Chapter 3
The sky was clear.
But out of nowhere, it started to rain.
Ethan didn't bring an umbrella, but I did, so I offered to share mine and walk him to the bus stop.
He looked at me for a few seconds.
"My ride's on the way. I can give you a lift," he said.
His voice was cool and distant, like he didn't want anyone getting close.
But honestly, he wasn't as difficult as people made him out to be.
He was so tall, it was a struggle to hold the umbrella over both of us.
Seeing me struggling, he reached out and took it from my hand, his long fingers wrapping around the handle.
"Let me," he said.
The umbrella was small, and we walked side by side in silence.
But I could feel it. The umbrella was tilted toward me.
"Carrie!" Through the downpour, I heard someone calling my name.
It was supposed to be the voice I knew by heart.
However, after all those years with Ryan in my previous life, his voice sounded like a stranger now.
I didn't want anything to do with him, so I just kept walking without looking back.
Ethan glanced at me, almost absentmindedly.
"Weren't you two super close before?" he asked.
I blinked in surprise. "I didn't think you'd notice anything, always buried in your books."
His lips quirked slightly.
It was the first time I'd ever seen such a lively expression on his face.
"I study. I'm not deaf or blind," he said.
"Ryan's so loud, it's impossible to ignore," he added.
Just then, someone stepped right in front of us.
Ryan stood there, drenched from head to toe, his eyes barely open and bloodshot from the rain.
He just wouldn't look away, fixing me with a stubborn, desperate gaze.
He asked, "I didn't bring an umbrella either. Why him and not me?"
"We've known each other for years. Does that really mean less than just a few months as his desk mate?" His voice was raw with hurt.
Yet for the past few months, all his attention had been on getting closer to Freya.
I was more than happy to see them together.
Now, whenever we met, he'd always turn away from me like I was just some random person.
So who was he to question me now?
I met his eyes, calm as ever. "Did you really think I didn't know why you kept hanging around me?"
He just stood there, stunned for a moment, totally spaced out.
Ethan and I simply walked right around him, leaving him behind.
Yeah, I really should've seen it coming in my previous life.
His sudden friendliness back then wasn't just because our parents were friends.
It was all because Freya, the new girl, had become my friend.
She was beautiful and sweet.
But she was gutsy too. She'd even dare to wear a pretty floral dress under her school uniform.
The day after Freya transferred, she came over with a big smile and told me she wanted to be friends.
Her eyes were sparkling and so clear, you could get lost in them.
Before I realized it, we became friends.
We ate lunch together and were partners in gym class.
Not long after that, Ryan, who was in our class too, started getting close to me as well.
Before that, we were just the kind of classmates who nodded at each other in the hallway. Nothing more.
But once Freya arrived, he suddenly started acting like we were best friends.
The friend I thought I had? Turns out, he had his own agenda all along.
And all that attention from him? It was never really for me. It was just a way to get closer to her.
Rain was pouring even harder now, and Ethan's car rolled up to the school gate.
Umbrella in hand, he popped the door open with one hand and tilted his chin, motioning for me to hop in.
I didn't bother with small talk and just rattled off my address.
Barely ten minutes later, we pulled up outside my house.
Right as I was about to hop out, Ethan called out to me.
His eyes were totally empty, without a single spark of emotion in them.
"I'm not coming back after the break. Keep your grades up. If you fall behind again, no one's gonna take you seriously," he said, his voice cool and distant.
His words mixed with the rumble of the car engine starting up.
Rain hammered down on the umbrella, and it finally dawned on me.
Sometimes, you never know when it's the last time you'll ever see someone.