Home / Three's a Crowd, so I'll Back Out / Chapter 1 - Chapter 8

All Chapters of Three's a Crowd, so I'll Back Out: Chapter 1 - Chapter 8

8 Chapters

Chapter 1

When I rushed home from Chanont, my family was chatting on the couch. A large plate of cherries sat on the coffee table. My girlfriend, Evelyn Keate, picked out a few of the biggest ones and placed them into the hand of my adopted brother, Marvin Needham. "These are sure to be sweet. Try them," she said. When I was at home, we never had fruit this expensive. At the sound of the door opening, all four of them turned to look at me. Evelyn let out a sigh, and the first thing she said was a complaint. "You always sleep in. We left, and you didn't even notice. You're the one who insisted on going on this graduation trip in the first place." I gripped the handle of my suitcase, my fingertips numb. I was indeed the one who wanted a graduation trip, but I chose Olsgen as the destination. It was only after I arrived at the airport that I found out Evelyn had bought three tickets to Chanont, all because Marvin wanted to see the northern lights. I had spent eight hours waiting i

Chapter 2

After dinner, my parents brought out two suits they had prepared for Marvin and me. "Your dad and I spent a long time picking these out. You can wear them to your graduation party. Go try them on," Mom said. Marvin smoothly took the paper bag with the luxury brand logo and kissed Mom on the cheek. "Thanks, Mom!" I could only take the cheap plastic bag and calmly said, "Thanks, Mom." Five minutes later, Marvin and I came out of our rooms in our new suits. Everyone's eyes immediately fell on my adopted brother. Evelyn's eyes lit up, and her cheeks instantly turned red. "Marvin, you look so handsome in this." Marvin couldn't hide the smile on his face, but he still tried to sound modest. "Mom, Dad, you really didn't have to spend so much. I would've been fine wearing off-the-rack clothes like Chris. It's not like anyone could tell the difference." The atmosphere in the living room suddenly turned awkward. I stood there in a suit that didn't quite fit, the rough fabric scra

Chapter 3

The next day, at our graduation ceremony, I was set to give a speech as the student representative. My homeroom teacher, Lauren Jackson, looked proud and touched. "You did exceptionally well on the SAT. All your hard work paid off. Now, go up there and share a few words with other students." I thanked her deeply before walking up to the podium. But when I talked about how much my parents had done for me, I realized they weren't even looking my way. Instead, they were listening to Marvin practice a foreign language and showering him with praise. "Marvin, that's wonderful. We'll be relying on you whenever we travel abroad," Mom said. I'd always excelled in foreign languages, yet they had never praised me once. Just as I was about to continue, my phone on the podium buzzed. It was a message from Evelyn. "Ms. Jackson only asked you to give a speech because you were class president for three years. There's no need to drag it out. Wrap it up already. Marvin's getting tired."

Chapter 4

By the time the graduation party was about to begin, everyone realized I wasn't in the car. Mom called me and said, "You're dragging your feet again. Get a cab and get over here right now." I said nothing and took a cab to the venue. The moment I pushed open the doors to the banquet hall, I froze. My diary entries were being projected on the massive screen at the front of the room. "Evelyn gave the last bowl of chowder to Marvin today, even though I'm the one dating her." "Ever since Marvin joined our family at eight years old, I feel like Mom and Dad don't love me the same way anymore." And it didn't stop there. My entire body went cold. I rushed forward and yanked the projector's plug from the wall. "That's my diary!" I shouted. Marvin immediately looked like he was about to cry. "I thought it was a speech you wrote for the party. I only played it while we were waiting for you and kept the guests entertained."Before I could respond, my parents looked at me as if

Chapter 5

"I'm not going to Solridge University." "Evelyn, we're over." Evelyn stared at the two messages until the words seemed to blur together. Mom couldn't believe what she had just heard. "Harburt University? Ms. Jackson, are you sure there isn't some mistake? Harburt's admissions standards are insanely high. There's no way Chris scored high enough to get in," she asked. Ms. Jackson sighed and said, "You really don't know how well your son did? He scored 1580. That's more than enough for Harburt. And he applied for their most competitive program—medicine. "Mrs. Needham, I don't mean to overstep, but you really should pay more attention to Chris. He's an exceptional student." With that, Ms. Jackson ended the call, clearly disappointed. Mom was stunned. "Chris… scored that high?" she murmured. Evelyn stared at the two messages on her phone, still unable to make sense of them. "I thought he didn't score as well as Marvin… Why did he suddenly decide not to go to Solridge?

Chapter 6

"What?" Evelyn's voice rose in disbelief. "Can you check whether Chris Needham even enrolled at Solridge?" she asked again. The senior thought for a moment, then agreed and called the admissions office. A few minutes later, he hung up and shook his head. "There's no freshman named Chris Needham at Solridge." Evelyn stood there, stunned. She couldn't believe I wasn't even at Solridge. We had promised to attend the same college and get engaged after graduation, after all. Then, she remembered my message. "Evelyn, we're over." For the first time, the words truly sank in. Only then did Evelyn realize that I was really breaking up with her. A moment later, Marvin came over with a smile and asked, "Want to grab something to eat near campus? I'm starv—" "Chris isn't here," Evelyn cut him off. "How could he… How could he actually leave me?" "Maybe Chris just has bigger ambitions," Marvin said, trying to comfort her. "It's okay. We can always visit him at Harburt." "Why

Chapter 7

When I arrived at Harburt University, I was blown away by the campus and its facilities.Adam Field, the senior I'd contacted beforehand, came to meet me and even brought three other students along to help with my suitcase."Chris, if you ever need anything, just let me know. I'll help however I can. With grades like yours, I'm sure you'll do great here," Adam said with a warm smile.I scratched the back of my head awkwardly and replied, "Becoming a doctor has always been my dream. I'll work hard."Adam took me to the dining hall for lunch, then showed me around and helped me get through the enrollment process.When I finally got back to my dorm, I realized one of my roommates was Daniel Perry, someone I'd gone to high school with."Chris? You actually came to Harburt? Man, I thought for sure you were going to Solridge with Marvin and your girlfriend. I felt kind of bad for you back then," Daniel said.I gave him a helpless smile. "Honestly, going to Solridge with them would've

Chapter 8

Evelyn stared at me, stunned by my words. "How could you—"Before she could finish, I turned and walked upstairs.…After our last class the next day, my roommates couldn't help asking."Was that your girlfriend? She's gorgeous.""Did you two have a fight? I went downstairs for some water last night and saw her still standing outside the dorm."I answered calmly, "She's my ex now. We already broke up."Daniel lowered his voice and asked me, "Was it because of your adopted brother? They really had no sense of boundaries. But now that you're single, you should find someone new. There are plenty of amazing girls here."I glanced around and had to admit he was right.Harburt University was full of smart and talented women from great families.For the longest time, I'd thought Evelyn was the best of them all. She was beautiful, well-educated, intelligent, and graceful.But now, with some distance, I could finally see her for who she really was. She wasn't nearly as exceptional as

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