The summer after senior year, I was hit with a triple whammy of bad news: 1. My family went bankrupt. 2. Adrian Anderson, the boy I’d been chasing for three years, was officially with his childhood friend. 3. I failed to get into university. My dad sold our villa in the city center, and we moved back to my grandparents' old house in the countryside. I cut off contact with everyone and enrolled in a prep school for a post-grad year, determined to try again. 1 A year later, I got my acceptance letter from Northwood University. A few days into the semester, I was in the dining hall when I ran into an old high school classmate. "Juliet Wilson?" she asked, surprised. I turned at the sound of my name and saw a familiar face walking toward me. "It really is you!" Chloe Miller said, smiling as she balanced her tray. "Are you here by yourself?" I nodded. She quickly said something to the two friends she was in line with, then found a seat with me. "I'm so glad I spotted you," she said, still looking shocked. "I saw your profile and thought it might be you, but I wasn't sure!" Chloe had always been a social butterfly in high school, super outgoing and friendly. Back then, though, my entire world revolved around Adrian, so we never really talked much. "So, what happened to you?" she asked. "You just disappeared after graduation. We couldn't even reach you for the end-of-year party." I managed a small smile. "My family went bankrupt, so we moved back to my hometown. And my phone got stolen around the same time." "Oh my God," Chloe said, her eyes wide with sympathy. "That's awful." She immediately pulled out her phone to add me on social media. After we finished eating, I had to head to the library, and Chloe walked with me. She kept looking at me, opening her mouth to say something before closing it again. "What is it?" I finally asked, curious about what could make the ever-talkative Chloe hesitate. "Spit it out." She gave an embarrassed laugh and scratched her head. "Okay, don't think I'm being nosy, but… did you talk to Adrian at all during that year?" Hearing his name used to send my heart into a frenzy. Now, it felt like hearing about someone from another lifetime. "No." "Aw, that's such a shame. I shipped you two so hard," she said, her expression dead serious. "And it wasn't just me! The whole class did." I couldn't help but laugh. "You were shipping the wrong couple, my friend. He never liked me." You should have been shipping him and Iris Song from the class next door, I added silently. They were the real story. "No way! Do you have any idea how popular and untouchable Adrian was back then? He was gorgeous, but no one dared to actually pursue him." Her eyes lit up as she spoke, her hands waving excitedly. "But you did! You'd just call out his name, so sweet and cheerful, ask him to eat with you, wait for him after class… ugh! Watching you two was my only joy during senior year." "He was so cold to everyone else, just these one-word answers. But with you, there was always this sense of helpless indulgence." "And anytime a teacher called on you and you didn't know the answer, Adrian was always there to clean up the mess. It was the cutest thing ever." I kept smiling. You know that feeling when someone calls you out so completely it's almost painful? What she called "helpless indulgence" was just him being annoyed. I was like gum on his shoe, a shadow he couldn't shake. Chloe, a true captain of her ship, was still going on about it as we reached the library entrance. "Okay, Juliet, I'll let you go. We'll chat online!" "Bye!" I waved back, a genuine smile on my face this time. "Talk to you later!" That evening, I got back to my dorm to find my roommate, Hannah, doing a face mask. She pointed to a box of macarons on my desk. "Hey, Juliet, someone who said she was a high school friend of yours dropped these off for you." I walked over, ready to message Chloe, but a text from her popped up first: Don't you dare say no! These were supposed to be your graduation gift. I'm just giving them to you a year late. I thought for a moment, then sent back a "thank you" sticker. She replied almost instantly: Hey, can I add you back to our high school group chat? My fingers hovered over the screen. An image of a boy with cool, distant eyes flashed in my mind. It had been so long. He had a girlfriend now. There was nothing to be afraid of. Okay! A few seconds later, a notification popped up: You have been added to the "Class of '22" chat. Immediately, the chat flooded with messages. [? A new member?] [Who's this?] [Wait… is that Juliet Wilson?] Just then, my other roommate burst through the door, throwing her soaking wet bag on the floor. "Ugh, this stupid weather! It just started pouring out of nowhere!" she complained. "Juliet, I'm gonna hop in the shower!" "Go for it," I called back. "Don't catch a cold!" "You got it!" More people were popping up in the chat. I quickly typed: It's me, Juliet. [Oh my God! What happened to you? We couldn't reach you at all, we were so worried!] [Yeah, what she said!] I replied: Sorry guys, my phone was stolen, and it took me a while to get a new one. [No worries! As long as you're okay!] [Juliet, I heard your family went bankrupt. Is that true?] I stared at the question for a moment, then blinked slowly. Yeah. The chat went silent for a beat. Then, someone jumped in: [That's all in the past now.] [So, how are your college classes? If you guys aren't too busy, we should all get together sometime.] [Let me send you a screenshot of my schedule. It's inhuman. Worse than high school.] [Haha, can't relate. I have class two days a week and the other three off.] I tapped on the group members list. Adrian's profile picture was still a Hello Kitty. A strange thought crossed my mind. Didn't Iris make him change it? I don't know what possessed me, but I clicked on his profile. His feed was completely empty. He probably has it set to private, I thought. "Juliet…" Hannah came over, wrapped in a blanket. I quickly flipped my phone face down on the desk. Luckily, her attention was on the macarons. "Can I try one of those?" she asked, smiling sheepishly. "I've heard this brand is amazing." "Of course, help yourself," I said, opening the box for her. "By the way," she said, munching happily, "are you free next Wednesday? There's a volunteer event I was thinking we could sign up for." "Yeah, I'm free. Sounds good." "Awesome! Well, I'm heading to bed. Thanks for the macaron, gorgeous!" When I picked up my phone again, a notification was on the screen. Adrian Anderson has accepted your friend request. It was Adrian. My eyes went wide. A message followed immediately after. [Need something?] Oh, crap. He probably thought I was trying to bother him again. I debated whether to tell him I’d clicked by accident, but that seemed even more awkward. [Just adding people from the group chat.] After sending the message, I grabbed my clothes and headed for the shower. Whatever. He had a girlfriend now. It wasn't like I still had feelings for him. On my desk, the screen of my phone stayed lit. At the top, the words Adrian is typing… appeared and disappeared for a long time before a single message finally came through. [Okay.] 2 Wednesday arrived in a flash. Hannah and I picked up our volunteer vests and headed towards the basketball court. "Ahhh, I'm so glad we signed up fast enough!" Hannah said, practically bouncing with excitement. "This is the holy grail of volunteer gigs. We get volunteer hours and we get to look at hot guys." "And the game is against Kingston Tech, the engineering school next door!" I squinted at her. "Giving up on your beloved club president so soon?" "What? No! I'm just… spreading the love." "…" The massive gymnasium was already starting to fill up. Hannah and I put on our bright red volunteer vests, and she started scanning the crowd. "Looking for your president?" I teased, bumping her shoulder. She shook her head, her eyes fixed on the entrance. "Nope. I'm scouting for talent." Then, she grabbed my arm and physically turned my head towards a group of guys who were walking in, all wearing matching black and white jerseys. My gaze landed on the one who stood out, a head taller than the rest, and my heart hammered against my ribs. At the same time, Hannah’s excited voice squealed in my ear. "Do you see the one in the middle? With the raspberry-red hair? Isn't he gorgeous?" "I'm telling you, he's definitely the king of their campus. Unbelievably hot…" After all this time, I never thought I'd see Adrian again like this. And I never would have imagined him with such a bold hair color. I didn't dare stare at him openly like Hannah was; I could only steal quick, furtive glances. He had changed, yet he was still the same. The dyed hair, the new ear piercing—but his eyes, his expression, were as cold as ever. But then my gaze drifted down to the girl walking beside him, and I quickly looked away, my heart sinking. It was Iris Song. She was wearing a simple white dress, quietly following at his side. "Hey, hey!" Hannah nudged me. "Is that his girlfriend?" "I heard some of the Kingston Tech kids talking about a girl who's always with him. That must be her." Hannah pouted. "She's really pretty, though." Then, she quickly added, "But you're prettier, Juliet." At that moment, I deeply regretted agreeing to volunteer. Not only were we standing directly across from them, but these bright red volunteer vests were impossible to miss. Seeing that I wasn't responding, Hannah got even more animated. "She's got that ethereal, water-lily kind of beauty, but you… you're bright and fiery, the kind of beautiful you can't ignore. The first time I saw you, and your figure… I was like, wow." The crowd was getting bigger, and the two of us were just standing there like bright red targets. Hannah, completely oblivious, was getting more and more worked up. "Hannah, if you keep this up, someone's going to report us," I said, gently pushing her hands away as she tried to demonstrate my "figure." Suddenly, she shot me a look, wiggling her eyebrows. At first, I didn't get it. Then, Sean Sheng came jogging over to us. He was smiling, a little shyly. "Juliet, you're volunteering here?" Hannah had vanished. I was left alone, feeling incredibly awkward. I nodded, a silent confirmation. Sean had been pursuing me since the first week of school. Even though I had told him clearly that I wasn't interested, he persisted. Seeing him now, I saw a reflection of my younger self. I finally understood what a nuisance I must have been to Adrian. "So, uh, after the game, wait for me, okay? We can get dinner together." Before I could refuse, he smiled and jogged back to his team. I stared at his retreating back, speechless. Hannah reappeared at my side, her voice low and thoughtful. "You know, I think Sean is actually a pretty great guy. Very persistent…" She caught my murderous glare and quickly zipped her lips. I sighed and looked down, trying to figure out how I was going to survive the next few hours. Hannah leaned in again. "Hey, do you know that hot guy from Kingston Tech? Why has he been staring at you this whole time?" My heart skipped a beat. I jerked my head up. Adrian was sitting on the bench, leaning back slightly, his face impassive. But his eyes, those sharp, almond-shaped eyes, were brewing a storm. "Don't tell me he's into you too!" Hannah whispered, covering her mouth in shock. I was genuinely terrified of what she might say next. I quickly clamped my hand over her mouth. "Don't be ridiculous. He has a girlfriend." "Mmmph mmm," she mumbled through my fingers, her eyes wide. "She's not as pretty as you." 3 A sharp whistle blew, and the game began. Adrian's red hair was a beacon on the court. That, combined with his incredible skill—the way he dribbled, the way he moved past defenders—drew endless screams from the girls in the stands. I glanced across the court and saw Iris, holding a water bottle. Her eyes were fixed on him, shining with an adoration that was impossible to miss. Watching her, I was suddenly transported back to a similar game in high school. As soon as school let out, I had dragged my deskmate to the gym, clutching a water bottle for Adrian, to snag the best seats. We were so proud of our foresight as the stands filled up around us. Back then, just like now, Adrian was the center of everyone's attention. I held the water bottle, waiting for him to look my way so I could wave. My deskmate, unable to stand my lovesick puppy look, finally said, "I'll save your spot. Go say hi to him." I beamed, putting the water bottle down. But before I could even take a step, I saw Iris, a bright smile on her face, walk right up to Adrian with a water bottle of her own. The players had their own designated seating area. I stood frozen in place as Iris sat down next to him, as if it were the most natural thing in the world. Another sharp whistle pulled me back to the present. I looked towards the court and saw a crowd of players huddled together. Iris was already running towards them. I don't know when Adrian was helped off the court, or when he ended up standing right in front of me. Iris was beside him. When she saw me, her expression froze, her mouth falling open in surprise. Adrian was breathing heavily, his face flushed and beaded with sweat. His lips were pressed into a thin line, and his dark eyes were locked on mine. One of the players said, "Excuse me, can you show us to the nurse's office?" I nodded. As I turned to lead the way, I could have sworn I saw a flicker of hurt in Adrian's eyes before he dropped his gaze, his shoulders slumping. The nurse's office wasn't far. We were there in two minutes. I stood outside with Iris. She gave me a small, polite smile. "Have we met before?" "I don't think so," I lied without batting an eye. I glanced into the office, then she said, "Thanks for your help. I've got it from here. You can go." "Okay," I replied, a little too quickly. A flash of surprise crossed her face.
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