Chapter 4
At the military training assembly, William left.
Before he left, someone spoke softly in my ear.
"Liv, don't throw a tantrum. Because of your little lie, Emily almost had to stay in training. Aren't you two supposed to be best friends?"
My breath caught.
How could he even think I'd do something like that?
After military training ended, I barely saw Emily and William anymore.
The two who once promised to look after me at school were always busy now.
They'd joined the same debate club.
They were quick-witted and persuasive, always ready with the perfect comeback.
In competitions, they left opponents speechless.
Finally, I saw them on the school website.
They worked together seamlessly.
It was like they shared a brain, always finishing each other's sentences.
I closed the video.
An indescribable mix of emotions welled up inside me.
*****
As I settled into college life, I realized I'd made the right choice with archaeology.
During my archaeology class, the professor started calling on students at random.
Lucky me, he happened to call my name.
The question was about artifact restoration.
I responded smoothly, like I'd done this a hundred times before.
Sophie's eyes were big and sparkling with admiration.
"Liv, you're amazing. How do you know all this?" she asked.
"I ended up in this major by chance, and honestly, these theories make me want to doze off just looking at them," I replied.
A small smile tugged at my lips.
No one's ever complimented me so sincerely before.
Just then, my phone buzzed with a notification: [Our school's debate team won big.]
William and Emily were holding up the trophy together.
They were both smiling so brightly, looking absolutely radiant.
After ages of silence, both of them messaged me.
William/Emily: [Liv, we won the debate championship. Want to come to the celebration dinner?]
I asked: [Is it just us three, or is the whole club coming too?]
They replied: [Of course, the whole club's coming.]
At the same time, Sophie suggested we have a dorm dinner tonight.
William and Emily were always the life of the party, charming, popular, and super smart.
Everyone in high school wanted to hang out with them.
But I was just the invisible one. Every time we got together, they'd act like I didn't even exist.
Whenever Emily and William realized that everyone was there except me, they'd immediately notice my absence.
Emily would totally lose it.
But honestly, I was so invisible that even if I showed up, I'd just be sitting in the corner, sipping juice by myself.
Over time, I realized they only included me out of courtesy to Emily and William.
So, I started going to the museum by myself.
Watching the artifacts in the museum gradually turned into a real hobby for me.
So, picking archaeology wasn't some spur-of-the-moment decision.
I tapped out a quick reply on her phone: [Maybe next time, when you two are free, we can hang out together.]
I said yes to Sophie's dorm dinner plan instead.
Sophie took us out to a BBQ place, and honestly, the food was out of this world.
When I was with Emily and William, it was always about what they wanted to eat.
I'd just go along with whatever they chose, every single time.
Since they liked their food on the bland side, I just assumed I liked the same things too.
But after trying this BBQ, it was like a whole new world opened up for me.
Turns out, spicy food was actually perfect for me.
At the BBQ place, the spice was so intense it made me tear up, but I just couldn't stop eating.
In our group chat, I kept it short and sweet.
I messaged: [I got a part-time job for winter break. You guys go ahead without me.]
Emily called me right away.
She said, "Liv, what kind of part-time job did you get? Is it legit?
"My uncle's friend's law firm needs three interns, so it's perfect for us.
"Forget the part-time job, join us."
I paused for a moment, then said softly, "But Emy, I'm not in the same major as you guys."
On the other end of the line, Emily and William didn't say anything.
Everyone was quiet for a while.
William tried to persuade me again.
"Liv, seriously, don't worry about it. You can just help out with whatever needs doing. It's someone we know, so nobody's going to care that you're not a law student," he said.
For the first time, I didn't waver.
"But I want to do something I actually enjoy," I said.
William and Emily always had my best interests at heart, but they never really tried to see things from where I stood.
They assumed that with their talent, if they got the steak, I'd at least get the gravy. As long as I tagged along, I'd never be left out.
Their halo was like a greenhouse cover, shielding me and making it seem like I was safe and sound.
But I was cut off from the real sunlight.
The call ended on a sour note.
William seemed a little upset.
It was the first time he'd come looking for me since the semester started.
Up north, the snow was coming down in huge flakes.
I was waiting outside my dorm, taking the internship papers from Alex Jorvis.
All of it was about the internship.
Alex had his scarf wrapped around half his face, leaving only his striking eyes visible.
His bangs fell over his eyes, hiding the glimmer of a smile there.
Snowflakes dusted his hair.
"Olivia, do you have a boyfriend?" Alex suddenly asked.
I hesitated for a moment, feeling puzzled. "What does that have to do with the internship?" I asked.
Alex was caught off guard, rubbing his nose awkwardly.
"It's nothing, really, I just..." Alex mumbled.
Before Alex could finish, I suddenly felt someone's icy hand touch the back of my neck.
The sudden chill made me jump.
I spun around, and to my surprise, it was William.