Allergic to You Chapter 2

“What’s with those two? You think they got back together?”

“No way! Isn’t Daniel still married?”

“So what? They were the real couple. If it wasn’t for that Jessica butting in, they’d still be together.”

“Man, nothing beats the original, you know?”

Thanks to Daniel’s little performance, my former classmates were now convinced we were secretly hooking up again. Some even whispered that I’d come back to the country just for him.

And the man himself, the architect of all this gossip, just sat there, watching it all unfold with a calm, detached expression. He didn’t say a word, content to let the rumors solidify into fact.

I had no idea what his game was, but I wanted absolutely no part of it. I opened my mouth, ready to shut it all down by announcing that I was already married.

But before I could speak, the door to the room swung open.

Jessica stood there, a thundercloud on her face. Her eyes met mine, and for a second, she froze. Then, her expression shifted instantly, her face contorting into a sickly sweet smile.

“Sophie! You’re back! Why didn’t you tell me you were coming?”

She sauntered in like she owned the place and slid into the seat next to Daniel. The moment she sat down, her gaze fell on the dishes covering the table. As my best friend for years, she knew my tastes intimately. Her face went pale with humiliation.

But just as quickly, she shot a venomous glare in my direction, as if I had personally orchestrated the menu just to embarrass her.

A bitter irony washed over me.

The Jessica I remembered wasn't like this.

I remember in tenth-grade gym class, I got my period and bled through my pants. A group of boys started pointing and laughing.

“Hey, look! Sophie’s butt is bleeding!”

“Ew, that’s so gross.”

It was the first time I’d ever been publicly mocked like that. My back went rigid, and I froze on the spot, utterly clueless about what to do. Suddenly, Jessica charged in, whipped off her own jacket, and tied it around my waist. Then she spun around and roared at the boys.

“What the hell are you laughing at? It’s called a period. It’s normal! If you’re that clueless, maybe you should pay attention in health class instead of acting like ignorant jerks.”

The boys fell silent immediately.

Later, I gave her a box of candy to thank her. She took it and thumped her chest, promising, “Anyone ever messes with you again, you just come find me. I’ll take care of them!”

I thought she was just kidding, but Jessica was true to her word.

Back then, Daniel and I were childhood sweethearts, practically joined at the hip. Our closeness fueled a lot of gossip. Someone even started a rumor that we had already gone all the way.

At first, I ignored it. But we were still teenagers, and our skins weren't as thick as they are now. Hearing it over and over started to get to me, making me feel miserable and wronged. So one day, after another crude joke was thrown my way, I finally broke. I walked to the front of the classroom and tearfully told everyone that Daniel and I had never crossed that line.

Daniel stood up to defend me, but that only made things worse. The gossips exchanged gleeful looks and started jeering.

“Ooh, look at that. Say two words about the girl and the guy jumps up to protect her. And you say nothing’s going on?”

“They walk home together every day. Who knows what they’re doing in private!”

“Hahaha.”

Another wave of laughter crashed over me. I stood there, frozen, feeling like I’d been struck by lightning.

That’s when Jessica slammed her hand on her desk. She stood up, marched over to the group of guys, looked them up and down, and then flashed a lewd grin.

“Ooh, look at you three, always going to the bathroom together. Who knows what you guys are doing in there, huh?”

She leaned in, her voice dripping with insinuation. “I heard real ‘bros’ are supposed to take care of each other when they’re in need. You guys been taking good care of each other?”

If straight romance was a storm in our high school, a gay rumor was a full-blown apocalypse.

The boys’ faces went white with panic. They immediately turned to me and Daniel, stammering apologies. After that, they never breathed another word about us.

And from that day on, Jessica and I were inseparable.

She was the kind of person who was optimistic, kind, and fiercely righteous. She was the one who would charge into battle for me.

But the woman standing here today?

For a man, she’d not only abandoned her own sense of justice but was now slinging mud at me without a second thought.

“Sophie, are you still mad at me for taking Daniel all those years ago? Is that why you came back without saying a word to me?”

I was so taken aback by her accusation that I didn’t know how to respond.

She seized the opportunity, raising her voice into a pathetic, whiny tone. “I tried to talk to you when I came in, but you just ignored me. You just wanted to humiliate me, didn’t you?”

Her voice rose to a crescendo, filled with theatrical self-pity. “I know you’ve never gotten over Daniel, but he’s my husband now! Are you really trying to seduce him right in front of my face?”

The room erupted in gasps. Curious eyes bounced back and forth between me and Jessica.

But what truly surprised me was Daniel’s reaction. He did absolutely nothing to stop Jessica’s lies. Instead, he just rested his chin on his hand, a ghost of a smile playing on his lips as he watched me.

It was a look of pure anticipation. As if he was actually hoping I would try to seduce him.

How could he look at me like that? Had he forgotten how he had cursed me, how he had wished me a life of misery?