Chapter 2
"How'd the morning exam go? Did you get stuck on anything?" he asked.
Ethan kept asking questions, his face full of worry.
But when he noticed something was off with me, he paused, then gently reached out and touched my cheek.
His voice was soft.
"It's okay if you didn't do well. I'll apply to the same school as you, and if that doesn't work out, we'll just study together," he said softly.
Ethan's grades were always better than mine, but he never once thought about leaving me behind. For a split second, I almost forgot everything else.
I wondered who he loved.
The next second, Lily came over from behind, pouting in annoyance.
"Seriously, you two are showing off your love in front of me again," she complained.
Then she grabbed Ethan by the collar. "Hey, are you messing with me? Was all that comforting just for show?
"You really only care about your girlfriend, huh?"
Ethan teased her, "If it's not my girlfriend, who else would it be? You?
"If you want a guy to spoil you, go find yourself a boyfriend."
Lily latched onto my arm, swinging it back and forth. "Claire, look at your boyfriend. He just loves to mess with me."
Annoyance bubbled up inside me.
I yanked my arm free and looked at the two of them.
"Sorry, I'm gonna go study for a bit. I'll leave you two alone," I said.
After I walked away, the two of them just stood there, stunned.
Lily's voice called out from behind.
"What's up with her now? Seriously, you always let her get away with everything. She's throwing a fit during the college entrance exams," Lily complained.
Ethan kept quiet.
Not long after, my phone buzzed with a message.
Ethan: [Claire, what's going on? Why are you giving me the cold shoulder all of a sudden?]
I had the breakup message all typed out, but in the end, I couldn't hit send.
No matter what, this was a huge deal for both of us right now.
Even if Ethan didn't love me anymore, I didn't want to mess with his head right now.
And then there was Lily; she'd once swooped in and saved me when some punk tried to corner me in an alley for my number. I owed her for that.
After thinking it over, I decided I'd tell them in person once the exams were over.
But before I could do anything, Ethan's message popped up first.
Ethan: [If you want to break up, just say it. Why are you giving me the silent treatment right now?]
Ethan: [Lily's right; you don't care about me at all.]
I stared at Ethan's message, totally in shock.
I wonder if he seriously boked up with me.
Even though I'd already made up my mind to move on, my chest still felt like it was being crushed.
I typed back: [Fine. Let's break up.]
The next second, Ethan's call came through.
I hung up right away.
Then Lily called, and I accidentally picked up.
She snapped, "Claire, what are you talking about? Do you even know how many messages he sent you today? You didn't reply to a single one.
"He only said he wanted to break up because he was upset, and you agreed without thinking. Aren't you ruining things for him? Did you even consider how this could mess up his exams?"
I yelled back, my voice sharp with frustration.
"Aren't you always the one who knows how to calm him down? If you're so worried about him, why don't you go handle it yourself?"
Lily was stunned. "Seriously, what's wrong with you?"
Ethan took the phone, his tone a bit cold.
He said, "Claire, don't take it out on her. This is between us.
"I was talking out of anger. I'm not breaking up with you. But Lilipie's your best friend. What you said really hurt her."
Ethan had this special nickname for Lily; he called her "Lilipie" instead of her real name. I couldn't even remember when they stopped using each other's real names and started with these cutesy nicknames.
"Ha, why should I care if she's upset? Go hug her and make her feel better yourself," I shot back.
After I hung up, the pressure hit me like a tidal wave.
I knew we'd dropped all pretenses and shown how we really felt.
But whatever. It was the right thing to do.
I clenched my fists, trying to calm myself down.
Still out of it, I turned around and ended up bumping into someone by accident.
I quickly apologized, "Sorry."
In front of me was the guy with blond hair.
He had on a white T-shirt, his short hair neat, sharp features, and those eyes were full of playful mischief.
I took a step back, startled. "Bruce? Why are you here?"
Bruce Lytton smirked. "What, surprised? Did my good looks leave you speechless?"
He always made me a bit nervous.
Just as I was about to turn away, he grabbed my wrist.
"Why are you running? What, you think I'm dangerous or something?" Bruce teased.
"Oh, and I saw Ethan earlier. It looked like he was about to cry, someone really messed with him. Lily was trying to cheer him up. Want to go check it out?" he said, grinning.
I pulled my hand away. "No."