Chapter 2
Everyone didn't know what was going on, but they all went along and liked and shared the post anyway.
I also commented and shared it.
Iris: [Count me in.]
Then Ethan messaged me right away.
Ethan: [What do you mean?]
Of course, it meant we were breaking up.
I didn't bother to explain myself, so I blocked him everywhere and left the twelve-person group chat.
When I looked up again, I was already standing outside the apartment complex we used to share off-campus.
Tonight, Ethan didn't come back.
He was probably off with Chloe, finishing whatever I had interrupted earlier.
While I was packing, I came across a Polaroid photo.
It was from high school, back when I was secretly crushing on him.
I'd snuck a photo of him doing homework between classes, and he happened to look up at me. His gaze was soft, but a little aloof.
Just then, my face had burned up, and I'd bolted, terrified he'd catch on to my silly little crush.
I held the photo for a long time, watching the sky outside slowly darken.
I tucked the photo deep into the bottom of my suitcase and closed it.
Sitting on the floor, I glanced around the little apartment I'd called home for over two years. No matter how hard I tried to control them, the memories just kept rushing back.
Ethan and I didn't actually start dating until the second semester of our first year in college.
We'd gone to the same high school for three years, but we hardly ever talked.
He was good-looking, came from a well-off family, was the star student in the advanced science class, played basketball well, and always stood out in a crowd.
There were always people around him.
But I was just a nobody in the liberal arts class.
The bravest thing I ever did was pretend to walk past his classroom during breaks, sneaking a quick look at him hunched over his desk, writing away.
Indeed, we were worlds apart.
After the college entrance exams, we were admitted to the same university.
On the day of freshman orientation, I got lost outside the gym, struggling with a heavy stack of paperwork, and almost bumped into someone.
The papers were scattered everywhere, and I hurried to pick them up. Just then, I heard a voice from above.
"Iris?"
I looked up and saw Ethan standing there, sunlight behind him, wearing a plain white T-shirt. His face was clear and striking.
He actually knew my name.
I was so caught off guard that I just froze, but he was already crouching down to help me pick it up.
"Iris from Class Three, right? The liberal arts class?" he asked.
He kept talking while picking it up.
He continued, "At the ceremony, I remember you gave a speech as an outstanding graduate."
My heart was racing. I could only nod.
He helped me pick up most of the papers and asked which dorm I was going to.
On the way, he chatted about our high school teachers and the excitement of starting college, as if we were old friends.
When we got downstairs, he handed me the papers and smiled.
He said, "We're college alumni now. Let's stay in touch."
I held my phone, watching his back as he walked away, my palms slick with sweat.
From then on, we really started to keep in touch.
At first, we'd just say hi when we bumped into each other on campus.
Later, we started eating together in the cafeteria, and before long, he'd invite me to study with him at the library.
He wasn't really that into studying. Most of the time, he'd just end up napping at the desk, his hair all soft and messy over his forehead.
I'd pretend to read, but kept stealing glances at him, my heart bursting with that sweet, aching feeling.
On Christmas Eve, he invited me to watch fireworks by the river.
The crowd was so packed that we got swept apart.
I was anxious when suddenly, the stage lights flashed right in front of me.
Everyone's gaze was attracted by the band on stage.
And right in the center was Ethan, the lead singer, smiling at me as he sang just for me.
Just as the fireworks exploded in the night sky, he shouted out, "Iris, I've liked you for a long time. Will you be my girlfriend?"
I stared into his sparkling eyes, my heart thundering in my chest so loud I could barely hear anything else.
I shouted back as loud as I could, "Yes!"
The first days were sweet.
He would get up early and cross half the campus just to bring me breakfast.
Whenever I caught a cold, he'd try to make soup for me, fumbling all the way.
He'd remember a movie I casually mentioned and bought tickets, waiting for me.
He made me realize I hadn't fallen for the wrong guy.
Chloe came into half a year after we were together.
She was Ethan's childhood sweetheart. They'd grown up together, their families living right across the hall.
The first time I saw her, I finally understood what people meant by a match made in heaven.
She was wearing a soft yellow dress, smiling as she rushed over to pat Ethan on the shoulder.
She called out, "Ethan!"
Then Chloe noticed me, her eyes sizing me up before she smiled and said, "So this is your girlfriend? She looks pretty shy.
"And what's up with her clothes? Why does it look so..."
She laughed, and the mockery in her eyes was obvious.
I looked down, fidgeting with the hem of my dress until it was all wrinkled, my face burning with embarrassment.
My dress cost more than thirty dollars, but standing next to Chloe in her designer clothes, mine felt totally outclassed.