The Year I Stopped Being His novel Chapter 417

After classes, she would hole up in the library until closing time, then walk back to Emerald Grove alone, grabbing some vegetables from the market on her way.

Her life was as still as an undisturbed lake, and she was perfectly content with that.

One afternoon, she had just finished a grueling Macroeconomics lecture. Clutching her heavy textbook and notebook, she stepped out into the crowded hallway, weaving through the chaotic rush of students changing classes.

Just as she reached the stairwell, a bright, cheerful voice rang out behind her.

"Sloane!"

She turned around.

Piper was standing a few feet away, one hand gripping the banister, the other waving frantically. A massive, beaming smile lit up her face.

She was wearing a pastel yellow cardigan, looking for all the world like a hyperactive baby chick bounding into the sunlight. Her pale cheeks were flushed pink from the excitement.

"I've been looking everywhere for you!"

"Looking for me?" Sloane stopped, slightly taken aback.

Piper bounded up the stairs, moving so fast she nearly tripped over her own ballet flats, grabbing Sloane's arm just in time to steady herself.

"Yeah!" She caught her breath, the words tumbling out of her mouth at lightning speed. "I only knew you were in the Business program, but I didn't know your major! I couldn't just check every single class, so I literally camped outside the dorms every night. But then people told me you don't even live on campus! So I hunted down your schedule, figured out you had a class in Building 3 today, and I've been checking every single door—"

She suddenly realized she was still death-gripping Sloane's arm and instantly let go, taking a half-step back. Her ears turned bright red, but she kept staring up at Sloane with shining, eager eyes.

She whipped out her phone.

Sloane looked at her desperate, pleading eyes and sighed internally. She really didn't want to make too many friends on campus; the more people she knew, the higher the risk of her identity unraveling. But looking at those big, innocent eyes, she simply couldn't bring herself to say no.

"...Alright."

She pulled up her QR code and let Piper scan it.

Piper stared down at the new contact on her screen, clutching her phone to her chest like she had just won an Olympic gold medal.

As she left, she skipped to the bottom of the stairs, turned around to wave one last time, and vanished into the crowd like a happy little yellow cloud.