I Loved the Boy Behind the Headlines / Chapter 1: One Plus One Equals Six
I Loved the Boy Behind the Headlines

I Loved the Boy Behind the Headlines

Author: Mary Armstrong

Chapter 1: One Plus One Equals Six

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The campus golden boy announced he’d date whoever could solve his math problem.

The news spread through the halls like wildfire—Mason Hale, the guy everyone crushed on, making an offer straight out of a teen rom-com. Girls giggled, guys rolled their eyes, and a few overachievers sharpened their pencils like they were prepping for the SATs. Seriously, could he be more dramatic? But me? I couldn’t have cared less. I kept my head down, doodling in the margins of my notebook, tuning it all out like diner background noise.

Then he asked me, “What’s one plus one?” For a second, I almost laughed. Mason Hale, talking to me? Was this for real?

He actually blushed—Mason Hale, of all people. His cheeks went a little pink, the way you see in those coming-of-age movies. I almost laughed. Mason Hale, blushing? The whole class went silent, waiting for my answer like this was the final round of Jeopardy. I could feel a hundred eyes on me, but I just smirked, not playing along.

“Six,” I replied.

The answer hung in the air, bizarre and bold. People snorted, thinking I was joking or just clueless. But I met his gaze, daring him to call me out. He blinked, lips parting like he wanted to say something else, but the bell rang, slicing through the tension. For a second, it felt like the whole world held its breath.

He’d been my husband in my previous life, and after waking up in this one, he was the one person I most wanted to avoid. The whole reincarnation thing still felt surreal—like I’d been dropped into a movie I didn’t audition for.

I still remembered the way his hand felt in mine, the sound of his laugh late at night, how we’d shared secrets in the dark.

But all that was another lifetime ago—literally.

This time around, I promised myself I’d keep my distance. I wasn’t going to let history repeat itself, no matter how many times fate threw us together.

What I didn’t know—he’d been reborn, too.

Honestly, I swear, the universe has a twisted sense of humor. While I was busy building walls, Mason was apparently busy tearing his down, determined to find me all over again. Neither of us knew the other’s secret. We were two ghosts haunting the same high school corridors, carrying memories no one else could see. Sometimes I wondered if he felt it too—the weight of another life pressing in. Ha. Ghosts with unfinished business.

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