That night after I left, it started pouring rain.
My roommate came back telling me there was some lovesick guy standing outside our dorm in the downpour.
I felt absolutely nothing and had zero desire to go console him.
Tanner stood outside our building all fucking night, only leaving when the sun came up.
What a pathetic display.
But I never expected that instead of going back to Atlanta, he’d flown straight home to New York.
A few days later, his mom called me, and I almost didn’t pick up.
“Drielle, sweetie, could you please talk some sense into Tanner? He’s been sick ever since he got back from Massachusetts.”
“He had a 104–degree fever and refused to go to the hospital or take medicine. He finally recovered today, but now he won’t go back to school”
“He’s talking about dropping out and retaking the SATs to get into MIT to be with you…”
My head was pounding with pure frustration, but I didn’t hesitate for a second.
“That’s impossible, Mrs. Whitlock. I won’t wait for him. I’ve already planned out my college life, and I’m not stopping to waste time on someone who can’t respect my choices.”
“Please tell him to stop being an idiot, or I’ll think even less of him than I already do.”
I heard something crash to the floor on the other end of the line.
Good. Maybe reality was finally sinking in.
Eventually, I heard Tanner went back to school after all.
His grandparents had intervened to talk sense into him.
But apparently he was planning to apply for grad school at MIT to “be near me.”
The audacity was mind–blowing.
Every break, he’d fly from Atlanta to Boston to see me.
Even when I completely ignored him, he’d just lurk from a distance and leave things I used to like–flowers, books, stupid little gifts that made my skin crawl.
But by winter break, I was already in a relationship.
With Felix–the guy who acted all tough around everyone else but turned into a complete sweetheart around me.
He’d written me 99 love letters, and I finally couldn’t say no anymore.
Plus, he really did have incredible abs.
His confession letters occasionally included shirtless gym selfies, which made my roommates constantly tease me to “verify the quality.”
After Tanner saw Felix carry me down the ice slide at the winter festival–laughing and carefree in a way I’d never been with Tanner–he completely vanished from my life.
Finally.
Years passed, and I rarely heard about Tanner anymore.
Even my family moved away from our old neighborhood to escape the awkwardness.
16:45
22.9%
Golden Boy Blew Our 13 Years? Joke’s On Him. I Bagged A Tycoon!
Chapter 26
Much later, I got into a direct PhD program like I’d always dreamed, with Felix supporting me every step of the way.
We both landed positions at a top–tier aerospace research facility.
When I occasionally think back to those teenage years, it really was just one small, pathetic chapter in what became an incredible story.
The future holds endless galaxies waiting for me to explore, and I’m done looking backward.
Some people are just meant to stay in your past.
