Just because my childhood best friend, Anthony, casually mentioned how jealous he was of guys whose girlfriends made them giant handmade gift towers, I spent days and nights doing manual labor. I assembled every single piece by hand, finally finishing it right before graduation. But on Christmas Day, while I was out, he took my gift tower and gave it to Chloe, the prettiest girl in our class. Outside the restaurant booth, I heard Chloe asking him hesitantly, "Sofia put so much effort into making this. Is it really okay to just give it to me?" Anthony let out a soft laugh and replied carelessly, "It's not like I begged her to make it. Besides, I never actually accepted her confession back then." "I just thought it was fun having her follow me around like a puppy, so I never explicitly rejected her." Hearing his reply, I froze in place. I looked down at my fingers, which were covered in band-aids. Tears welled up in my eyes. Mortified, I ran out of the restaurant and threw myself into a cab by the curb. On the ride home, the harsh truth finally hit me. He wasn't some emotionally unavailable guy. He was just never going to bloom for me.
Ding— My phone screen lit up. It was a Snapchat message from Anthony. "Sofia, where are you?" I stared at the screen for a long time before slowly typing back: "Something came up at home. I had to leave early." "Merry Christmas." It took forever for him to reply with a simple, "K." I stared at that single letter, feeling a huge lump in my throat. Suddenly, I had nothing left to say. When I got home, my phone kept buzzing non-stop. I opened it and saw the group chat was blowing up. "Anthony, you got Chloe a gift but made Sofia do the actual work? That’s so insincere!" "Are you two planning to apply to the same college to keep your romance going?" Watching everyone tease them, my heart sank. Just as I was about to leave the group chat, Chloe sent a message. "Sofia, thank you so much for the handmade gift tower! I absolutely love it!" "I didn't expect Anthony to remember when I casually mentioned it." To my surprise, Anthony, who barely ever posted in the group, replied instantly. "Chloe, don't worry about it. Sofia is family." "Chloe and I have similar SAT scores. Even if we don’t get into the same college, we’ll definitely end up in the same city." Just then, someone brought me up. "Is Sofia coming with you guys too? She’s been following you around since we were kids." Seeing that message, a wave of anxiety hit me. I gripped my phone so hard my hands started to shake. A second later, Anthony's reply popped up. "Whatever she wants. Why should I care? I’m not her parent." Looking at his answer, my breath caught in my throat. My heart plunged into a bottomless icy abyss. I slowly closed my eyes, and tears finally broke free, spilling down my cheeks and landing right on my burned fingers. I thought back to my memories with Anthony. From learning to walk together to him riding his bike to take me to school every day, we were practically inseparable. This crush had lasted over a decade. I was the only girl by his side. I had always believed we would end up together eventually. It was just a matter of time. Until Chloe showed up and threw me off. She was a transfer student. Her family wasn't well-off, but she was gorgeous, and tons of guys sent her love letters. Once, when Anthony was bringing me some books, he happened to find Chloe cornered by a few girls who were accusing her of stealing. Chloe denied it, panic-stricken, and stumbled right into Anthony's arms. Their eyes locked. From that moment on, Chloe became a constant presence next to Anthony, and I became the one trailing behind them. In the beginning, I casually asked him how he felt about Chloe. Every time, he would roll his eyes at me and say impatiently, "What could I possibly feel for her? I just think she’s pitiful." "Instead of overthinking, you should study harder. Otherwise, how are you going to keep up with me in college?" But now, in front of everyone, he said I had nothing to do with him. I took a deep breath, forced my eyes open, wiped my tears away, and quickly typed a reply: "Anthony, since you gave it to Chloe, you owe me for the materials and labor. Venmo me $1,200." "And as for college, I’ll apply wherever I want. It has nothing to do with you." Right after sending that, I left the group chat. I walked out of my room and told my parents firmly, "I've made up my mind. I'm going to college in Europe after this summer." Anthony, I’m done forcing myself for you. And I’m definitely done chasing after you.
After I left the group chat, several classmates DM'ed me, asking what happened between Anthony and me. "Sofia, right after you left the group, Chloe told Anthony she wanted to return the gift." "She sent voice notes of her sobbing, and then she left the group chat too." I frowned, feeling completely indifferent. "So what? Anthony just needs to Venmo me. I’m not taking a loss on this." Just then, my doorbell rang. Looking through the peephole, I saw Anthony standing outside with a dark, angry face. I took a deep breath, opened the door, and said coldly, "What do you want?" "Sofia, what the hell was that in the group chat?" "Chloe already has low self-esteem, and you had to say that in front of everyone? Do you know how hurt she is?" I looked down and quietly listened to him yell. My nose stung, but I forced the bitterness back down. After a long pause, I looked up and asked in a raspy voice, "So, what do you want me to do?" Anthony rubbed his temples in frustration, his voice filled with impatience. "Sofia, normally I don't care how you treat me, but you have to apologize to Chloe this time." "She’s insisting on returning the gift tower now, and she won't even see me." He paused, a look of genuine worry crossing his face as he continued, "If Chloe doesn't go to the same college or city as me, what if she gets bullied? Who’s going to protect her?" "So Sofia, stop being childish. Come with me to apologize." With that, Anthony grabbed my wrist—the one with the fresh burns—and tried to drag me outside. The pain was so sharp I gasped. "Ouch! Let go of me!" He let go immediately, but it was too late. My newly healed skin had ripped open again. "What's wrong with your hand? Come on, I'm taking you to the hospital." He reached out to grab my wrist again, but I stepped back, shook my head, and said softly, "No need. I can handle it myself. But I am not apologizing." I rarely went against Anthony's wishes, so my refusal caught him off guard. His face darkened, and his eyes turned cold. "No wonder Chloe said you didn't seem to like her and were always targeting her. I’m so disappointed in you, Sofia." Hearing that, I actually laughed. I waved my hand dismissively and said with complete indifference, "Think whatever you want. It has nothing to do with me anymore." "Now, I don't want to see you. Get out of my house." Anthony stood there in silence, staring at me coldly for a long moment before turning on his heel and leaving without looking back. I shut the door, slid down against the wall, and collapsed onto the floor. My chest felt so heavy, like a giant rock was crushing my lungs. It was hard to breathe. Ding— Anthony had Venmoed me the money. The note read: "Consider the gift tower bought. We’re even now." Looking at the notification, I let out a self-deprecating laugh and replied without hesitation: "Thanks. So generous of you." Anthony didn't reply, and I didn't bother keeping the chat open. Only the throbbing pain in my hand reminded me of what had just happened. That very night, Anthony and Chloe went Instagram official. In the photo, they were hugging intimately with my gift tower in the center. The comments were flooded with congratulations. "So sweet! Congrats!" "I thought you guys would fight because of what Sofia said, but it actually got you two together faster!" A few minutes later, Chloe left a general reply in the comments: "I misunderstood Anthony. He explained to me later that he bought it specifically for me. Maybe Sofia just got confused at first." "Sofia, I'm really sorry for causing a fight between you and Anthony. I hope you aren't mad at me." I curled my lips into a sarcastic smile and commented back: "Why would I be mad? You're the most important person to Anthony now. Best wishes." Not long after I posted that, Anthony sent me a DM. "Chloe and I want to treat everyone to dinner tomorrow night. You should come." "Chloe wants to clear things up with you in person so there are no misunderstandings." I stared at the message blankly for a long time before slowly typing, "Okay."
By the time I pushed open the door to the restaurant booth, almost everyone had arrived. Chloe was clinging to Anthony's arm, laughing and chatting with the others. I took a deep breath, digging my nails into my palms to calm myself down. Forcing a smile, I walked over. "Anthony, Chloe, congratulations!" Hearing my voice, Chloe walked over with a bright smile, took my hands, and said sweetly, "Sofia, I thought you wouldn't show up. I was so worried." She paused, then turned to Anthony with a playful pout. "Anthony, come over and apologize to Sofia. You were so mean to her yesterday." Anthony sighed with mock helplessness, nodding, his eyes filled with indulgence. "Alright, alright." He reached out, trying to ruffle my hair like he used to, and said casually, "I was just stressed yesterday. Don't take it to heart, okay?" His sudden gesture caught me off guard. I quickly took two steps back, my voice turning stiff. "You're overthinking. I didn't take it to heart. I only came today to congratulate you guys." He froze, his hand hanging awkwardly in the air. He opened his mouth but didn't say anything. Seeing this, Chloe quickly grabbed his hand, locking her fingers with his. She laughed it off, saying, "It's great that Sofia isn't mad. I was so worried you’d be unhappy about us being together." She leaned into Anthony's chest, her cheeks flushing slightly. My lips curved into a faint smile. I looked at the expressionless Anthony and said sincerely, "Why would I be? Anthony is like a brother to me. I'm genuinely happy he found such a pretty girlfriend." Anthony narrowed his eyes at me. A flash of disdain crossed his face as he sneered, "A brother? Sofia, since when did you start looking at me like a brother?" "Well, you better start getting used to it, brother." I smiled, meeting his gaze head-on, before making an excuse to go to the restroom. With no one else around, I stared at myself in the mirror for a long time. I let out a quiet sigh and whispered, "Sofia, it's time to lock these feelings away. A crush that never even started is officially over." After collecting myself, I walked out of the restroom, only to find Anthony standing by the door with a deep frown. Seeing me, he pulled me to the side and said coldly, "Sofia, what the hell was that back there? Were you trying to provoke Chloe on purpose?" I pursed my lips and said softly, "No. I meant what I said." "You meant it? Sofia, do you really think I'm that stupid?" "As if I don't know how you feel about me!" At those words, I snapped my head up and stared at him. The years of bottled-up pain rushed to the surface, and my voice trembled. "Anthony, if you've always known how I felt, why did you pretend you didn't? How could you comfortably enjoy everything I did for you without feeling guilty?" He sighed, reaching out to tuck a strand of hair behind my ear, and said flatly, "I didn't understand before. But once I met Chloe, I finally learned what chemistry feels like." "Sofia, I just don't feel that spark with you." "If I did things in the past that led you on, I apologize. But I don't want you being hostile to Chloe." I bit my lip so hard I could taste copper before slowly letting go. My voice was incredibly hoarse. "Fine. I got the wrong idea. I wish you two a lifetime of happiness." With that, I brushed past him and walked straight back to the booth. For the rest of the night, I sat in the corner, quietly watching Anthony and Chloe whisper to each other, acting like the perfect, lovestruck couple. Eventually, I pulled out my phone and hit submit on my study abroad enrollment form. With that done, I downed my glass of red wine and left the restaurant without looking back.
Over the next few days, Chloe posted tons of photos. They were kissing under the Disneyland castle, watching the sunrise on a mountain top, and walking hand-in-hand on the beach. Their happiness practically leaped off the screen. I felt absolutely nothing. I liked every single post with a blank face, then spent my time discussing my relocation details with the study abroad agency. The university I applied to was in the UK. The school and the major were things I genuinely chose for myself. It had nothing to do with anyone else. A few days later, Anthony and Chloe returned from their trip. They came to my house with shopping bags. "Sofia, Anthony told me you love this franchise, so we bought you a bunch of merch. Do you like it?" My lips curved into a polite smile as I took the bags. "I love it. Thanks for thinking of me while you were away." Anthony let out a mocking laugh and said sarcastically, "Well, we had to. Someone was liking every single one of Chloe's posts. The hint was pretty obvious." I rolled my eyes, too exhausted to argue with him. Just then, Anthony noticed my SAT prep books on the desk. He picked one up and flipped through it. "Sofia, why are you studying this now?" I didn't want to tell him I was moving to the UK, so I just went along with it. "It doesn't hurt to learn more." Anthony didn't say anything, but he raised an eyebrow and casually grabbed Chloe's hand. "Well, college decisions are coming out soon. Chloe and I are planning to go to NYU. What about you?" I smiled and said honestly, "I'm not going to NYU. I don't want to get in your way." "Then where are you going? Other colleges are just average. You don't need to avoid NYU just to stay away from us." "Sofia, neither Chloe nor I feel like you're in the way." Anthony's brow furrowed, a hint of annoyance in his voice. Chloe's face stiffened a bit. She let out an awkward laugh and tried to intervene. "Anthony, Sofia isn't a kid. She has her own plans." "What plans could she possibly have? She can barely take care of herself." "If something happens to her, I won't even be there to help." "Sofia, if you really don't want to go to NYU, then apply to another college in New York." Anthony's automatic dismissal of her words made Chloe’s face turn pale. She looked extremely uncomfortable. "Anthony, Sofia..." "Alright," I interrupted. "You two just got back from your trip. You should go home and get some rest." "You don't need to worry about my business. Chloe, thanks again for the gifts." Seeing my attitude, Anthony sneered. "Fine, do whatever you want. Just don't come crying to me later." "Chloe, let's go. I'll drive you home." He took Chloe's hand and walked out. I watched their retreating figures, sighed, and threw the gift bags into the corner of my room. Truth was, I didn't even like that franchise. Anthony was the one who liked it when we were kids because he thought the characters looked cool. He didn't even remember. We didn't contact each other after that night. It wasn't until the night before my flight to London that Anthony sent me a text. "Move-in day is coming up. Are you finally going to tell me which college in New York you're going to?" "If you're not at NYU, Chloe and I will come visit you." I hesitated for a moment, then finally sent the text I had been holding back. "Anthony, you always knew I liked you, right?" It took a long time for his reply to come. "Sofia, Chloe and I are together now. Saying this is completely pointless." "You just need to know that we are still important to each other." I stared at the message, let out a peaceful laugh, and replied with a simple "Okay." I blocked his number right after. The next day, Anthony was attending a family gala. By the time he tried calling me, I was already sitting on the plane to England. Looking at the missed calls, my heart remained completely still. I took a photo of the view outside the window and posted it on Instagram. "Goodbye, New York! Off to the UK to chase my dreams!" After posting, I blocked Anthony on all social media platforms and whispered, "Goodbye, Anthony."
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