Crying Student

After graduation.

The reporter interviewed the first student to leave the exam hall. While the valedictorian, Ethan, smiled and said the exam wasn't too hard, I walked out from behind, clutching my stomach and wiping away tears, my face a picture of misery. This stark contrast was captured by someone and went viral online, becoming the latest motivational meme – "The Smiling Genius and the Crying Dunce." The comments were brutal: "The smiling genius is so cute, and the crying dunce is…well, she’s good at crying." Seriously? Thanks, internet, you're so kind. At least I got a compliment out of it.

1.

My period decided to show up right during the two days of finals. After the last exam, everyone was pumped for the graduation party, but I wasn’t feeling well and skipped it. Turns out, that was a mistake. A rumor started that I had completely bombed the tests and was too distraught to even celebrate.

2.

I slept through the whole drama, blissfully unaware. The next morning, I went to school for graduation photos and noticed everyone giving me weird looks. I didn’t think much of it, too excited about something else: meeting up with Ethan. We'd promised to become official after finals. When I finally found him, he was…kissing my deskmate, Holly. They both had flushed cheeks and fluttering eyelashes – a picture of young, innocent love. Except, I was there, too, watching. My brain short-circuited. Just two days ago, Ethan had texted me: "Claire, I can't sleep I'm so excited you’ll be my girlfriend in two days! I won't let you down. Top of the class, here we come!" Two days. That's all it took for the world to turn upside down.

3.

I stood there, frozen, debating whether to slap him or just walk away. Slapping him felt unjustified. Everyone knew we liked each other, but technically, we weren't a couple. Walking away felt like letting them win. As I hesitated, Ethan saw me. He pushed Holly away and rushed over, panicking. "Claire, let me explain." I crossed my arms and gave him a cold smile. "Go ahead. I'm listening." Seriously, what possible explanation could there be? Ethan stammered, clearly realizing how ridiculous he sounded. But he spoke anyway. "You weren't at the party last night. Holly confessed to me." Oh, so that's why he didn't text. He was busy getting a love confession. I clenched my fists. "And you two got together?" "No, I didn't say yes," he mumbled. "She was drunk and kissed me. Today, she asked me to…return the kiss. So, I…" I just stared at him. "Do you think I'm stupid?" Ethan shook his head, a pained expression on his face. "No, it's true. Honestly, I'm confused right now." "Don't be," Holly suddenly spoke. She walked up to me, her voice hoarse. "I was the one who kissed Ethan last night. I was also the one who asked him to kiss me back today. It has nothing to do with him. He's just being a gentleman. Don't blame him." I was speechless. Holly wiped away a fake tear and smiled at Ethan. "Thank you for letting me have closure. My feeli...