Chapter 9
The next morning, as soon as I arrived at school, I found a bag of breakfast waiting for me on my desk.
Inside were soy milk, a boiled egg, and a muffin.
All the things I used to love.
Alex was sitting in the seat in front of me.
When he saw me come in, he turned around. "Eat it while it's still hot."
I pushed the breakfast back to his desk. "No, thanks."
"You didn't have breakfast."
"I already ate."
Alex glanced at my empty hands. "You never felt like eating in the morning. You always waited until you got to school."
He still remembered my old routine.
But remembering was all he ever did.
In my previous life, when my stomach problems were at their worst, the doctor told me I had to eat regularly.
He said he'd make sure I ate on time, but it was words.
But the moment Mia called, he'd forget all about me and leave me waiting in the restaurant by myself the whole day.
Remembering and caring were never the same thing.
"Habits change," I went back to my seat and took out my interview documents.
Alex left the breakfast where it was. "I'm not going to hold yesterday against you."
I paused for a moment, my hand hovering over the papers. "What are you not holding against me?"
He replied, "That thing you said in the group chat.
"I know you were upset.
"But the engagement was something our families arranged. You can't call it off because you're angry."
He said it as if it were only natural.
As if he could dismiss the engagement as a joke in front of everyone.
But I didn't even get to decide when the joke was over.
Alex said, "Don't worry.
"Mia and I aren't going to be together.
"Once college starts, we'll each have our own lives.
"We'll naturally see less of each other.
"You don't need to change your college plans because of her, and you really don't need to use breaking off the engagement as a way to mess with me."
I looked up. "You think I'm trying to scare you?"
Alex leaned against the edge of the desk. "What else would it be?
"You've liked me for so many years. There's no way you'd stop, right?"
He spoke as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.
I wasn't sure if I should laugh or sigh.
I said, "Alex.
"Do you really think I'll never walk away, no matter what you do?"
He didn't answer.
But his face said it all.
I looked down again. "Take the breakfast away.
"It won't taste good once it's cold."
Alex's expression turned cold.
The bell rang, and he had to head back to his seat.
The breakfast stayed on my desk all morning.
He ended up throwing it in the trash.
*****
The graduation exhibition was held in the school auditorium.
That afternoon, I went with a few classmates to set up the display boards.
The work recommended to the Riverdale Arts Center would be displayed in the center.
My article was printed across three panels.
The last paragraph ended up on the far right.
As I finished putting up the title, Mia came over, carrying a painting.
Her oil painting was huge.
It showed an old road winding out of the mountains.
The colors were bold and heavy.
It was definitely more mature than the one she did in my previous life.
Mia was right next to me. "The teacher said my painting can be in the school exhibition too."
"Congratulations," I said.
"But there's not enough space next to yours," Mia said.
I followed her gaze.
There were still plenty of empty display racks in the auditorium.
But none of them were in the center.
Mia bit her lip. "My painting and your article kind of go together.
"If we put them together, they'll look even better."
She went ahead and had the classmates set up her easel right in front of my display board.
Her painting ended up completely blocking the rightmost section of my article.
I reached out to stop them. "Put it over there."
Mia paused. "But the lighting over there isn't good."
I replied, "That's your problem.
"This is my display area."
Mia's face went pale. "I'm using a bit of your space.
"It won't cover much."
"No one will be able to see the last paragraph at all."