Chapter 44: Chapter 43: Breakup
Once she found a place to live, she called her homeroom teacher to let him know she needed to take a temporary leave of absence.
She was never a strong student, and with the major crisis her family was going through, her homeroom teacher didn’t try to talk her out of it. Instead, he said, "Taking a year off might be for the best. Your mind isn’t on your studies right now, so it wouldn’t do any good even if you sat for the exam. You’re better off trying again next year."
Joanna Kennedy didn’t mention that she planned to take off more than a year, simply letting her teacher assume.
Then, she sent a message to Anna Yates, her only friend in the world.
She must have been on her phone, because a reply came back instantly: "What? You’re taking a leave of absence?"
Joanna Kennedy was about to explain when a frantic call came from Anna Yates.
The moment she picked up, Anna Yates’s urgent voice flooded her ear. "Why the sudden leave of absence? Have you already told the school?"
Then she thought of something else. "Does Simon Lockwood know you’re doing this? Did he agree?"
"I was about to tell you. Don’t say anything to him yet. I’ll tell him myself when he gets back from his competition."
Anna Yates caught on. "You’re scared he won’t approve? Wait, no, why? What’s really going on? I thought you two were going to apply to the same university."
"Do you really think that’s possible?"
’The number one student by a landslide versus someone ranked outside the top thousand. With less than three months left, she could study herself to death and still not catch up.’
"’...The same university would be a stretch,’ Anna Yates conceded. As a student herself, she knew exactly what those rankings meant. After a few seconds’ pause, she added, ’But you could go to schools in the same city. That shouldn’t be too hard.’"
Besides, she had Simon Lockwood—a walking, talking "grade-boosting machine."
She asked tentatively, "Are you... just in a bad mood?"
’Saying you’re taking a leave of absence just because you’re in a bad mood... that would be incredibly spoiled.’
It fit the stereotype Anna Yates had of Joanna Kennedy perfectly.
"’...I broke up with Simon Lockwood,’ Joanna Kennedy said after a moment’s thought. With a sense of foresight, she held the phone away from her ear as soon as the words were out."
Sure enough, there was a long silence on the other end, followed by a deafening shriek.
"What?! What did you say?!" Anna Yates sounded incredulous. "What do you mean, ’broke up’?!"
"’...Broke up means we’re not together anymore. How else am I supposed to explain it? It should be pretty easy to understand,’ Joanna Kennedy said, not knowing whether to laugh or cry."
"Cut the crap! I’m asking *why* you suddenly broke up."
Of all the times to break up, why now? At such a critical and sensitive moment.
The Kennedy family had just gone bankrupt, and the college entrance exams were just around the corner.
Anna Yates couldn’t help but be suspicious. Holding back her anger, she asked, "Was it Simon Lockwood’s idea?"
"’...No.’"
"’Then he must have forced you!’"
Anna Yates clearly pictured Simon Lockwood as the type of guy who’d dump a girl once her family lost their money.
Worried she might do something rash in a fit of anger, Joanna Kennedy had to explain. "No, that’s not it either. In fact, he doesn’t even know I’m breaking up with him yet."
"’...What do you mean?’"
Joanna Kennedy said, "I didn’t want to distract him before his competition, so I haven’t brought it up." She gave a small laugh. "Weren’t you always against me and Simon Lockwood being together? Shouldn’t you be happy now?"
"..."
’Thanks for asking. Not happy in the slightest.’
It felt wrong to think it, but Anna Yates had to admit she had never approved of Joanna Kennedy and Simon Lockwood’s relationship.
Relationships required a certain balance, and it was obvious that a poor, hardworking top student like Simon Lockwood was no match for the heiress of the Kennedy family.
But things were different now. Joanna Kennedy had fallen from grace, and the college entrance exams were now her only path to claw her way back up. And that’s where Simon Lockwood became indispensable.
So, when she heard they were breaking up—and that it was Joanna’s idea—Anna Yates could only think that her friend had lost her mind.
"’Do you have any idea what your situation is right now?’ she said, her voice full of exasperation."
"’Of course I do,’ Joanna Kennedy said nonchalantly. ’That’s precisely why I have to leave him.’"
"’Why?’ Anna Yates still couldn’t understand."
’Why, indeed...’
An image of the unconcealable exhaustion in the boy’s eyes flashed through Joanna Kennedy’s mind. She took a deep breath and said:
"’Because there’s something in it for me, of course. Someone promised me a lot of money if I leave Simon Lockwood. Anna, you know how it is... he’s just too poor.’ Joanna Kennedy’s tone was dismissive. ’I can’t deal with that.’"
"..."
Anna Yates was stunned into silence by her words. She’d never expected that to be the reason. As Joanna Kennedy’s best friend, she should have been happy for her.
But deep down, she couldn’t suppress a wave of indescribable disappointment. "Then... do whatever you want. I won’t tell Simon Lockwood."
"Thank you, Anna."
Just before they hung up, Anna Yates couldn’t stop herself from asking, "Jo, are you going to regret this?"
She didn’t get an answer before the line went dead.
Joanna Kennedy stared at her phone. Anna Yates’s last words echoed in her ears.
’Will I regret it? Maybe. But life is full of regrets the moment you look back. She wasn’t afraid.’
Simon Lockwood had been persistent, calling once every day—except for the last one.
The competition was over.
Joanna Kennedy sighed and blocked his number.
In the distance, someone called out, "Joanna Kennedy!" Joanna walked over, took the books they were holding, and started arranging them on a shelf.
After getting off the plane, Simon Lockwood turned down a ride back to school from his teacher, saying he was going home to rest instead.
The teacher, looking at him with admiration, readily agreed, then hurried off to the school to report the good news to the administration.
Simon Lockwood got out of the car and hurried home. His hand instinctively went to his backpack, feeling the rectangular, textbook-shaped object inside. A smile touched his lips.
When he was still a few hundred meters from home, he couldn’t resist pulling out his phone to dial the number he knew by heart.
Unexpectedly, the call connected and was immediately dropped.
’Did she hang up by accident?’
Simon Lockwood tried again, but the same thing happened.
Simon Lockwood’s heart sank. The smile vanished from his lips. He didn’t try calling again, instead quickening his pace.
He broke into a run for the last stretch, eagerly unlocking the front door. It had only been a week since he’d been home, but the longing he felt seemed deeper than ever before.
The apartment was just as he’d left it before the competition: quiet and tidy. One of the refrigerator magnets Joanna Kennedy had bought had fallen off. Simon Lockwood picked it up and put it back in place.
Simon Lockwood didn’t call out. He set his backpack aside. The apartment was small, and he walked through it slowly, his expression growing colder with every step. He quickly scanned the place, but the familiar figure he was looking for was nowhere to be found.
The old wardrobe in the bedroom was clean—completely empty of the girl’s clothes.
The panic that had been lurking in the back of his mind surged forth, overwhelming him. Simon Lockwood’s mind went completely blank.
He still didn’t understand what had happened.
The calls that wouldn’t connect. The unanswered messages. And... a room missing so many things.
