My childhood sweetheart suddenly officially announced his relationship one night. His girlfriend was the girl who had been pursuing him for three weeks. One day, he finally snapped at me, his tone impatient: “If it’s not important, can you please stop bothering me?” But he knew very well that I lost my right leg because of him. I looked at him coldly and left with a parting shot, “Don’t think too highly of yourself.” A few months later, he was crying at my doorstep, begging for forgiveness. 0Recently, a girl has been relentlessly pursuing my childhood friend. She sent flowers on Valentine’s Day, brought water when he played basketball, and waited for him after evening study sessions – she tried every trick in the book. I thought she would fail like all of Jack’s countless admirers before her, but when I asked Jack about his feelings towards her, I saw him hesitate for the first time. Although he eventually told me to stop asking such pointless questions, I noticed something different. After one basketball game, when he accepted the water Emma handed him, I saw a genuine smile on his face amidst the teasing from others. I realized he had fallen for Emma. Otherwise, why would he suddenly leave our dinner together when he received a message from Emma asking for help? I cleaned up our table and limped after him. “What’s wrong?” I asked. “Emma said someone was following her,” he replied urgently. As he said this, I clearly felt Jack quicken his pace. I was stunned for a moment, instinctively trying to speed up as well. But I forgot that my right leg was a prosthetic, and I couldn’t run fast. The next second, I fell to the ground, letting out a cry of pain. Jack turned to look at me, but his eyes lacked their usual concern and worry. I knew that look – it was irritation and disdain. I had seen it in many people’s eyes before. He came forward to help me up, his brows furrowed and his tone unusually cold: “What’s going on?” “Why are you following me? Why didn’t you go back to the dorm? Don’t you know your own body’s limitations?” Scared by his tone, I instinctively apologized: “I’m sorry.” I wanted to keep up with him too. He seemed to finally realize he had said something wrong and ruffled my hair several times: “Lily, I didn’t mean it like that. Don’t cry.” He said, “Emma might be in danger. Be good and go back to the dorm, okay?” I nodded, and he let out a relieved sigh before turning and leaving. As Jack’s figure disappeared from my sight, I suddenly felt like crying. But I held it in. It was just… an inexplicable feeling of hurt. That day, my leg was actually scraped, but Jack didn’t notice because I was wearing long pants. In the end, I stumbled back to the dorm alone. I walked very slowly, and by the time I reached the dorm, I saw a new post on Reddit. Emma wasn’t in any danger that night; it was just a grand confession she had planned. Opening the photo, I saw Jack standing in a heart shape made of candles, his ears red. Emma stood opposite him, her face blushing. The post quickly gained traction. Most comments were along the lines of “What a perfect couple” and “The girl is so brave.” Among the hundreds of comments, I even saw my name mentioned. “Who still remembers Jack’s limping sidekick?” But this comment was quickly buried. I didn’t pay much attention to it. That night, Jack officially announced their relationship. The caption read: “A new chapter, my heart belongs to Emma.” He attached the photo of their confession from that night. With trembling fingers, I commented “Congratulations” under his post. On the day they got together, Jack replied with thanks to every comment congratulating them on that Reddit post, except for the one mentioning me. He skipped over it. In the past, he would have immediately lashed out at anyone in the comments who insulted me, not stopping until they apologized. But now, he chose to ignore the humiliation directed at me to maintain the beautiful atmosphere of his new relationship. I knew that Jack and I were drifting apart. 0
When I was ten, Jack became my new neighbor. When I first saw him, the movers were carefully carrying a Yamaha piano into their house. Jack stood awkwardly to the side, but when he saw me, a smile spread across his face: “Hello there, little girl.” Jack was excellent at playing the piano, and I had been learning ballet since childhood, so I often asked him to accompany me. Over time, we became known as “childhood sweethearts” to others. My favorite piece he played was “Für Elise.” Watching his flying fingers, my heart would start to flutter. I liked Jack. No one knew. For him, I even threw myself in front of a falling beam during a fire to protect him. While recovering in the hospital, I heard my parents crying outside the room, lamenting that I would never be able to dance again. Jack held my hand tightly at my bedside: “Lily, I’ll always be by your side from now on.” Tears slid down my cheeks as I bit my lip, barely managing to say: “Jack, I can’t shine on stage with you anymore…” I saw his expression turn grief-stricken, crying so sorrowfully, his grip on my hand tightening as he said earnestly: “Lily, you are the light itself.” From then on, Jack became my guardian angel. He would fulfill all my little wishes, like saying he would only play “Für Elise” for me alone. He would chase away other kids who gossiped about me, even if it meant getting physical. He would deliberately slow down his pace when walking with me, just to protect my fragile self-esteem. He said that whenever I needed him, he would never let me be alone. He said these things with such sincerity, and I basked in his gentleness year after year. Most of the roads we walked in our growth were wide and smooth, but I never imagined that the path between Jack and me would become muddy, causing me to fall and allowing thousands of vines to grow between us. 0
On the first day Jack and Emma got together, they invited me to dinner. When I arrived, I realized it wasn’t just the three of us. Besides the guys I knew who were friends with Jack, there were also some of Emma’s friends. Among them were people who had gossiped about my limp behind my back. Jack had previously cut ties with them because of this, but because of Emma, he chose to accept them again. I stood there frozen, watching them chat and joke happily, feeling as if my feet were weighed down by a thousand pounds. The moment they saw me, they all fell silent, looking at me with strange expressions tinged with mockery. I looked towards Jack, but he averted his gaze as if he hadn’t noticed my discomfort. In the end, I found a corner to sit down. Emma was the first to speak at the dinner: “Thank you all for your tremendous support in my pursuit of Jack! Today, I want to properly thank you!” “This first toast is for Lily.” I looked up in surprise to see Emma’s lips curled into a slight smirk, her expression smug: “Thank you, Lily, for always being by my boyfriend’s side, acting as his guardian for so long.” “If it weren’t for Lily’s companionship, how could I have caught up with Jack walking so fast?” Rachel, Emma’s friend sitting next to her, chimed in: “Don’t forget that time when Lily’s prosthetic leg fell off while trying to keep up with Jack for an 8 am class. It was hilarious, I still have photos on my phone.” They joked so naturally, making Jack laugh beside them. I choked up. It was the first time I doubted Jack. Could he really not hear the mockery in Emma’s words? Or did he also think my disability was just a casual joke to be tossed around? “Oh really? I remember something pretty funny too. Rachel’s wig fell off during the long jump in PE class. It was quite a shocking sight. It even ended up on the campus confession page afterward. I have photos on my phone too, want to see?” The one who spoke was Alex, Jack’s friend. His tone was flat, completely different from Emma and Rachel’s joking manner. Rachel’s face immediately turned awkward, forcing out a few dry laughs. After that, I kept my head down, sipping juice and secretly glancing at Jack sitting diagonally across from me, just to see if his smile was any different from when he smiled at me. The air conditioning in the private room was set very low. I unconsciously rubbed my arms, and the next second, a jacket was draped over my legs. Alex said in a voice only I could hear: “Put it on.” I obediently did as he said. I don’t know if it was my imagination, but after I put on Alex’s jacket, I clearly sensed a change in Jack’s expression. After the dinner, Jack offered to walk Emma and me back to our dorms together. Emma’s face clearly fell, but she still clung to Jack’s arm sweetly and said, “Baby, look, Lily is already wearing someone else’s jacket. Why don’t you let them have their private time? Just focus on walking me back, okay?” Jack rejected the idea without hesitation: “No, her leg isn’t good. I’m not comfortable letting her go with someone else.” As he said this, I couldn’t help but feel a bit dazed. The reason I had some interaction with Alex was also because of Jack. For instance, when Jack needed to go on dates with Emma and couldn’t accompany me to the rehabilitation center, he had asked Alex to take me there and back to school. But throughout those times, we hardly had any conversation. I really couldn’t have imagined that in a moment like this, it would be Alex who came to my rescue. Alex spoke up at this point: “Want to come with me?” I said, “I’ll go with you.” After saying this, even through the night, I clearly saw the displeasure on Jack’s face. But when he looked at Emma, that displeasure instantly melted into tenderness. Two taxis drove side by side. Because the distance was so short, through the car window, I could even see the two of them kissing shamelessly in the backseat.
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