lovesick puppy
Ethan posted our entire chat history, where I
was basically chasing him, in his friend group. “Check out this lovesick puppy,” he wrote. The group roasted me mercilessly. I added the guy who was the most brutal, his name was Riley.
Later, at a party, Ethan tried to humiliate me again, same old trick. But Riley, of all people, stepped in front of me, shielding me. Ethan’s face darkened. “What’s the meaning of this?”
he asked.
Valentine’s Day afternoon, the dorm was
buzzing. Girls were putting on makeup, trying
on outfits, getting ready for dates. Me? I was
curled up with a half–eaten bag of chips,
binge–watching Netflix. Sarah had tried on what
felt like a million dresses and still wasn’t
satisfied. She drifted over to my closet. “Ooh,
that dress is so cute!” It was a plum–colored
bodycon dress, subtly flirty. I’d picked it out a
month ago, when Ethan and I had made plans
for dinner tonight.
Sarah asked, “No date tonight?” When I didn’t
answer, she smirked and dropped the name:
“Ethan ghosting you again?” The name hung in
the air, and everyone else in the dorm looked
over. Ethan was always the center of attention
– good–looking, top of his class, life was easy for him. Relationships too. Being popular his
whole life, he never lacked for attention from
pretty girls. And me? I was just the girl next
door, who happened to go to the same schools
as him from elementary through college. I had
the “childhood sweetheart” script, but it was a
one–sided story.
