Chapter 4

The next morning, Ethan's mom, Karen Sinclair, came over to chat with my mom. Ethan and Chloe came along too.

He walked into my room without knocking and threw the book onto my desk. The cover smelled like spicy Cheetos, and there were greasy fingerprints all over the pages.

The book was checked out under my name. Any damage meant I would have to pay for it.

"You need to pay for this," I said.

Ethan picked it up, sniffed it, and said with annoyance:

"It's just a few grease spots. Why are you being so dramatic? Anyone can make a mistake. Is it really necessary to make a big deal out of a stupid book?"

I didn't hold back this time.

"The library rules state that if you damage a book, you replace it. Buy a new copy and return it to them."

Chloe nodded submissively.

"Okay, Ethan, it was my fault anyway. Don't yell at her. Sera, how much is it? I'll Venmo you."

As Chloe reached for her phone, Ethan snatched it away, his voice cold.

"Don't pay her. I don't believe she doesn't have the money for this. Let her figure it out herself."

I couldn't stand looking at them anymore, so I walked into the living room.

Karen Sinclair glanced at me. "The book is still readable, isn't it? It's just a book. Don't ruin your friendships over something so small."

She had always treated me poorly.

When I was in the hospital after getting forty-two stitches, she came to visit, saw that Ethan was fine, and said, "Thank god you're okay, sweetie. Her scar doesn't look that bad anyway. You don't need to feel guilty, Ethan. She chose to push you. We didn't force her. Let's get out of this hospital, it's full of germs. I'll make you a nice steak at home."

From beginning to end, she only glanced at my leg once. She never offered a single word of thanks or comfort.

My phone buzzed in my pocket. It was a text from Lucas.

[Sera, I just got my official Harvard admission letter! Did yours arrive yet?]

I replied with a photo of my own Harvard admission letter.

[Awesome! You should fly out early. I can show you around the campus.]

There was indeed no reason for me to stay here any longer.

I replied: [I booked my flight for next week.]

I had no energy left to argue with anyone in the living room. As I turned to leave, Karen grabbed my sleeve, stopping me.

"You tutored Ethan every single day. How did he only get into a community college while you did so well? Did you not actually put any effort into helping him?"

Ethan added, "She was probably too busy focusing on her own studies."

He was the one who threw the exam on purpose, yet to save face, he threw me under the bus.

Chloe blushed and said, "Mrs. Sinclair, Ethan and I are going to the same college. I'll make sure to watch over him for you."

Karen patted her hand, smiling warmly. "I feel so much better with you around. You're such a sweet, honest girl. Not like some girls who only care about themselves and don't care about anyone else."

I clenched my fists so hard my fingernails dug into my palms.

All those three years of devotion felt completely worthless.

Every time I went to Ethan's house to tutor him, his mother would either chop vegetables loudly or blast the TV. She always made so much noise.

I couldn't teach him at a normal volume, so I had to strain my voice and yell.

My throat would be burning by the end of the night, and I was never even offered a glass of water.

Now, I had to carry throat lozenges with me everywhere because my vocal cords were permanently damaged.

The next day, I saw Chloe's TikTok video of her at an exclusive, invite-only art exhibition.

Our classmates were commenting in envy.

[I tried getting tickets to this three times with twenty friends and couldn't get one! How did you guys get in?]

[So lucky! Are you two secretly dating? Where's Ethan's little shadow today?]

Ethan replied: [She didn't have a ticket. It's better this way, she's annoying anyway.]

I zoomed in on the background of the video.

It was an exhibition by a famous European painter that I absolutely adored.

The ticket included a private signing session and limited-edition merchandise.

I had begged my mom to use all her connections just to secure two tickets.

I had planned to ask Ethan to go with me.

I guess I would be going with my mom instead.

I went to find the book where I had tucked the tickets. The book had been knocked over, but I didn't think much of it. However, when I flipped through the pages, the tickets were gone.

I remembered Ethan entering my room to grab something before he left yesterday.

A surge of anger rushed to my chest.

I was about to comment "Thief" under Chloe's video, but when I hit submit, the video vanished.

Her profile showed she had blocked me.

I opened Ethan's chat.

I remembered when we first officially became a couple, he had kissed me gently on the cheek.

I had waited three years for that day.

But only two months had passed, and I wanted nothing to do with him.

I typed out a line:

[Let's break up.]