The Name That Lit Her Screen

On the day we reported for the new semester, my girlfriend had just been admitted to one of the country's top universities. That morning, she suddenly told me she had chosen the wrong major and wanted to take a year off to retake the entrance exam.

I knew exactly why.

It was for her childhood friend, the one who had not made it.

Her parents begged me to talk her out of it.

After a night of painful deliberation, she appeared downstairs at my dorm and said,

"I've made up my mind. I won't retake the exam. Let's stay together and make this work."

However, during the freshman welcome event, just as her name was being called, her phone lit up.

A message from him.

[My prep class started today. My deskmate isn't you anymore. It feels so strange.]

She went completely still.

I tightened my grip on her hand and warned her quietly, "If you leave now, we're finished. Forever."

She whispered an apology, dragged her suitcase behind her, and walked out of the campus.

"Mr. and Mrs. Spencer, you've heard it as well.

"Juliet's made her choice, and I respect that. I hope you can respect my feelings, too.

"I've got to straighten up the dorm, so I won't walk you out."

I turned my back, fixing up my bed, not giving the Spencers another glance.

They shuffled out, looking a mess.

Dad was fuming, his chest rising and falling as he clapped me on the shoulder, eyes brimming with concern.

"Samuel, don't sweat it. She's not worth your trouble. You've got your own future to think about!"

I cracked a smile, reassuring him, "I'm good, Dad. Really.

"I saw it coming, honestly, but who knew she'd be silly enough to ditch Jameston University to repeat a year just to stick with Brian?"

Max, my buddy since forever, was on the phone, letting loose a torrent of insults.

"Can you believe Juliet? Going back a grade for Brian of all people! You holding up okay, Samuel?"

I took a breath. "I'm alright."

"I always knew Brian was bad news. All that sweet talk about Juliet is enough to make anyone sick. And she's just eating it up!" Max's rant washed over me, but inside, I was at peace.

I used to think Juliet and I were unbreakable. Even though I sensed something brewing with Brian, I was too wrapped up in my studies to give it much thought.

After all, she once said, "I can't stand people who flaunt their cash like it's nothing," I turned down the 15000 dollars my mom tried to give me every month.

We would hit the cafeteria together daily, and on days when we were too rushed to sit down for a meal, she would snack on a piece of bread while I munched on some crackers.

I could have just waited to cash in on my family's billion-dollar empire after graduation, but nope, I had to stick with her and hit the books like our lives depended on it.

I busted my tail to get into Jameston University fair and square, all to show her I was not just another rich kid riding on his parents' coattails.

What she never knew was how many times I had secretly gotten my parents to bail out her family's struggling factory. I could not stand the thought of her worrying about it and messing up her studies.

I figured once we both got into Jameston and left Brian Smith in the dust, Juliet would finally get serious and give us a real shot.

It turned out I gave her too much credit and did not give Brian's tearful act enough.

Our story of being the power couple who aced their way into Jameston had already buzzed through town once.

However, with that whole mess playing out, a fresh buzzword shot up the charts.

[Jameston University brainiacs standing up for a childhood friend who bombed the entrance exam.]

I clicked in, and the comments were blowing up.

[Have they lost their minds? It's Jameston University! They're really walking away over a failed entrance exam?]

[Did this girl get her brains scrambled? What love is worth more than your future?]

[And I'm dying to know who this childhood friend is. What kind of magic do they have?]

It did not take long before Brian's mug and all his info were splashed all over the internet by some super-sleuths.

Public opinion shifted overnight, becoming eerily unanimous.

[Really? She's not even more attractive than his ex. Is she blind?]

[He knows the guy is taken, but still flirts like crazy. What a player, a homewrecker!]

My phone buzzed nonstop with texts from family and friends trying to comfort me.

I did not respond to any of them, just soaked in the irony.

The next day, when I thought the drama would start to die down, Juliet's call blared through again.

She was livid, as if I had wronged her whole family. "Samuel, are you behind this mess trending online?"