Chapter 43 Standing Someone Up
Isabella was even worse. She didn't even look at me, just kept whispering with James and pointing at me. That disdainful look was driving me nuts.
When it really matters, even good friends can let you down.
I felt so wronged. 'Why is everyone on my case? What did I do wrong? Can someone please tell me? Even criminals get to know their charges. I just sent a love letter. How did that offend everyone? What did I do wrong?'
I went back to my seat, dazed. The table was full of good food, but I had no appetite.
Brad sat there, looking grumpy, downing drinks at an alarming rate.
No one spoke. Everyone just focused on their food, and the atmosphere turned dull and eerie.
Matthew, trying to lighten the mood, kept bringing up topics, but Brad's cold stare shut him up. He gave up and just ate in silence.
Brad didn't look at me once during the meal.
I knew Brad was mad at me. It was the first time he had ever been mad at me. But I had no idea what I did to make him so angry.
The birthday party ended, and we had planned to go to a karaoke bar, but Brad said he was tired and ruined the plan. I was really disappointed. I had practiced two songs for Brad's birthday, wanting to sing them for him, but it was all for nothing. He didn't even give me a chance.
The restaurant was close to the school, so we walked. We split into small groups.
Benjamin and Mia disappeared as soon as we left the restaurant. Matthew and James walked arm in arm, and Isabella and John were deep in their own conversation.
Only Brad and I were left without a companion. I followed Brad like a clueless puppy, step by step.
The weather that night was nice, with lots of bright stars.
I tried to get Brad to look at the starry sky with me, but he ignored me, walking coldly without a glance. It was James who walked me back to the dorm.
"James, why is Brad mad at me? I don't get it," I asked.
James, usually fearless, scratched his head and laughed, "I don't know either. If you really want to know, maybe think about it more when you can't sleep."
I didn't believe James. He just didn't want to tell me.
I thought everyone else might know the reason, except me.
Fine, I would pretend I didn't ask.
Back in the dorm with Mia and Isabella, I decided to ask them why Brad was mad, hoping they could tell me.
I thought as good roommates, they would definitely tell me since I was asking sincerely. But after washing up, they just rolled their eyes at me and went to bed, leaving me standing there in confusion.
I thought, 'What's wrong with them? I didn't offend them, did I? I took them out to have fun, and now they're mad at me? Women's minds are too hard to guess.'
Lying in bed, I couldn't stop thinking about Brad's stern, cold face, and I couldn't sleep.
If I couldn't sleep, I wasn't going to let Brad sleep either. He was the one mad at me and ignoring me.
I grabbed my phone, found Brad on Facebook, and started bombarding him with messages.
If others ignored me, fine, but I didn't believe Brad could ignore me forever.
I sent message after message.
[Brad, did you have fun today?]
[Brad, was my gift too cheap? I'll get you a better one. What do you want?]
[Brad, the food was great. Let's go there for my birthday too.]
[Brad, why are you mad? Can you tell me? I'm not good at guessing.]
[Brad, why didn't we go to karaoke? I practiced songs for your birthday.]
I sent over a dozen messages, but Brad didn't reply to any of them.
'No reply on Facebook? I'll call,' I thought.
But when I called, it went straight to voicemail.
Brad must be really mad, but I didn't do anything wrong.
I thought about it until 11 PM and still couldn't figure out what I did wrong. I comforted myself, thinking Brad was just in a bad mood and not really mad at me.
I told myself everything would be fine tomorrow.
But I was too naive. Things didn't get better the next day; they got worse.
The next morning, I put on light makeup, let my hair down, wore a simple dress, and happily ran downstairs to meet Brad, ignoring the hopeless looks from my roommates.
If Brad was on campus, he would usually pick me up for breakfast. Despite yesterday's unpleasantness, Brad was usually so forgiving. He couldn't stay mad at me for long.
I was optimistic, bouncing to the dorm entrance, looking around for Brad.
There was nothing blocking the view, and no one was around. I couldn't see Brad anywhere.
'Brad drank a lot last night, so he must have overslept. No problem, I'll call to wake him up,' I thought.
I called, and it was better than last night; at least his phone was on. First, there was the steady dial tone, then it went to voicemail.
"Brad, wake up. It's time for breakfast."
He didn't answer, probably because he was in the bathroom.
It didn't matter. I sent a message and waited.
But just like last night, there was no reply.
Classmates walked past me, giving me strange looks. Mia and Isabella walked by without even glancing at me, which made me furious.
I waited until there were only fifteen minutes left before class, and Brad still didn't show up. I had to go to class on an empty stomach.
Brad, for the first time, stood me up without notice.
Skipping one meal wasn't a big deal, but I was so used to Brad picking me up that his sudden absence left me feeling empty, like something was missing. I couldn't focus in class, and the professor knocked on my desk twice.
At noon, it was the same as in the morning. I waited for half an hour, but Brad was nowhere to be seen.
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