“Jason will be happy to know. If he’s in a good mood, he’ll definitely do well on his next exam.”
I forced down the nausea rising in my throat.
If I clash with them now, I won’t get to watch their bigger performance later.
I deliberately lowered my voice: “…Okay. I got it. You two…have fun.”
Hearing my obedient reply again, Emily’s tone brightened, as if a huge burden had been lifted.
“That’s right! Liam, you’re really thoughtful.”
“Then it’s settled! I’ll leave the reservation to you! Preferably by the window for better ventilation, Jason likes that.”
“I’ll go with you to the restaurant you want when we’re back.”
She even went so far as to explain her seating preferences.
“Hm.” I gave a dull hum through my nose.
“Alright, that’s it for now. Jason’s calling me. I’ll see what he needs.”
She hung up in a rush. The busy tone echoed, and the last trace of pretense slipped from my face.
The next two days passed quietly.
Emily didn’t call again, but she reminded me on chat about reserving a seat, worried my negligence might ruin Jason’s studies.
Jason posted a photo on social media, background a downtown coffee shop—the one I’d always told Emily I wanted to try.
The caption read, “I’ve been working so hard, but nothing works. Feeling a bit down. Thankfully, someone’s been here for me. Let’s get some fresh air during the break.”
Below, Emily’s comment was striking: “It’s okay~ I’ll go eat something yummy with you during the break~”
Several likes and caring notes from mutual friends lined up neatly.
I scrolled past it blankly, not even opening the picture.
The afternoon before leaving school, a knock came at my dorm door.
I opened it and was surprised to see Emily and Jason. Jason saw me and quickly offered an apologetic smile. “Liam, did we bother you?”
Emily peeked into my room, eyes pausing on my clearly visible suitcase, her brows knitting slightly.
“Something?” I blocked the doorway, making no move to let them in.
“Oh, nothing important.”
Emily looked aside and said casually, “Jason wants to head to the station early tomorrow, so I’m here to help him pack. I stopped by to see you while I was at it.”
Her eyes returned to my suitcase, sharp with scrutiny. “Have you…bought your ticket? Standing? Are you on the same train as us?”
Jason also looked at me with apparent concern. “If you’re on our train, that’d be great. We could look out for each other on the way, and it’d be easier to share the luggage…”
I caught his false expression and spoke slowly, “I didn’t buy a ticket.”
Both of them froze. Jason recovered first, his tone carrying a faint gloating edge. “Ah? You didn’t get one? Then, Liam, how will you get home? No standing left either? What now?”
Emily’s face turned sour. “Liam, what have you been doing these past two days? Didn’t I tell you to buy a ticket? Now you say you don’t have one? Planning to walk home from school?”
Watching them act out their routine of good cop and bad cop, I almost laughed.
“I have my own way to get back,” I said evenly.
“What can you do?”
Emily’s tone already brimmed with impatience.
“Still pretending at this point! I knew you were unreliable, never able to do anything right, and now you’re blaming me, saying it’s all my fault…”
