Chapter 16

Right after class, Adeline was cornered by Vincent. “Did Josie come back today? I didn’t see her in class.”

Adeline replied, “She’s back. She said she switched majors, so she’s not attending any of the courses she chose before.”

Adeline looked puzzled and asked, “You’re close to her. Didn’t she tell you? Or did something happen between you two? Otherwise, why would she suddenly quit Professor Lawson’s team and switch majors?”

Vincent clenched his fists, trying to hold back his anger. “What exactly did she tell you?”

“She said the rumors on the forum are true. She really left Professor Lawson’s team and changed her major.” Adeline glanced at him, her cheeks flushing. “You two didn’t have a falling out, did you?”

Vincent pressed his lips into a thin line and shook his head. “No. Don’t overthink it. Do you know what major she switched to?”

“I have no idea. She didn’t say.” Adeline shrugged. “If you’re curious, just ask her yourself. She’s in the dorm right now.”

Hearing this, Vincent exhaled a slow breath. He said softly, “Could you tell her to come down? We’ll wait for her downstairs.”

After making plans with Adeline, Vincent sent a message to the group chat: “[Josie’s back.]”

Adeline hurried back to the dorm. “Josie, Vincent and the others are looking for you. They’re downstairs right now. Be honest with me, what’s going on? They look seriously pissed.”

“Maybe they’re mad because I switched majors without telling anyone.” Josie stood up. “I’ll go down and explain.”

Adeline blocked her way. “Why did you switch majors, Josie? You loved Professor Lawson’s classes. You were more focused than anyone else and ranked first in the entire year for this major. Is it because of that plagiarism scandal?”

“Don’t guess.” Josie didn’t want to explain. “I got bored. I wanted to learn something new. Why does there need to be a reason?”

With that, Josie slipped past Adeline and headed downstairs. In front of the girls’ dorm, Vincent, Jaden, and Natalie were waiting.

When Josie saw Natalie, her steps slowed for a second. She really didn’t want to deal with her. That fake sweet act Natalie put on was suffocating.

But compared to everything she’d been through in her past life, putting up with some fake niceties seemed trivial now.

Josie walked straight up to them. “Vincent Oldham, Jaden Monroe, Natalie Kinberg, you wanted to see me?”

Vincent froze. He’d known Josie for years, and she’d always called him “Vincent.” This was the first time she’d used his full name. It had only been two days since they last met, but something about her felt different.

“I heard you’re quitting the team and changing your major?” Jaden, never one for subtlety, immediately confronted her. “Josie, you’ve got some nerve. Quitting the team on a whim, changing your major just like that—did you ever think about asking how we feel about it?”

Josie found his words ridiculous. She looked at Jaden, her tone calm. “Whether I quit the team or switch majors, it’s my choice. Why would I need to ask for your opinion?”

“You—” Jaden was stunned into silence. Josie had always been the obedient type, never once talking back to him like this. Even when she’d turned down his confession, Josie had been so cautious, afraid of upsetting him, with that sweet smile on her face that made it impossible to stay mad at her. But now, Josie was standing here with a cold, mocking look, as if they were just nosy strangers meddling in her business.

“Josie, how could you talk to them like that?” Natalie chimed in, her voice soft and sugary. “They’re just worried about you. They’re afraid someone’s tricked you into giving up a bright future. That’s why they rushed over to talk you out of it. Why can’t you see they care about you?”

Jaden shot Natalie a grateful look, then turned back to Josie with a face full of anger. “Don’t be ungrateful, Josie. We came here because of the history we share. If you insist on throwing that away, do you really think you’ll get another chance with Professor Lawson’s team?”