Chapter 2
At seven that evening, I stepped into our favorite BBQ joint.
Ethan had already saved us a seat.
I made my way over and slid into the chair across from him.
He pulled an IOU note out of his pocket.
"Here, I wrote it. Check it out," Ethan said.
I took it from him.
He let out a playful laugh. "Want me to put my fingerprint on it too?"
I nodded. "Sure, do you have an ink pad?"
"Nope," he replied.
"Or we could use blood, if you want," I said.
He choked on his words.
"Jessica, you're brutal," he said.
Then he dug around in his bag for a bit before finally pulling out something small.
It was a tube of lip gloss.
"Wow, didn't know you were into this kind of thing," I said, shooting him a look of mock disgust.
"Relax, it's Lily's," he said casually.
I blinked, feeling a twinge.
He popped open the lip gloss, dabbed some on his finger, and stamped it onto the IOU.
"All done. Here you go," he said.
I took the IOU and asked, trying to sound casual, "How come you have her lip gloss?"
"Her bag broke at an event, so she handed it to me. I just kept forgetting to give it back," he replied.
The food arrived, its savory aroma wafting through the air.
Ethan took a big slurp, grinning with satisfaction.
"This place always hits the spot. Last time I brought Lily here, she complained it was too greasy," he said.
Wait, he brought her here before?
"Oh, and remind me to get another takeout for later," he added.
I asked, "For your roommate?"
"Nah, it's for Lily. She's got back-to-back classes tonight, so she probably hasn't eaten anything," he said.
I froze, just staring at him, my mind blank and silent.
He ate a few more bites, then noticed I hadn't touched my food. He looked up and asked, "What's wrong? Not hungry?"
After a long pause, I murmured with a hint of bitterness, "You two are really close. I didn't even know she had that kind of thing."
Ethan looked uneasy, avoiding my gaze. "Well, we go to the same school..."
"You're majoring in CS, she's in foreign languages. Your departments are like on opposite ends of campus. How do you two even see each other that much?" I couldn't help but press.
"Geez, are you interrogating me or something? I'm only keeping an eye on her because she's your friend," he said.
He set his fork down, furrowing his brows as he looked at me.
"Lily's really quiet, and her roommates kind of push her out. I worry she might get bullied, so I end up checking on her a lot," he said.
"If she had your bold personality, I wouldn't have to stress so much"
Her roommates were pushing her out?
Lily and I chatted every single day.
She never once mentioned anything about that.
It left a bitter taste in my mouth.
We didn't say another word for the rest of the meal.
After we finished eating, he went to the counter to grab the takeout.
I stood up. "I'm heading out."
He looked up. "It'll just be a few minutes. You're not gonna wait for me?"
"Nope." I slung my bag over my shoulder and headed for the door.
As I pushed the door open, a blast of cold air hit me.
It was only then that I noticed the corners of my eyes were damp.
When I got back to my dorm, my roommates were all huddled together.
"Jess, you're just in time! Come over here!" Emma Collins called out.
I set my bag down. "What's up?"
"We're talking about gossip about Alex Mason," Charlotte Brooks said.
When I heard his name, I froze for a moment.
Alex was a year younger than me, in the same department.
He was pursuing me.
"What's going on with him?" I asked.
Emma tugged me over, her eyes shining with excitement.
"He could've gotten into Central City University with his scores, but guess why he chose Brookfield University instead?" she said.
"Why?" I asked.
"Because the girl he likes is here," she whispered, grinning mischievously.
"Could it be that the girl he's been crushing on for years is you?" she asked, eyes sparkling with curiosity.
I froze for a second, then laughed it off. "No way. We're from totally different places, we don't even know each other."
"Oh, I see," My roommate frowned. "Well, just keep your guard up, okay? Don't fall for him too fast."
I nodded.
*****
The next morning, right after class, I bumped into Alex.
"Hey, Jessica, wanna grab lunch together?" he asked.
I was about to turn him down when suddenly, a message came in on my relationship coach account, it was from Ethan.
Ethan: [Coach, she said yes to the date!
[She was supposed to have dinner with her friends tomorrow, but she canceled just to spend time with me. Do you think she might like me back?]
My heart sank as I read his message, then I replied: [That's a good sign. Good luck.]
"Jessica, are you okay?" Alex cocked his head, concern in his eyes.
I sniffled, managing a small smile. "It's nothing, really. Let's go grab some food."
His eyes lit up.
The cafeteria was pretty empty.
I sat down with my tray, my thoughts all tangled up.
Ethan was going to confess tomorrow.
Would he actually pull it off?
Would Lily say yes?
The more I thought about it, the more my mind spun out of control.
I ran a hand through my hair, trying to shake off the frustration.
"Jessica," Alex suddenly called out from across the table. "Is it the exchange program that's got you all worked up?"
"Huh?" I looked up at him.
He froze, looking a bit surprised.
"You know, that exchange program in Amestria Ms. Anderson hasn't mentioned it to you yet, has she?" Alex asked.
I shook my head. "No, she hasn't."
He looked a little panicked, mouth half open.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to spill. I thought you already knew," he said.
"Just tell me what's up," I pressed.
He hesitated for a moment, then leaned in and lowered his voice.
"Yesterday, I was dropping off some paperwork at the office and accidentally saw the list of selected students. Your name was at the very top."
I was stunned.
Every year, our department picked a few students to go to Amestria for an exchange program.
Only freshmen and sophomores could apply, and there were just three spots.
The competition was fierce.
I just thought I'd give it a shot and filled out the application, not really expecting anything.
Never thought I'd actually get it.
"Are you going?" Alex asked.
I didn't even hesitate. "Of course I am."
For someone like me, who came from a regular family, there was no way I'd pass up a chance to study abroad for free.
And honestly, getting out of here at that moment was exactly what I needed.