"Look at you, I said I'm not angry. Everyone has close friends, right?" I smiled.
Patrick looked at me strangely.
"Well, Vallerie, we have a class reunion tonight, and they asked us to bring our partners."
I was speechless. I stuffed a mouthful of cake into my mouth and slowly swallowed it.
I remembered how I used to eagerly ask to attend his gatherings, but he never took me, always finding excuses to go with Samuel.
"I'll pick you up tonight."
"That's… not convenient. I have something tonight," I said.
"Is there something wrong with the company?"
I nodded. I wasn't going to tell him I had enrolled in a TOEFL class to avoid any more drama.
"It's fine and we can make it in time."
"No, I have a few projects and need to get data ready by tomorrow. I don't know how late I'll be working. Don't let me delay your reunion, and besides, I don't really like your circle," I said.
Patrick couldn't believe I said that. I used to cling to him, eager to announce to the world that I was his girlfriend.
"But they're all bringing their girlfriends."
"If I don't finish, I won't get my bonus this month," I said, wiping my mouth with a napkin and getting up to change clothes.
After a while, he said, "In that case, I'll take Samuel. Don't…"
I was already upstairs.
The sound of the door closing echoed.
I was unmoved.
My plan to go abroad was already set. When my best friend Tina found out, she took a day off work and traveled by train to see me.
We went out for hotpot, and my phone rang—it was Samuel.
We had a group chat, and Samuel posted pictures of her and Patrick at the reunion, even posting on Twitter with the caption.
[Tonight is a class reunion for childhood friends, and we could only bring our girlfriends.]
I silently liked her post. Patrick also liked it. I sneered. Patrick never liked or commented on my posts.
In the past, I would confronted him, demanding an explanation, or rushed to the venue to declare that I was his girlfriend.
But now, I found it pointless. I left the group chat and set Samuel's updates to invisible.
"What's up? Can't let go?" Tina asked.
"Pfft, can't let go of what? He's just a man, and a scumbag at that," I said, silencing my phone, and we happily enjoyed our hotpot.
That night, I didn't go home. Tina and I stayed up chatting until dawn.