I hadn’t planned to attend the basketball game.
But my best friend won two tickets and insisted I join her:
“Emma, you have to come. Otherwise it’ll look like you’re afraid of that manipulative girl.”
Walking into the arena, I immediately bumped into Jake and his group.
He noticed me and the water bottle I was carrying, and his eyes instantly lit up.
His teammates burst into laughter:
04:21 0
“Jake, we thought your girlfriend was tough, but look – even without a ticket, she still shows up with water.
Did you sneak in? Poor thing, like a little mouse.”
Though his tone was mocking, he kept glancing at my face.
“Man, Jake, you’ve got skills keeping her hooked. Teach me sometime!”
Jake maintained a cold expression, but couldn’t hide a slight smile at the corner of his eyes. He tried to act
cool:
“Alright, let’s head backstage and get ready. We’re about to go on…”
Halfway through his sentence, he suddenly remembered he’d already given the assistant position to Lily
yesterday.
Just then, a perky figure came bouncing over:
“Jake, you left your jacket at my place yesterday. You forgot to take it when you left.”
Lily threw herself into Jake’s arms. He verbally scolded her but with a smile in his eyes:
“You’re so careless. It’s fine, just leave it at your place.”
Lily’s cheeks flushed as she whispered: “I also washed your underwear by hand, very thoroughly.”
The messages exploded at that moment:
“Wait, the boyfriend slept with the other girl? I can’t handle this. I’m done with this story.”
“To the person above, they slept in the same bed but didn’t go all the way. He’s just doing this to make our girl jealous because she didn’t chase after him yesterday. The freshman invited him over and he went.”
“Men, you know, helping each other out. Normal stuff. We all understand.”
“He’s just being stubborn. He wants her to take the initiative, assert herself, have a big fight with the freshm- an. That would show she cares and is jealous!”
My mind was spinning from those four words “washed your underwear by hand.”
7/15
04.21
04:21
Chapter 2
In front of me, Lily continued flirting, sensually rubbing against Jake’s muscular arm, practically hanging of
him.
Jake didn’t pull away, intimately adjusting her loose collar while occasionally glancing at me.
Again with making me back down, again with trying to make me jealous.
My chest felt like it was stuffed with a wet cotton ball, so heavy I could barely breathe.
The messages started arguing:
“I give up. Even after all this, I can’t accept it. I can’t stand her washing his underwear.”
“I agree. Being difficult is one thing, but this is too much. Treating our girl like dirt.”
“Seriously, let him keep playing games. When she really leaves him, his teammates are eyeing her like hawks
11
“More than that! Girl, look at that basketball captain from the other school. He’s had a crush on you for three years. If you bring him water instead, your moody ex would explode.”
I was startled, not even caring if the messages were true.
–
I just wanted to escape this situation. I could give the water to anyone anyone except Jake.
I walked toward the opposing team’s rest area and found their captain, Mike, the tallest with the most striki- ng features:
“Hi, I have some water. Would you like some?”
Several players looked over: “No way, Captain’s got such appeal. Dozens of girls bringing him water every game. Too bad he’s like a stone statue, doesn’t accept any of them.”
Their gossipy glances made me hesitate, almost regretting my impulsiveness.
But Mike took the water. Looking directly at him, I realized his eyes were deep, his muscles solid like a poised, powerful cheetah:
“Thanks, but I never owe anyone. You give me water, I’ll grant you a wish. What would you like me to do?”
I hesitated, then said quietly: “No request. Just… good luck with your game.”
Mike stood up: “Just ‘good luck‘ isn’t enough.”
He turned to look at me: “Will you stay until the end of the game?”
I nodded.
“How about first place?”
Mike smiled, his tone casual but full of confidence:
2/15
04:21
Chapter 2
“You bring me water, I’ll bring you the trophy. How’s that sound?”
I’d heard of Mike before.
The smart guy from the neighboring department, excellent in both academics and basketball.
He and Jake were friends, occasionally playing basketball together.
04:21
But I hadn’t realized how amazing he was at basketball. As soon as the game started, he shot out like lightn ing, scoring a three–pointer within minutes.
It wasn’t just me – people nearby were also amazed:
“Damn, who pissed Mike off? He’s going wild from the start, keeping Jake completely away from the hoop.”
“He’s always been good, but never this intense. And isn’t he showing off? He used to hate flashy moves, but now he’s strutting around like a peacock.”
“It’s ridiculous. You’d think his wife was watching or something.”
“Ahh! Mike looked this way several times! Quick, hold up the signs! Mike, fly high! Ice cream forever!”
When the game ended, Mike’s team had won, unsurprisingly.
And without any regard for his friend’s pride, he delivered a crushing defeat to Jake’s team.
Jake looked absolutely furious, not even bothering with sportsmanship, dropping the basketball and leaving
without shaking hands.
In the past, whenever he lost a game and was in a bad mood, I would rush over to comfort and encourage
him.
But in reality, that familiar perky figure appeared beside him.
Lily, with teary eyes, stood on tiptoes wiping Jake’s sweat, her voice breaking as she expressed concern.
Someone couldn’t help defending me:
“Lily, what’s wrong with you? Flirting right in front of his girlfriend.”
Jake, who had been wiping Lily’s tears, immediately looked hostile and commanded:
“Apologize to Lily.”
The person’s confidence faltered, but they stood their ground:
“Am I wrong? Your girlfriend is sitting right there, and you’re all over another girl. That’s pretty low.”
“Who says she’s my girlfriend? We broke up ages ago.”
Jake denied it outright, his voice loud enough to draw everyone’s attention to me.
3/15
0421
04:21
Chapter 2
I hadn’t expected him to say that. I thought we were just having a cold war.
Jake, with a dark expression, grabbed the person’s collar forcing them to apologize to Lily:
“Lily is my girlfriend now. Don’t spread rumors.”
Someone scoffed: “Moving on so quickly? Trash. The nerve to accuse others of rumors.”
Jake suddenly laughed coldly: “Moving on quickly? Are you Emma’s lapdog, defending her like that?”
“Why did we break up? Because Emma’s the town bicycle, throwing herself at any guy.”
At that moment, I was sitting next to Mike’s team, frantically handing out water.
Jake’s gaze swept over to me. I knew he was looking at me as he smiled maliciously:
“You should try too. One bottle of water and you can sleep with your dream girl. Pretty good deal.”
“But be careful of catching something. She’s slept with more men than you’ve had hot meals. She can servi-
ce an entire basketball team at once.”
That day, even after returning to my dorm, I was completely shaken.
I sat blankly at my desk for a long time before finally breaking down in tears.
I couldn’t understand why Jake would say such things about me, why he would publicly humiliate me like
that.
Those words were so vile, just remembering them made it hard to breathe.
In his eyes, was I really that cheap, that promiscuous? So low he could describe me with those three words?
My roommate was furious:
“He seemed decent before, but turns out he’s absolute trash. His head must be on backward. Mike should
have punched him a few more times, knocked him speechless.”
After Jake said those things, Mike and his teammates beat him up.
Not only that, even the spectators and Jake’s own teammates couldn’t stand it and kicked him a few times.
The counselor arrived late, and because there were so many people involved with everyone covering for
each other, no one would say who started it.
In the end, despite all the fuss, Mike and his friends just had to pay for medical expenses, and the matter
was dropped.
Others tried to comfort me: “Emma, don’t be upset. No normal person would believe that.”
But there are plenty of abnormal people in this world. Most didn’t believe it, but some did.
After class, I was cornered by some guys at the dorm entrance. One tried to give me flowers and immediate-
4/15
04.21
Chapter 2
ly grabbed my wrist.
I called security and reported them for sexual harassment.
They were indignant, shouting:
04.21
“Why act like this? Is it because the flowers are cheap? Next time we’ll buy something expensive, then you’ll
be all over us.”
“Your boyfriend called you the town bicycle. Why act high and mighty now? How come only the basketball team gets to have fun?”
Those guys photoshopped my face onto nude pictures and posted them on the school bulletin board.
