I Stopped Waiting For The Song

After my song was cut short at karaoke, I found myself back at the song selection machine. I just had to wait for 28 more songs until it would finally be my turn again. The next song was called "The Answer". My boyfriend, John Aldama, and my best friend, Selena Summers, gave each other a look of mild disdain but decided to sing the duet to prevent an awkward silence. Their voices, one cool and one sweet, complemented each other perfectly. Ever since high school, they'd been neck and neck on the honor roll, always vying for first and second place. Even after joining a top-tier company, they'd constantly bicker over projects. Even years after graduation, the people in our high school group chat were still "shipping" their "love-hate dynamic". No matter how hard I tried, I always remained the forgotten third person, an overlooked backdrop. Listening to them sing, I suddenly felt so tired. I no longer felt like singing the song that I had to wait endlessly for. I quietly deleted the song I'd selected and sent a confirmation to the email that asked me to be relocated abroad for work. Chapter 1 As we left the karaoke room, Selena smiled and linked her arm through mine. "That was fun, wasn't it, Minnie?" I pursed my lips and nodded stiffly. "Yeah, it was really satisfying." They didn't even notice that I hadn't sung a single song. The microphone was always in John's or Selena's hands. And I, huddled in a shadowy corner, could have fallen asleep and no one would have noticed. After John paid the bill, he caught up to us from behind. He handed us two bottles of water. The one with honey went to Selena. "Drink some water or you'll have a completely hoarse voice for tomorrow's presentation." Selena rolled her eyes. "Oh, please. Even if I couldn't speak and had to use sign language, I'd still perform better than you." Despite her words, she still took the already opened honey water from him. My bottle was still unopened, and the rough cap dug into my palm. My new high heels were really chafing my feet, so I slowly trailed behind them. I tried a few times, but still couldn't open the bottle. My palm felt sweaty, like a heart bubbling with bitterness. John and Selena walked ahead, side by side, and they started to bicker again. They went back and forth, unaware of my unusual silence. "Minnie, John says I'm overreacting by asking for that fanfic in the group chat to be deleted. What do you think?" Selena turned around, looking utterly confident. I paused, recalling that fanfic. It was about John and Selena, well-written and very detailed. After causing a huge stir in our long-dormant high school group chat, Selena publicly demanded it be deleted. [Even if every other man on Earth disappears, I still wouldn't fall for John.] [This is disgusting. Just delete it already.] John also replied, his tone indifferent. [I agree, delete it.] From start to finish, their reasons for deleting it never once involved me. Some clueless classmates even asked me if John and Selena were bickering as a couple. For five years, I'd always been the transparent one, overshadowed by their brilliance. I was so invisible that apart from the three of us, no one even knew I was John's girlfriend. I kicked a small pebble on the ground and calmly nodded. "Yeah, I think you're overreacting too. They're right though, you two would make a great couple." This was the first time in five years that I hadn't sided with Selena in an argument. Her smile froze, and the muscles at the corner of her mouth twitched. "What's with that attitude, Minnie? You were the one who wanted to go to karaoke. Selena and I specifically adjusted our schedules to come with you, and now you're acting up?" Actually, when I said I wanted to go to karaoke, I meant going alone with John. In the five years we'd been together, every date for two always turned into a trio. This week, as I agonized over whether to take the work assignment overseas, all I wanted was to spend some time alone with John. But when I arrived at the karaoke place, I discovered Selena was there too. She was so pretty. Even though she dressed casually, there were guys hitting on her. John warded off her admirers, and when they questioned who he was, he said, "Her boyfriend, can't you tell?" To prove it, John took Selena's hand. Selena didn't pull away. She just blushed and leaned closer. Recalling that, I blinked my eyes, desperately trying to hold back tears. "Today was supposed to be just the two of us." Selena heard the tremor in my voice and quickly comforted me. "I was worried John would badmouth me in front of you, so I insisted on coming along. It's my fault, don't cry. I won't come along next time." John scolded me with a frown, his tone impatient, "Why are you crying? You're acting as if we're bullying you. You throw a tantrum every single time we go out. If you keep this up, I won't go out with you anymore. It's just no fun." I took a deep breath and avoided Selena's hand. "Fine, then let's not go out. I also think it's no fun." Chapter 2 John froze, his frown deepening. He wanted to say something, but was interrupted by Selena's phone ringing. It was her boss, informing Selena that her proposal had issues and needed major revisions. "The presentation is tomorrow! How can I possibly do an entire team's work by myself?" Her only reply was the busy tone of a hung-up call. Selena's face went pale, and she bit her lip hard. John pulled out his car keys, grabbed her hand, and led her toward the car park. Selena subconsciously glanced back at me, then quickly pulled her hand away. "Don't worry about me. You're out on a date with Minnie. You two go have fun. Consider it my loss this time. I'll definitely get my revenge next time." John ran a frustrated hand through his hair. "I'm not doing this for you. I just don't want to win unfairly. You spent over half a month on your proposal, you can't just give up. Minnie would understand." They both looked at me, waiting for me to give my consent. After all, in the last five years, I'd let countless dates fall through and watched them walk away together time and again. My shattered heart still throbbed with lingering pain. I curled my lips and stated calmly, "If I say no, will you stay?" My only answer was their silence. With that, the last bit of unrealistic expectations I had disappeared. "Just kidding. Be careful on the road." Minnie opened the passenger seat door with familiarity and slid in. The space was just right for her. When I sat in that seat, I always had to squeeze myself in. John reached over to buckle her seatbelt, but she stopped him with a hand. I pretended not to see and waved them goodbye, suppressing the bitterness in my heart. After John left, I lost all interest in staying out. I pulled out my phone to grab a ride, only to find there were 78 people ahead of me in line. During the two-hour wait, a sudden thunderstorm broke out. The crowd swarmed to the bus stop to shelter from the rain, anxiously waiting for it to clear. "I wish the rain would last longer, just a little longer. That way, I'd get to stay with you a little longer." I glanced at the speaker. It was a girl who was with a boy. They were, presumably, a young couple. They were probably still in school, their youthful faces beaming with happiness. The girl and boy huddled under the same oversized jacket, just like John and I once did. Back then, he'd always laugh at me for being silly, knowing it would rain but never bringing an umbrella. I'd pout and complain that he wasn't romantic at all. I ordered him to cherish every second he spent with me. I thought that sharing rainy moments together would keep us closer But the reality was, the rain would always stop, and people would always part ways. After I got into my ride, I sneezed. I was drenched from the rain, and the air conditioning in the car was blasting, making me shiver uncontrollably. The driver handed me a towel, but his greasy eyes kept darting around in the rearview mirror. For this date, I'd specially styled my hair and bought a new short skirt. But now, everything was soaking wet and clinging to my body, making me feel terribly uncomfortable. Alarm bells rang in my head, and I immediately dialed my emergency contact. I called three times in a row, but John didn't pick up. When I called Selena, however, she picked up almost immediately. Her tone was gentle, and she spoke with a smile. "Minnie, what's wrong?" Just as I was about to speak, I heard John's voice from her end. "Selena, you wouldn't let me answer my phone just now, but now you're the one slacking off. The milk tea I ordered for you is here. It's low-calorie, so drink up." Selena playfully chided him for a bit, then whispered to me, complaining, "Your boyfriend is such a nag. He loves to control everything I do. It's so annoying. Only you can put up with him. Okay, I gotta get back to work." I clutched my phone tightly, my knuckles turning white from the tension. By sheer accident, I'd somehow dialed the customer service hotline for the ride-hailing app. As soon as the driver received the platform's warning message, he immediately straightened up. But I didn't dare stay any longer, so I hastily got out of the car. I walked home, and my high heels chafed my heels raw. Blood dripped onto the floor, but I couldn't care less. My vision went black, and I collapsed onto the couch. Chapter 3 When John opened the door, he saw me sprawled on the couch. With a frown, he placed a bag of food in front of me. "I brought you supper. Eat them while they're warm." I glanced at them. They were all high-fat, high-sugar foods. "No, thanks. I don't feel like eating." John rubbed his temples in annoyance. "Why are you upset again? I already texted you and told you not to wait for me. You're the one who chose to wait. Minnie, do you think other people have to be eternally grateful to you for every little thing that you do? I'm human too, and I get tired sometimes. I don't have time to play your little games." I checked my phone. John had indeed sent me a text about coming home late. At the same time, there was also a notification of Selena's new social media post. "There's a power outage at the office, but a fool is here to keep me company, so I'm not scared." The accompanying picture showed John's hand holding a cup of hot coffee next to a computer. I numbly liked it and looked away. "Did the proposal revision go well?" John's gaze softened instantly. "Yeah. We haven't collaborated in a while, but Selena and I still work really well together. Although she has a bad temper, she's highly efficient and competent. She truly lives up to being my rival." "Work really well together" – that was high praise indeed. In all the time John and I had known each other, he had only praised me once. What was the praise again? Oh, right. It was "understanding". My eyes were unfocused and drooping. "Yeah, you and Selena really are made for each other." John lowered his voice, clearly indifferent. "Are you done? Selena and I have known each other for a long time. If anything was going to happen between us, it would have happened already. You wouldn't even get the chance to be with me, so stop saying things like that. It's damaging our relationship." I stopped talking. I stood up unsteadily and slowly made my way to the bedroom. Only then did John notice the bloody blisters on my feet. He quickly scooped me up. "Why are you so hot? Do you have a fever?" A quick check with the thermometer showed 101.3 degrees. John hastily gave me fever medicine and applied a wet towel to cool me down. The phone by the bed kept ringing, and I groggily glanced at it. It was a call from a contact saved as an "apple" emoji. John glanced at my flushed, feverish face, then swiped to answer. "Minnie hasn't replied to my texts for three hours. Where is she?" John told her about my condition, and Selena became more anxious. "You don't know how to take care of anyone. I'm coming over right now." I vaguely drifted off to sleep, only to be woken up some time later. John looked worried, and he sounded anxious. "Selena sprained her ankle when she went downstairs. I need to go check on her. I'll put your medicine and water here. Take the meds when the alarm rings." I called out to John with a hoarse voice. He glanced at me impatiently, his tone irritable. "Selena sprained her ankle because of you. This isn't the time to act up." I suppressed the nausea from my dizziness and calmly reminded him, "We have an ointment for sprains. Take it with you." John paused, then grabbed the medicine box and left. As I fell back onto the pillow, I suddenly remembered what John had saved me as in his phone. Minnie Jost, Class 1, Senior Year. We'd been together for five years, and that contact name had never changed. Meanwhile, Selena's contact name in John's phone was the simplest, yet also the most unique. As I thought of that, tears inexplicably streamed down my face. Mixed with the sweat from my fever, they blurred my vision and filled my heart with sadness. The closed door was pushed open once more. John had suddenly returned. He picked me up, panting heavily. "Selena insisted she wouldn't let me go alone, so you're coming with me. That way, I can take care of both of you, and you won't be alone at home, so we don't have to worry about you." I struggled weakly but couldn't break free. "John, I don't want to go." John ignored me, forcibly shoving me into the back seat of his car. Lying there, I saw his GPS display Selena's address as a frequently visited location. I didn't say a word, wrapping myself tighter in the blanket. When we arrived, John rushed upstairs, leaving me alone in the car. Once again, I was left behind. Chapter 4 John left in such a hurry he didn't notice the car's Bluetooth was still on. I heard him panting as he rushed upstairs. The plastic bag rustled, filled with medicine. He knocked on Selena's door. Selena's eyes lit up when she saw him. Then, she glanced behind him. "Where's Minnie?" John suddenly realized that I was still in the car. He pursed his lips and pulled out the ointment. "She didn't want to come up here, so she told me to come check on you. How can you sprain your ankle walking downstairs? You're so clumsy." For the first time, Selena didn't argue back. She remained silent, letting John apply the medicine. John's fingers paused, but he didn't say anything else. The Bluetooth connection cut out due to signal loss. My hand, which had been resting on the doorknob, retracted. After sweating so much, my mind became surprisingly clear. I informed my manager that I was willing to go overseas. "This is so sudden. Didn't you say you needed some time to think it over?" I shook my head, my voice firm. "I've made my decision. I should have left a long time ago. I'll complete the work handover in the next few days. I won't cause you any problem." My boss sighed, clearly reluctant to see me go abroad. "You're one of the most brilliant and hardworking members of my team. Not having you around is gonna take some getting used to." Honestly, I didn't think "brilliant" was a word that should be used to describe me. I had always been like a hardworking ox, quietly toiling, waiting for John to finally notice my qualities. But all I got in return was being abandoned again and again. I got out of the car wrapped in a blanket. A kind lady helped me to the hospital. As I was getting IV fluids, John bombarded me with calls. I didn't pick up, so he left voice messages. "Why did you leave without saying a word? Selena and I are worried sick." "Selena's leg injury has gotten worse because we went around looking for you." "You think you can act recklessly just because you're sick? No one owes you anything, and no one is obligated to indulge you." I listened calmly, feeling not a single ripple of emotion. While paying the bills, I saw John carrying Selena out of the outpatient clinic. His head was lowered as he listened gently to something Selena was saying. Then, he smiled softly, very dotingly. I took a photo and sent it to him, along with a text that said: "Looks like you don't need me. Just take good care of her." After sending it, I immediately turned off my phone. When I got home, I started packing my things. I always thought John and I had a lot of stuff, but once I actually packed, I realized that everything that belonged to me could fit into a single suitcase. In the photos of our travels together, Selena was always there. Selena's name was also written on the handicrafts John and I made. Selena even had a set of pajamas at home that was completely identical to our couple's pajamas. I pulled out a letter that was hidden under a trophy. It was a handwritten love letter I wrote for John before we started dating. He said I was cringy, but he'd kept it until now. I gently unfolded it, rereading my girlish sentiments. Seeing an extra line, I suddenly froze. The last line read, "John, will you be with me?" And the extra line read, "John, are you content with this?" I immediately recognized Selena's handwriting. It seemed I wasn't the only one who felt discontent over the past five years. I let go, and the yellowed envelope fell into the trash. Then, I zipped up my suitcase and left without looking back. When John returned, the house was empty. He didn't think much of it. Over the years, whenever I was mad at him, I'd run off to stay somewhere else for a while. Sometimes for two days, sometimes for a week. John was used to it. He even thought I might have gone to Selena's place. He sent a few texts, reminding me to take good care of Selena. I didn't reply to any of them. A week passed, and I still hadn't returned home. John took a detour to my company to look for me. He brought a bouquet of roses and waited at the entrance. He waited for half an hour. Then, he grew impatient and casually stopped one of my coworkers. My coworker stared at John with a surprised expression, looking him up and down. "Aren't you her boyfriend? How can you not know? She's been assigned overseas. She won't be back for three years."