Now, seeing her in person, I understood why Eddie admired her.
She was sharp and intelligent, and her words cut straight to the point.
I thought to myself, “Eddie must really like her.”
Eddie’s teacher called to say they were going out to celebrate the end of the competition.
Eddie and Selena walked ahead, engrossed in a lively discussion about the exam questions.
I trailed behind, feeling like an outsider.
It took a while for Eddie to notice me. He turned around and asked, “What are you following us for?”
I clutched the items in my hands and explained awkwardly, “You’re having a celebration, right? I thought I could join in.” Eddie frowned, his expression tightening.
He sighed, “How do I make you understand? This is a gathering for our classmates. What do you think you’d contribute? Do
you even have anything in common with us? Can you keep up with our conversations?”
He was right; I didn’t understand. The things he did and the thoughts he had were worlds apart from mine.
I felt like a quail scuttling on the ground, never grasping the joy of an eagle soaring high above.
All I could see was my little patch of land rather than the blue sky he belonged to.
Sometimes, I wished he would share his world with me, but Eddie always insisted we had nothing to talk about. Even if he did, it would be pointless.
us?”
I opened my mouth to respond, but Selena suddenly laughed, covering her mouth. “She’s here now, so why not let her join
Eddie frowned at Selena and said, “Are you sure about that? She doesn’t understand anything.”
Selena waved him off. “Let her come along; she can just enjoy a drink.”
Eddie had a point–I really didn’t fit into his world.
At the gathering, they dove into discussions that flew right over my head while I sat in the corner, quietly sipping my drink. Eventually, I drained the last of it, feeling like I had swallowed a whole ocean of water.
Selena abruptly shifted the conversation and turned to me. “Are you good on drinks? If you need more, I can get the waiter to bring you some.”
I lifted my gaze to find Eddie’s cold stare boring into me. I knew he was annoyed, probably thinking I was embarrassing him.
I pressed my lips together and replied softly, “No, I’m fine.”
Selena chuckled again; her curiosity piqued as she grabbed the drawing I had wrapped in brown paper. “What’s this? A gift for Eddie? Can we take a look?”
Before I could respond, she tore open the wrapping. As she examined my drawing, she remarked, “I don’t get it. What’s the point of giving this to Eddie? It’s not like he’ll find it useful.”
She was right; it was just a painting, just like how Eddie viewed me–pretty but ultimately useless.
Selena shook her head and handed the drawing back to me. “You should probably keep this. Eddie wouldn’t want it anyway. His dorm is a mess, and there’s no space for something like this.”
At that moment, all eyes turned towards me. The weight of their stares felt unbearable, suffocating.
After a long pause, Eddie’s teacher spoke up, “This must be Eddie’s girlfriend, right? Don’t take it personally; we math folks can be blunt. We don’t have the same romantic notions as you art students…”
