Claire drew a “Truth or
Dare” card th
that required her to do push–ups with a guy on top. She had to choose a male participant.
Unsurprisingly, Ryan immediately volunteered.
Everyone started cheering and teasing them.
Claire’s face turned red as she obediently lay down on the sofa.
Ryan positioned himself above her and easily did dozens of push–ups.
He
Lie was ver
very restrained the whole time, carefully avoiding touching Claire’s body.
Until the very last one, whether he finally lost his strength or did it on purpose.
He couldn’t hold himself up and c
collapsed directly on top of Claire.
The screams around them grew even louder, nearly taking the roof off.
Ryan and Claire’s faces turned even redder,
Amid the crowd’s frenzied cheering, Ryan simply lowered his head and kissed Claire,
The two of them made out passionately, oblivious to everyone else.
It went on for a full three minutes before they reluctantly separated,
During those endless three minutes, I stared at the screen unblinkingly, so shocked I almost forgot to breathe.
My heart felt like it was being torn apart.
I wanted to cry, but I had cried too much earlier without drinking water, so I had no tears left.
“Tsk tsk tsk, Mia did you see that clearly? They were French kissing with tongue and everything. He’s totally into her.”
Lily sighed as she turned the camera and left the private room.
She found a quiet corner and earnestly advised me:
“Mia, don’t blame me. If I didn’t let you see it with your own eyes, you wouldn’t give up on him.”
My throat was dry and the sounds I made were barely audible.
“Mm, I don’t blame you.
I only blame myself for being so stupid for so many years.
I thought that since I was always allowed to follow Ryan around, that position by his side would always be mine
“I just can’t stand Ryan. What gives him the right to string you along for years, knowing you like him, pretending to be an innocent boy while watching you fall deeper and deeper.
“Now you’ve seen it clearly. I really hope you’ll seriously reconsider. Don’t let him waste another four years of your life in college…
“I wont, Lily”
Linterrupted her, stating calmly.
“I won’t give myself another chance.
“Lily, I’ve decided. I’m going to college in Florida with you.
“But you have to promise to keep it a secret for now”
After saying that, to prevent myself from hesitating again, I opened my laptop in front of her.
Without any hesitation, at
at the last minute before the deadline, I changed my first choice to that famous university in Florida.
Lily was of course overjoyed.
She had been begging me to apply to the same school for
for a long time.
But when we first started high school, I had already made a promise with Ryan that we would work hard together and go to his dream school in New York after the SATS.
That’s where his favorite aerospace program was.
So even though I didn’t particularly like the cold North, and didn’t have much interest in that engineering–focused school, for all three years of high school, I still made it my goal.
After being neighbors for so many years, both
years, both sets of parents were happy for us to go to the same college.
Everyone, including me, thought that Ryan and I would naturally become a couple after we became a
<
I would despise myself.
Now I just wanted to hide far away.
- y. It didn’t m
t matter where, as long as Ryan wasn’t there.
If he was in the North, then I would go South.
Before bed, I filled the entire bathtub, wanting to thoroughly wash myself clean.
But when I took off my clothes, the bruises on my skin were
are still very v
visible.
Memories of last night came flooding back uncontrollably
The scorching heat of the young man’s skin as we embraced tightly, the burning breath in my ear as we made love, the lingering warmth still seemed to surround me.
I shook my head vigorously, trying to get rid of these wild thoughts.
I found the roughest loofah and scrubbed my skin over and over again, only stopping when my whole body turned red.
Clumsily trying to erase this most shameful memory of my life.
As a result, I was in so
so much pain that I couldn’t sleep well all night.
Ryan indeed didn’t send any more messages.
Breaking the habit we’d had for six years, ever since we got phones, of saying goodnight to each other without fail.
This was for the best.
It would have happened sooner or later anyway.
Might as well start detoxing from tonight.
I dozed off fitfully until nearly
