Part 1The Geometry of Love

My childhood best friend, Lucas, likes the school beauty, Bella. Bella likes the class valedictorian, Daniel. Daniel likes me. But I only like Lucas. We were in a very stable love square, each happily simping for the person who wouldn't give us the time of day. We all suffered the bitterness of unrequited love, chasing crushes who never looked back. Until I moved on and started flirting with the new kid with the bleached hair. Lucas and Daniel both lost their minds. even Bella was furious. Red-eyed, she choked me and sobbed: "Why?! How could you like that bleached-hair punk?" I explained: "Because love squares are just like quadrilaterals—unstable."

* * *

Lucas rejected sitting with me again. His eyes were glued to Bella, and he happily took the seat behind her, refusing to be my desk partner. Daniel, the valedictorian, likes me, so I knew he wanted to sit with me. But Bella, being quick, snatched the opportunity first. When it was my turn to pick a seat, Lucas, wanting to avoid any misunderstanding and not hurt Bella's feelings, deliberately avoided me. He chose to sit behind Bella. Bella was thrilled because she got to sit with Daniel, and her simp (me) hadn't hooked up with hers (Daniel) yet.

The teacher called my name. Finally, it was my turn. I walked in and saw that Lucas already had someone next to him. Daniel, who liked me, was snatched by Bella. I felt isolated. Three pairs of eyes stared at me. Regret in Daniel's eyes. Coldness in Lucas's eyes. Triumph in Bella's eyes—she winked at me, declaring war. I always thought our love square was rock solid, impossible to shake. But tonight, I was hurt. It felt like I had simped my way out of the game. Am I not worthy of being a simp? Rude. Why won't they play with me?

I was a little sad. Bad grades, kicked out of the simp circle. Clearly, the four of us licking each other's boots was a stable dynamic. How did I get voted off the island? Looking at Bella's smug face, I was pissed. The teacher was getting impatient too: "Jane, what are you standing there for? Pick a seat! You're wasting everyone's study time!"

I looked around. Because my grades were terrible—basically bottom of the class—by the time I got to pick, everyone else was settled. There were hardly any empty seats left. Only in the last row, next to the new transfer student with the bleached hair, was there an empty desk. The boy dressed like an alt kid, sporting arrogant bleached hair and earrings, radiating pure resentment. Since arriving a few days ago, he hadn't said a word to anyone, doing whatever he pleased. But he was handsome. Not the gentle kind, but the aggressive, sharp kind of handsome. Girls blushed and passed him love notes or gifts, but he coldly rejected them all. If they persisted, he'd throw the stuff in the trash. A total "strangers keep away" vibe.

Injured by the love square, I didn't care anymore. I walked straight to the bleached-hair boy and fearlessly sat down. Ideally, Bella should be the winner of this love square. The guy who likes me and the guy I like are both circling her. She should be happy. But I saw Bella's wide grin suddenly retract. Her smile vanished completely when I sat next to the bleached-hair boy. She even looked a little unhappy. This made me even angrier. She's still unhappy! Don't be so greedy, okay?!