Oops, My Boyfriend

第3章

"Excuse me, I'd like to get a refund for this ticket," I said.The guy at the counter looked up, "Are you kidding me?"That set me off.I slapped the ticket down on the counter, "Please, I need a refund!"He paused, then in the same tone, he repeated, "Are you kidding me?"We locked eyes—his expression was blank, but his tone and gaze made me feel like he thought I was there just to scam him.I was furious, my voice raised significantly, "What kind of service is this? The lighting was terrible, the acoustics were off, and the space was cramped. And now you won't give a refund?"He pushed a small book towards me, his tone indifferent, "Rule number ten, all tickets expire at the specified time. Your ticket expired at seven tonight."He pointed at the clock on the wall, "It's past time."I admit, at that moment, my emotions were unstable, my thoughts a bit extreme. I felt like nothing was going right, the whole world was against me, and this guy was definitely opposing me.I raised my voice, "What expired? The lighting was awful, the acoustics were off, and the space was cramped!"I kept repeating these lame excuses, "The service quality was poor, can't I get a refund?"Finally, I was seething, chest heaving, but he remained calm, which infuriated me more. I shouted, "I want to make a complaint! I'll complain about you at the activities center!"He glanced at me and said, "I'm Caleb from the biology department. The complaint forms are on that table over there. The complaints manager is here on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays."Then he looked down, seemingly busy with something else, completely dismissive.I'm terrible at arguing. I stood frozen at the counter, unsure what to do.I thought, I still need to keep my dignity.So, I pulled out five dollars, "I'll take a ticket for the next event."He looked up, seemingly surprised, but handed me the ticket.I smirked at him, tore up the ticket dramatically, tossed it on the counter, and walked out head held high.In that moment, I felt a thrill as if I had turned the tables.A month into the semester and I had nothing to show for it, and the long weekend was coming up.Back home, I was lounging around when I got a call from my high school class leader about a reunion.Our high school class was really "cohesive." Since graduation, we've had biannual reunions without fail.This year was special, being the first since we all graduated from university, and attendance was high.As I entered the private room, I was greeted by the smell of beer. At the entrance, two guys were shirtless, swinging their arms, throwing punches—a true bacchanal.Sitting among the women, my cheek was pinched immediately, followed by the question, "Still haven't found a boyfriend, huh?"I felt embarrassed.Then, I heard a familiar, coquettish voice call my name—I didn't need to look to know who it was.Ella, with her charming voice and delicate appearance, intelligent and gentle.She had been my closest friend.But after our high school exams, when I confessed my crush to her, she ended up with him.In high school, everyone probably has a crush on someone like that—maybe the class president, a class representative, or the top student. In your eyes, everything about them is perfect, even their flaws seem adorable.A teenage girl's heart is so fervent; she throws all her admiration and love at him. Yet, she's too proud to let him know, resulting in a secret crush.James was the prince of my high school days.So when Ella told me she was with James, I couldn't sleep that night.Honestly, I had no right to complain. After all, it was mutual between them, not just an unrequited love.Later she asked, "You're not mad at me, right?"I smiled and said, "No."I was being quite hypocritical. How could I not be upset? No matter how good my friendship with her, no matter how justified their relationship, there would always be resentment in my heart.In fact, I was deeply resentful and cut her off completely. During university, whenever she texted or called, I responded minimally, clearly indifferent.Even two years after they broke up, I remained cold.By the end of dinner, I had been teased as "the only girl in class who had never been in a relationship" three