Seven Years of Us, One Year of Me Chapter 04

Seven Years of Us, One Year of Me Chapter 04

Senior year Christmas.

He said there was a student council dinner.

I waited in my dorm until midnight.

My roommates had all gone to the campus dance.

I sat alone on my bed.

At 12:03 a.m., Madeline posted on social media.

Nine photos.

The center one was a photo of her and Adrian.

They were both wearing Santa hats.

She flashed a peace sign.

He looked at her.

The caption read: Happy seventh year.

Someone in the comments asked, Are you two together?

She replied with a smirking emoji.

I stared at those three words for a very long time.

Seventh year.

My seventh year with Adrian West.

She said happy seventh year.

Then what year was I?

I screenshotted that post and saved it into the album called “1.”

There were already many photos in that album.

Photos of them together. Screenshots of chat records.

Every social media post where she mentioned him.

I wasn’t trying to keep evidence.

I was trying to remind myself.

Sloane Bennett, look clearly.

That night, I wrote a journal entry.

New Year’s Eve. At midnight, he posted on social media.

Not with me. With Madeline Hayes.

Their seventh year.

My seventh year with him, and she wished him happiness.

He replied.

I didn’t message him. He didn’t message me either.

Before, he said there would be a third year, a fourth year, a fifth year.

When he reached the seventh year, did he ever think the person standing beside him wouldn’t be

me?

At that point, my pen ran out of ink.

I stared at that half-finished line and suddenly found it funny.

Even the pen couldn’t keep writing for me.

During the spring semester of senior year, on the day after my thesis defense ended, my major held

a dinner party.

He promised to pick me up.

I waited outside the restaurant until eleven.

I called seven times.

No one answered.

The eighth call connected.

It was Madeline’s voice.

“Adrian drank too much. He’s at my place.”

I was silent for two seconds.

“Address.”

She gave me the name of an apartment complex.

I took a cab there.

The door wasn’t locked.

Adrian was lying on the couch, his jacket off, the top two buttons of his collar undone.

Madeline sat beside him, wiping his face with a damp towel.

When she saw me come in, she didn’t stand up.

“He drank too much because he was blocking drinks for me. Take him home.”

Her tone was very calm.

As if she was giving instructions to an outsider.

I walked over and looked down at Adrian.

He frowned, then mumbled something.

“Madeline.”

“Madeline, don’t go.”

Madeline lowered her head.

There was a faint curve at the corner of her mouth.

She had won.

She had already won, from the first day I heard the name Madeline.

I stood there and watched him call another woman’s name with his eyes closed.

Suddenly, I thought of that basketball court freshman year of high school.

He picked up the ball, looked up at me, and smiled so brightly.

Six years.

That smile had not lit up our seventh year.

It had lit up his seventh year.

And hers.

“No need.”

I turned and walked out.

When I reached the door, I stopped.

“Madeline Hayes, happy seventh year.”

I didn’t look back.