All Chapters of Graduation Trip of Three, Heartbreak for One: Chapter 1 - Chapter 9

9 Chapters

Chapter 1

It wasn't until a train attendant arrived with a cart selling beverages that Alexis Jink, my girlfriend, suddenly remembered me.She picked out a bottle of watermelon juice and considerately put in the straw before placing it in front of Samuel Yonder, my "younger brother" in name only.Then, she handed me a bottle of mineral water. "Ethan, I had no idea what you'd want, so I got you a bottle of water."She easily remembered that Samuel loved watermelon juice, yet she couldn't remember what I, her boyfriend, preferred.A wave of bitterness crashed through me, thoroughly snuffing out my delight at scoring unexpectedly high on my SAT.Instead of accepting the water, I hailed the attendant again and bought myself a bottle of watermelon juice.As Alexis' hand was left hanging in mid-air, her expression darkened slightly in displeasure."Ethan Grant, weren't you the one who insisted on coming on this graduation trip? Then why have you been going around with that scowl on your face th

Chapter 2

After exiting the train, Alexis and Samuel walked ahead of me while I trailed behind them.There was a long queue in front of the elevator that would take us out of the station. I had barely stepped foot inside the elevator when an alarm blared out, indicating that it was full.Samuel was still standing outside.Upon seeing that, Alexis shoved me and my suitcase out of the elevator before tugging Samuel inside."Ethan, your suitcase is too big and takes up too much space. You should wait for the next elevator. We'll wait for you at the exit."Before I could protest, the elevator doors were already closing.Behind me, the train sped past, kicking up a strong gust of wind that sliced at my cheeks like icy daggers. The cold seemed to seep right through my skin and into my bones.When I finally made it to the exit, I saw no sign of Alexis or Samuel. My parents, who had agreed to come pick us up, were nowhere to be seen either.It was currently summer, and the weather could be rathe

Chapter 3

The next morning, the ruckus coming from downstairs woke me up.I blearily climbed out of bed and headed downstairs, only to see Alexis sitting on the living room couch, clad in a dress.Upon spotting me, she waved at me with a smile. "Ethan, today's our graduation ceremony. Why aren't you ready yet?"My high fever had left me in such a daze that I hadn't read any of the class group chat messages.Before I could say anything, Samuel stepped out of his room.He was wearing the suit I had painstakingly learned how to sew together myself half a year ago. The small rabbit and fox stitched onto the chest pocket were identical to the ones on Alexis' dress, as I had meant for us to match.I had never sewn anything in my life before, so I had pricked myself with the needles countless times during the process of making the dress and suit.Samuel clutched the hem of his suit jacket anxiously. "Ethan, I really like this… Mrs. Grant said that it suits me really well, but if you're unwilling

Chapter 4

Once the graduation ceremony ended, everyone left to return home.It took Samuel reminding them before my parents and Alexis finally remembered me."Ethan, where did you run off to this time?" Mom asked.I didn't answer. I simply climbed into the car without a word and moved to the last row without any prompting.Unfazed by my silence, they entered the car and began excitedly talking about which university Alexis and Samuel planned to attend and which major they wanted to study."Sam, with you and Alexis both going to Jocaster University, we can rest easy knowing that she'll be there to look out for you."Samuel nodded happily in response.However, when it came to which major to study, Mom and Dad had differing opinions and argued over it. In the end, they decided that the choice was up to Samuel."Sam is smart and has his own plans and ideas. Unlike Ethan, we don't need to worry about him at all."Throughout it all, I kept silent.As we neared home, they finally noticed me s

Chapter 5

Mom's phone dropped to the floor with a clatter as she froze on the spot, utterly stunned.Shocked at her response, Dad leaned down to pick up the phone before asking in disbelief, "Ms. Carletta, could you be mistaken? Even Samuel only managed to score 1480. How could Ethan have possibly scored so high?"Upon hearing that, Ms. Carletta was even more confused. She genuinely couldn't understand how my parents could care so little for me. Not only had they been unaware of my results until she told them, but instead of being happy for me, their first reaction was disbelief and doubt."Mr. Grant, I'm absolutely certain that he did exceptionally well this time. Ethan truly did score 1580 on his test."In an instant, all the strength drained from Dad, and he slumped back into his seat.At that exact moment, the host invited them onto the stage, since they were Samuel's "parents", to give a speech. The spotlight focused on their faces, throwing their ghastly pale complexions into stark co

Chapter 6

Alexis' breathing stuttered to a halt before she snatched the phone from Mom. She checked the score report on the screen, then took out her phone and compared it to her own, verifying that it was indeed my details on it and a genuine report from the official organization. She turned to stare at Mom, her lips moving soundlessly as she failed to refute Mom's words. After all, I had indeed scored such a high score, and she had indeed said that I needed to retake the test."Mrs. Grant—"However, Mom cut her off with a wave of her hand before turning around and leaving. On the way back, she called me relentlessly.As for Alexis, she crouched in a corner of the event hall and sent me a barrage of messages.I was still on the plane at that moment, so I was completely oblivious to all this happening.…Upon arriving back home, Mom threw the door open impatiently and entered, shouting for me. Yet, no matter how loudly she called, there was no response.Dad had been hot on her heels whe

Chapter 7

After I disembarked the plane, I turned on my phone again.Immediately, it began chiming rapidly and incessantly, as though it had been struck by a virus. Over a hundred message notifications started flying by my screen, along with countless missed calls from different people.Mom had messaged me. "Ethan, how could you be so reckless? Why didn't you tell us that you scored so highly?""Ethan, where did you go? When will you finally stop making me worry over you so much?"Alexis had also bombarded me with several texts."Ethan, you actually did so well on your SAT this time! How wonderful! Now, we can all go to Jocaster University together!""Stop with your tantrum already. You're making Mrs. Grant so worried again. Hurry up and come back home.""Let's go to the campus together in a few days to check in."I read all the messages with a frown, then deleted them and blocked their numbers.The moment I stepped out of the airport, a gentle breeze welcomed me to the city of Greenh

Chapter 8

The award slipped from my hands as I hastily backed away, only to trip over a rock and crash to the floor on my butt.Dad and Mom stepped forward to help me up, causing a surge of bad memories—memories that had been growing so faint that I'd forgotten them—to flood back. My heart instantly wrenched with pain once again."Don't touch me!"Their hands hovered awkwardly in the air, even as bitter tears welled in their eyes."Ethan…""What's wrong, Ethan? It's me, Mom."I failed to stop the tears that streamed down my cheeks as I recounted all the instances of neglect I had suffered."I've long since stopped thinking of you as my mom! I don't have a mother who only remembers another person's favorite foods! Who never seems to see just how hard I work and keeps thinking that I can't hold a candle to someone else!"Turning to Dad, who had remained silent thus far but whose cheeks were also drenched with tears, I continued, "I also don't have a father who always forgets about me and l

Chapter 9

Alexis was standing outside the academic building, looking significantly more haggard than before. When she spotted me, her eyes lit up."Ethan! I came to look for you many times, and now, I finally got to see you!"She spoke in a piteous tone, her voice thick with unshed tears. As she stepped forward to hug me, I took several steps back."Alexis Jink, just what are you playing at? Aren't you done with your act yet?"I'd liked Alexis for many years, and in all those years, I had never once spoken to her so harshly.Stunned, she stood rooted to the spot."Ethan… What are you saying? Do you have any idea just how much I've missed you? I've been waiting for you at Jocaster University all this time. Why did you have to apply for Greenhill University?"I glanced at the time. Upon realizing that class was about to start, I lost all patience and decided to be straightforward with her. "Because I didn't want to see you and Samuel. I think that you're an eyesore and can't stand the sig

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