Chapter 2

Chapter 2

More and more girls liked Ethan, both back then and now.

After what felt like ages, the two finally finished their discussion. I stood up, walked over, and took Ethan's hand—as if staking my claim.

The girl looked familiar. After thinking for a moment, I realized I'd seen her before; she was always coming to Ethan for help with questions.

And Ethan never turned anyone down. To be precise, he always took the time to explain things to anyone who asked.

He asked me what I wanted to eat.

"The cafeteria," I said.

On the way to the cafeteria, he walked beside me without saying a word.

That was typical of him—he was never much of a talker.

I had no idea if he even liked me.

Even after four years together, I'd never felt that Ethan treated me differently from anyone else.

But it didn't really matter. After all, I was the one who confessed to him first.

He'd turned down so many girls, but back then I was young and stubborn. I couldn't bear to give up someone as amazing as him, so I'd tried every trick in the book—bringing him breakfast and water every day—until I finally made him remember me.

My girlfriends had egged me on to confess, and I did it during a PE class.

Honestly, I never thought he'd say yes.

At first, I thought I'd just gotten lucky. But later, I heard people say that Ethan had liked someone else—a senior who was a year above him. He'd confessed to her, but she'd rejected him. And just around that time, I'd confessed to him. I guessed he might have been trying to get back at the senior, or maybe he'd just given up and settled.

Later, the senior went abroad, and I had no idea if he still liked her.

As it turned out, I saw that girl again the next day.

Ethan and I were eating in the cafeteria when she suddenly appeared, her sweet voice ringing out: "Ethan, there you are!"

I didn't like her.

I'd asked around about her—her name was Sophia Wilson, and she was in the same department as Ethan. She didn't have a boyfriend.

That only made me more certain she had a thing for Ethan.

Sure enough, she pulled a test paper out of her bag. Her manicured finger traced a circle around one question as she went on: "Ethan, no one can figure out this problem. Can you teach me?"

She didn't look at me once, as if I didn't even exist.

As for Ethan—he hadn't looked up at first, but the moment Sophia pulled out that test paper, his expression softened a little, and he turned to look at me.

I had no idea what my face looked like then.

Truth be told, I wasn't even scared of losing Ethan. Even though he had so many admirers, I was his girlfriend. Besides, I could tell he wasn't interested in any of those girls. Quiet and unemotional—that was Ethan's style.

I supposed studying was the most important thing to him.

Oh, and there was also that senior—whether he still liked her or not, I wasn't sure.

I had no idea where I ranked in his heart.

But watching him sit so close to Sophia, not refusing her, even looking at me as if begging for my approval... I wasn't sure if it was because I was full or angry, but I wiped my mouth, picked up my tray, and stood up.

Gritting my teeth, I said, "You two talk. I'm leaving."

Enjoy discussing your test paper with Sophia Wilson!

Ethan didn't chase after me. I only heard him call my name.

"Elena Bennett."

I didn't look back.

When I walked out of the cafeteria and glanced over my shoulder, he and Sophia were already deep in discussion.

Sophia wasn't even looking at the paper—she kept stealing glances at him, then nodding. It was obvious she'd made up an excuse to ask him for help.

Ethan, on the other hand, kept his head down the whole time, calculating and explaining the problem to her.

So studying really was the most important thing to him.

It was after school, so I went to the playground alone.

As dusk fell, large streaks of fiery red clouds painted the distant sky, and the afterglow of the sunset blended into a gentle picture.

Basketball hoops echoed with the sound of balls going in, people jogged on the 塑胶 track, and a few couples strolled around the playground, chatting and laughing.

I brushed at the corner of my eye, and before I knew it, a few tears had fallen.

No matter how many times I told myself Ethan wouldn't be into Sophia, my eyes still welled up with tears.

He had never cared about my feelings, not even once.

There were no messages on my phone. I opened the chat window with Ethan—pinned to the top of my list—and scrolled through our conversation history.

Most of the time, I was talking to myself. I was the one sending him messages, sharing little moments from my day—good morning and good night every day, what I'd eaten, which classes I'd had.

Ethan never replied right away; he always took at least an hour.

Compared to my long paragraphs, his replies were always short.

"Yeah."

"Got it."

"Okay."

Occasionally, he'd send back a "Good night," but more often than not, he'd see my message and just ignore it.

I knew what my girlfriend had told me: in this relationship, I was being way too humble.

But I liked him—I'd liked him for four years. No one knew how happy I was when he said yes to me. No one knew how excited I felt standing next to him, eating with him, or going on those rare dates.