Chapter 1 · Break Up At 100 Likes

Chapter 1

Ethan Crawford, who had been giving me the cold shoulder, posted on Twitter.

It read: [The first 100 people to like this post get a breakup gift.]

In no time, there were already 99 retweets and likes.

I knew he was waiting for me to give in, just like the last ten times, hoping I'd beg him to delete the post.

But this time, I didn't hesitate and retweeted it with a comment.

Iris Bennett: [Count me in.]

Then I blocked him everywhere, cutting off all contact.

Three days later, his sister, Luna Crawford, messaged me.

Luna: [Ethan saved you a ticket for his graduation show. He said he would forgive you as long as you came.]

I glanced at the plane ticket on my desk and replied to her.

Iris: [I'm busy.]

I was really busy. I'd just gotten into grad school at Behen University, and I was flying out tonight to check in.

From then on, I was thousands of miles away from Ethan and never saw him again.

When I found out Ethan was hooking up with his childhood sweetheart, Chloe Stewart, in a hotel room, all to cheer her up after her breakup, I slapped him hard across the face.

At the hotel, Ethan's shirt was half-unbuttoned, and there were hickeys on his neck that he didn't even hide.

I stood right in front of him and asked angrily, "Is this how you treat me?"

He clicked his tongue, ran his fingers through his hair, as if he couldn't believe what he was hearing.

He snapped, "We're just dating, not getting married. Who do you care who I sleep with?"

Then he shot Chloe a look over his shoulder.

Her voice was shaky with tears as she whispered, "Iris, I'm sorry. It's all my fault. Don't blame him..."

Ethan cut her off, "That's enough."

And he looked at me with a cold gaze.

He said, "I did it because I wanted to. It's just such a little thing. Why are you making such a fuss? Want to break up again, right?"

Breaking up again.

This was the eleventh time things ended because of Chloe.

I had been with him for four years, since freshman year. We had fought many times. Every single time, I was the one who backed down first.

He always counted on me to cave.

But this time, I didn't want to give in.

I didn't even have the strength left to argue.

I nodded, turned around, and headed for the elevator.

But Chloe suddenly rushed over and grabbed my hand. Her fingers were icy cold, and her voice was soft, almost pleading.

She said, "Iris, don't be upset. Ethan really loves you. He kept calling your name on the bed just now."

I yanked my hand away from her.

It was disgusting.

A sickening wave rose from my gut, something I couldn't even put into words.

Ethan strode over, pulled Chloe protectively behind him, and stared at me, enunciating every word.

He said coldly, "If you can't accept it, then get out. Stop giving me attitude."

I looked at him standing guard over her and suddenly laughed.

"Fine," I said, then closed the room door for them.

As the elevator went down, I didn't cry.

When I walked to the lobby, the girl at the front desk glanced at me with pity in her eyes, then went back to typing.

Outside, the wind was brutal. I walked two blocks before I finally managed to hail a cab.

The driver asked where I was going, and I replied, "Just drive."

My phone kept buzzing with many messages.

Ethan: [Are you done with your drama?]

Ethan: [Come back.]

Ethan: [Don't take my kindness for granted, Iris.]

The last one read: [Are you really going to break up with me? You sure about that?]

I didn't reply.

The scenery outside the car window whipped past, just like all the messy memories I had with him over the years.

I had a crush on him for three years in high school, and it took me a long time to work up the courage to finally tell him how I felt.

After we were together, the first time he held my hand, my heart was pounding so hard I thought it might jump right out of my chest.

He gave me a limited-edition teddy bear, stayed up all night with me in the emergency room, and even took me to watch a custom fireworks show for my birthday.

But it was also he who kept choosing Chloe over me, again and again.

My phone buzzed with some messages from a twelve-person group chat.

Someone tagged Ethan.

[I heard that you and Chloe got caught in a hotel by Iris. Is she crying and making a scene again?]

I had been in this group for three years, but I never spoke up. They probably forgot I was here.

Ethan replied immediately.

Ethan: [Stop talking. It's annoying. Now she's just making a scene about breaking up, not even answering my texts.]

[She finally got some guts, right? She dared to ignore you. Honestly, take this chance to have some fun by yourself for a few days. Didn't you always say her clinginess was annoying?]

[I bet she'll crack and text you tomorrow.]

Ethan: [Yeah, you're right.]

With that, he posted on Twitter right away.

It read: [The first 100 people to like this post get a breakup gift.]

Chapter 1

Ethan Crawford, who had been giving me the cold shoulder, posted on Twitter.

It read: [The first 100 people to like this post get a breakup gift.]

In no time, there were already 99 retweets and likes.

I knew he was waiting for me to give in, just like the last ten times, hoping I'd beg him to delete the post.

But this time, I didn't hesitate and retweeted it with a comment.

Iris Bennett: [Count me in.]

Then I blocked him everywhere, cutting off all contact.

Three days later, his sister, Luna Crawford, messaged me.

Luna: [Ethan saved you a ticket for his graduation show. He said he would forgive you as long as you came.]

I glanced at the plane ticket on my desk and replied to her.

Iris: [I'm busy.]

I was really busy. I'd just gotten into grad school at Behen University, and I was flying out tonight to check in.

From then on, I was thousands of miles away from Ethan and never saw him again.

When I found out Ethan was hooking up with his childhood sweetheart, Chloe Stewart, in a hotel room, all to cheer her up after her breakup, I slapped him hard across the face.

At the hotel, Ethan's shirt was half-unbuttoned, and there were hickeys on his neck that he didn't even hide.

I stood right in front of him and asked angrily, "Is this how you treat me?"

He clicked his tongue, ran his fingers through his hair, as if he couldn't believe what he was hearing.

He snapped, "We're just dating, not getting married. Who do you care who I sleep with?"

Then he shot Chloe a look over his shoulder.

Her voice was shaky with tears as she whispered, "Iris, I'm sorry. It's all my fault. Don't blame him..."

Ethan cut her off, "That's enough."

And he looked at me with a cold gaze.

He said, "I did it because I wanted to. It's just such a little thing. Why are you making such a fuss? Want to break up again, right?"

Breaking up again.

This was the eleventh time things ended because of Chloe.

I had been with him for four years, since freshman year. We had fought many times. Every single time, I was the one who backed down first.

He always counted on me to cave.

But this time, I didn't want to give in.

I didn't even have the strength left to argue.

I nodded, turned around, and headed for the elevator.

But Chloe suddenly rushed over and grabbed my hand. Her fingers were icy cold, and her voice was soft, almost pleading.

She said, "Iris, don't be upset. Ethan really loves you. He kept calling your name on the bed just now."

I yanked my hand away from her.

It was disgusting.

A sickening wave rose from my gut, something I couldn't even put into words.

Ethan strode over, pulled Chloe protectively behind him, and stared at me, enunciating every word.

He said coldly, "If you can't accept it, then get out. Stop giving me attitude."

I looked at him standing guard over her and suddenly laughed.

"Fine," I said, then closed the room door for them.

As the elevator went down, I didn't cry.

When I walked to the lobby, the girl at the front desk glanced at me with pity in her eyes, then went back to typing.

Outside, the wind was brutal. I walked two blocks before I finally managed to hail a cab.

The driver asked where I was going, and I replied, "Just drive."

My phone kept buzzing with many messages.

Ethan: [Are you done with your drama?]

Ethan: [Come back.]

Ethan: [Don't take my kindness for granted, Iris.]

The last one read: [Are you really going to break up with me? You sure about that?]

I didn't reply.

The scenery outside the car window whipped past, just like all the messy memories I had with him over the years.

I had a crush on him for three years in high school, and it took me a long time to work up the courage to finally tell him how I felt.

After we were together, the first time he held my hand, my heart was pounding so hard I thought it might jump right out of my chest.

He gave me a limited-edition teddy bear, stayed up all night with me in the emergency room, and even took me to watch a custom fireworks show for my birthday.

But it was also he who kept choosing Chloe over me, again and again.

My phone buzzed with some messages from a twelve-person group chat.

Someone tagged Ethan.

[I heard that you and Chloe got caught in a hotel by Iris. Is she crying and making a scene again?]

I had been in this group for three years, but I never spoke up. They probably forgot I was here.

Ethan replied immediately.

Ethan: [Stop talking. It's annoying. Now she's just making a scene about breaking up, not even answering my texts.]

[She finally got some guts, right? She dared to ignore you. Honestly, take this chance to have some fun by yourself for a few days. Didn't you always say her clinginess was annoying?]

[I bet she'll crack and text you tomorrow.]

Ethan: [Yeah, you're right.]

With that, he posted on Twitter right away.

It read: [The first 100 people to like this post get a breakup gift.]