This Multiple Choice Question Only Had Me As The Answer Chapter 03
“Here, here, here! A toast to Jordan and Chloe! Top students and childhood friends for fifteen years. It’s destiny!”
Our class president stood up, soda in hand, and the whole room erupted in cheers.
It was our graduation dinner, and everyone’s gossip was buzzing hotter than the food on the grill.
Jordan smiled and went along with it, sitting next to me. Everything seemed normal.
But I noticed his shirt was blue-gray. Yvonne’s dress was the exact same shade.
It wasn’t matching couple shirts. But it was worse.
When we sat down, everyone was shouting for Jordan to sit next to me.
And he did.
But the first thing he did was pull out the chair on his other side for Yvonne.
Then he wiped her utensils with a napkin and set a glass of lemonade within her reach.
Yvonne naturally took his jacket and hung it neatly over the back of her chair.
Their unspoken understanding was seamless. Like they’d practiced it a hundred times.
“Jordan, you’d better take good care of Chloe at Ivy Coast! Fifteen years of history, don’t let it go to waste!” someone called out.
Jordan glanced at Yvonne, then at me. “Of course. But Chloe’s always been easy. She’s focused and independent. She doesn’t really need me to worry about her.”
Yvonne chose that moment to speak up, her cheeks flushed. “Jordan’s really good at taking care of people. If he can handle someone as clumsy as me, he’ll definitely take great care of Chloe.”
“Yeah, you’re the clumsiest,” Jordan said, tilting his head toward Yvonne, his tone affectionate.
“But seriously, Chloe, our schools will be close. You can still call me anytime if you need something.”
So my independence and competence were the reasons he felt fine ignoring me.
The squeaky wheel gets the grease.
And someone like me, who “doesn’t need much attention,” deserved to be dead last.
Near the end of the dinner, everyone brought out their class T-shirts to sign.
Yvonne was digging through her bag for a marker when something fell out onto the table with a soft clink.
It was a good luck charm bracelet with a tiny jade bead.
My fingers froze.
I’d made it myself before the SATs. I went to a little shop to pick out the best red cord and bead. Stayed up two nights tying the knots until my fingers were raw and blistered.
I gave it to Jordan to wish him luck on the exam.
And now it was in Yvonne’s hands.
“I was so nervous before the SATs,” Yvonne explained, carefully picking up the bracelet.
“I couldn’t sleep at all. Jordan lent it to me. He said it brought good luck. Honestly, I think it helped me score higher than I expected.”
She paused, looking at me. “Chloe, Jordan told me you gave it to him. I hope you don’t mind?”
I looked at Jordan.
His gaze flickered with something like panic, and he spoke a little too fast. “It’s just a good luck charm. I didn’t need it. Yvonne was about to have a breakdown, so I passed it along.”
“It still served its purpose, right? You don’t mind, do you?”
He was so sure I’d forgive him. Like always.
I looked at the little bracelet, swaying under the lights.
Did he know how much thought I’d put into it?
Of course not.
Just like he didn’t know about my metal allergy. Or the three days of fever I got from running home in the rain. Or how I shook alone on that dental chair.
“Of course not,” I said, taking a sip of my iced tea. My voice was calm. “I’m glad it helped.”
Jordan visibly relaxed.
And just like that, I found it all… exhausting.
I picked up my bag and stood, apologizing to my classmates. “I have somewhere to be. Good luck to everyone. Hope you all have amazing futures.”
Jordan froze for a second, then started to get up. “Wait—”
Clink.
Yvonne knocked over her drink. It spilled all over her dress.
“Ah! Jordan—”
His feet stopped.
It was always like this.
I walked out of the restaurant. The summer night air hit my face.
I pulled out my phone.
Removed Jordan from my favorites list.
Turned off the emergency bypass.
Changed my ringtone back to the default.
From now on, his messages would sink to the bottom of my chat list.
Right where I was in his heart.
