Chapter 5
Lily froze in her tracks.
Another guy sitting next to him turned pale, quickly clamped a hand over his mouth.
He whispered, "Moron, do you even realize where you are? Why are you shouting like that?"
The first guy snapped out of it and rubbed the back of his head, looking embarrassed.
He explained, "What do you know? Haven't you noticed how cold Lily's been to Ryan lately? She might just bail before his plan even gets off the ground. We need to work some tricks to make sure she's head over heels for him.
"If she didn't do anything wrong, why would she be scared of rumors? We had someone leak those photos on purpose. When Lily shows up and sees Ryan defending her, she'll be totally moved. She's already taken the bait, and she's out buying food for Ryan now."
The others all looked at each other, clearly impressed.
"Ryan actually came up with something this clever," one of them said.
"But Ryan, you really went too far this time. You beat the guy up way worse than we planned. Now you're going to pay a large sum. If your parents hear about this, they're gonna chew you out," another guy said.
Ryan's face darkened. He kept glancing at the door, and after a long pause, he finally spoke.
"I just told him to throw something together, not mess with it that much," he said.
The guys around him just snickered.
"Ryan, if it's not explicit, what's the point? It's not like snapping headshots for your profile. I never pegged you for such a goody-two-shoes," one of them teased.
"That's right. And didn't you guys take that photo in the woods? Are you telling me that's all you've got? Come on, dig a little deeper. Maybe you won't even need to Photoshop anything. There might be something even juicier already," another chimed in.
Ryan's expression soured, and there was a clear edge of impatience in his voice.
"What are you even talking about? Do you take me for a fool? If it's that obvious, everyone will know I was the one who leaked it," he snapped.
The guys around him just chuckled, but when they realized Ryan was actually angry, and considering they were still at the police station, they shut up.
Lily stood just a few steps away, catching every word they said. Her heart felt like it had been stabbed and shredded into pieces.
She glanced down at the steaming spaghetti in the bag, a bitter smile curling at her lips.
For a moment, she actually believed Ryan went through all that trouble because he cared about her. How absurd.
No wonder that background looked so familiar. It suddenly clicked. It was the photo they took together on their very first date.
She could still see that shy, blissful smile on her own face.
It seemed Ryan could never feel love.
Lily tossed the spaghetti into the trash, wiped her tears away, and walked off without looking back.
Ryan waited, but Lily never showed up. In the end, he was taken away by his parents.
On his third day at home, Ryan unlocked his phone, but there were no messages.
Lily hadn't texted him in three days.
Before, she used to update him on her every move, and if she was even a minute late replying, she'd immediately send an explanation. He couldn't remember the last time she'd gone radio silent for this long.
Ryan thought maybe she had heard him talking that day at the station.
But he shook off the thought almost instantly.
Lily was not the type to let something like that slide if she found out.
He turned off his phone and tossed it onto the bed, but that uneasy feeling just wouldn't go away.
The deadline for college applications was getting closer and closer.
Roynfort was 1,200 miles away from Aromport. He wondered if he was really going to Roynfort just for Emily.
He'd been so sure about it before, but now, for the first time, he was starting to waver.
That meant he might not see Lily for four years, or maybe even longer.
Ryan was getting more and more agitated. He even thought that if Lily really changed her college plans and went to Roynfort just for him, maybe he'd actually consider being with her.
She was always sticking to him like glue. If she saw that he'd switched his application, she'd probably change hers too.
With that idea stuck in his head, Ryan couldn't sit still anymore. He rushed out and headed straight for the Johnson residence.
When Ryan finally burst through the door, panting, he saw Lily standing alone in the yard. At her feet, a small fire was dying out, leaving just a heap of ashes.
"Lily, did you burn all the jasmines I planted for you? Why?" Ryan called out.
He was so rattled that he didn't even realize how much his voice was trembling.
Lily looked up at him, taking in his panicked face. Her voice was soft and distant.
"It's nothing," she said quietly. "The new semester is starting soon, and my parents already got me a place in Aromport. Maybe I won't ever come back, so I'm just clearing things out and planting the flowers they like."
Ryan choked up, totally at a loss for words.
"What about all the things I gave you? Why are you putting them all away?" he stammered.
"Since you're here," Lily said calmly, "I'm returning everything you gave me. They're too expensive for me to keep. We're just friends, after all."
She placed the box in Ryan's arms.
Ryan looked down. Inside were all the gifts he'd given her, from their first meeting to graduation. Even the ones from years ago looked untouched, like she'd treasured them all this time.
But the love letter was nowhere to be found.
Ryan wondered if she was just giving everything back? She did turn down his gifts before, saying they were too expensive.
"Lily, don't worry. Once things calm down, I'll tell everyone about us," Ryan said.
"You always said you loved the ocean, right? How about we make it official by the beach?" he added.
Lily stared at him, her eyes expressionless.
There was no happiness, no hope, no excitement, just indifference, like she was hearing some random bit of news that had nothing to do with her.
"Okay, I'll wait for you," she said.
Even as she said it, she knew she was just lying to herself.