My sorority sister, a freshman pledge, posted a half-naked selfie in the new member group chat and tagged my boyfriend: Her: *Oops, my hand slipped! The wifi is so slow, I can’t delete it!* Her: *Asher, no peeking.* ? Her: *That goes for the rest of you boys, too! Hmph!* Someone pointed out that I was also in the chat. She then adopted a sickeningly sweet, baby-talk voice to apologize. I was about to brush it off, but then I saw Asher’s lazy reply: Asher: *Too late, I already looked. Your fault for having slow wifi.* 1. My fingers froze over the keyboard. The word "whatever" I had been about to type suddenly seemed glaringly out of place. The freshman, Chloe, immediately tagged me. Chloe: *Ugh, he’s such a creep! Big sis, can you do something about this pervert? He’s totally taking advantage of my slow internet!* Asher sent a cute, "my bad" emoji. One I'd never seen him use before. I stared at the screen for a moment, then a slow smile spread across my face. I deleted "whatever" and typed a new message. Me: *Have you tried the campus wifi card? Super fast, you can post and delete in a flash. Perfect for all your… accidental slips. Xoxo.* The chat went silent for a beat. Then, Asher was the first to reply. Asher: *?* Asher: *Lily, Chloe was just joking. Do you have to be like that?* One of the frat boys chimed in. Frat Boy 1: *Yeah, Lily, she was just trying to liven things up. No big deal.* Frat Boy 2: *I, for one, support Chloe’s right to accidentally post selfies. What else are we supposed to look at?* Frat Boy 3: *Preach.* It was a domino effect. One after another, the guys in the chat jumped to her defense. It wasn’t surprising. Chloe was the only girl in the new pledge class who was a total pick-me. The first thing she did when she joined the chat was post a "get to know me" video of herself in a fluffy, long-sleeved bunny pajama set. Asher and I, as the heads of the new member committee, had both seen it. At the time, he’d complained to me, "It's the middle of August. Isn't she hot in that? Does she really think that's cute?" I thought he couldn’t stand her. But now, it was a different story. Me: *If you want to sell your body, take it to the street. If you want to watch porn, there are websites for that. This is a new member chat.* The moment I sent the message, the chat went dead. A second later, a notification popped up on my screen: *You have been removed from the group chat.* The admin who did it? Asher. 2. My hand tightened around my phone. I immediately blocked and deleted his number. Not five minutes later, my phone rang. "Come downstairs." We had been going door-to-door all day, promoting the new member drive. A minute before he'd gone back to his dorm, he’d been complaining, "I hate recruitment. It's such a pain." And now he was all cozy with Chloe. I swallowed my anger and went downstairs. He was holding a piece of cake. "Still mad?" he asked, his voice soft and teasing. "I’m sorry, okay, Your Highness?" This was his M.O. When he was trying to placate me, he was always the first to apologize. I didn't take the cake. I just looked at him. The cool, early autumn breeze ruffled his hair. He had a fond, indulgent smile on his face, his eyes soft and sincere. It was a look that could melt any girl’s heart. But I just frowned. I’d only seen him look like that once before, four years ago, on the night I agreed to be his girlfriend. He had looked like he’d just been handed the entire world. So, who had made him so happy this time? "You're her big sis," he said when I didn't move, a hint of annoyance creeping into his voice. "Why are you getting so worked up over a pledge?" "We have interviews tomorrow," he continued with a sigh. "It's going to be so awkward. What are people going to think? You're not a kid anymore, Lily." I didn't answer his question. I just asked my own. "When did you two start talking?" We’d been together since we were sixteen. We’d always been straight with each other. He frowned. "Talking? Lily, don't make it sound so sordid. I'm the head of the committee. It's my job to answer questions from the new pledges." Just then, his phone rang. It was an unknown number, no contact name. But the moment he saw it, his eyes lit up. He knew the number by heart. He was about to answer, but then he caught my eye and hesitated. "It's probably one of the pledges," he said, the explanation completely unnecessary. I scoffed. "If it's so normal, then answer it." He cleared his throat and put the call on speaker. Before he could say anything, Chloe's sickly-sweet voice filled the air. "I got the stockings! So, this is what you like, huh? Want to see me try them on?" Asher's hand trembled, his face a mask of panic. He was about to speak, but I cut him off with a bright, cheerful voice. "I don't know if your big bro wants to see, but your big sis sure does." 3. The other end of the line went dead silent. It took Asher a moment to recover. "Don't mess around, Chloe. Your big sis is here." "Oh! Big sis, don't get the wrong idea!" Chloe said, her voice a mix of feigned innocence and smug triumph. "Asher just said a few days ago that my legs were so long and skinny, they'd look great in stockings, so I asked him to help me pick some out." I fought back the urge to scream. "Is that so?" I said, my voice dripping with sarcasm. "Well, I've seen your chest, but I haven't seen your legs. So, show us." Her prepared speech died in her throat. She was speechless. "Don't be late for your interview," Asher said, coming to her rescue. He quickly hung up the phone. The moment the screen went dark, I saw his wallpaper. It used to be a picture of me. Now, it was Chloe's half-naked selfie. I crossed my arms and leaned against the wall, staring at his embarrassed face. "It was just a joke," he said, his voice strained. "She's always like that, she doesn't mean anything by it." Looking at this person who was becoming more and more of a stranger, I suddenly laughed. I took the cake from him. "I'll do the presentation for the welcome event, you can do the talking," I said, my voice calm. "You've worked hard." I changed the subject, not wanting to push him any further. He looked surprised, his eyes filled with a strange expression as he studied me. But before he could say anything, a notification popped up on his phone. A special alert for a specific contact. A small smile touched his lips. He waved goodbye and walked away. I watched him go, my heart sinking. The wind whipped at my clothes, a sudden, sharp chill. I turned and threw the cake in the trash. 4. The day of the interviews, right when we were at our busiest, Asher, who was supposed to take over for me, was nowhere to be found. He didn't answer his phone, didn't reply to my texts. He finally showed up two hours later, strolling in with a boba tea in one hand, a girl in a plaid skirt trailing behind him. I recognized her immediately. It was Chloe. She was wearing a full face of makeup, bouncing on the balls of her feet as she skipped over to me. "Hi, big sis! You must be exhausted!" she chirped. "It's all my fault, I got lost. I had to bother Asher to come and get me. I'm so, so sorry." It was the middle of the day, and the sun was scorching. The air conditioning in the interview room was broken, and the small space was hot and stuffy. I was sweating, I hadn't eaten all morning, and my patience was wearing thin. "She's new, she doesn't know her way around," Asher said, seeing the look on my face. "I just went to pick her up." "Hehe, thank you, big bro! You're the best!" Chloe gushed, completely ignoring me as she wrapped her arms around Asher's arm, pressing her chest against him. The top buttons of her shirt were undone, revealing a patch of pale skin and… a few faint, red marks. Asher's eyes flickered down to her chest, then quickly away, a faint blush on his cheeks. My friend, another one of the committee heads, nudged me. I felt a wave of nausea. It was early autumn, not spring. Asher turned and met my gaze. He stiffened and gently pushed Chloe away. I didn't hold back. "What road takes two hours to walk? Did you get lost, too, Asher?" "She had to put on makeup," he said, his tone defensive. "That takes time. And she always sleeps in, so she hadn't eaten breakfast. I just took her to get something to eat, is that a crime?" My friend couldn't take it anymore. "Like any of us have eaten," she said pointedly. "Chloe's different," Asher frowned. "She's too skinny. If she doesn't eat, she gets low blood sugar." He paused, his eyes landing on my face. Because I hadn't eaten all morning, my lips were pale and chapped. He flinched, remembering that I had just been diagnosed with anemia. He looked away, unable to meet my eyes. He shoved the boba tea into my hand. "Here, you drink this," he mumbled. "I'll go get us some food." I looked down at the boba tea. There was a smudge of lipstick on the straw. The same shade Chloe was wearing. "Sorry, big sis," Chloe said, batting her eyelashes innocently. "I just wanted to taste his. You don't mind, do you?" I couldn't help but laugh. I adopted her baby-talk voice. "Actually, I do mind. What if you have, like, cooties or something?" Her face fell. Before she could say anything, I cut her off. "And by the way, the interviews are over. Sorry, Chloe, you missed your chance." She looked stunned, her lip trembling as she looked at Asher. He stopped in his tracks, then turned and patted her on the head. "No, you didn't," he said softly. "I interviewed you myself. You did great." There were five of us on the committee, and we each had six spots to fill. If Asher wanted to take Chloe, no one could stop him. He also took a few of the frat boys who had defended her in the group chat. I just shrugged. "Whatever. I sent you the presentation. Make sure you're ready for tomorrow." Seeing that I had backed down, he looked relieved. "Wait for me, I'll be right back." I didn't. 5. While we were setting up for the new member welcome event, Asher was clearly giving me the cold shoulder. He was mad that I had ignored him the day before. Even when he handed me a bottle of water, his face was a mask of cold indifference. "Still not feeling well?" he asked. My friend pushed his hand away and gave me a boba tea, the same kind from yesterday. "Here, Lily, drink this. No cooties this time, I promise." I thanked her and took it. Asher just stared at me, his lips pressed into a thin line. Finally, he scoffed. "So petty." He pulled out his phone and, with a flourish, rejected Chloe's request for him to pick her up. "Happy now?" he asked, holding up his phone, a smug, triumphant smile on his face. But my eyes were fixed on the top of his screen. It was a chat with Chloe from that morning, at 2:00 AM. He had sent her a "good night" message with a kissy-face emoji. The last time he had called me was at 9:00 PM the night before. I just laughed and shook my head. Asher had clearly forgotten who I was. I didn't get sad, I got even. *Angry?* Never. The ones who were about to be angry were them. 6. The welcome event started, and Chloe was late. Again. The faculty advisor for our organization was a stickler for punctuality, so Asher told her to sneak in through the back. She didn't. She threw open the front doors with a loud bang, startling everyone. "Oops, sorry, I got lost again!" she chirped. "I'm so dumb!" The advisor's face darkened. Asher quickly waved her over to a seat. She stomped her foot. "Don't be mad at me, guys! It's all Asher's fault! He should have come to get me!" She then marched over, moved the nameplate with my name on it, and plopped down next to Asher, pouting up at him. He glanced at me, but I just stood in the corner, taking pictures like nothing was wrong. Seeing that I wasn't bothered, he seemed a little disappointed. But he just put a finger to his lips. "Shh, the advisor is here." "Oh, sorry, professor!" she said loudly, covering her mouth with her sleeve as she giggled. The girl on stage who had been interrupted rolled her eyes. "I have a severe allergy to stupidity," she said, glaring at Chloe. "So, please, stay away." Chloe looked offended, but Asher just chuckled. "You hear that, little dummy?" he whispered in her ear. She playfully slapped his arm a few times, then shot me a triumphant look. 7. After all the new members had introduced themselves, it was Asher's turn to speak. The moment he stepped on stage, Chloe started clapping and cheering. "Wow, you're so handsome, Asher! I love you!" She was sitting in the front row, swinging her legs back and forth. With every swing, her short skirt rode up, giving everyone a clear view of her underwear. Asher's eyes darted down, then quickly away, a faint blush on his cheeks. "You're the only one making a scene," he said, trying to sound stern. She just stuck her tongue out at him and shot me another smug look. I just stood in the corner, recording the whole thing, waiting for the show to begin. And right on cue, the computer malfunctioned. The presentation wouldn't open. So I suggested that Asher use his phone to project it onto the screen. He had no choice but to agree. But the moment he connected his phone, a gasp went through the room. His wallpaper, Chloe's half-naked selfie, was now displayed on the giant screen for everyone to see. This version was much more… complete than the one she had posted in the group chat. Every part of her that was supposed to be covered was on full display. And a few parts that weren't. It was obvious that this was a private picture she had sent him. But Asher had forgotten. He had just changed his wallpaper.
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