The Day My Slow Brain Finally Felt Heartbreak Chapter 02
That night, the three of us went to the dining hall together.
To break the icy tension from the afternoon, Nathan ordered sweet and sour fish, my favorite dish.
In the past, whenever we ate fish, he would carefully pick out the bones before putting the fish into my bowl.
Tonight started out the same way.
He kept his head down, meticulously removing the bones.
I held my fork, waiting quietly.
But his hand veered mid-air, and the fish landed straight into Joy’s bowl.
“You’re too thin. Eat more,” he murmured.
The concern in his eyes was impossible to hide.
Joy froze.
She snapped her head up to look at me, her eyes pooling with intense guilt and panic.
Nathan realized his mistake a second later.
His face drained of color. He scrambled to grab another piece of fish, frantically picked out the bones, and
dropped it into my bowl.
“Valerie, you eat too.”
“Joy has had a terrible appetite lately,” he added, a desperate attempt to cover his tracks. “I was just looking
out for her.”
I stared at the fish in my bowl.
Then, I nodded blankly.
“Okay.”
I picked up the fish, put it in my mouth, and chewed slowly.
It tasted incredibly bitter, so bitter I could barely swallow.
Suddenly, Joy clapped a hand over her mouth.
Her face turned deathly pale. She bolted from her seat and rushed toward the restroom.
Nathan practically shot out of his chair.
He stared anxiously in the direction of the restroom. He almost went after her, but he forced himself to stay
put.
He turned back to look at me, his hands clenched into tight fists.
He was fighting his own instincts with everything he had.
I swallowed the bitter piece of fish.
Looking up, I flashed him my usual slow, empty smile.
“Nathan, go check on Joy. She looks sick.”
Granted my permission, Nathan looked as if a massive weight had been lifted off his chest.
“Valerie, be a good girl and wait for me here. I’ll be right back.”
Without another look, he sprinted toward the restroom.
I sat alone in the chaotic, noisy dining hall.
I watched his silhouette as he frantically pounded on the restroom door.
Then, I looked down at the calendar on my phone.
Two days left.
The next day, Joy treated me with even more suffocating kindness.
She bought me my favorite strawberry shortcake.
She held my hands tightly, her eyes completely bloodshot.
“Dummy, no matter what happens, we’ll always be best friends, right?”
She stared at me, her eyes full of pleading.
I looked at her.
J
I remembered her bright, radiant face from freshman year when she carried my suitcase up the stairs.
I gave a slow, deliberate nod.
“Yeah.”
Joy collapsed into me, letting out a loud, shuddering sob of relief.
I didn’t hug her back.
My hands stayed at my sides, my fingers curling into tight fists, inch by inch.
