Chapter 1
Beatrice's POV:
I had a fever of 104°F when I sent a message to our group chat.
Beatrice: Can someone buy me some fever medicine? I'm home alone, and my head hurts so much.
My two brothers, Malcolm Fenwick and Adrian Fenwick, and my boyfriend, Vincent Calder, replied one after another.
Malcolm: I'll bring you some right away.
Adrian: I'll bring you some right away.
Vincent: I'll bring you some right away.
But by evening, none of them had come. Still burning up, I had to take a taxi to the hospital myself.
In the hospital corridor, I unexpectedly saw Lydia Roscoe, the campus beauty, talking to all three of them.
"Bea said in the group that she had a high fever. Why aren't you taking care of her? Why are you here with me for my checkup?"
Vincent dismissed it. "It's just a fever. Malcolm said he'd buy her some medicine. I'll take you home first."
Malcolm immediately objected, "Bea's your girlfriend. You should be bringing her medicine. I'll take Lydia home."
Irritated, Vincent tried to make Adrian do it instead. "You were the first one in the group to offer to buy her medicine."
Adrian wasn't happy either. "Why should I go if neither of you will? I want to stay with Lydia too."
Tears sprang to my eyes. Once again, each of them was trying to make me someone else's problem.
On my birthday, they'd pretended to forget and never show up. I'd eaten an entire cake alone.
When I moved dorms, they'd all claimed they were busy and stayed away. I'd carried every piece of luggage myself.
Now I was sick, and they still hadn't come.
'If they don't care, why bother pretending in the group chat?'
With tears in my eyes, I turned to leave. I was done with a world that had room for only the four of them.
But the moment I turned, everything went black, and I collapsed.
While I lay in the hospital bed, not yet fully conscious, I could faintly hear the four of them talking.
Vincent stared at his phone, excited. "I finally managed to book four tickets! Let's go to the concert tomorrow!"
Lydia looked worried. "Why didn't you get another one? What are we going to tell Bea when she wakes up?"
"It's fine. She's sick. She's hardly going to insist on coming," Vincent said with complete confidence.
Malcolm and Adrian nodded in agreement.
Once again, I hadn't been included.
They always bought just four tickets, then came up with some excuse for why I couldn't go.
Sometimes they'd say, "You need to study for finals. Skip the movie."
Other times they'd say, "You can't handle roller coasters. Don't come to the amusement park."
This time, Vincent had used my illness as an excuse not to buy a fifth ticket, even though the concert was by my favorite star.
I opened my eyes and pretended I hadn't heard them.
Vincent hurried to my bedside, sounding anxious. "Bea, why didn't you tell us in the group that you were coming to the hospital? You scared us half to death when we saw you pass out."
He had the nerve to ask.
He'd promised to bring me medicine, but he hadn't shown up. If I hadn't gone to the hospital, that fever might have killed me at home.
Lydia stood beside him, all concern. "Bea, the doctor just finished giving you IV fluids. Are you hungry?"
I nodded. My stomach was empty. I hadn't eaten all day.
Vincent took out his phone. "Okay, I'll order Bea her favorite fried chicken."
I was surprised. 'He actually remembers what I like to eat?'
A little later, Malcolm and Adrian collected five portions of fried chicken at the hospital entrance and brought them back.
Sitting up in bed, I felt a quiet flicker of happiness. They'd finally remembered to order five.
But when I opened my box, that hope faded. "Why is it spicy?"
Vincent looked puzzled as he ate his chicken. "Don't you like spicy food? I ordered all five spicy. Lydia said this place makes the best spicy fried chicken."
We'd been together for four years. I'd told him long ago that I was allergic to spicy food, but he'd forgotten.
The four of them sat on stools, each happily eating from a box.
I was the only one holding an untouched portion.
Malcolm and Adrian hadn't eaten spicy food growing up either. But after meeting Lydia, a big fan of spicy food, they'd developed a taste for it.
Vincent had ordered spicy fried chicken because Lydia liked it. My portion had just been an afterthought.
I'd let myself get my hopes up. Yet even when I was the one who was sick, I still wasn't his priority.
After finishing hers, Lydia complained casually, "The portions here are so small. I'm still hungry."
Vincent looked at the untouched chicken in my hands, got up, and took it from me to give to her. "Here's some more. Bea doesn't seem hungry. You can have it."
Tears threatened to spill, but I forced them back.
The four of them kept eating, laughing, and chatting. None of them noticed how miserable I was.
After settling the medical bill, Vincent called a taxi. The four of them got in, filling every passenger seat.
I stood alone on the curb as they looked at me awkwardly.
"One of you guys needs to get out and let her in," the driver said.
None of the three wanted to give up a seat, so I took the hint. "Take Lydia home first. I'll get another taxi."
Vincent smiled approvingly. "You're so understanding, Bea. We aren't going the same way anyway. Be careful getting home."
Malcolm and Adrian looked relieved too. "You're always so independent, Bea. Just tell us what the taxi cost, and we'll pay you back."
They waved goodbye and drove off, all perfectly satisfied.
As the autumn wind brushed past me, tears slipped silently down my cheeks.
