They Erased Me, So I Rewrote My Life Chapter 15

They Erased Me, So I Rewrote My Life Chapter 15

The other end of the line went quiet.

Then Ethan asked, his disbelief palpable, “With who? Don’t tell me it’s that farm worker.”

“Leo is my friend,” I said, enunciating each word. “He treats me better than any of you ever have.”

I hung up.

On my birthday, I stayed in the library until it closed before heading back to the dorm.

When I reached the building, I stopped.

Three old pickup trucks were parked in a semicircle, their headlights cutting through the dark and illuminating the small patch of open ground in the middle.

Leo and several guys from his uncle’s farm stood there. When they saw me, they nudged one another, all of them looking a little nervous.

Then Leo took a deep breath and began to sing “Happy Birthday.”

The pitch was off, and the rhythm was a mess, but they sang with a sincerity that was almost painful.

Students in the dormitory opened their windows and looked down.

I stood where I was and watched Leo in the light, suddenly feeling like I was in an awkward old movie.

When the song ended, the others laughed and pushed Leo forward.

He walked up to me, his face washed out by the headlights so I could only see the tips of his reddened ears.

Then he did something I hadn’t expected at all.

He got down on one knee.