Chapter 2 I’m Tired of This
Jake said, “You’re interested in an ugly duckling?”
“Hey, I think she’s pretty.” Mark replied.
Jake shrugged, “Suit yourself.”
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Riley stood at the doorway, listening to their repulsive conversation. Her chest felt constricted, a dull ache spreading through her. She pressed a hand to her chest, then stumbled towards a trash
can.
She clutched the can, vomiting violently. She was drenched in sweat and her hair was plastered to her face, looking pathetic.
“Are
you alright?”
gentle male voice came from behind her. Riley turned, trying to see who it was. The overhead lights were too bright, blurring her vision, yet the voice felt familiar. She opened her mouth, mumbled something, and lost consciousness.
Riley woke
up in a hospital room in the dead of night. She was bewildered. A nurse came in to change her dressing.“You’re finally awake,” she said with a smile.
Riley nodded, her voice hoarse.“Who brought me here?”
“Your boyfriend, I think. He’s quite handsome.” The nurse answered, changing her dressing.
Riley froze. Her boyfriend? Jake? But she quickly dismissed the idea. His friends were right; she was just Jake’s admirer.
Riley met Jake three years ago. She was standing on the Harbor View Bridge, trying to kill herself. Jake appeared and saved her. Later, she learned he was two years her senior, a campus celebrity.
From then on, Riley started appearing frequently around Jake, but all she did was look at him. Even he said nothing to her, she was content. But he found it repulsive, yelling at her,
“Riley, stop harassing me!”
Her response was staring at his handsome face.
“You’re sick,” he’d said, walking away.
Their relationship took a turn when Jake was shoved to the ground during a basketball game. Riley rushed onto the court, cradling his face, checking for injuries. Seeing a scratch on his cheek, she felt a crushing blow, as if something inside her had collapsed. She sobbed uncontrollably.
That day, Jake watched her cry over a minor injury and laughed, arrogant and unrestrained.
“You really like me, huh?”
Riley didn’t answer directly, but gently touched his scratched cheek, her voice trembling.“Does it hurt?”
Jake brushed her hand away, his eyes full of arrogance.“What? It’s just a scratch.”
“Will it scar?”
Jake frowned.“I’m a man, what do I care about scars?”
Riley didn’t respond; she ran to get him medicine – scar cream, antiseptic, everything. Under her
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Chapter 2 I’m Tired of This
careful care, his face healed without a trace.
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Seeing how much she cared about him, Jake smirked.“Do you want me to ask you out?”
Riley looked at him directly. The man she remembered didn’t have such an unrestrained smile, yet their eyes were strikingly similar. She couldn’t say no to him.
She softly murmured, “Mm–hmm.”
Two days later, Riley heard from Jake again. After leaving the hospital, she was checking bus routes on her phone when she saw a message in the group chat.
Jake: Guys, come and meet my new girlfriend.
He attached a photo. The group went silent. Jake tagged everyone, including Riley.
Jake: How does my new girlfriend look? Give me some feedback.
Messages started pouring in. Riley saw 99+ notifications. She clicked on the one tagging her. She * knew this girl. It was Ava Moore, a freshman dance major, who’d become an internet sensation
for a dance video. It seemed that she was dating Jake.
The messages continued, Riley wanted to ignore it, but she saw her name.
“I wonder what Riley will do. She’s in the group, isn’t she? Will she go there, too?”
Some bet she’d show up, since she and Jake had been in a cold war for two days. Others bet she wouldn’t even for her, being the other woman was too much.
Seeing the word “the other woman,” Riley laughed.
She typed: Don’t worry, I’m not going to get in the middle of anything.
fell silent. After a while, Jake responded, tagging Riley.
The group
Jake: Riley, since you’re here, let me make this clear. This girl is different, I really like her, and I don’t want her to be mad at me because of you. You’ve been pestering me for years, and honestly, I’m tired of it.
Riley looked at the message. Tired? She was tired of it too, but she couldn’t help it. The thought of spending her life alone was unbearable. Three years, and she still hadn’t moved on. It was pointless.
She replied: I’m sorry. I won’t do it again. And congratulations.
Riley sent it and left the group.
That night, at a club, Jake sat alone, staring at Riley’s messages. What did she mean by “congratulations“? He felt a surge of irritation and threw his phone on the table
Mark walked in, seeing the scene.
“Jake, what’s wrong?” He hadn’t checked the group chat.
Jake cursed, leaning back. Mark looked around, not seeing Ava.“Where’s your girlfriend? You said you’d bring her to meet us.”
1 She’s still practicing. I’ll
Mark
“No.”
unpleasant.
I’ll pick her up later.”
paused. “You’re not mad because
later.” Jake’s tone was
your girlfriend is late,
are
you?”
Then what is it?”
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Chapter 2 I’m Tired of This
Jake scoffed.“Didn’t you see the messages?”
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Mark hadn’t. He pulled out his phone and checked the group chat, especially Riley’s messages. He paused.
“Jake, what does Riley mean?”
