passed by muttered.
"Whoah, I never thought Eveline would be so brave?" exclaimed the other student.
"I did not realize she was that cool."
As the students saw the scene unfold before them, they began to gossip, and Gabriel felt embarrassed by the conversation.
Before long, the Aspen forum was filled with murmurs as some students asked questions about Eveline's audacity. A few expressed gratitude to her, while others voiced their disapproval of her boldness.
Gabriel glanced around, taking in everyone's faces before turning and making his way to the west side of the building for his class.
"Gabriel wait!"
Tiffany hurried over to apologize to Gabriel after seeing the scene in front of her.
"I apologize for Eveline's rude behavior. She is not always this rude; I do not know what is wrong with her." Tiffany reasoned.
Tiffany's interest in Gabriel, which she had concealed from Eveline as well, dates back to her time at Aspen. As they had been friends since childhood, she made Eveline her friend in an attempt to get closer to Gabriel.
Eveline liked him, but Tiffany wanted to use her so-called friend to win his heart.
Gabriel looked at the girl and nodded before resuming his walk.
This was the least he had responded to her reflex and Tiffany couldn't help but smile triumphantly.
Despite his lack of vocal communication skills, Gabriel managed to have a brief conversation with her.
Satisfied, she turned and hurried into the classroom.
***
Eveline forced the restroom's door open and almost passed out. During her talk with Gabriel, she became aware that she had been holding her breath.
It was unexpected that she would act so boldly in front of the man who watched Tiffany push her off the balcony, her husband, Gabriel Winston
Her face darkened with despair as she thought of how his betrayal itself crossed her mind and her heart was constricted.
"Gabriel, I used to love you with all of my heart, but not anymore. I promise to treat you like nobody, no matter how many times I cross your path."
Eveline took a deep breath and moved to stand in front of the sink. She grinned as she noticed the redness in her eyes as she looked into the mirror.
"Throughout your friendship, you were foolish, and the person you loved deceived you. Why are you even crying for him? Is not it fortunate that you saw their true faces before being granted another chance at life?"
Eveline quickly got up to wash her face and headed toward the classroom.
Everyone's gaze fell on her as soon as she entered, and a loud cheer broke the stillness.
Eveline did not know why they did it, but she chose to ignore their small talk and walk over to her desk.
"What have you done, Eve? Why did you offend Gabriel?" Tiffany asked with a worried expression as she hurried over to Eveline's side.
Eveline is aware of the humor now, but she was surprised to learn that Tiffany had been pursuing her.
Ignoring her, Eveline fished the book out of her backpack.
"It was not my fault in the first place, and would not he just disregard me if it was?"
Tiffany was taken aback by Eveline's icy remarks toward Gabriel and began to wonder if something had really happened.
"However, you ought not to have spoken to him rudely. In what way do you intend to win his affection?" Tiffany asked out of concern.
She was shocked that Eveline, who had been enamored with her childhood sweetheart, would turn on him and treat him badly.
Tiffany recalled that Gabriel would never listen to anything Eveline said and that it was only Eveline who made an effort to acknowledge their relationship.
He treated her like air, invisible, barely acknowledging her. However, Tiffany now has a means to pursue Gabriel because of her friend's abrupt change in behavior.
' If she continues to mistreat Gabriel, one day he will start to hate her,' Tiffany pondered and soon a smile made its way onto her lips, which she quickly masked.
Eveline became enamored with Tiffany's subtle demeanor and abruptly stopped her thoughts by slamming the book on the table.
"Are you just going to talk about Gabriel?" If so, please return to your seat because class is about to begin." Eveline looked ahead, ignoring Tiffany's startled expression.
Eveline had never been so conceited about Tiffany, but her response stunned her, and she slowly returned to her seat while fixing her unbelievably smug gaze on her friend.
Soon, the class began, and Eveline busied herself back in her studies.
Eveline, having been reincarnated, desired to focus more on her academic studies rather than squandering her time courting Gabriel.
Eveline had made every effort to win Gabriel over in her former life, but no matter what happened, she would always end up on the receiving end of his wrath. But that was no longer her intention, as she wanted to give her life her all and become the person she had always wanted to be.
'I wasted my youth on this useless people, but not anymore ' Eveline reminded herself of the purpose of her life and continued to focus on the class.
*****
The final-year classroom bell rang, and Gabriel emerged holding his backpack.
"Gabby, wait!!" A voice stopped Gabriel in his tracks, and he turned to see his only friend Stefan approaching him.
" What is the problem? I heard Eveline reprimanded you. Has she finally decided to change her mind?" Stefan grins as he attempts to pull Gabriel's leg.
Eveline, Stefan, and Gabriel's fathers were childhood friends, so it was natural for their children to bond. Stefan took Eveline as his younger sister, and the girl chose Gabriel as her future husband.
Eveline had undeniable feelings for Gabriel, but his friend ignored her flirtatious behavior and continued to treat her indifferently.
Despite her best efforts, Gabriel ignored her adoration and continued to treat her as he did every other girl in the school.
Eveline, a year younger than them, had been obsessed with Gabriel since she was a child.
She preferred to address Stefan as brother, but Gabriel was just Gabby to her.
She was the apple of their eyes, but she only had eyes for Gabriel.
Gabriel became sullen and looked away after hearing his friends' remarks. Gabriel could not stop thinking about Eveline's treatment of him during class, and now Stefan was making his wound worse.
Gabriel moved forward, yanking his hand off his shoulder.
He did not feel like talking to him, but as soon as he got to the first floor, he noticed Eveline leaving the classroom and stopped.
Gabriel took a step forward, but stopped when he saw Tiffany running behind her, and he abandoned the idea of confronting her.
Gabriel turned away after briefly staring at her, but Tiffany noticed him and smirked.
"Why do I feel you are ignoring me?" Eveline flinched at Tiffany's touch and quickly stepped away.
It reminded me of the time Tiffany pushed her from the balcony, resulting in her death. It was like a triggering point that she detected with her touch.
"Will you please stop jumping on me?" Eveline snapped, leaving Tiffany stunned for a moment.
She had no clue what was wrong with Eveline.
Tiffany wonders if something was wrong with her after she did not show up to pick up.
Eveline, on the other hand, realized she would overreacted and quickly apologized.
"I am sorry. I did not mean to raise my voice at you, but please stop being pushy. It is making me uncomfortable," Eveline said with a fake smile, smashing Tiffany with her sweet but mocking words.
She realized that if she wanted to avoid Tiffany, she needed to be honest with her.
Tiffany blinked in confusion before bobbing her head.
Something had changed. Eveline was never this rude to her, and she was always kind. Then what changed within her to cause her to behave this way?
Eveline smiled as she looked at Tiffany's expressionless face.
"Are you going to keep staring, or do you want something from me?" Eveline inquired, maintaining the same indifferent tone.
Tiffany had been too gluttonous and was constantly asking for favors with that pitiful expression.
Eveline was too naive back then to see her true nature, but now that she has seen the worst in herself, she will never fall for it again.
Tiffany stood speechless as Eveline's words were too astonishing for her, but she quickly composed herself and smiled.
"There is nothing. I just want to be with you, but if you do not want—" Tiffany intended for a guilt trip, but Eveline's response caught her off guard.
"I do not want to, so please excuse me," Eveline said before walking away, leaving Tiffany stranded.
When she heard the students mutter, her expression changed from surprise to anger, and she stormed out without paying them any attention.