Faded Fireworks

My boyfriend’s team won the World Robotics Championship. During the celebratory hugs with teammates, the junior girl impulsively kissed him. Flustered afterwards, she blushed and quickly kissed all the other teammates too. In an instant, the whole internet was buzzing: “Hidden love can’t be concealed” “To kiss you once, she kissed six people’s faces” It’s indeed so sweet, I’ll ship it first. “June, you’re finally back! The final match is about to start!” In the living room, my parents and Simon’s parents were all sitting on the couch, nervously staring at the TV screen. I changed my clothes and brought some washed fruit to the living room. My mom complained, “June, you’re really not taking this seriously. It’s such an important competition for your boyfriend, and you didn’t even come back early?” I hugged my mom’s arm and whined, “I made it back in time, didn’t I? I was finalizing an article with my editor, we need to go to print tonight.” My mom tapped me lightly, dissatisfied, “Quit that magazine job soon and focus on your grad school applications!” Simon’s mom chimed in, “That’s right, June. You should apply to grad school in N City soon, so you and Simon won’t have to be in a long-distance relationship anymore.” My mom nodded in agreement, “Yes, the two of you have known each other since you were seven or eight, you’ve never been apart for so long.” I smiled softly, not continuing the topic. Simon and I had known each other since we were seven or eight when our families moved into the same building. We became childhood sweethearts. After high school graduation, he confessed to me, and we became a couple. When we told our classmates about our relationship, they were all surprised, “Oh, weren’t you two already together?” Everyone thought we were destined to be together, including both our parents. Simon and I had been dating for several years, almost inseparable. It wasn’t until last year when he got into graduate school in N City, and I failed my first attempt at grad school applications and stayed in our hometown to work at a magazine, that we started our long-distance relationship. At first, we would video chat and text every day, sharing our daily lives. But at some point, all of his topics with me became about robots and his genius junior, Sophia. “June, I’ve never met a girl with such quick thinking, so proficient in programming and mechanics. I always thought girls were like you, enjoying reading and drawing!” I knew nothing about programming and mechanics, and I didn’t want to know how excellent Sophia was. I could only become more and more silent. Gradually, he talked to me less and less. I scrolled through my phone; the last message was from over ten days ago. He said he needed to focus on preparing for the competition and might not have time to chat with me. Even when it was my birthday, he didn’t send a single message. He used to be the first person to wish me happy birthday, but this time, his wishes never came. I felt like something was slipping through my fingers like sand, impossible to hold onto. I was lost in thought. “They won! They won!” Simon’s dad and my dad cheered, while my mom and Simon’s mom happily applauded. I looked up at the screen. Simon’s team had just won the championship. The crowd at the venue cheered continuously, and team members hugged each other in celebration. Simon and the girl next to him were also hugging tightly. Suddenly, the girl lightly kissed Simon on the corner of his mouth. Simon froze, his face turning red, his arms still tightly around the girl. The girl realized what she had done and blushed, looking flustered. She quickly grabbed the nearest teammate and hastily kissed him on the cheek, then proceeded to kiss all the other teammates in quick succession. The venue erupted in good-natured laughter, everyone was in high spirits. My heart felt ice-cold. This girl must be Sophia, right? After the competition ended, reporters interviewed on site, specifically asking Simon and Sophia, “Are you two a couple?” The other teammates laughed and teased them. Sophia blushed and remained silent, while Simon scratched his head and smiled, neither denying nor confirming. Simon’s dad frowned, “How could this girl behave like that? Casually kissing someone else’s boyfriend? And what’s wrong with Simon, why didn’t he deny it?” My mom gently patted my hand, “They’re probably just too excited about winning. They’re all young.” I forced a smile, “Yeah, they must be really happy.” Simon’s mom took my hand, “No matter what, we only recognize June as our daughter-in-law. Don’t worry, June. I’ll teach him a lesson when he gets back. He’s being too careless!” Simon’s dad added, “Let’s arrange the wedding for these two kids during the New Year. Getting married won’t affect his studies.” After Simon’s parents left, I went to the balcony to video call Simon. They were celebrating at the hotel restaurant. Simon seemed to have had a few drinks, his eyes looked excited. “June, did you watch my competition?” Suddenly, someone entered the frame. It was Sophia. She might have had some drinks too, her delicate face was flushed. Sophia leaned on Simon’s shoulder, her doe eyes looking at him lovingly, “Senior, they’re making me drink…” Simon carefully cupped her face and looked at her, then turned his head and called out, “Who’s making Sophia drink again? You know she can’t handle alcohol…” “Boss, who would dare to force the junior to drink with you around? She drank on her own~” “Yeah, boss, who are you video calling? Are you secretly introducing her to your parents? You say there’s nothing between you two, but you’re actually already together?” …… Simon turned back, looking a bit flustered, “Don’t talk nonsense, this is my girlfriend.” Sophia suddenly grabbed the phone, held it up and panned around, “This is sister-in-law, look how pretty she is!” I was disheveled, wearing pajamas, and was suddenly put on display for everyone’s curious gazes. Simon snatched the phone back and immediately hung up the video call. I returned to the living room. My parents were sitting on the couch, looking at me worriedly. I forced a smile, “What’s wrong?” “Did you and Simon have a fight? You’ve seemed distracted all day.” I shook my head, “We haven’t talked in a long time.” My mom anxiously said, “This long-distance relationship is bound to make feelings fade. You should apply to grad school in N City soon, everything will be fine once you two are together again.” My dad said, “I actually think their long-distance relationship isn’t a bad thing. These two kids got together too early, they haven’t seen the outside world or met other people. They should both broaden their horizons, see the world, figure out what they really want, and then make a decision.” I nodded, “I’m planning to go to N City this weekend.” My dad sighed, “Go ahead, ask Simon what he really thinks.” That night, I kept scrolling through my phone. Simon and Sophia were trending. “Hidden love can’t be concealed” “Love is the only eye contact in a chaotic crowd” “She kissed six people for you” …… The internet was going crazy with speculation. I didn’t sleep all night, but I didn’t receive any message from Simon either. On the weekend, I went to N City. When I found Simon, he was coming out of the lab building with Sophia. The autumn rain was cool, they were wearing matching scarves, walking side by side down the steps. Suddenly, Sophia slipped. Simon quickly steadied her, then simply picked up the petite Sophia by the waist, lifting her off the ground. Sophia giggled, “Senior, put me down, my waist is ticklish~” Simon smiled indulgently, “Don’t move, be careful not to fall.” I watched their smiling faces in a daze, feeling like I’d seen this scene before. Finally, I remembered. Back when we were in school, on rainy days when the steps were slippery, Simon used to carry me like this too. At the bottom of the steps, Simon put Sophia down. When he looked up, he saw me. He was stunned for a moment, “June, why are you here?” I hadn’t expected the temperature drop in N City and was dressed too lightly, shivering in the autumn wind. Simon unwrapped his scarf and put it around my neck, holding my cold hands. “June, why are you dressed so lightly? Why did you come all this way in the cold instead of staying home and focusing on your studies?” Sophia stared at his hands holding mine for a while, then looked away, asking with apparent curiosity, “Is senior applying for a PhD?” Simon explained, “She’s applying for grad school. She missed it by a few points last year.” I clearly saw a flash of contempt in Sophia’s eyes. Sophia, like Simon, had been directly admitted to grad school. She was a genius girl the school had competed to recruit, the apple of their advisor’s eye, and the darling of the whole team. I had heard Simon talk about this countless times. In comparison, I indeed had nothing to boast about. After all, I was just a failure who didn’t get into grad school, too far removed from their world of geniuses. “June, you haven’t eaten yet, right? Let’s go get something to eat.” After saying this, Simon instinctively looked at Sophia. Sophia pouted, “I’ll just eat at the cafeteria. Senior, you take your girlfriend out for something nice. Remember to come back early, we have a group meeting at 2 pm.” Simon looked at me again, “It’s almost 1 pm now…” I smiled lightly, “Don’t bother, let’s just eat at the cafeteria together.” Simon looked relieved, “Alright, I’ll show you our cafeteria then.” Sophia smiled sweetly, “Yes, our cafeteria is quite good, we can even order dishes!” Simon went to order food, while Sophia and I found a table to sit down. “Is senior studying the same major as us? Are you applying to our school again this year?” Our cafeteria, our major, our school… Her repeated use of “our” was a bit grating. I didn’t mind, just said calmly, “I study literature. Your school doesn’t have a suitable program, I’m planning to apply to N University.” Sophia nodded, the contempt in her eyes becoming more obvious, “Oh, senior studies literature?” I nodded. “Since you study literature, how did you end up with our senior who’s such a science and engineering nerd?” I didn’t respond, and she continued talking: “Senior, you don’t know, our senior is such a total nerd, I wonder how he even found a girlfriend~” “You know what? Once in class, I had really bad cramps and was in so much pain I couldn’t speak. He kept asking what was wrong, and when I told him my stomach hurt, he ran out without a word to buy medicine. Guess what he bought? He came back with diarrhea medicine! He thought I had an upset stomach!” “An upset stomach! Haha…” Sophia laughed uncontrollably. Simon came back, “What are you two laughing about? Seems like you’re having fun.” Sophia glanced at him, “I’m telling senior about your bad side~” During the meal, I couldn’t taste anything. Simon and Sophia were discussing topics I couldn’t understand, something about “collaborative robots, BCI brain-controlled robots…” The gap between different fields was like a mountain, I couldn’t join the conversation at all. After lunch, Simon took me to his rented apartment near the school, telling me to rest there and that he’d be back after the group meeting. I waited all afternoon, but even by evening, he hadn’t returned. He sent a message saying there was another group meeting in the evening that would run late, and since there were more activities in the morning, he’d just stay in his dorm on campus for the night instead of coming back and forth. I looked around the empty room. We’d been in a long-distance relationship for almost two years. He always came back home to see me whenever he had time, accumulating a stack of high-speed rail tickets. This place where he had lived for almost two years, I was visiting for the first time. The small studio apartment was kept fairly clean. The books on the desk, the water cup, the clothes in the closet, were all unfamiliar to me. It was as if the owner of these things was becoming a stranger too. While getting ready for bed, I found a bottle of conditioner in the bathroom. I couldn’t understand why Simon, with his crew cut, would need conditioner. The next morning, Simon didn’t come back until almost eleven. He smiled and handed me a paper bag, “I bought this for you.” I took out the contents – a fluffy hat and scarf set. Olive green. He held up the hat to my head, “Isn’t it nice? Sophia picked it out.” I stopped his hand, “You went shopping with Sophia just now?” He said casually, “We didn’t have time to go shopping. We had an event at the science museum this morning. On the way back, Sophia mentioned you were dressed lightly yesterday and specially reminded me to buy something for you.” I said flatly, “How thoughtful of her, busy sending me a green hat.” Simon’s face darkened, “What are you talking about? What green hat?” The questions that had been bottled up inside me made me feel irritated. I had originally planned to have a good talk with him, to ask him what he really thought, whether there were any problems between us, and what we should do. But now, I just wanted to throw the hat in his face. “Simon, don’t you owe me an explanation?” “What explanation?” “You kissed on a globally broadcasted competition, it even trended online, shouldn’t you explain that?” “What kiss? What are you talking about? It was just a celebration, right? Everyone kissed, didn’t you see?”

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