The Boyfriend Who Always Picked Someone Else

Everything seemed to change the moment Phyllis transferred in.

Bill was the top science student, she was first in humanities, and after that their names were always spoken in the same breath.

I gave it everything I had and could barely keep pace behind the two of them. Even a problem they tossed around in passing took me forever to follow.

There was a time when Bill didn't mind that I wasn't as sharp as he was.

But the more he and Phyllis talked, the less patience he had left when he turned back to me. All that remained was an irritation he couldn't quite hide.

The truth is, I already knew back then. Whatever was between Bill and me had, somehow, reached its end.

When I didn't say anything, Bill seemed to finally run out of patience.

"We'll take the photo now. That work for you?"

He didn't wait for my answer. He'd already snatched my phone and handed it off to Phyllis.

Phyllis blinked, but took it anyway.

Bill stepped up next to me, though his shoulder didn't come an inch closer.

Before I could even lift my head, he'd already taken the phone back and pressed it into my palm.

"There. No more acting up now."

"I'm going with Phyllis to pick up her transcript. Wait here. We'll all head home together after."

With that, he turned and walked into the office, Phyllis's hand in his.

I stood there and opened the album.

The photo was a blur. It had caught nothing but the gray-white floor of the hallway and the edge of his sleeve as he turned to leave me.

I stared at it for a long time. Then I let out a soft laugh.

I tapped delete, then blocked Bill.

Transcript in hand, I turned and left the school.

I was never going to wait for him again.

A few classmates I usually hung out with pinged the group chat, saying we'd graduated and had to grab a farewell dinner together.

Halfway through the meal, the girl beside me suddenly burst out laughing and nearly spit out her food.

"Holy crap, Phyllis went official?"

She flipped her phone around onto the table.

On the screen was the post Phyllis had just put up.

Two movie tickets, with only one word for a caption.

Official.

In the corner of the photo, a boy's wrist showed at the edge.

There was a black hair tie around it.

I stared at that hair tie, and my eyes stung all at once.

It was the little promise hair tie I'd once nagged Bill into buying.

I'd said a relationship needed a little ceremony to it. He'd called it childish and refused to wear it, not even once.

But lately he'd suddenly started wearing it.

I'd been quietly happy about it, thinking he was just too stubborn to admit he liked it.

Now it looked like a joke.

The others were already crowding around the phone, guessing away.

"Who's this guy? He's not from our school, is he?"

"Wasn't she always close with Bill? I honestly thought those two had been a thing for ages."

I said it calmly.

"It's Bill."

They looked up at me, hungry for gossip, then all froze.

"Cordelia, why are your eyes so red?"

I lowered my head and picked up a piece of greens with my chopsticks.

"The dinner's too spicy."

The words had barely left my mouth when the restaurant door pushed open.

Bill and Phyllis walked in, one after the other.

Her bag was slung over his shoulder, her jacket in his hand.

A server came up to ask what they'd like.

Phyllis glanced at the menu and smiled. "The couples' combo looks a little cheaper. Let's get the couples' combo."

A few classmates nearby immediately started whooping.

"Bill, we knew there was something going on with you two!"

Bill saw me and paused. Then he smoothed it over just as fast and walked over to me as if nothing had happened.

"What a coincidence. Let's eat together."