Chapter 337

 337:
So, Linsey simply ignored Beth, turned, and found a quiet corner to sit down and gather herself.
Beth stood there, a smug smile on her face. She had thought Linsey was tough, but it took just a few sharp words to put her in her place.
As the crowd around Kristy began to thin, Beth saw an opportunity and eagerly moved in to flatter her. “Kristy, it’s been forever! You look absolutely breathtaking tonight!”
Kristy, draped in a red evening gown, moved with an unmistakable confidence, soaking in the compliments from Beth and the others, her ego clearly inflated by their attention.
But then, a voice broke through the praise. “Hold on… that dress looks so familiar. Wait—didn’t I see someone else in the exact same red dress earlier?” Kristy’s smile faltered, her expression shifting quickly to one of irritation.
“What are you talking about?” she snapped. “This dress is custom-made, designed just for me by a top designer. It’s one of a kind. No one else could possibly have it!” Her voice oozed with condescension as she tried to silence the remark.
The crowd around her gasped in shock. A one-of-a-kind dress? It must have cost a fortune! Kristy truly spared no expense.
Realizing their mistake, the person quickly backpedaled. “Oh, never mind… I must have been imagining things.”
Beth paused, pretending to think, before a thought struck her. Her eyes sparkled with mischief. “Wait, are you sure you’re not talking about Linsey’s?”
She turned and pointed toward Linsey, sitting quietly in the corner, a sly grin creeping onto her face. Kristy’s gaze sharpened, her face falling even further. It really was identical!
What stung even more was the nagging feeling that Linsey somehow pulled off the look better than she did.
As Kristy’s expression darkened, Beth seized the opportunity to stir the pot. “Kristy, I don’t understand—why hasn’t Linsey come over to greet you yet? Is she feeling embarrassed, or is she just pretending you don’t exist?”
Beth paused for dramatic effect, then sighed heavily, as though a sudden realization had hit her. “You know, this kind of reminds me of that campus belle contest all those years ago. It was supposed to be a showdown between you and Linsey in the final round, but out of nowhere, she pulled out. Maybe she got too jealous of your beauty and your family, and that’s why she backed down, huh?”
Her words hit Kristy like a slap, dragging up memories she had tried to bury. The truth was, Linsey’s unexpected withdrawal had always stung—Kristy had never been able to understand why Linsey had pulled out when they were so close to the final. Back then, whispers echoed through the halls, and many speculated that if Linsey hadn’t backed out, the title of campus belle would have gone to her instead.
Kristy seethed with anger, recalling the conversations she had overheard back then.
“Honestly, Linsey is way prettier than Kristy.”
“I still don’t get why she withdrew. Do you think Kristy pressured her into it?”
“That’s not impossible. Everyone knows Linsey isn’t just beautiful—she’s kindhearted too. Maybe she didn’t want to make things difficult and just let Kristy have it.”
.
.
.