Chapter 7
Chapter 7
Andre took Sherry back upstairs. By the time he came down again, dark clouds loomed directly overhead, and a chilly wind crept into my limbs. Oddly enough, I felt a bit more clear-headed, shaking off the dizziness from earlier.
Andre sat beside me, lost in thought for a long while. When he finally spoke, his tone was casual, almost as if he was trying to laugh it off. “Why haven’t you left yet? Waiting for me to break up with you?”
I shifted my gaze away, finally looking at him. “I actually planned to talk to you about breaking up today.”
He laughed. “Yeah, I could tell.”
His self-deprecating tone came through. “Once you had me, you lost interest. The novelty wore off. Then you said it was because I
hadn’t messaged you. That excuse is pretty weak.”
I took a breath to organize my words before softly responding, “The reason I thought about breaking up was that I felt like I was trying hard to be good to you, but it still didn’t move you at all. I figured my approach must be wrong. Maybe…”
The floodgates opened as memories poured in.
I opened my mouth, and a couple of tears landed on my sleeve. I felt a wave of heartache for my past self, who had struggled with such deep insecurities. “Maybe I’m just not good enough…”
Andre’s expression turned uncertain. “Betty…”
I wiped my eyes and breathed out slowly. “I only realized today that it wasn’t my fault.”
His lips were pressed into a thin line, and he said nothing. I stood up and checked the distance of my ride. “Seeing you and Sherry just now, aside from being disgusted, I felt a little relieved. I’m glad I’ve finally liberated myself from self-doubt.”
I seemed to have regained the ability to list all my good qualities in front of a mirror.
My ride was just pulling up nearby. A flash of lightning illuminated Andre’s face from below.
I said to him, “Andre, the first time I got burned by soup, you chose to help Sherry instead of me. That was when I liked you the most, so I made excuses for you. But later on, you left me for Sherry again and again. Now, I can’t even find excuses for you anymore, and I
just don’t like you anymore.”
I was officially closing the chapter on my first love. “Andre, let’s break up.”
A huge clap of thunder echoed, vibrating through the air. After a gloomy day, it finally began to rain.
I didn’t wait for Andre’s response and jogged to the car. But he followed me.
Andre stood in the rain. In stark contrast to the people running for cover, he wore only a thin shirt that was now soaked through. He.
stood still, exuding an air of solitude.
“Betty, forget what you said. You said you’ll always like me.”
rolled up the car window without looking back. “I’ve changed my mind.”
Just as the glass closed, I saw him slightly tug at his lips. “How the fuck can you go back on your word so easily?”
Maybe I had already given up on Andre long ago. So this incident felt like just a fleeting moment to me.
I didn’t experience any difficult withdrawal symptoms and quickly returned to a normal life without him. Andre was just as cold and quiet as before, but not much had changed.
10100
Chapter
Sherry, on the other hand, became more and more ostentatious. The pure, clean girl she used to be got buried under layers of thick makeup. It was so heavy that I didn’t even recognize her when I passed her in the restroom.
I only realized it was her when a girl in front of her called out, “Sherry.”
Despite the makeup, she looked stunning. You wouldn’t guess she once had a timid personality. She was surrounded by three other girls but looked calm and collected.
“Sherry, you’re quite the charmer,” one girl said.
“That guy from your class, he’s got a girlfriend.”
“The girlfriend asked me to let you know that if you can’t learn to keep your distance from other girls’ boyfriends, she’ll publicly humiliate you at the school gate.”
The girl said it in a calm tone before suddenly slapping Sherry across the face with a loud crack.
“Understand?”
N
2
+
Sherry immediately started bleeding from her nose, clearly hit with full force. She turned her head sharply, catching my gaze.
I quickly turned my eyes away and continued walking.
“Got it,” I heard Sherry say nonchalantly. “I’ll cut ties with him.”
“Good, as long as you understand.”
The three girls continued chatting about lunch as they left the restroom.
When I walked out to wash my hands, I saw Sherry touching up her makeup in the mirror, her face swollen on one side.
