Mia, why are you alone here? Didn’t Ryan come to pick you
Jup?
“Didn’t he say he was taking you skiing in New Zealand? Go and have a great time, Auntie fully supports you two.”
I was a bit confused.
prep period, I had indeed mentioned to Ryan that I wanted to go skiing in New Zealand to experience winter in the
During our intense SAT pre Southern Hemisphere.
But given our current situation, how could we possibly go
However, I was running out of time, so I just hastily made so
together?
vague replies before leaving.
10:43 AM
However, I was running out of time, so I just hastily made some vague replies before leaving.
But what I didn’t expect was that at the airport, I actually ran into Ryan.
He was with a group of friends.
Claire was there too.
Ryan was carrying a woman’s handbag in one hand, his other arm around Claire’s waist.
They were walking at the back of the group.
From time to time Claire would turn her head to say something to him, and Ryan would always cooperate, patiently bending down to listen.
Not like with me.
Ryan had always been a head taller than me since we were kids, and he kept getting taller.
When I was with him, I always had to jump up and down and lift my head to talk to him.
It turns out he will lower his head for someone he truly cares about.
I took a deep breath.
Telling myself I must have some dignity.
Whatever he does has nothing to do with me anymore. If I keep overthinking til slap myself.
But there seemed to be only one path to the departure gates
I could only follow far behind them.
Finally, we reached a fork in the path.
Ryan seemed to be getting a bit distracted.
He made several phone calls that didn’t go through, then fiddled with his phone for a while.
In the end, he borrowed a friend’s phone and walked to a nearby restroom with a gloomy expression,
Not long after, my phone suddenly rang. It was an unknown number
“Mia, you’re really angry this time, huh? You won’t reach out to me unless I contact you first?
“You ev
even blocked me?
“If you have the guts, then just keep not contacting me. Let’s see who will take care of you when you’re all alone in an unfamiliar place in New
York.”
Ryan’s tone was harsh as he berated me nonstop.
I didn’t say anything. There was really no way to respond to that.
But Ryan seemed to get even angrier.
“I won’t say much more. Hurry up and add me back on SnapChat,
“I’m about to go abroad with some friends for a couple days, so I might not be reachable by phone. Don’t worry and cry!
1042 AME
I couldn’t be bothered to say a single word to him.
I hung up the phone immediately and turned it off.
From a distance, I watched Ryan return to his group with a dark expression,
He angrily pulled Claire along, no longer hesitating, and headed straight for the left departure gate.
I sighed and turned to walk towards the right.
During my time in America, traveling around with relatives to clear my mind, I put on a happy face.
I deliberately kept myself busy, filling my days with various activities to avoid any idle moments for overthinking.
I certainly didn’t add Ryan back as a contact like he had demanded.
However, Lily and other friends would still occasionally send me updates about Ryan.
Ryan and his friends seemed to be having a great time in New Zealand for many days.
For some reason, he was posting on social media every single day.
Completely unlike before, when he would go months without posting anything
Sometimes it was short videos of him speeding down ski slopes, sometimes lavish meals and all–night parties. Most often it was group photos of everyone goofing around and having fun at the ski resort.
Even though I didn’t want to pay attention,
Somehow many friends would proactively share these updates with me.
Everyone was curious and probing, wondering why I hadn’t gone to New Zealand with Ryan.
I didn’t know how to explain, so I just made excuses about having familly matters to attend to in America.
Except for Lily who would directly call Ryan a jerk every time, the others all had a hesitant look when talking to me.
I knew they had probably figured out what was going on.
In every g group photo Ryan posted, he and Claire were pressed close together practically inseparable.
But that spot beside him used to be mine for so many years.
Every time I saw these, my face remained calm, but my heart would inevitably ache.
After all, he was my first love, someone I had genuinely liked for such a long, long time.
In the middle of the night, I would sometimes feel pathetic and sad, occasionally even resentful.
But every time I recalled those hurtful words, I would mentally slap myself.
Reminding myself over and over:
“Mia, don’t be so desperate. Have some self–respect.
Just endure a little longer, just a bit n
more.
Once the withdrawal period passes, everything will surely get better.
We lost contact for a whole math
10
*Mia, you’ve got some nerve, abandoning me to run off to America and staying there for so long.
“If you don’t come back soon, summer break will be over. Have you forgotten your promise to travel with me?”
Perhaps because we hadn’t spoken in so long, there was a hint of caution in his complaining tone.
I still didn’t want to talk to him.
Just as I was about to hang up, Mrs. Carter snatched the phone..
“Mia dear, are you having a good time over there?
“That boy Ryan, he doesn’t tell me anything. I only just found out you two had a fight.
“Don’t hold it against him. When you come back, make him apologize to you in person.
“Oh, Ryan received his college acceptance letter today. Yours should arrive soon too. When are you planning to come back for your graduation celebration? Auntie has prepared a surprise for you…
Mrs. Carter had always been very kind to me since I was little, like my own relative
I couldn’t bear to hang up on her, so I had to listen to her chatter on.
“Auntie, I’m not planning to have a graduation celebration. My parents are very busy, flying all over the world. The relatives can just have an online gathering.
“I probably won’t be coming back for a while. Il likely return directly for college orientation…
Before I could finish, Ryan was back on the phone.
His breathing was heavy. I could feel his anger even across the Pacific.
*Mia, I’ve already swallowed my pride to reach out to you. How long are you going to keep sulking?
“If you don’t come back soon, don’t blame me for going to New York without you,”
After delivering this cold threat, he waited a long time. Not hearing a satisfactory response, he asked again:
“Think it through carefully. Don’t regret it later.”
I hung up the phone directly.
And blocked this number too while I was at it.
After spacing out for a while, I was planning to go for a walk when my mom suddenly video called me.
It turned out my acceptance letter had arrived at home too..
Seeing the school on the letter, my parents finally learned that I had changed my college choice.
