At our high school reunion, the guy I’d secretly loved for five years said he had a surprise for me. I went, heart fluttering, thinking he might feel the same way. Instead, I found our classmate, Regina, nestled in his arms. In front of everyone, she read aloud the love letter I had written to him. Luke played with a lock of her hair and smirked. "Babe, look at how pathetic she is." 1 I sat awkwardly in the corner of the private room. "Dear Luke, I like you." Regina was still reading the love letter I gave Luke. Her voice wasn't loud, but everyone was weirdly quiet, holding their breath, waiting for the punchline. As soon as she finished the last word, the room exploded with laughter. The class brainiac acted like he just heard the funniest joke ever. "Finally know what 'a toad wanting to eat swan meat' means. Sarah is really teaching us by example." The jock chimed in. "It's not your fault you're ugly, but seriously, do you have zero self-awareness?" "Damn, Sarah, if only I had skin as thick as yours." ... They discussed me brazenly, venting their primal malice. The admiration written with youthful tremors had become evidence of my cluelessness, nailing me to the pillar of shame. "Seriously, the audacity. Who do you think my Regina is?" Lily, Regina's sidekick, grabbed a glass of juice and splashed it on me. I didn't dodge in time and got soaked. Juice ran down from my head, ruining my makeup and staining my dress sticky. The look I spent hours preparing this morning now seemed like a joke. My fingers gripped the white dress until my knuckles turned white. Actually, I didn't care about their mockery. I looked up at Luke. Regina was gently rubbing his lips, acting jealous. "Luke, Sarah likes you." I caught his eye. "Just to make you laugh." "Babe, look at how pathetic she is." I once thought Luke was the only salvation of my youth. I was always introverted and plain, quickly becoming a target for bullies. When Lily cornered me again, kicking and cursing, he stepped in and shielded me. In the days that followed, under his protection and company, I gradually opened up, and feelings grew secretly. Even though he was an unreachable star, I wanted to get closer. I forgot the ending of a moth flying into a flame is burning to ashes. 2 I dragged my sorry self home. In the bathroom, looking at my ridiculous reflection in the mirror. Hair clumped with juice, ruined makeup covering my face, features indistinguishable. I opened my phone and saw Luke's new post. "Honored to have you for the rest of my life." I stared at that post blankly. Regina in the picture wore a butterfly necklace, smiling brightly. The background was the amusement park I'd longed to visit. Lily commented: "Bro Luke, you really surprised my Regina. I can rest assured handing her to you~" Luke replied instantly: "Of course, Regina cares most about rituals, surprises are essential." So this was the surprise Luke talked about. The details in the pictures were mostly memories Luke left me. "Sarah, after finals, let's go to the amusement park to relax, okay?" "This necklace is so pretty, it suits you." I really fell for it, crying like a mess. I finally knew what it felt like for the person you like to be with someone else. The pain was ten thousand times stronger than the liking. But what right did I have to be heartbroken? I didn't even have a status to be jealous. They were right, I really didn't know my place. When my tears dried, I composed myself, went downstairs to a hair salon, and walked in. Since we couldn't walk side by side, let's part ways cleanly. "Oh my, Sarah, how did you get so messy? This hair is done for, I'll give you a nice cut." "Whatever you think is best." With my consent, the barber chatted while snipping away. My hurt feelings were soothed. "Short hair looks sharp on girls, look how fresh this is." "This cut is on the house, you've worked hard. We neighbors all see your diligence. Now that finals are over, you can relax." "Young lady, you must have done well on the exam." Facing kindness, I smiled. "It was okay, felt just like normal practice." Actually, I was in great form for the exam, easily getting into a top university. But before I could share this joy with Luke, he revealed his true colors. We had agreed to go to the same university regardless of scores. Now it seems unnecessary. 3 The next day, I found a job as a hotel receptionist. Luke didn't come to trouble me for a few days, and I worked diligently. Thought it was over. Unexpectedly, I bumped into the group shopping on my way to work. Wanting to avoid trouble, I lowered my head and quickened my pace, trying to get into the hotel before they saw me. But Lily grabbed my clothes right at the door. "Yo, isn't this Sarah? You got pretty. I was wondering why you stopped clinging to Luke, turns out..." Lily pulled me, glanced at the hotel, and raised her voice gloatingly. "You come to this kind of place every day." Passersby stopped and cast meaningful looks at me. But I was just here to work, yet I had to suffer groundless accusations. I was ashamed and humiliated, face burning. Looking up, I met Luke's face, dark as a pot bottom. "Sarah, there are many ways to make money, no need to ruin your future like this. You're young, what if you catch some disease?" Excuse me? Just one scene, and they assume I'm doing dirty work out of context. Ridiculous. Regina was watching the show with arms crossed, but hearing Luke, she threw a tantrum. "What, you feel bad for her?" He quickly hugged her to comfort her. "How could I? My princess, just advising her to have some self-respect for the sake of being classmates." "After all, I don't want to be laughed at for having a classmate who's a hooker." They spread rumors self-righteously while being affectionate. I suddenly didn't want to clarify. "Didn't brush your teeth? Mouth so foul. Who I'm with is none of your business." "Worry about yourself first. Some people might not even get into college." Luke knew what I meant. Lips pressed tight, a straight line showing his dissatisfaction. After all, his grades hovering around the cutoff line really couldn't guarantee a spot. I turned and left. 4 "Sarah, sorry." "It's my fault, I didn't know you worked here. I said those harsh words this morning because I was afraid you'd get hurt." When I got off work, Luke blocked the hotel entrance. "So?" I was expressionless. Some hurts can't be healed with a sorry. "Day after tomorrow is your birthday, I want to throw you an unforgettable party." I was stunned. In the past years, I remembered his birthday, saved money to buy him cake and gifts. Today he offered proactively. The defense line I built with difficulty collapsed instantly. So cheap. Lowering my bottom line again and again, moved again and again. I'm so cheap. Seeing Luke's sincere and eager eyes, I couldn't help but remember the moments he protected me. I rubbed my eyes, holding back the sourness. "Luke, I never owed you anything. You pranked me repeatedly, I won't say anything, let's just pretend we never knew each other." "Besides, you have a girlfriend, throwing me a birthday party is inappropriate." Luke's handsome brows furrowed, his fair slender hand approached my cheek, wanting to catch the tear about to spill. I sniffled, Luke knew I was going to cry. But he said, "Sarah, my girlfriend feels very guilty about what happened and wants a chance to make it up to you." "Please, Sarah, just help me this once, okay?" So it was for his beloved. What was I expecting? I stared at him blankly for a long time. He was standing there, but I couldn't see him clearly. I thought he wanted to celebrate my birthday because he cared. Even just as a friend. Forget it. Let the wrong story end. "I'll help you one last time, don't bother me again."
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