The Quiet Was Final
After the college entrance exam, the school's reigning beauty dragged me into a wager over our scores.
"Only the girl with the higher marks is worthy of being Eric's girlfriend."
Eric Lowell scoffed. "That's enough, Jocelyn. My relationships aren't yours to dictate."
Then, in front of everyone, he confessed to me.
I mistook it for the answer to a long-held crush. With the crowd egging us on, I flushed and said yes.
That night, he took me back to his place. From then on, we hardly spent a night apart.
Before application season, I went to his house, hoping we would apply to the same university. Instead, I overheard part of a phone call.
"Jocelyn, everything's ready: the photos, the videos. Just like you asked."
Jocelyn's laughter drifted through the receiver, light and pleased.
"You must've gone to so much trouble~ Then let's wait until the school assembly the day after tomorrow and stream it to the whole school. I'm curious to see how Tessa plans on applying to those top-tier universities after that."
"Eric," she added casually, "you're not having second thoughts, are you?"
He hesitated, then answered,
"Why would I? If anyone's at fault, it's her for not knowing her place. What right does she have to keep scoring higher than you?"
I set the custom ring down, opened my email, and accepted the Oxford offer that had been waiting for me for a week.