Chapter 2
Alex froze for a second. He probably never expected me, the usually meek one, to talk to him like this.
He stared at me for a few seconds, then finally waved off his teammates and trudged over. "What's up? Why so serious?"
His tone was light, as if he had no idea how serious this was.
I took a deep breath, forcing my voice to stay steady. "The whole school's calling me a parasite. Did you know that?"
He scratched his head, looking a little awkward. "Oh, that. Yeah, I heard about it."
Heard about it?
That was it?
I stared at him in utter disbelief.
I waited for his next words, for his explanation, for his anger.
But none came.
He simply stood there, as if none of it mattered.
"You heard about it, so why didn't you stop them?" I asked, my voice trembling.
"Stop what?" Alex shrugged, acting like it was no big deal. "It's just a nickname. Everyone gets one in college.
"Our dorm senior gets called 'Piggy' all the time, and he doesn't mind."
He even laughed, as if this really were nothing more than a trivial matter.
"But this nickname is humiliating," I practically shouted.
"You're overthinking it." Alex patted my shoulder, a perfunctory gesture that chilled me. "Sophie likes to joke around. She doesn't mean any harm."
No harm?
I glanced over at Sophie nearby.
She was all smiles as she watched us, the smugness in her eyes unmistakable.
I asked, "Alex, do you really think calling me a parasite is a joke?" I said it quietly, so quietly it felt like the question was only for me.
Alex said impatiently, "Enough already. Stop making a big deal out of nothing. And anyway, you do follow me around every day. It is kind of like..."
He didn't finish his sentence, but I knew exactly what he wanted to say.
He wanted to say that I was a parasite.
At that moment, it felt like something inside me shattered.
It was so completely broken that there was no way I could ever piece it back together.
*****
From that day on, I stopped going to see Alex as much.
But that nickname had already spread like a virus all over campus.
It took on a life of its own, grew wings, and flew into every corner of the school.
Whenever I showed up for class, people were pointing and gossiping about me behind my back.
"That's her, the parasite."
"I really don't know how Alex puts up with her."
At the library, someone would deliberately raise their voice and say, "Look, the parasite actually reads books."
"Quit acting like a model student. She is mooching off some guy."
Even the lady behind the counter at the campus store would give me an extra look whenever I stopped by.
She looked at me like I was something filthy or disgusting.
But the worst part was in the dorm.
My roommates, who used to be pretty close, started giving me the cold shoulder.
At first, they were still polite. They only stopped taking the initiative to talk to me.
But then it got worse. They didn't bother to fake it anymore.
They stopped inviting me to eat with them.
They'd say, "We're heading to the cafeteria," and leave without a backward glance.
I was left alone in the dorm, staring at the empty room.
They stopped sharing snacks with me.
We used to trade snacks all the time, but now they'd rather lock them up in their closets than give me any.
Even asking to borrow a charger was a struggle.
"I'm using it."
"Mine's out of battery."
"I already lent it to someone else."
There was always some excuse.
One night, I got back a little later than usual.
When I pushed the door open, I caught them whispering out on the balcony.
"Is Emily really mooching off Alex all the time?"
"Probably. Why else would Sophie call her a parasite?"
"She's so broke. Where does she get the money for tuition and living expenses?"
"Obviously, Alex is footing the bill."
"No wonder she lives right by Alex. Makes sense now."
"God, she's got no shame. If I were her, I'd be too ashamed to show my face."
I stood in the doorway, my hand still resting on the doorknob.
They spotted me, and their conversation came to an abrupt halt.
Then, they pretended nothing happened, each heading back to their own spot.
No one asked where I'd been.
No one cared how much I'd overheard.
It was like I was invisible.
I lay in bed, letting my tears fall silently into the pillow.
Soon the pillow was soaked under my cheek, cool and damp against my face.