- 10.
I was terrified Jason would hate me after all
this. He sat on a bench, wearily rubbing his
temples. I didn’t know how to comfort him, so I
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just sat beside him and whispered. “It’s going to
be okay.”
He started to cry. “I knew you left because of my mom’s medical bills. But I didn’t know Molly had lied to her about who paid. I thought Mom genuinely liked Molly. If I’d told her the truth sooner, maybe none of this would have happened.” I stroked his hair. “You’ve done enough, Jason. You reached the top of your industry in five years. You kept your promise. You took care of your mom. You’re a good son, and you’re a good boyfriend.”
His mom woke up a few hours later. The first thing she did was apologize to me. She
explained how she’d felt after I left. Jason had
gotten drunk, really drunk, and kept calling my
name. That’s when she started to resent me. I
didn’t blame her. Not anymore.
- 11.
Even if I could go back, I would do it all again. I
<
couldn’t bear to see the boy I loved crushed by
the weight of the world.
Jason’s Perspective
- 1.
I met Lynn at the coffee shop next to our
school. I was working, she was studying. She’d
look up from her books sometimes, and our
eyes would meet. She’d blush and look away.
She started coming to the coffee shop more.
often. I could feel her looking at me. I didn’t
know her name then. Not until the first
midterms, when she placed first and gave a
speech during the school assembly. Smart,
beautiful girls always attracted attention.
One Saturday, a group of guys cornered her at
the coffee shop, confessing their feelings. She
rejected them all, graceful and aloof. “I like
smart guys,” she’d said, pointing in my
direction. That led to them harassing me, and
I
ultimately, I lost my job. Even though I
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desperately needed the money, I couldn’t bring
myself to resent her. I knew then that I was a
goner.
- 2.
I wasn’t smart back then, not academically. I
was barely in the top 100, juggling multiple
part–time jobs and skipping most of my
classes, except the core subjects. Then I
stopped skipping class. I don’t know why.
Maybe it was that vague confession of hers.
- 3.
By the end of sophomore year, I’d climbed to
30th in the class rankings. Lynn was still first.
Junior year, I was 12th. Lynn was first. End of
junior year, I was first, and she was second. I
gave a speech about my academic
improvement. I recited the speech flawlessly,
while simultaneously scanning the crowd for
Lynn. It was strange, but in a sea of faces, I
could always find hers. After the assembly, she
found me. “Jason,” she said, grinning. “Very
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impressive. Smarter than me, huh?”
63
- 4.
Senior year, we were in the same class. She
had so many friends, it made me jealous. So I
devised a plan a subtle way to link our names
together. I learned to control my test scores. I’d
let her be number one, then I’d take the top
spot back. Senior year was filled with exams.
Sometimes I miscalculated, and she’d hold onto
first place for two tests in a row. She’d tease.
me, “I’m number one again-” She was so
adorable.
- 5.
My plan worked. I’d overhear teachers talking.
“Lynn was first last time, Jason this time. Do
you think they’re working together?” “No way,
it’s just a coincidence.” But after the midterms
of senior year, my control was perfect. I thought
I was so clever. Years later, after we were
married, lying in bed, she told me she’d figured
it out all along and was just playing along.
<
- 6.
We got together during winter break of senior year. She’d had a fight with her mom and wandered out without her phone or any money. She ended up at the convenience store where I worked. She ate the equivalent of three hours of my wages that day. “How are you going to pay me back?” I’d joked. She’d smiled and said, “How about I go out with you?” Logic told me to say no. But I didn’t. I liked her too much.
- 7.
Senior year was hectic. I stopped working and
focused on studying. That year, Lynn said,
“Let’s both go to UCLA!” That year, she met my
mom, who was very sick. And that same year,
she said, “Jason, we need to break up.”
- 8.
The day she broke up with me, I got drunk. My
mom told me I’d called Lynn’s name in my
sleep at the hospital. My mom was so
distraught, she’d considered suicide. She
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blamed herself, thought she was a burden. But
without her, there would be no me. And I
wouldn’t have met Lynn.
I resented the world back then, during our
hardest times. But I realized that maybe
everything I’d endured was so I could meet her.
A few days after Lynn left, I saw her mother at
the hospital. Later, a doctor told me that an
anonymous donor had paid for all of my mom’s
medical expenses. It wasn’t hard to figure out.
Lynn had made a deal her leaving for my
mom’s health. I didn’t blame her. At seventeen,
love is easy to sacrifice. I shouldn’t have been a
roadblock to her bright future. But I still hoped
she’d wait for me.
On her first birthday abroad, I sent her an email.
I was afraid she’d fall in love with Europe and
never come back. More than that, I was afraid
she’d forget me.
- 9.
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63
She didn’t forget. Six years later, we were back together. I’d reached the top of my industry. I felt worthy of her. I proposed to her on live television, inviting her back to LA to marry me. She thought I was inviting her to my wedding. I was so annoyed. But it worked out. We fell in love all over again.
- 10.
My mom was fond of Molly and kept hinting about us getting married. I had zero interest. I’d paid her well for taking care of my mom, and I’d hired other caregivers. I barely remembered Molly from high school. I didn’t know how she’d become so close to my mom. I hadn’t said anything before, not wanting to upset my mom. But Molly crossed a line when she tried to
sabotage my relationship with Lynn. That’s
when I finally put my foot down. “I will never
love you, Molly,” I’d told her. “Everything you’re
doing is making me sick. Please, just stay away
from me. I finally have Lynn back. I finally have
her in my life. She’s been my only reason to
love you, Molly.” I’d told her. “Everything you’re
doing is making me sick. Please, just stay away
from me. I finally have Lynn back. I finally have
her in my life. She’s been my only reason to
keep going these past five years. I’m begging
you.”
It was the first time my mom had ever yelled at
- me. But I knelt before her and begged her to
understand. Lynn was all I wanted. I endured
every harsh word she threw at me. I never
imagined Molly would lie about the donation,
turning my mom against the woman I loved.
Thankfully, the truth came out.
- 11.
Lynn and I lost five years. But we have forever
now.
(The End)
