Chapter 1 I had just started peeling it. My cousin walked in and said she wanted a tangerine. My boyfriend followed right behind her. He looked at me, totally indifferent, and said: "Give it to her. You can just have an orange, it’s the same thing." I looked at him—the guy who was supposed to always be on my side since we were kids—and compromised. "Fine. We’ll split it." Mom’s smile vanished. She snapped at me: "It’s just one tiny tangerine, half isn't enough to taste. "Is it going to kill you not to have a tangerine today?" Before I could answer, she grabbed my cousin’s hand and headed for the door to buy more. My boyfriend stayed behind, glaring at me with a cold face. "You are so selfish. "No wonder everyone likes her more than you." The door slammed shut again. I stood there stunned for a long time. Then, I picked up my phone and called my dad, who was thousands of miles away. "I want to transfer schools." Dad sounded confused. After a moment, he asked, "Is something wrong? Are they treating you badly?" I stared at that half-peeled tangerine on the table. My eyes stung fiercely. Since I didn’t answer immediately, Dad sighed. "When we got divorced, I said I’d take you with me. Your mom almost went crazy fighting it. "If you move here now, it’s going to be hard to see her again—" "I don't care," I said, my voice cracking. "Chloe is her daughter now. "If I leave, she’ll probably be happy." There was a long silence on the other end. Then, I heard a woman’s voice in the background. She called out my dad’s name and asked, "Who are you talking to? Dinner’s getting cold." I gripped the phone tightly, my knuckles white. "Dad... are you... married again?" I didn't wait for him to answer. I hung up. It didn’t matter. Senior year was almost over. When it came time to apply for college, I’d just pick one as far away from this house as possible. I tried to comfort myself, scrolling through social media to distract my brain. I opened Instagram. The first thing I saw was a post from my cousin, Chloe: [Photo of a bowl of perfectly peeled tangerine segments. Every piece of white pith had been meticulously removed, leaving only pure, flawless orange flesh.] Caption: When they love you, they make sure you have the best ~ ❤️ I recognized those hands in the photo immediately. Before Chloe showed up, those hands held mine every single day, walking me through every street and alley of this city. Looking at the comments filled with people hyping up how "blessed" she was, I slammed my phone face down. I snatched that half-peeled tangerine off the table, ripped the rest of the skin off, and shoved the whole thing into my mouth. Crunch. It was bitter as hell. They were coming back from a fancy steakhouse when I finished my instant ramen. As they walked in, my boyfriend, Tyler, noticed my face—probably pale with a slight yellow tint. He frowned. "You have a bad stomach, and you're still eating that trash?" I ignored him, keeping my face blank. Mom tried to smooth things over. She giggled and grabbed Tyler’s arm. "Tyler, you’re so handsome, get such good grades, and you’re so thoughtful. There must be tons of girls chasing you at school." Chloe seemed to know exactly what Mom was implying. Her face turned bright red. "Auntie, why are you asking him that?" "What? I’m just saying, the early bird gets the worm." Mom winked suggestively. "I’ve watched Tyler grow up. If he could be my nephew-in-law, I’d die happy." I looked at the pink hair tie on Tyler’s wrist and let out a cold laugh. For once, I decided to play along with my mom. "Yeah, Tyler. You’re number one in class, she’s number two. Even the teachers say you guys are a perfect match. "I think you two should get engaged right after graduation. "Get married in college and have kids. Maybe you’ll get extra credits for it—" "Maya!" Tyler’s expression snapped. Without another word, he grabbed my wrist and dragged me out of the house. He didn't stop until we reached a secluded spot. He stood there, looking down at me, interrogating me. "How could you try to pair your own boyfriend up with another girl?" I stared into his cold eyes. I lifted my bangs, revealing a forehead that was swollen and turning a nasty purple. "Oh, you still remember that you're my boyfriend?" I watched his face cloud over. I knew exactly what he was thinking. This afternoon, Chloe was reading in the bleachers while Tyler was playing basketball. A rogue ball flew right toward her. Everyone in the bleachers was screaming, trying to warn her. But she was too immersed in "the ocean of knowledge" to notice. Just before it hit her, Tyler, who had been drinking water next to me, took a huge stride forward. At the very last second, he powerfully swatted the ball away. It hit my head with perfect precision. I stumbled, the world spinning. I almost blacked out. I barely managed to gasp out, "Tyler," before I realized he hadn’t noticed my situation at all. Instead, Chloe was tugging at the bottom of his jersey. She was biting the end of her pen, looking at him cutely. "Tyler, could you look at this problem? Is there another way to solve it?" Tyler could never say no to Chloe. So, he didn’t know I got hurt and went home early. He didn't know that since Chloe appeared, the scales in his heart had tilted so far they were broken. I looked up at him. "Tyler. Let’s break up." Unfortunately, Tyler didn't hear me. His phone rang, and his frown deepened as he listened. After hanging up, he looked at me, sounding exasperated. "Chloe doesn't have a family, Maya. It's been hard enough for her to grow up into the person she is today. "Why do you have to insist on pushing her away?" Watching his back as he turned and walked away decisively, my heart sank. Five minutes later, my unease was confirmed. Standing just outside the front door, I could hear Chloe sobbing inside. "I know Maya doesn't like me. I know it. "It’s fine, Auntie. I can move into the school dorms." "Absolutely not!" Mom’s voice rose sharply. "The dorms are terrible, and living in a group like that will ruin your focus on studying!" "She’s right," Tyler’s voice added, sounding muffled. "Don't rush into anything. Let me try to talk to Maya again, she—" Creak. I opened the door. I looked at the messy living room, still trying to process the timeline of events. Before I could, Mom rushed over and slapped me. Her hand was shaking afterward. She looked at me like I was a total disappointment. "How dare you call your father to complain? "If you think I’m kicking Chloe out, you have another thing coming. "How did I give birth to something so selfish and cruel as you?" My cheek stung like fire. My brain was buzzing. A long moment later, I heard Mom say: "Is this all because of that tangerine? Fine. I'll make sure you eat your fill tonight." She pulled out a fifty-dollar bill and shoved it at Tyler. "Tyler, sorry to ask, but could you run to the store? Buy a whole crate of tangerines." I barely managed to stand steady. I looked at Chloe, standing next to her suitcase, her eyes mocking and triumphant. Instinctively, I looked at Tyler, hoping he would say something, anything, in my defense. He didn't. He turned his head away, his face like stone. "Okay." As he brushed past me to go to the store, Tyler said coldly: "I guess I spoiled you too much. It made you arrogant, entitled, and completely lacking empathy. "Maybe this will actually teach you a lesson." After Mom tucked Chloe into bed, she sat in the living room, staring at me. "If you don't eat them, I’m going to the school tomorrow and pulling you out. You can drop out for all I care." I looked at the floor. A big, yellow crate full of tangerines. Surprisingly, my heart was eerily calm. I didn’t do what I usually did when I got alone time with Mom—I didn’t cry or explain how unfair it was. I didn’t say how Chloe was taller than me, yet since she arrived, I hadn't gotten single new piece of clothing. I always had to wear her hand-me-downs. I didn't say how the big, master bedroom went to her because her grades were better. I didn't say how Mom, afraid Chloe would feel homesick, strictly forbade me from getting too close to her or showing affection. ... The sun was almost up. I looked at the very last tangerine in the crate. I picked it up slowly. Mom snatched it out of my hand. She looked at me like she didn't even recognize me. Then, she said calmly: "Wow. Look how greedy you are. "You couldn't even save one for Chloe?" I obediently pulled my hand back. I walked to the bathroom, leaned over the toilet, and threw everything up. That was when Dad made a video call. Seeing my face—I probably looked half-dead—he started stuttering in panic. "What... what happened? What's wrong? "I warned your mother last night, did she not listen?" I wiped my mouth, my voice dripping with sarcasm. "This is all thanks to you." Just as I was about to hit delete and block his number, a pretty face appeared on the other end. The woman took one look at me and turned pale. It took her a moment to regain her composure. "Your father and I talked about it. There are only a few months left until graduation. Transferring now won’t do you any good. "It’s better if we rent you an apartment right next to school so you can focus on studying. "As soon as you graduate, you come here." As she spoke, she flipped the camera to show me a bedroom. "In the meantime, your dad and I will get this room set up for you. "That way, when you come home, it’ll be comfortable." Tears blurred my vision. I stared at the screen, unable to believe what I was seeing. I choked out one word. "Okay." Considering that renting an apartment had too many uncertainties, I decided to move into the school dorms for the last two months instead. First thing I did when I got to school was explain the situation to my homeroom teacher. When the bell rang, I walked into the classroom with the teacher. Instantly, I caught Tyler’s eyes. His gaze darkened. "Chloe had some questions about studying, so she’s sitting in your spot temporarily. Do you really have to drag a teacher into something this small?" That was when I noticed. Chloe had taken my backpack and thrown it carelessly onto the floor. She had already arranged all her belongings neatly on my desk. Someone laughed in the back. "Come on, Maya. They’re a couple, they want to sit together. Just let them have it ~" "Yeah, seriously. Save Tyler the trouble of running back and forth between classes..." "You’ve monopolized Tyler for years. He has a girlfriend now. Have some boundaries!" Hearing this, Chloe blushed and whispered, "I really just needed help with studying... It’s not like your grades are as good as mine anyway, sitting next to Tyler is a waste for you... so..." "You two can stay locked together for all I care," I interrupted coldly. I picked up my backpack from the floor and walked straight to the back row. For some reason, during the lecture, Tyler kept turning around to look at me. Even though I had induced vomiting, my stomach still felt awful. During the long break, I went to the nurse’s office to get some medicine. Walking past the entrance, I heard a familiar voice. "It’s Maya’s birthday today. Tyler, you should come over tonight to celebrate too." Mom was standing in the sunlight, looking so gentle it was almost blinding. She pulled out her phone. "Chloe, sweetheart, come pick out a cake ~" Chloe smiled innocently, seemingly seeing nothing wrong with this. She took the phone and scrolled for a bit. "This one, Auntie! I’ve wanted to try this for ages. I heard the mango flavor is incredible ~" Mom laughed awkwardly. "Maybe... a different flavor? "Maya... she’s allergic to mangoes." My feet stopped moving. I stepped back and hid around the corner. I hesitated. I was planning on moving into the dorms tonight... but I didn't realize Mom was preparing a birthday surprise for me... "Oh, okay," Chloe said, her eyes filling with tears, her voice trembling. "I'm just happy to have cake. "When I was little, my parents always fought on my birthday... I never got to eat cake, not even once..." "We’ll get this one," Mom interrupted, her voice suddenly decisive. "It’s just for the ritual, anyway. Maya... she doesn't even like cake that much. "Good girl, we’ll do what you want." Tyler didn't seem to think anything was wrong with that. He just smiled slightly. "I got Maya a gift, but I got one for you too, Chloe." Watching this scene of a happy, harmonious family, I couldn't help but mock myself. Why was I so delusional? Trying to dream a dream that didn't belong to me? I didn't stay to hear them discuss the details of the surprise. I turned and left. After swallowing the medicine, I went to a convenience store, bought some basic necessities, and set them up in my new dorm room. For the rest of the day, Tyler and Chloe were stuck together, chatting intimately. Every now and then, Tyler would glance back at me. When school let out, Tyler stood in front of my desk. He looked arrogant, his tone condescending, like he was doing me a favor. "Go home first. Remember to clear off your desk so there's room for gifts. "I have to finish explaining these problems to Chloe." He didn't wait for me to answer. He went back to his seat. I just shrugged, grabbed my backpack, and left. Like any other boarding student, I got food from the cafeteria and went back to the dorm to eat while I studied. Until night fell. The dorm matron found me. "Maya, does your family not know you're staying here? "Your mom and a tall, skinny boy are searching the whole school for you. "They look really worried... You should go see them."
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