My Childhood Friend Loves Mocking Me Chapter 07

My Childhood Friend Loves Mocking Me Chapter 07

I ran into Jake in the third week of the new semester.

I had just stepped out of the music practice room that afternoon, my fingers still aching from long hours of practice, yet my mood was light.

Professor had praised my finger rolling technique that day, saying I’d made remarkable progress.

I hummed a casual tune as I walked along the sycamore boulevard, where the setting sun dyed the

whole street warm orange.

That was when I spotted Jake standing beneath a sycamore tree.

He wore a plain black thin hoodie and had grown noticeably thinner.

I froze in surprise, for aside from Mia, I had never told anyone I was studying at Southern Arts

College.

Aunt Clara had even tearfully promised me she would stop Jake from disturbing me again.

The moment his eyes landed on me, they lit up instantly.

I had never seen such a look on his face before.

In the past, he always looked at me lazily, with a hint of condescension.

But right then, I could clearly see vulnerability and eager hope written all over his features.

He spoke my name in a hoarse, worn-out voice.

“Lila, I finally found you.”

I stood rooted to the spot, tightening my grip on the strap of my instrument case.

“How did you find this place?”

He lowered his gaze.

“I kept begging Mia for your whereabouts, but she refused to tell me anything. Later, that boy who once gave you a love letter… what was his name? He mentioned you talked about Southern Arts College once.”

It dawned on me he meant Leon, the guy who used to sit behind me and borrow my notes.

I had casually spoken of this school once when everyone was discussing future destinations, merely saying I loved the sycamore trees in South Town.

He had remembered that single casual remark,

yet Jake had heard me mention it countless times and never paid it any

I slowly shook my head.

mind.

“What are you looking for me for? This place is far away from Northern Town. You should go back.”

He stepped forward firmly, refusing to leave.

“I’m not leaving. Lila, I need to talk to you. Just give me a little time.”

Looking at his haggard state, a twinge of sorrow pricked my heart.

Even a pet you raise for eight years would be missed and searched for once gone, let alone a person.

Yet soft feelings did not equal wavering resolve, nor did they mean I would turn back.

“Speak your mind right here, right now.”

He let out a bitter smile.

“I’ll never snap at you again.”

The sunset stretched his shadow long across the ground, almost reaching my

feet.

“All those things I said… calling you lazy and stupid, saying your makeup was terrible, mocking your videos… none of that was how I really felt.”

I watched him quietly without uttering a word.

He took a deep breath, struggling to gather his courage.

“I just never knew how to treat someone gently. My father always told me boys should never be too soft or clingy. He even blamed my mother for spoiling me with kindness. So even when I thought you were lovely, I always said the complete opposite.”

I let out a self-deprecating laugh.

“So you spoke against your true feelings for eight whole years?”

His face paled at once.

“What else? All those times you said Chloe was smarter, more easy-going and better than me, were

those lies too?”

His Adam’s apple bobbed up and down, and he nodded reluctantly.

“You have no idea how regretful I felt every time I praised her behind your back.”

“Yet I kept doing it anyway. Whenever I saw others compliment you, or boys hand you love letters, I grew restless and lost my head. I thought if I badmouthed you, those boys would lose interest and stop coming near you.”

Strong wind rustled the dense sycamore leaves loudly.

Staring at him, I suddenly felt utterly worn out.

“Have you finished saying everything?”

He lifted his head, pressing his lips tightly together.

“If you’re done, then it’s my turn to speak.”

“I took every single word you said to heart, whether you meant them or not. I believed every insult about me being stupid, every comment mocking my taste, every comparison that put me far beneath Chloe.”

“Do you know how long it took me to stop thinking I was worthless? Eight years. For eight years, I kept searching for even a tiny merit in myself amid your constant criticism. But in your eyes, I had nothing good at all.”

Jake’s eyes reddened, opening his mouth in a rush yet failing to find the right words.

“No matter how much you belittled me, I told myself I just wasn’t good enough, that I only needed to try harder.”

“I struggled to learn science well, forced myself to grow tough and hold back my tears.’

“But I got nothing in return. Jake, the day you gave up on our first dance, I gave up on you.”

“Please don’t come looking for me again.”