Chapter 176 Everything in my textbook somehow points back to him

Chapter 176 Everything in my textbook somehow points back to him
Valeria's POV 
Chemical bonding.

The topic stared back at me. 

I was sitting at my reading table with my chemistry textbook open in front of me.

I'd studied the topic before, but I needed to revise it. I couldn't afford to let my personal life ruin my grades for the final exams.

Leaning closer, I ran my finger down the page, reading through the notes I'd highlighted earlier.

Ionic bonds. Covalent bonds. Electronegativity.

I was really forcing myself to concentrate. But the deeper I got into the topic, the more my mind betrayed me.

I remembered the day I'd taught Zayne this exact topic. I could still remember the way he'd looked at me whenever I leaned closer to explain something.

The tension between us that day. Or was it the high-five when he traced imaginary lines on my palm?

Enough, Valeria.

I swallowed and quickly blinked, forcing myself back to the book.

No.

I wasn't doing this. I wasn't going to think about him. Passing Chemistry was my priority.

Turning to the next  page, I buried myself into the book and continued reading.

But it didn't help.

Another memory of Zayne surfaced. Not actually one. In fact, all the kisses we'd shared.

I could remember the warmth of his lips against mine. The way my entire body seemed to go still whenever he kissed me, only to melt moments later.

Absentmindedly, I slowly lifted my hand and ran my fingers over my lips. My eyes slid shut.

Before I could stop myself, I was already imagining him here with me, sitting on the chair while I straddled him and kissed the stupid decision out of him. 

I remembered the nights we spent together. His touch, his arms around me, his breath against my ear as he whispered my name.

I squeezed my eyes shut. 

Why did my brain have to remember everything except Chemistry? Why couldn't I just forget?

Dropping my hand onto the table, I stared at the textbook.

Chemical bonding.

I couldn't even look at those words anymore without thinking about him.

"Damn it," I muttered and closed the book.

I grabbed another textbook and opened it to a random chapter. Maybe a different subject would help. 

I started reading again, but after a few minutes, my eyes were moving over the words without actually absorbing anything.

This is serious.

I sighed and reached for my phone, then scrolled through my contacts until I found Tessa.

She answered after a few rings.

"Hi, Val."

"Tes."

"What's up?"

"Can we talk about chemistry?"

"I—"

I didn't let her complete her sentence. "Okay, so you remember that chemical bonds are basically the forces that hold atoms together, right? There are three main types—ionic, covalent, and metallic. Ionic bonds involve the transfer of electrons from one atom to another, while covalent bonds involve sharing electrons. So..." I paused. "Do you get me?"

There was a long silence on the other end.

"Valeria," she said finally.

"What?"

"Please tell me you're joking."

I smiled faintly. "Our final exams are coming up. We need to do more revision."

She made a crying sound. "I don't want to learn."

"You have to." I flipped the page of my textbook. "Just listen. I'll make it easy."

"No, I don't." She groaned dramatically. "I'm bored out of my fucking mind. Why are you calling me to discuss chemistry?"

I leaned back in my chair. "Because I need someone to talk to about it."

"You're reading from a textbook. You can just... keep reading."

"The textbook doesn't talk back."

She let out another groan. 

My smile slowly disappeared. "I'm... I'm just trying to forget him," I admitted quietly.

There was a long pause.

I stared down at the textbook in front of me. "If I keep studying, maybe I'll stop thinking about him. But everything in my textbook somehow points back to him."

Tessa sighed softly. "Val..." 

"I'm fine."

"I don't think you are."

"I know." I swallowed. "But I'm trying to be fine."

She was quiet for a moment before suddenly changing her tone. "Okay, enough chemistry."

"What?"

"I said enough chemistry."

"But the exams—"

"I'm coming over."

"For what?"

"Prom shopping."

I blinked. "Prom?"

"Yes, prom." I could hear the excitement creeping into her voice. "You are not spending the rest of your day buried in textbooks and thinking about Zayne. We're going shopping."

I looked down at my chemistry book. Honestly, she had a point.

"I don't even know if I want to go to prom," I said.

"You're going." 

"Tessa—"

"No arguments. I'm coming to pick you up."

I sighed, but a small smile tugged at my lips. "Fine."

"Good. Now go get ready. I'll be there soon."

She hung up. I stared at my phone for a moment before placing it back on the table. I closed my textbook and leaned back in my chair

Maybe getting out of this room was exactly what I needed. 


Within an hour, we reached the mall. And the moment we stepped inside, Tessa grabbed my hand and dragged me toward the first boutique we saw.

"Come on. We need to find us a dress," she said.

I rolled my eyes playfully and followed her inside.

We went through racks of dresses, picking out different colors and styles. Tessa held up a long navy blue dress against me. 

"This one."

"No."

"Why?"

"I think it's... dull."

She tossed it back onto the rack. "Fine. What about this?"

She held up a deep red dress.

I stared at it for a moment. "Maybe."

"Maybe?" She gasped dramatically. "Yes or no?"

I laughed. "No. Let's find another." 

We continued looking through the dresses when my phone suddenly vibrated in my hand. I glanced down.

A notification from Stanford University.

My heart skipped. I stopped in my tracks immediately, my eyes widening.

"Tessa," I called.

She immediately looked at me. "What?"

I stared at the notification, barely believing what I was seeing. My fingers trembled as I opened it. My eyes scanned the first few lines. Then I covered my mouth.

"Oh my God," I gasped.

"What?" Tessa stepped closer. "What happened?"

Slowly, I turned the screen toward her. 

Her eyes widened. "No way."

I nodded, my face breaking into the biggest smile. "I got in."

"You got into Stanford?"

"Yes. I got into Stanford!"

She screamed. I laughed as she threw her arms around me, nearly knocking me backward.

"Oh my God, Val!" 

"I know! I know!"

She pulled away, grabbing my shoulders. "You're going to Stanford!"

"Yeah!"

We both laughed, the excitement filling the space between us.

"Okay. Okay," Tessa said nervously. "I need to check mine."

I released a breath. "Okay."

We found a nearby couch and sat down. Tessa pulled out her phone, staring at the screen for a few seconds before finally logging into her application portal.

I watched her face carefully.

Her face was full of anticipation at first. Then slowly, her expression changed. 

"Oh," she said in a low tone.

My smile faded slightly. "What?"

She sighed. "Stanford rejected me."

"Oh, Tes..."

"It's fine." She shrugged, trying to smile. 

I shifted closer. "What about your other options?"

"Yeah, let me check." She scrolled through her phone again. 

I folded my hands in front of me, hoping she'd get admitted into another college similar to what she wanted. 

Finally, she smiled. "I got into UCLA."

A sigh of relief escaped me. "That's still amazing."

"I know." She leaned her head against my shoulder. "I'm happy. I just..." She sighed. "I really thought we'd end up at the same school."

"Me too," I said, stroking her hair. "But it's not like we're going to be on opposite sides of the country. We'll still visit each other. That should be okay, right?"

"I hope so."

For a moment, we sat quietly. 

Then an idea crossed my mind. 

I turned toward her with a grin. "Wait."

"What?" She raised her head from my shoulder, looking up at me  

"At least you'll be going to the same school as Vincent."

She stared at me, her eyes gradually widening. "Oh, Val. Come on." 

I burst out laughing. "What? You like my brother."

"I..." She chuckled, unable to finish.

"You definitely do."

"Valeria!"

I laughed harder as she shoved my shoulder.

"Don't worry," I teased. "He's definitely gonna take good care of you."

"I swear, if you don't shut up..."

"Admit it."

"Never."

We both started laughing again.

And that was how I forgot about everything else. I forgot about the ache in my chest and everything that had been weighing me down.

I was just Valeria. And I was happy.

Genuinely happy.