Chapter 2
It was getting dark when I left the administration building.
As I reached my dorm, Eric stepped out of the shadows and grabbed my wrist.
"Still giving me the silent treatment? Come on, let's go. William and the others got a table at the BBQ place. They're waiting," he said.
I tried to pull free. "I'm not going."
"Emily."
His grip tightened, hurting my wrist, almost dragging me.
"Seriously? Over some ice cream and a little time in the sun? You are giving me a hard time for that?" he asked.
His voice was full of complaint, as if all the fault lay with my unreasonable tantrum. "I'll make it up to you tonight, okay? Stop with the long face. People will talk."
His idea of "making it up" sounded more like a consolation prize, a tool to end my "drama."
He never even asked if I wanted it.
The group was at a grill spot behind campus.
A big table was already full.
And there was Sophie, the last person I wanted to see.
Not only was she there, but she had her secretly dorm-kept Corgi, Lucky, with her.
I was severely allergic to dog dander. I instinctively stepped back.
A classmate noticed my discomfort. "Sophie, Emily's allergic. Maybe tie Lucky up over there for a bit?"
Hearing this, Sophie didn't remove the dog. Instead, she hugged it and walked toward me, smiling. "Oh, don't be so sensitive. Look how cute Lucky is. Good boy.
"Allergies just mean you're not used to them. Pet him more, you'll get used to it! Lucky's so well-behaved. Doesn't Lucky want Emily to hold him?"
The furry Corgi was almost touching my arm.
My breath hitched, and my throat started to itch. I backed away, my face pale. "Get away from me."
Sophie acted like she didn't hear, pushing the dog toward me. "Just pet him. It's fine. Try it. How can anyone not like puppies? So cute."
Panic and suffocation washed over me.
When she shoved the dog at me again, I instinctively lifted my foot to gently block it.
It was less of a kick, more a panicked push.
The dog yelped and jumped away.
Sophie's face instantly changed. She clutched the dog protectively.
"It's okay, baby, Mama's here. Emily, you kicked my dog? He's so small and gentle. What did he ever do to you? Are you psycho, taking it out on a dog?" she snapped.
Eric immediately slammed the table and stood up, glaring at me. "Emily, apologize to Sophie."
I covered my itchy neck, finding it hard to breathe. "She pushed the dog on me. I'm allergic."
My voice was hoarse from emotion and the allergy.
"He's so small, what could he do? It's just a little fur. You could've just walked away," Eric snapped.
Eric's tone was cold, leaving no room for argument. "Apologize."
Sophie tugged Eric's sleeve. "Forget it, Eric. It's not a big deal. I overreacted. I was just worried."
Then she looked at me, "Sorry, Emily, I got carried away. Lucky's been with me for years, I panicked."
If her face hadn't shown zero remorse, I might have believed her.
I fixed Sophie with a cold, unwavering stare, spitting out each word. "Fuck off, you bitch."
Sophie froze, then hugged her dog and turned away. "Whatever. I can't be bothered with you."
Eric's look was full of disappointment and impatience. "Emily, apologize. Don't make me ask again."
The itch in my throat and the disgust in my heart churned like a tidal wave.
I looked at him and said, clearly, "Shut up."
Then, amidst the chaos and Eric's stunned gaze, I turned and walked away from the BBQ joint.
The night wind felt cool on my face.
No footsteps followed me.
He was probably busy comforting his "buddies" who had suffered a great injustice.
I crouched by the roadside, coughing violently, tears finally streaming down uncontrollably.
Not from the allergy, but from the complete, bone-chilling disappointment.
My phone buzzed.
A text from Eric.
[I was wrong earlier, my tone was off. But you shouldn't have kicked Sophie's dog. She's a sweet girl, that dog is family to her, she's heartbroken. Don't blame her, she's just blunt, doesn't think things through. I'll talk to her, no more dogs at hangouts. Stop being mad, okay?]
Reading that message felt like needles pricking my heart, one word at a time.
He was always like this.
A half-hearted apology, then immediately shifting focus to defending Sophie, twisting the blame back onto me.
I shouldn't have kicked the dog. I shouldn't be mad. And Sophie? Forever the simple, innocent buddy who needed understanding.
A coldness crept up my spine, my fingertips turning icy.
Faintly, I remembered a dark high school hallway years ago.
Another helpless moment, cornered by a few people, vile words hitting me like freezing rain.
I hunched my shoulders, wishing I could disappear into the wall, the whole world feeling dark.