Chapter 3
At five the next morning, when the alarm rang, the sky was still dark.
I put on my sneakers, went out, and took a jump rope to the community square.
On the first day, I only jumped two hundred times before I was panting like I was about to die.
On the third day, I increased it to five hundred, and my calves were so sore they trembled when I went upstairs.
On the fifth day, after jumping one thousand times, I leaned over a trash can and threw up.
But I never stopped for even one day.
On the evening of the sixth day, I was stretching downstairs when Nicholas came back from playing soccer outside.
He held a soccer ball and looked me up and down.
“Why are you covered in sweat?”
I did not speak and kept stretching my leg.
He walked over and leaned against the wall, saying casually, “A classmate saw you jumping rope to lose weight?”
I still said nothing.
He kept talking to himself, his tone carrying that careless certainty he always had.
“If you really want to lose weight, get a gym membership. Jumping rope alone won’t do much. With your weight… never mind.”
After a pause, he added, “By the way, did you get your Harvard University admission letter? Mine arrived.”
My hand paused for a moment.
He thought I was still going to Harvard University.
Everyone thought so.
I straightened up and walked into the building with no expression on my face.
Behind me, he shouted, “Did you get it or not?”
The building door closed, cutting off his voice.
As I went upstairs, the corner of my mouth actually curved slightly.
Nicholas Reed, take your time waiting.
When October third comes, you’ll know.
On the eighth night, someone posted a video in the class group chat.
It was footage of me jumping rope in the community square.
Heavy panting, soaked clothes, jumping once and stopping once, and my fat shaking nonstop with every rise and fall.
The person filming had deliberately chosen the ugliest angle.
[I’m dying hahahaha Serena Hayes really started losing weight!!]
[Nicholas’s words really hit her hard, huh?]
[Austin said she’d look good after losing weight? I couldn’t see any potential in that face even with a magnifying glass.]
Chloe Summers: [Serena, good luck! Anyway, there are tons of pretty girls at Harvard Law, so if you don’t lose a little weight, you’ll seriously feel inferior once school starts.]
Nicholas also came out and sent a message.
My heart jumped.
He said:
[Stop posting stuff like this. Are you all children?]
Someone teased him: [Nicholas, are you feeling sorry for her???]
He replied:
[Are you guys bored? What does her losing weight have to do with me? I never liked her.]
What did it have to do with him?
Right, it never had anything to do with him.
I liked him for twelve years, and he said it had nothing to do with him.
Fine.
From now on, it really would have nothing to do with you.
I left the class group chat.
I opened Nina’s chat box. [I’m going to stay at my grandma’s place until school starts. Keep it a secret for me. If anyone asks, say you don’t know.]
Nina: [Leave it to me. But you have to promise me you’ll come back alive.]
I smiled and typed an OK.
Then I opened Nicholas’s chat box.
I looked at all the messages I had sent him over the past three years.
“My mom made apple pie today. Want to come over?”
“It’s raining on the way home. I brought you an umbrella.”
“Good night.”
Every single one had been read and ignored.
On the rare occasions he replied, it was always “Mm,” “Got it,” or “Stop bothering me.”
I took a deep breath.
Delete friend.
No hesitation.
Early the next morning, I dragged my suitcase downstairs.
Downstairs, I ran into Nicholas’s mom.
“Serena, where are you going?”
“To my grandma’s place for a while.”
“Then when Nicholas comes to your house for dinner later…”
“Mrs. Reed,” I smiled, “Nicholas is already an adult, so there’s no need to trouble my mom anymore.”
When I carried my suitcase out of the community, a window opened behind me.
I knew it was Nicholas’s room.
But I did not look back.
Not even once.