When I logged back into my long–neglected
account, I realized rumors were flying. Several
of our regular teammates immediately
messaged me.
“Sarah! You’re finally back!”
“It’s just a breakup! No big deal!”
“Josh is so shallow, only caring about looks!
Good riddance!”
I was completely confused: “No, I’ve just been
busy lately.”
But no matter how I explained, no one believed
- me.
—
After a while, I finally understood why – Josh
had a new girlfriend.
“That new account he’s been playing with,
<
She’s studying broadcasting.”
I took a look and cringed. She was terrible, even
with all the in–game purchases Josh was
showering her with. It was painful to watch, and
I felt bad for Josh having to carry her so
patiently.
To cleanse my eyes, I went to find the pro
gamer to team up.
Sometimes he seemed busy, sometimes free.
I was very direct about my needs: “Pro gamer, my eyes are burning. Need some pro plays to cleanse them?”
Five minutes later, the pro gamer and I teamed
up and destroyed the other team.
Finally satisfied, I was about to log off when I
heard that low, laid–back voice again.
“Seems like you really liked him.”
I thought I was hallucinating. “What?”
The pro gamer explained, “They said you cried your voice hoarse the day he broke up with you.T
Me:
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“But now he has a new girlfriend, and they
seem pretty happy. You shouldn’t dwell on it. He’s not worth it.”
Me: “.
This was getting ridiculous.
I deadpanned, “Why would I bother chasing after him? There are plenty of guys at MIT.”
Pro gamer: “…
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10:48
Realizing that sounded a little too eager, I
corrected myself, “Actually, I shouldn’t be
greedy. I just want the cutest one!”
There was a pause before a low chuckle came
from the other end.
3
“You have high aspirations.”
At the end of August, I dragged my suitcase to campus for orientation.
The sun was scorching, and there wasn’t a
breath of wind. I pulled down my baseball cap
and continued walking.
MIT was great, except the campus was huge. I
was practically dying of heat.
Suddenly, a guy jogged over from a short
distance away, “Hey! Are you a freshmeno
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Foreign Languages? ̈
0000
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I looked up, and he seemed to freeze for a
moment, his ears turning red.
“Thanks! But I’m in the School of Engineering.
Do you know where their check–in is?”
His eyes widened in surprise. Only when I asked again did he quickly reply, “Oh, just go straight ahead, then turn left at the end. That suitcase looks heavy. Want me to help you?”
I politely declined and continued on, finally finding the place.
Several guys were lounging in chairs. When they saw me stop, one of them clicked his tongue.
“Hey, are you looking for Ethan too? Bad
timing, he just went to the advisor’s office.
Come back later.”
Fthan?
<
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Who?
“No,” I handed over my ID, “I’m here to check in.”
The guys lounging under the tent all turned
around in shock.
“Whoa?!”
Just after settling into the dorm, I received a
message from Chloe.
“Sarah, I miss you so much! The thought of not
seeing you every day breaks my heart!”
“Chloe, if I remember correctly, your school is
right across the street from mine.”
“I don’t care, I don’t care!” Chloo whined
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“I don’t care, I don’t care!” Chloe whined, “Did
you know you’re already on the MIT confessions
page on the first day?! So many people are
going to try and steal my best friend!”
Me: “…Confessions page?”
I clicked on it and found someone had indeed
posted a candid photo of me.
Emmm… I was dragging my suitcase, sweating
like a dog under the sun. I hadn’t realized
someone took a picture.
“OMG! This year’s freshmen are so pretty!”
“She’s gorgeous! Future campus queen, anyone
disagree? Which department? Foreign Languages?”
“Looking for contact info! Please!”
“Forget it, buddy. She’s in EECS! How did those
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nerds get so lucky?!”
“??? Seriously? EECS already has Ethan, and
now this? Campus king and queen in the same department, is this fair?”
Ethan? That must be Ethan Payne, the guy they mentioned earlier. He seemed pretty popular.
Oh right, I almost forgot to message the pro
gamer.
“Hey, I’m on campus!”
A while later, he replied: “Was busy, didn’t see
- it. You’re here already?”
“Yep! You’re busy, so I’ll let you go. My
roommates are here, we’re going out to eat
later.”
A few minutes later, he sent a short list, “These restaurants near the west gate are pretty
く
Having a “local” was definitely convenient!
My roommates were all from different
departments, but they were nice. After
introductions, we were ready to go out.
Just as we sat down, Josh suddenly sent me a
picture. My heart skipped a beat.
-It was the candid photo from earlier!
4
“Sarah, is this girl in your department?”
Seeing Josh’s next message, I felt a strange mix of emotions.
“Yeah, how did you know?”
Josh chuckled, “Don’t you know? This girl is
super popular. Even our school’s heard about
she’s in EECS!”
>
This guy… wasn’t he just showing off his new
girlfriend? Why was he asking about this?
“I’ve heard a little.”
Then, Josh sent a Venmo request: “You’re right there, can you get me her contact info?”
Me: “…”
There are many ways to reconnect with an ex- boyfriend, but I somehow missed this one.
“Won’t your girlfriend be mad?” I asked.
Josh seemed indifferent, chuckling, “Just
making a new friend, why would she be mad? If
you get me her contact info, I’ll double the
Venmo, how about that?”
I accepted the request without hesitation.
<
“Sure, I’ll try.”
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We’d already added each other months ago, so
I didn’t feel guilty about taking his money.
Just as I put down my phone, one of my
roommates gasped.
“Is that Ethan?!”
Huh?
I turned to look out the window.
Even though I didn’t know who “Ethan” was, I
immediately guessed.
-He was too striking.
The guy was tall, probably around 6’2“, with a slender build, broad shoulders, and long legs.
He was standing by the road with a few other
people looking down at his phone seemingly
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people, looking down at his phone, seemingly waiting for a ride. I couldn’t see his whole face, but his high nose bridge, sharp jawline, and slightly messy hair exuded an air of effortless
cool.
He was captivating.
My phone buzzed. It was a message from the
pro gamer.
“How’s the food?”
