Mistaking Him for the Moon Above

I couldn't hide the sting in my eyes. After hesitating for a couple of seconds, I sent him a message.

[Let's not see each other anymore.]

After that, I put my phone down, only to notice the words etched on my phone case: "I'll meet you at the top."

A wave of memories from four years ago hit me.

Back when I was in my junior year of high school, I got my first phone.

Where I was from, educational resources were scarce, and we were often behind in keeping up with the bigger cities.

To catch up and learn new things, I started looking for help online.

That was when I met Evan.

He was incredibly good at math, which happened to be my weakest subject.

During that stressful period leading up to my SATs, I was constantly on edge.

I was terrified of disappointing my parents.

I was afraid that all my hard work over the past few years would amount to nothing.

It was a time when I was caught in a spiral of self-doubt, and I even fell into a mild depression.

I couldn't bring myself to talk to people or connect with anyone.

But Evan was always there for me.

He would help me with math problems and crack jokes to make me laugh, easing the pressure.

He'd say things like, "Sweetie, you're better than anyone else. Every bit of effort you put in is laying the foundation for your future success. I'll be waiting for you at Stanford, and I can't wait to see you when we get there."

The day before my exams, he even sent me a gift—a handwritten letter and a little teddy bear.

The letter had one line that stayed with me ever since.

He wrote, "Tia, I'll meet you at the top."

I carefully cut out those words and slipped them into my clear phone case.

That way, I could look at them anytime and feel like he was right there with me.

But now, I wasn't so sure anymore.

Was he sincere when he said those things?

Or was he the type to say stuff like, "These country girls haven't seen the world, and they act so pathetic. They should just go back to farming."

The thought tightened around my chest like a vise, making it hard to breathe.

I couldn't stand being here any longer. Grabbing my things, I rushed out of the break room.

But I didn't get far before I bumped straight into a warm, solid chest.

My throat felt blocked, and I couldn't speak.

"Tia? What are you doing here?"

The unfamiliar voice made me look up, and I realized I was face-to-face with Nathan Miller, Evan's sworn enemy.

I didn't know much about him except for the things I'd heard from Evan.

In Evan's eyes, Nathan was nothing but trouble. Not a good guy at all.

Stunned for a couple of seconds, I backed away from him, choking out an apology.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to bump into you."

Nathan frowned, his deep gaze fixed on my face.

"Have you been crying?"

His expression shifted like he was suddenly irritated.

I thought maybe I'd upset him by accidentally running into him.

I bit my lip and shook my head.

"No, I swear. I'm really sorry. I didn't mean to—"

"Be honest."

I froze, my hands trembling.

"I am telling the truth. I didn't mean to bump into you."

"That's not what I'm asking. Why were you crying?"