More Than One Online Chat Partner

[To be honest, Georgia's comfort after Jedediah's loss in the competition was significant. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to bounce back so quickly. If I were him, I might have fallen for her already.]

As I glanced at the comments, my mind wandered.

They were talking about a basketball game that took place last fall, one that meant a lot to Jedediah. But he faltered at a crucial moment, and they lost.

His teammates tried to console him, but he could still feel their barely concealed disappointment and shame.

He hid away, alone.

I sent him so many messages, but he never replied. In the end, I recorded a purposely off-key song for him.

Finally, he responded, "Stop singing. You're going to kill me with that voice."

His voice was full of helplessness, but there was the faintest hint of amusement. I stayed up talking to him until dawn, finally managing to lift his spirits.

[Monica stole Georgia's play! Jedediah would never fall for her. He's always liked Georgia.]

[Exactly. He fell for Georgia at first sight. He only added Monica as a friend by mistake. Or else, she wouldn't even have made it onto his list.]

That was probably true.

I shook my head. "It's fine. I'm quite close to Bruno."

Jedediah froze. "What? How come?"

I leaned in a bit, my tone mysterious. "Actually, I've known him for three years. We've only chatted online before but have never met in person."

I paused, adding, "Now that graduation is coming up, I thought I'd confess to him and give myself a chance."

[What's going on? Did Monica make a mistake too?]

[This is great. If she goes after that shady, villainous guy, she won't keep bothering Jedediah.]

[But Jedediah doesn't look too happy about it.]

Jedediah stood in front of me, frowning, his hesitant expression almost comical.

I looked past him, my face relaxing into a smile. "I see him. Catch you later, Jedediah."

Jedediah blurted out, "Are you sure you haven't made a mistake?"

I blinked. "What do you mean?"

He gritted his teeth. "Didn't you just say you've never met him? How can you be sure it's him?"

I chuckled, "If it's not him, could it be you?"

Jedediah denied it without a second thought. "It's not me."

I stared at him, but he didn't dare to make eye contact with me. I nodded. "It's fine. Don't worry about it."

I sidestepped him and ran toward the group of people leaving the tennis courts. Jedediah instinctively raised his hand, then stopped himself mid-motion.

At 6'2", Bruno stood out in the crowd. He was walking at the back, his hair a little long, casually tied back. His forehead was damp with sweat, and he casually ran his fingers through it, revealing his delicate features.

But his expression was cold, giving off an unapproachable vibe. Except during tennis practice, no one really wanted to walk next to him.

I weaved through the crowd of tall guys, finally stopping in front of him. Bruno didn't notice me, almost bumping into me.

When he saw my face, he froze for a split second. "What's up?"

I handed him the love letter. "Well, I want to confess to you."

He eyed the wrinkled pink envelope, then looked up at me. To be honest, everything I told Jedediah was true. I really was quite familiar with Bruno. Well, in my own way.

I had a bit of a problem: I was overly emotional and loved to provide emotional support to others. I wanted to give a home to every sad boy and girl in the world.

I talked to more people online than just Jedediah. He was just the most active, demanding one.

When he was upset after a lost game, he'd vent his frustration and ask me to lull him to sleep with a lullaby.

Bruno was nothing like that. He was cold.

I could send him ten messages, and he wouldn't reply to one. It didn't bother me because I was only into his looks.

I held his gaze calmly. "I'm Monica Lovell, from the Department of Statistics next door. I know you might not like my confession, but what do you think about meeting me offline first?"

Bruno ignored me, slinging his tennis racket over his shoulder, then walked away.

Unfazed, I grinned and headed to the cafeteria for lunch.

On my way there, my phone beeped.