I Stressed for Months to Be With Them — They Were Never Planning to Be With Me Chapter 01

I Stressed for Months to Be With Them — They Were Never Planning to Be With Me Chapter 01

During dinner, I ordered chicken Parmesan, and my boyfriend, Asher Hayes, immediately lost his temper.

“That’s Vanessa’s favorite. I’m sick of even looking at it.”

Vanessa Collins had grown up with us. The three of us had been inseparable for as long as I could remember.

The day Asher learned that she planned to attend an out-of-state university, he became so furious that he threatened to end their friendship.

He was about to get up when he spotted Vanessa nearby and immediately grabbed her arm, demanding an explanation.

“Didn’t we agree that we’d go to college together, attend grad school together, and eventually start our own company?”

“If you’re determined to leave, then fine. I’ll go with you and enroll at Westmere University too.”

I stood frozen in place. Until that moment, I’d had no idea that the two of them had already planned their entire future without me.

They had originally promised that we would all stay close to home and attend Bellgrave University.

I knew I wasn’t as academically gifted as they were, so I studied relentlessly until my GPA and test scores made Bellgrave a realistic option.

When Asher noticed that I hadn’t moved, he let out a sigh.

“Why don’t you come with us and attend a two-year college near Westmere University?”

“For someone like you, any diploma should be good enough.”

I quietly looked at the two people in front of me. The whole situation felt so absurd that I almost wanted to laugh.

This time, I wasn’t going to give up what I wanted for anyone else.

***

Only moments ago, Asher and Vanessa had been arguing as though they never wanted to speak to each other again.

Now, Asher was ordering all of Vanessa’s favorite seafood dishes from memory, as though their fight had never happened.

I lowered my head and picked at the bread on my plate.

When Asher noticed, he picked out the largest crab leg and placed it on my plate.

“Here, babe. This one’s the biggest. It’s yours.”

I stared at it, my fingers tightening around my fork, unable to say a word.

He had forgotten again.

I was allergic to seafood. I couldn’t eat any of it.

Vanessa laughed from across the table.

“Look at you two, showing off in front of me again.”

“Asher, a considerate boyfriend is supposed to shell the crab for his girlfriend.”

As soon as she finished speaking, Asher placed the crabmeat he had just removed from the shell onto Vanessa’s plate.

“Claire isn’t like you. You won’t touch shellfish unless someone peels it for you. How are you ever going to find a boyfriend?”

Vanessa rolled her eyes at him.

“She’s my best friend. I’ll spoil her myself.”

She peeled a shrimp and gently set it on my plate.

“Sweetie, look how thin you’ve gotten. You need to eat more.”

Throughout the meal, I felt like an invisible third wheel.

Vanessa turned toward Asher, her voice light and cheerful.

“Asher, have you decided what you’re going to major in?”

“Artificial intelligence, of course.”

Vanessa immediately brightened.

“We really do think alike.”

They smiled at each other, sharing the kind of effortless understanding that seemed to belong only to them.

Vanessa turned toward me with a soft laugh.

“Are we talking about things you don’t understand again, Claire?”

“That’s okay. Asher and I can build successful careers, and you can sit back and look pretty.”

I slowly set down my fork, struggling to keep my voice steady.

“Did the two of you decide all this time ago that you were going to Westmere University together?”

The smile disappeared from Vanessa’s face, and she hurried to explain.

“Claire, it’s just that… Westmere University has the strongest artificial intelligence program in the country, and I…”

“I don’t want to keep giving up my future just to accommodate you.”

Yet they had both promised that we would stay close to home and attend Bellgrave University together.

Because of that promise, I had even turned down an offer from the BA Fine Art program at Alderwick College of Art and Design in London.

When I didn’t respond, Asher sighed.

“Claire, your grades are nowhere near ours. We were worried that trying to keep up with us would put too much pressure on you, so…”

The entire situation suddenly felt absurd.

I had exhausted myself chasing a future that had never belonged to the three of us. From the beginning, I had been the only one who believed in it.

Vanessa’s eyes turned red.

“Claire, this is hard for me too…”

Asher immediately reached for my hand, trying to comfort me.

“Don’t overthink this. Getting into Bellgrave University would already be a huge accomplishment for you.”

I said nothing. I stood up and went home.

They were so absorbed in their conversation that neither of them noticed me leaving.

It wasn’t until late that night that Asher finally sent a message in our group chat.

[Claire, why did you leave early?]

Before I could reply, he started sharing funny videos with Vanessa. Within seconds, the two of them were chatting as enthusiastically as ever.

Even in a group chat with only three people, I somehow managed to become invisible.

Asher responded immediately to every message Vanessa sent.

Whenever I messaged him, he left me on read.

Every time I confronted him about it, he had an explanation ready.

“Claire, I was studying. I can’t reply the second you text me.”

“I’m in the middle of a game. Be good and wait until I finish, okay?”

I had once tried desperately to become part of his world, even asking him to teach me how to play his favorite games.

“You’re such a little dummy. Strategy games like this aren’t for you.”

Yet whenever Vanessa wanted to play, he patiently teamed up with her and coached her through every game.

The hurt I had suppressed for so long finally became too much. I called him before I could stop myself.

When he answered, his voice sounded tired.

“Babe, I’m exhausted. I’m going to sleep. Whatever it is, we can talk about it tomorrow.”

Before he even finished speaking, a familiar woman’s voice came through the phone.

“Asher, why’d you go AFK? Get back here and save me!”

The call ended abruptly.

I stared at the dark screen for a long time before slowly wiping the tears from my face.

Then I called my mother.

“Mom, I want to go abroad for art school.”