In our suite, we were like sisters. We did everything together—brunch, late-night library meltdowns, borrowing each other's clothes. We had a rule: We don’t let anyone mess with our girls. We celebrate everything. So today, my twentieth birthday, I woke up practically buzzing. Then, I saw their Instagram post. The three of them, at Seoul's Fire, my absolute favorite, impossible-to-get-a-reservation-at Korean BBQ place. The caption, under a photo dump of them clinking soju glasses, read: "Besties who K-BBQ together, stay together! ??" I was alone in my dorm, pulling the comforter over my head as the tears started to fall. 1 Last month, for Mia’s birthday—she’s the baby of the group and obsessed with cute guys—we special-ordered this insane, multi-layer cake from that bougie bakery downtown. We even tipped the delivery guy, who looked like a total frat god, an extra twenty bucks to sing "Happy Birthday" at the door. Mia’s shriek was legendary. We all laughed until we cried. We were that close. So I was dreaming big for my birthday. It was a Saturday. A whole day. What would the surprise be? That professional Copic marker set I’d been drooling over for art class? A road trip? Or maybe… Seoul's Fire? I was smiling about it in my sleep when I woke up to... noise. It was 9 AM. The three night owls—Jessica, Leah, and Mia—were actually up before noon, doing makeup, rummaging through closets, zipping bags. A little thrill went through me. I pretended to just wake up, mumbling, "Why are you guys up so early?" Mia, balanced on her desk chair, popped her head up. "It’s gorgeous out! We're hitting the mall. You in?" Before I could even answer, Jessica cut in, not even looking up from her mascara. "Chloe’s gotta study for the GREs. We can't distract her, right? She’s in the zone." "The GRE isn't for two months," I said, my voice small. "I can take today off." I don't think they even heard me. There was a flurry of perfume and the jangling of keys, and then the door clicked shut. The room was silent. I stared at the ceiling, and one thought calmed me down: They had to be planning a surprise. This was just a diversion. Just like we’d scouted three different bakeries for Mia’s cake. My heart settled. I rolled over, smiling, and fell back asleep. I dreamed we were at some karaoke bar, screaming Taylor Swift songs off-key, Leah spraying us all with silly string. I woke up with that smile still on my face. The room was still empty. I grabbed my phone. 11:03 AM. It was dead silent. No "Happy Birthday!" texts. No notifications. Even our group chat, "Suite 402's Finest," usually blowing up with memes, was a ghost town. A knot tightened in my stomach. What surprise takes this long to set up? I opened Instagram. First post. Jessica. A nine-photo carousel. The sizzling grill, the endless plates of banchan, the three of them laughing so hard Mia was blurry. And that caption. "Besties who K-BBQ together, stay together! ??" It was the place. The one with the premium wagyu I'd been talking about for months. The one Jessica had said was "way too expensive" and "a total rip-off." Leah had said, "We should save it, go for a really special occasion." I guess my birthday wasn't special enough. I stared at the pictures. They looked so happy. So complete. Without me. Someone from the next suite over, a girl named Lauren, commented: Where's Chloe?? ? Jessica replied instantly. Ugh, she’s chained to her desk studying for the GREs! We can't drag our little genius down! ? A winky-face emoji. It felt like a bucket of ice water. My blood ran cold. They hadn't just forgotten. They’d actively lied. But why? I scrolled through my texts, my brain spinning. We hadn't fought. There was no drama. Maybe it’s a misunderstanding? I thought. Maybe they just wanted me to study? But Jessica was studying for the GREs, too. And she was there, front and center, holding up a piece of galbi. I wanted to call them. To scream. But my pride wouldn't let me. I just laid there, feeling hollow. 2 Then my mom called. "Happy birthday, sweetie! Did you get the Venmo I sent? What are the girls doing for you? Are you guys going out?" My throat closed up. The tears I’d been holding back started to sting. I turned toward the wall, trying to keep my voice steady. "Thanks, Mom! I'm actually... at the library right now." I whispered, trying to sound like I was being quiet for other people. "On your birthday? At the library?" "Yeah, we're all studying for the GREs," I lied, the words tasting like ash. "It’s a huge grind. We're gonna go out later tonight, though. A big celebration." "Oh, okay, honey. Well, don't study too hard! Love you!" "Love you too, Mom. Gotta go, don't want to bother people." I hung up fast, and the tears I'd been holding back just... broke. I buried my face in my pillow and cried, fat, silent tears dropping onto the sheets. The feeling of being dumped, of being left out, was so heavy I could barely breathe. After a while, I dried my eyes, pulled myself out of bed, and ordered a single vanilla cupcake from DoorDash. I washed my face, grabbed my backpack, and went to the campus pond. The bakery, bless them, had seen my "Happy Birthday to Me" note and sent two little number candles: a '2' and a '0.' I stuck them in the frosting. I didn't have a lighter. I closed my eyes. "I wish," I whispered to the ducks, "to always be strong enough to handle anything." I "blew" out the imaginary flames and ate the whole thing. I spent the rest of the afternoon in the library, and honestly, my focus was razor-sharp. I aced a practice test. At 8 PM, I grabbed a container of Pad Thai from the place off-campus and headed back. I slid my key into the lock. The door swung open into total darkness. I fumbled for the light switch. Before I could hit it— POP! My heart leaped into my throat as confetti and streamers rained down on me. "Don't turn on the light!" Mia yelled. Three phone flashlights clicked on, blinding me. Jessica was holding a small, slightly lopsided birthday cake, singing "Happy birthday to you..." Mia and Leah chimed in, filming me with their phones. The song finished. "Make a wish, Chloe!" Jessica cheered, her smile huge. I just stood there. My Pad Thai was getting cold in my hand. Then, click. I flipped the main light switch. 3 The harsh fluorescent light made them all blink. Their smiles froze. "Surprise!" Mia yelled, a little weaker this time. "Aren't you surprised?" "Surprise what?" I asked. My voice was flat. Dead. "A surprise?" I set my takeout on my desk. "You mean... ditching me to go to Seoul's Fire, the one place I've been dying to go, and then lying about it on Instagram for the whole campus to see?" The silence in the room was so thick you could cut it. The only sound was the sizzling of the cheap candles, wax dripping onto the frosting. "Chloe, listen, it's not like that..." Mia started, putting her phone down. She reached for my arm. I pulled away. "Explain what? Explain how you 'forgot' me? On my birthday?" "No!" Jessica snapped, shoving the cake into Leah's hands. "We... we were checking it out for you! Scout mission!" "Yeah! Scout mission!" Leah echoed, nodding way too hard. "It's so expensive, we wanted to make sure it was, like, actually good before we took you!" A laugh, cold and bitter, escaped my lips. "A scout mission. Right. Does a scout mission require a nine-photo carousel? And a public comment about how I'm too busy studying to be 'dragged down'?" "I..." Jessica's eyes darted around. "I just didn't want you to see it and spoil the real surprise! This! This is the real surprise!" "Oh, really?" I said. "Well, thanks for being so thoughtful. I've only been feeling like garbage all afternoon because of your 'scouting'." "What is your problem, Chloe?" Jessica’s voice got sharp. She dropped the nice-girl act. "We ran all over town to get you this cake, we didn't even eat dinner, and you walk in and give us this attitude? After all the trouble we went to? You're being so ungrateful!" I was so stunned by the gaslighting I actually laughed. "Trouble? For me? You went to a hundred-dollar-a-person barbecue... for me? You posted 'sisterhood' selfies... for me? Jessica, I'm asking you seriously, did you think about me, me, for one second today?" "God, Chloe, don't be so sensitive," Leah muttered, frowning. "We just thought you were stressed about the GREs and wanted to study. We didn't think you'd even see the post..." "You didn't think I'd see the post." I repeated. That was the most ridiculous lie of all. "You know what? Save it." I was done. The string inside me just... snapped. "The cake looks great. You guys enjoy it. I'm not hungry." "From now on, let's just be... roommates. This whole 'best sisters' act... I'm tired." I yanked my bed curtain shut, climbed into my bunk, put in my earbuds, and blasted music until my ears buzzed. I heard them arguing in whispers below me. Jessica's voice was the loudest, sharp and indignant. Later, I heard the thud of the cake box hitting the communal trash can. That night, our group chat stayed silent.
? Continue the story here ?? ? Download the "MotoNovel" app ? search for "385609", and watch the full series ✨! #MotoNovel