Chapter 1

At the graduation party, Ryan Cooper handed Ruby Lane his Coke right in front of everyone.

Ruby took it without a second thought and took a sip.

On the way home, I broke up with her.

She frowned. "So you're breaking up with me just because I drank Ryan's Coke?"

I nodded.

"Michael, seriously? You're being ridiculous. It's only a Coke. Why are you blowing this out of proportion? Fine, let's break up. But don't regret it later." Ruby, confident that I couldn't leave her, readily agreed.

But she had no idea that I was dead serious this time.

The moment I got home, I changed my college choice from Central State University, the one Ruby and I had agreed on, to Western Institute of Technology.

From now on, we'd be worlds apart, never to meet again.

*****

In the days after the party, my phone was as silent as a brick.

Ruby didn't text me, not even a single dot.

I stared at our chat window, my finger hovering over her name before I finally let it drop, a wry smile tugging at my lips.

She was always like this, waiting for me to be the first to give in.

The day the SAT results came out, Jason Lawrence called to remind me it was his birthday and that the party was at our usual bar downtown.

When I pushed open the door to the private room, the cold air and blaring music hit me all at once, leaving me a bit stunned. There were already a dozen or so people inside, mostly classmates.

My eyes instinctively scanned the room, and then I spotted Ruby in the corner.

She was wearing the red dress I'd given her, laughing and chatting with a few other girls. The light hit her profile, making her skin look flawless.

"Michael, over here!" Jason waved me over and handed me a beer. We toasted. I knocked it back in one go.

Not long after I sat down, a shadow fell across me.

Ruby loomed over me, that familiar impatient smile playing at her lips. "Michael, come outside. I need to talk to you," she said.

The hallway was dimly lit, and the thin walls let the vioce from the next room leak through in fits and starts.

Ruby leaned against the wall, absentmindedly twirling a strand of her hair. This was a little habit of hers whenever she grew impatient.

"Are you done throwing a tantrum yet?" Ruby said, like I was some kid making a fuss. "It's been five days. You should be over it by now."

I stared at her lips, painted cherry red. I remembered that day when she grabbed Ryan's Coke without hesitation, and a bit of brown liquid stuck to the corner of her mouth.

Back then, she just casually wiped it off with the back of her hand. She didn't see anything wrong with it at all.

"I'm not throwing a tantrum," I said, my voice calmer than I expected. "Breaking up is breaking up."

Ruby's smile froze for a moment, but she quickly put it back on. "All this over a sip of Coke? Michael, when did you become so petty?"

She stepped closer, and the faint scent of her perfume drifted over. That scent, which used to make me lose my mind, now only felt sharp.

"Ryan just handed it to me casually, that's all. We're all classmates, so what's the big deal?" she said.

"Casually?" I couldn't help but let out a cold laugh. "He nearly circled half the table, dodged everyone, just to hand you that Coke. And you call that casual?"

Ruby frowned. Then she gave me that familiar, commanding look. "Were you watching him the whole time?"

"I've got eyes." I clenched my fists so hard that my nails dug into my palms, the pain snapping me back to reality. "And this isn't the first time.

"Last year, at the class picnic, he 'accidentally' used your water bottle. At the sports meet, he 'accidentally' put his arm around your waist. And—"

"Enough!" Ruby cut me off, her voice rising. "Michael, do you hear yourself? You're acting like some bitter ex right now."

She leaned in, her voice low. "I'm asking you one last time. Do you want to get back together? After today, that's it. No more chances."

Chapter 2

The light at the end of the hallway was suddenly blocked by a tall figure. Ryan stood there, holding two drinks, with the right touch of surprise on his face. "Sorry, did I interrupt something?"

Ruby's expression softened instantly. "Ryan, why did you come out?"

"You were gone for so long. I was worried you might've gotten lost," Ryan said with a smile, his eyes drifting over to me. "Michael, long time no see."

I didn't respond and watched as he naturally moved to stand beside Ruby, their shoulders almost touching.

Ryan was about half a head taller than Ruby. When he looked down at her, his lashes cast a small shadow on her face. The whole scene was so perfect that it hurt to look at it.

"Ruby, I brought you some lemonade. I remember you said singing makes your throat dry," Ryan said, handing her the glass. And his fingers "casually" brushed against the back of her hand.

Ruby took the glass and smiled at him. Then she turned to me, chin lifted. "See? This is how friends act. Michael, you're being too sensitive."

Ryan had a puzzled look on his face. "Did I do something wrong?"

He looked at me, his eyes so innocent that it made me want to gag. "Michael, if there's any misunderstanding, we can talk it out face-to-face.

"Ruby's been feeling down these past few days, and it's all because of you. I've been worried about her."

"Ryan, you don't have to explain," Ruby said, patting his arm, then gave me a cold smirk. "Some people love making a big deal out of nothing."

Ryan sighed, giving me that pitying look. "Michael, Ruby often mentions you. She says you can be a bit touchy sometimes, but you're still a decent guy."

He paused. "You can't make someone fall in love, you know. If you two really aren't a good match—"

"Ryan," I cut him off coldly. "You know what I admire most about you? It's how you can play the good guy while shamelessly making a move on my girl right in front of me."

Ryan's face froze.

Ruby immediately bristled. "Michael! What nonsense are you talking?"

"Nonsense?" I laughed. "Let me ask you this. Why every time we fight, he's the first to know? Why does every present I give you always show up on his social media? Why—"

"That's enough!" Ruby shoved me hard, her chest heaving. "Michael, I see right through you now. You can't handle things yourself, so you blame everyone else. It's really disgusting.

"Ryan's a hundred times more thoughtful than you. At least he doesn't get all paranoid over nothing."

Ryan timely stepped in, steadying Ruby by the shoulders. "Don't get worked up. He's not worth it," he said softly.

Then he looked at me, his eyes full of that smug, winner's tolerance. "Michael, you might want to cool off."

"Ruby, let's head back. Everyone's probably waiting for us," he added.

Ruby yanked her hand out of mine. I didn't even remember when I grabbed her wrist. She walked away with Ryan, not looking back.

Before leaving, Ryan threw me a glance over his shoulder. There was the hint of a smirk on his lips, and he looked so smug it was practically dripping from his eyes.

I stood alone in the empty hallway, just as the next room switched to a gut-wrenching breakup song, like fate rubbing salt in my wounds.

Turning away from the bar, the summer night's heat slammed into me, waking me up more than any blast of air conditioning ever could.

My phone buzzed. It was a message from Jason: [You left? Ruby just told everyone she's with Ryan. The whole class is losing it. You already knew, right?]

I shot back a [Mm,] then shut off my phone.

The convenience store on the corner was lit up like a beacon. I walked in and grabbed a Coke.

I twisted off the cap and chugged it down. The fizz exploded in my throat, burning so bad it made my eyes water.

So this was what the end tasted like. It wasn't as painful as I'd imagined. Actually, it felt like a weight off my shoulders.

I looked up at the night sky, a few stars twinkling faintly.

Western Institute of Technology was around 1,500 miles away from here. It should be far enough, right?

Chapter 3

When I got home, I closed the door behind me. The air still carried the faint scent of citrus perfume that Ruby often used.

I took a deep breath, pulled open the drawer, and started clearing out everything that reminded me of her.

The first thing I pulled out was that blue scarf. She knitted it for me herself during the winter of our first year in high school.

We'd only just met, and she spent two weeks clumsily learning how to knit, poking around with the needles.

Her fingers got stabbed by the needles more than a few times, but she still stuffed the scarf into my hands with a big smile. "Michael, make sure you wear it every winter, okay?"

Now I ran my fingers over the uneven stitches, and for a moment, I could almost see her cheeks turning pink back then.

Next was a stack of movie ticket stubs. From Zootopia to Avengers, every single one was from a movie we'd watched together.

Ruby always liked to hook her pinky around mine secretly in the dim theater, and after the movie, we'd argue about the plot for ages. Back then, I was the only one in her eyes.

My hand froze when I felt something hard under my fingertips. It was a box, and inside was a silver keychain with M&R engraved on it.

It was the summer after our sophomore year. After we made a promise to get into Central State University together, she pulled me into a craft shop to make it.

She stood on her tiptoes and whispered in my ear, "Michael, let's stay together forever, okay?"

I thought we'd be together forever.

But then Ryan transferred to our school. The first time he showed up at the classroom door, I could tell something had changed in the way Ruby looked at him.

She was always cold to strangers, but for the first time, she actually went out of her way to say hi to him.

They became friends almost instantly and were spending more and more time together.

At first, Ruby was worried I'd overthink things, so she'd try to reassure me, "Ryan's a new classmate. I'm just helping him get used to things."

But little by little, his name started popping up in her conversations more and more. "Ryan's good at playing basketball. Ryan won the math competition. Ryan..."

I tried to ignore all these changes, but then came that class picnic.

Ryan "casually" grabbed Ruby's water bottle and drank straight from it.

Ruby was stunned for a second, but she didn't get mad. Instead, she smiled at him and said, "Slow down. Don't choke."

Right then, it felt like a needle stabbed straight into my heart, leaving me with a bitter, swelling pain.

Ruby was a total neat freak. She never let anyone else touch her water bottle, not even me.

After that, Ryan's "casual" kept happening.

At the sports meet, he put his arm around Ruby's waist, saying he was "keeping her from falling."

On rainy days, he'd insist on draping his jacket over her shoulders, though I was right there holding an umbrella.

Even on my birthday, Ruby showed up late because she was at the library with Ryan.

Every time I brought it up, Ruby would frown and say, "Michael, don't overthink it. Ryan and I are just friends." But her gaze grew increasingly evasive.

What broke my heart most was that class party. Ryan pulled Ruby up to dance right in front of everyone. Though she knew I hated it, she still smiled and rested her hand on his shoulder.

On the way home, I didn't say a word.

Ruby took the initiative. "Can you not be so petty? Ryan was only making things more fun."

Petty? I gave a wry smile. If worrying about my girlfriend flirting with another guy made me petty, then so be it.

I closed the box and dumped the keychain in the trash.

There was still a photo tucked under the corner of the desk, taken during our freshman year scouting trip.

Under the scorching sun, Ruby snuck me a chilled bottle of water, but the instructor caught her and made her run laps.

I ran alongside her. Though she was gasping for breath, she couldn't stop laughing. "Michael, are you dumb or what?"

Back then, she was all about me. But now, all she saw was Ryan.

I picked up the photo, tore it in half, and tossed it into the trash.

After I finished clearing out the last thing, the room felt much emptier.

I leaned against the window, staring out at the night sky.

The class group chat kept blowing up, my phone screen lighting up again and again in the dim room.

I swiped through the messages, and the screen was flooded with pictures of Ruby and Ryan together.

They were all cozied up together, their smiles so dazzling it almost stung to look at.

[Now that's what you call a perfect couple!]

[Some folks should have taken the hint and stepped aside long ago.]

[Ryan and Ruby are totally meant for each other!]

[Heard Ryan's going for Central State University too, so they'll be together for sure.]

I kept scrolling through the chat, face blank, until I saw one of Ryan's friends type: [What does a bookworm like Michael have to offer compared to Ryan?] A bunch of mocking emojis followed.

I stared at the screen for a few seconds, then powered off my phone.

At last, everything was silent.

Chapter 4

The next morning, lively voices drifted up from downstairs.

I pushed open the door and saw my parents chatting in the living room with Ruby's parents, Tom and Grace. The coffee table was piled high with fruit and gift boxes.

Ruby sat quietly in a corner, her head bowed.

"Mike, come on down. Tom and his family are here to congratulate you!" my mom, Hazel Carter, called out, waving me over with a big smile.

I paused, a wave of complicated feelings washing over me.

They still had no idea I'd changed my college choice.

"Michael, I heard you got the highest score in the whole city. That's incredible!" Tom said, grinning as he gave my shoulder a friendly pat.

"Ruby wasn't at her best this time. She only got a little over 1400, which is a lot lower than yours," Tom added.

My dad, James‌ Carter, stepped in with a smile. "Tom, don't say that. Both kids are outstanding!"

Grace jumped in, her voice warm and friendly. "By the way, Michael, have you finished filling out your college applications? You two were supposed to apply to Central State University together, then you could have each other's backs."

My expression darkened. But my mom didn't notice anything was off and said, "Mike, Grace is asking you a question."

I nodded. "Yeah, I've already submitted them."

Ruby looked up, a hint of happiness flickering in her eyes.

Tom chuckled, "Once you two are at Central State University, you'll get closer. Who knows, maybe after graduation, our families could—"

"Dad!" Ruby suddenly cut in, her eyes full of bashfulness.

I glanced at her, a cold smirk playing at my lips.

Tom kept going, all fired up, "James‌, why don't we put everything on the table today? These two are so close. Once they graduate, let's start planning their wedding."

"Tom," I said calmly, "Ruby already has a boyfriend."

The living room went dead silent. Tom's smile froze on his face, and Grace's expression went rigid as well.

"What?" Tom frowned, turning to Ruby. "Ruby, what's going on?"

Ruby's face went ghostly pale, her fingers clutching the hem of her dress tightly. Her lips quivered, but no words came out.

I pulled out my phone and opened a screenshot from our class group chat.

There it was, a photo of Ryan and Ruby with their fingers intertwined. The caption read: [Please take care of me for the rest of my life.]

The living room went dead silent for a few seconds.

Ruby finally snapped out of it and managed a strained smile. "Dad, Mom, James‌, Hazel, don't listen to Michael. It was a joke. We were only fooling around in the class group chat."

My mom frowned, clearly not buying it. "A joke? You can't joke about that kind of thing."

Grace chimed in, "That's right, Ruby. You shouldn't be acting like that or doing things you shouldn't."

Ruby bit her lip, her eyes flickering with unease. "It was really the other classmates stirring things up. Ryan and I... There's nothing between us."

As she spoke, she shot me a quick, accusing glare. Her eyes were full of accusation.

My dad stepped in with a smile, trying to smooth things over. "Let the kids handle their own business. We shouldn't get too worked up about it. Come on, let's eat before the food gets cold."

The atmosphere at the table finally eased up a bit. But Tom and Grace kept glancing over at Ruby, and obviously still had doubts in their minds.

Ruby kept her head down, absentmindedly poking at her food with her fork, looking completely distracted.

After dinner, my dad gave my shoulder a friendly pat. "Mike, go take Ruby for a walk and help her walk off the meal."

I wanted to say no, but when I saw the look in his eyes, I finally nodded.

*****

As Ruby and I stepped out of the building, the summer night breeze brushed against my face, carrying a hint of stifling heat.

Ruby marched ahead, then suddenly whipped around, her eyes blazing. "Michael, what was that for? Why did you have to say all that in front of my parents?"

I shot her a cold look. "Am I making things up? Was that photo in the class group chat fake?"

She was at a loss for words, then snapped, her face burning with embarrassment and anger. "It was only a joke. Do you realize you almost put me in serious trouble? If my dad actually believed it, he'd totally chew me out."

"A joke?" I snorted. "Holding hands with Ryan was a joke? Telling everyone you two were a couple was a joke, too?"

Ruby's expression changed, and her voice grew gentler. "Michael, are you still mad about what happened that day? I keep telling you, Ryan and I are only friends. You're overreacting."

I stared straight into her eyes. "Ruby, do you think I'm gullible and easy to trick? Do friends hold hands and act like that? Do friends announce to everyone they're together?"

Ruby froze, clearly not expecting me to say that. After a moment, she let out a cold laugh. "Michael, you've changed. You never used to push me like this."

I looked up at the night sky, the stars still few and far between.

"Yeah, I've changed," I said. "But people change, don't they?"

We went our separate ways, not bothering to say goodbye.

Chapter 5

When I got home, my parents were sitting on the couch watching TV.

My mom asked, "Mike, did you really finish filling out your college applications?"

I nodded and said calmly, "Mom, Dad, I applied to Western Institute of Technology."

My dad paused with the remote in his hand, then set it down gently.

My mom was quiet for a moment, then sighed, "Honestly, we kind of saw it coming." There was no blame in her voice, only a touch of heartache. "You've been so troubled lately. We could tell something was up between you and Ruby."

My dad gave my shoulder a reassuring pat. "Mike, no matter what you decide, we'll always have your back. Western Institute of Technology is a great school. As long as you're happy, that's all that matters."

My nose stung, and I nodded. It turned out they'd noticed how I was feeling all along, but just never said anything.

Late at night, I was lying in bed and couldn't sleep no matter how hard I tried. Out of nowhere, my phone lit up with a call from a random number. I hesitated, but answered anyway.

"Michael, what the hell is your problem?" Ryan's voice came from the other end, seething with anger. "Do you know Ruby cried all night because of you?"

I gripped my phone tighter, staying silent.

"She's drunk right now, won't stop calling your name," Ryan said, a deliberate provocation in his tone. Then he sent me a photo.

Ruby was slumped over the table, wasted, her eyes still stained with tears.

I stared at the photo for a few seconds, then let out a cold laugh. "Ryan, who are you putting on this act for?"

There was a beat of silence on the other end, then his voice went icy. "Michael, don't be ungrateful. Ruby still cares about you. Do you have to be this cold?"

"Cold?" I scoffed. "Aren't you two already together? Your so-called sweet couple pics are all over the class group chat."

"That's—" Ryan tried to explain, but I didn't let him finish.

I hung up on him and blocked his number right away.

*****

For the rest of the summer vacation, I never saw Ruby again.

The class group chat was buzzing, though. Every day, there were new vacation photos of her and Ryan, at the beach, on the mountaintop, in the amusement park, and their smiles were exceptionally bright.

Everyone was dropping comments and blessings under every photo, as if what Ruby and I had was ancient history.

I quietly scrolled through the screen, feeling surprisingly calm.

Until one day, someone mentioned me in the group. [Michael, why are you so quiet? Don't tell me you're jealous or something?] He also added a few mocking emojis.

I stared at the screen, my finger hovering over the [Leave Group] button for a moment, then finally tapped it.

*****

Time flew by, and before I knew it, it was time to head off to college.

My parents insisted on taking me to the airport, reminding me again and again the whole way.

My mom, her eyes red, said, "Make sure to call us often when you get there, okay? Don't make us worry."

My dad gave my shoulder a reassuring pat. "Study hard, and don't let yourself down."

I nodded, feeling a warm glow in my heart.

Right before boarding, my phone buzzed. It was a text from Ruby: [Michael, I'm waiting for you at the freshman orientation at Central State University. Don't be late.]

I froze for a moment. She still thought I was going to Central State University?

I stared at the screen and typed out a line: [Don't worry, I definitely won't be late.]

After that, I blocked her for good.

As the plane took off, I gazed out the window at the shrinking city below and felt an unprecedented lightness in my heart.