Chapter 4
The private room was so quiet, you could hear the soft whir of the air conditioner.
Ryan strode over to me, reaching out as if to pull me closer.
The moment his fingers touched my wrist, I instinctively stepped back.
His hand froze in midair, his face looking as if he'd just been slapped.
Emily hurried over to smooth things over. "Guys, let's not fight. It's all my fault. I shouldn't have gotten carsick, shouldn't have taken the front seat, shouldn't have made Ryan look after me."
As she spoke, tears spilled from her eyes, and she could no longer hold them back.
The classmates nearby couldn't help but soften up.
"Emily's not feeling well. It's not like she did it on purpose," someone said.
"Sophia, don't take it so hard. It's graduation. Let's just have fun," another added.
"Ryan's back now, just give him a break," someone else chimed in.
All their attempts to calm things down just shoved me right back to that sun-bleached, sweltering rest stop.
With everyone backing him up, Ryan's confidence came flooding back.
"See? No one thinks I did anything unforgivable," he said, his voice full of self-assurance.
Then he leaned in, his voice low enough for only me to hear. "Stop making a scene. Come back to the beach with me tonight, and I'll make it up to you for your birthday."
The bowl of hot porridge on the table had steam rising off it.
Emily bit her lip, gripping Ryan's jacket sleeve tightly.
I asked, "Will the cake actually be for me, or will I just get whatever she leaves behind?"
Ryan's brow twitched. "Why are you talking like that?"
"Harsh?" I echoed.
I lifted my wrist, took off the dolphin bracelet, and dropped it into his hand.
The silver chain was light, but his hand shook as it fell into his palm.
"Take it back," I said.
His expression finally changed.
"Sophia, what are you trying to say?" he asked.
When Emily saw the bracelet, her face went pale.
She instinctively pulled her hand back into her sleeve.
Just then, the teacher walked in and caught the whole scene.
The awkwardness hung in the air, like spilled soup.
The teacher looked at us and said in a low voice, "This is a graduation dinner, not a place for arguments."
Ryan clenched the bracelet in his hand, trying hard to keep his cool.
"Fine, let's eat," he said.
He pulled out the chair next to me, like he just knew I'd come over.
Daniel dropped a stack of printed college application papers onto the empty seat.
"Sophia, over here," Daniel called, waving me over.
The two seats were separated by half the room.
Everyone's eyes were on me.
Back then, I would've cared about Ryan's pride, sat next to him, and waited until I was alone to feel sad.
But now, my bare wrist felt chilly from the air conditioning.
I walked over to Daniel's table.
Behind me, I heard a glass slam down on the table.
Ryan said coldly, "Sophia, walking away's easy, but coming back? That's a whole different story."
I paused for a split second.
The next moment, Daniel pulled out a seat for me.
I sat down and opened the application forms.
Emily suddenly started crying softly.
"Ryan, is Sophie leaving you because of me? Should I leave instead?" she asked, her voice trembling.
Ryan stuffed the bracelet into his pocket and turned to steady her by the shoulders.
"Why are you talking about leaving? It's not you who should go," he said.
As soon as he said that, someone in the room sucked in a breath.
The teacher frowned. "Ryan."
Ryan's eyes were red as he looked at me. "Sophia, I'm asking you one last time. Are you coming over here or not?"
I pressed my finger against the edge of the paper, leaving a crease.
Daniel leaned in and whispered, "Don't be afraid."
Ryan heard him and let out a cold laugh. "Daniel, who are you trying to fool? You think making a move on her while she's vulnerable is honorable?"
Daniel looked up. "At least I'm not the one who left someone stranded at a rest stop."
Emily knocked the soup spoon off the table.
She bent down to pick it up, but suddenly stumbled and fell right into Ryan's arms.
Ryan instinctively caught her, but his eyes were still fixed on me.
"See? She can't even stand on her own, and you still have to force me like this?" he said.
The teacher finally slammed his hand on the table. "Enough!"
Emily flinched, and her tears came even faster.
She choked out, "Please, don't blame Ryan. It's all my fault. If Sophie's upset, I can change my college choices, so I won't get in her way."
I looked up sharply.
The teacher's expression changed. "Competing? What do you mean?"
Emily looked like she'd let something slip and quickly covered her mouth.
Ryan immediately stepped in front of her. "It's nothing."
The teacher turned to me. "Sophia, have you changed your college choices?"
Ryan jumped in before I could answer. "She wanted to study in another city, but I told her it's safer to stay here. It's not safe for a girl to move so far away."
He fixed his gaze on me, a warning in his tone. "Besides, Emily needs someone to take care of her."
The room erupted in chatter.
I looked at him and gave a sudden, bitter smile.
Turns out, they'd already assigned all the seats in my life for me.
The front seat? That was for Emily.
Even my birthday? That was hers too.
Even college? That had to go to Emily too.
The teacher pressed the application forms down on the table, his voice low. "Sophia, come with me."
As I stood up, Ryan grabbed my wrist.
He leaned in, his voice so low only I could hear. "If you dare to blow this up, I'll break up with you."
The light caught his eyes. They were cold, without a trace of humor.
I glanced down at Ryan's hand gripping my wrist, then slowly reached into my bag with my other hand, my fingers brushing against the signed college application confirmation sheet.