Team NYU? Cute… They All Secretly Joined Team Delilah Chapter 03

Team NYU? Cute… They All Secretly Joined Team Delilah Chapter 03

I stared at him blankly.

This was the same person who had held me at our parents’ funeral and repeated over and over, “Don’t be scared, Jade. I’m here.”

I had never imagined that one day he would look at me like this.

Like I was some unreasonable bully who had hurt an innocent person.

Delilah sat on the floor, blood slowly spreading beside her leg.

Nicolas knelt in front of her, his face tense and pale.

“Don’t be scared. I’m taking you to the hospital.”

My throat felt blocked.

“I didn’t push her.”

No one listened.

Sue crouched beside Delilah, fumbling with tissues as she pressed them against the wound.

“Jade, she’s hurt. Why are you still denying it?”

The whole situation suddenly felt absurd.

From the broken phone to Delilah’s fall, every step had happened right in front of them.

Yet they chose to believe nothing but Delilah’s tears.

Andrew walked over to me.

His voice dropped low, carrying a command that allowed no argument.

“Give me your phone.”

I instinctively tightened my grip on my bag strap.

“What are you doing?”

The next second, he reached into my bag and yanked out my phone.

I lunged to take it back, but I was too late.

He slammed it onto the floor.

The sound of the screen shattering rang through the room, sharp as a delayed verdict.

I froze.

Andrew looked at me without a trace of sympathy in his eyes.

“If you don’t understand how important other people’s belongings are, then you can learn how it feels to lose your own.”

Several people around us gasped.

Someone whispered, “That’s way too far…”

But Andrew did not look back.

Nicolas had already lifted Delilah into his arms and was hurrying toward the door.

Sue followed them, then turned to look at me one last time before leaving.

“Jade, you really went too far today. Once you calm down, go to the hospital and apologize to Delilah.”

The door closed behind them.

An awkward silence filled the room.

I crouched down and picked up the shattered pieces of my phone.

I remembered breaking a glass when I was little.

Back then, Andrew had crouched beside me, tending to the cut on my finger while comforting me softly.

“It’s just a broken glass. As long as you’re okay, that’s what matters.”

Now he had smashed my phone with his own hands.

All because he wanted to punish me for Delilah.

Someone behind me laughed.

“Well, look at that. The little princess finally got what was coming to her.”

I turned around.

It was a girl from my class who had never liked me much.

She folded her arms and spoke in an almost casual tone.

“They used to revolve around you all day, so I thought you must be something special. Turns out you’re not.”

Another classmate chimed in.

“Delilah knows how to make people like her. She’s sweet and gentle. Who wouldn’t like that?”

I said nothing.

I put the broken pieces of my phone into my bag and walked out.

At some point, it had started raining outside.

The wind blew the rain sideways against my face, cold and stinging.

Standing outside the hotel, I suddenly remembered that I had no cash on me.

My phone was broken, so I could not call a ride or contact anyone.

It would take more than an hour to walk home.

In the past, all I had to do was send Andrew one message, and he would come pick me up.

Nicolas would complain that I was a hassle while still pushing an umbrella into my hands.

Sue would scold me for never checking the weather forecast, then drape her jacket over my shoulders.

But now all of them were at the hospital with Delilah.

Rain streamed down my cheeks, and I could no longer tell what was rain and what was tears.

By the time I reached home, I could barely stand.

The fingerprint lock failed three times before finally opening.

The apartment was pitch black.

I leaned against the entryway wall and slowly slid to the floor, shivering all over.

In a daze, I remembered the year our parents died.

There had been a rainy night just like this one.

I had waited outside school with no one coming for me, then called Nicolas in tears.

He rode his bike over in a soaked school uniform and pulled his jacket over my head to shield me from the rain.

He had promised, “Jade, whenever it rains, I’ll always come get you and take you home.”

But this time, he never came.

He had carried Delilah away instead.

I reached up and touched the necklace around my neck.

The pendant was cold, pressing painfully into my palm.

Mom.

I really don’t think I have a home anymore.

The lights in front of me slowly blurred.

Just before I lost consciousness, I heard a faint vibration from the shattered remains of my phone.

It was as if someone had finally remembered I existed.

But I no longer had the strength to look.