He Threw Away My Acceptance Letter

Mom blinked, caught off guard. "Wait, I thought you wanted to stay with your friends—ride out the rest of the summer. I even wondered if there was someone special keeping you here. If you're not ready to leave, we can stay. You can always visit over breaks."

I swallowed the lump in my throat and shook my head. "No, Mom. Better to leave now."

She looked into my watery eyes, didn't push, and just pulled me into a warm hug.

That night, I tossed and turned, sleep refusing to come. I woke up with a pounding headache.

When I finally checked my phone, the class group chat was blowing up with hundreds of notifications. Someone had shared a video of Phoenix and Lia kissing from the night before.

The chat was buzzing with excitement:

"The two smartest kids in school dating? This is gonna be iconic!"

"I always knew they were perfect for each other. So adorable!"

Then, in the middle of the chaos, Phoenix sent a voice message from Lia's account: "Yeah, we're together."

The chat went insane. "Whoa, Phoenix, announcing it on your girlfriend's account? Bold move."

I wasn't surprised, but the news still carved a hollow ache in my chest.

Scrolling further, I saw someone had screenshotted the exact frame of the video—my face, right on display. "What's with Emmeline's expression? Lol. Did she honestly think she had a chance?"

"As if. Lia's always been nice to her, and she's trying to steal her man? I'd call her out first."

"Give it a rest. You seriously think Phoenix would choose her?"

No one ever believed Phoenix could like me. After all, he was this blinding, untouchable star, and I was just... ordinary.

The day after Phoenix went public, he acted like a total stranger at school. People noticed something was off, but they all assumed I was just a lovesick girl pining after him. For four years, I wore the label of "delusional ugly duckling."

Whenever Phoenix overheard the taunts, he'd chase the bullies off—but he never once defended me out loud. Instead, it was always Lia who'd step in, snapping, "Emmeline doesn't like him! Keep running your mouths, and I'll shut them for you!"

In a way, having her around made it bearable.

Phoenix would reassure me in private. "I don't step up because if I do, they'll get jealous and say even worse things. Once we're in college, everything will be fine. We can be open then."

And I believed him.

For the hope of staying by Phoenix's side, I threw myself into my studies. Late nights buried in textbooks, waking up before dawn to drill vocabulary, watching my scores climb inch by inch.

Then one day, after Lia bombed an AP calculus exam, I brought her a milkshake to cheer her up. When I arrived, Phoenix was already there. Lia was teasing him: "Who asked for your help? Feeling all smug, are you? Next time, I'll beat you!"

When she saw me, Lia waved, grinning. "Emmeline! Since Phoenix stole my number one rank, he owes me. He's going to tutor both of us—for free!"

Phoenix had seen me work my ass off, but he'd only ever given me silent encouragement in private. He'd never offered to tutor me. Yet Lia managed to convince him in a heartbeat.

Phoenix explained, "I agreed because she's your friend. Tutoring you alone would spark gossip. With her there, it's different. It gives me a reason to see you more."

Lia chimed in, "Emmeline, if it weren't for tutoring you, I wouldn't even bother with him!"

They both swore it was all for my sake.

But all I ever saw was Phoenix and Lia hanging out freely, bantering like they'd known each other forever. Me? I mostly sat silent, the third wheel who couldn't find a way in.

Our classmates noticed how close they'd grown. They praised their pairing, laughed at me for being the third wheel.

So many times, I wanted to tell Lia about Phoenix and me. But Phoenix would always stop me. "Lia can't keep a secret. If my parents find out, it'll be a mess. Just wait a little longer—once we graduate, we'll make it official."

One was the boy I loved most. The other, my closest friend.

So I hesitated, and I waited. Over and over again.

In the end, I found out about their relationship the same way everyone else did—after graduation.

From start to finish, I was merely their excuse to get closer. A disposable pawn.

I set my phone down, and only then did I realize I was crying. I made myself a promise: this would be the last time I ever cried over Phoenix.