Chapter 2: Chapter 2

"Isn't it hot?" Hot? Joy shook her head. She didn't feel a thing. She was frozen solid, numb to everything. In a daze, Cedric handed her a glass of mango juice. "You've always liked this best. Have a sip if you're thirsty." Joy glanced at him. Their eyes met, and all at once she understood. Cedric had done it on purpose. He knew she'd spent the past half month waiting for an answer from him. Snow and Jonah were that answer. He had chosen Snow. Jonah was there to make sure Joy finally gave up, to show her that no matter how much time passed, Cedric would never choose her. Joy turned her face away, stiff as a board. She lowered her head and pressed a hand hard against her heart. It hurt so much. Wave after wave of bitterness and suffocating pain crashed over her until she could barely breathe. If Cedric had simply told her that he and Snow had gotten back together tonight, Joy thought she could have accepted it. She knew her place. Whenever and wherever Snow stood beside Cedric, she didn't have to lift a finger. Joy had already lost. She would retreat into her shell and leave them alone. What she couldn't accept was this: Why had he chosen this day, of all days, to push her toward someone else? Joy lifted the glass of mango juice and took a sip. It snuffed out the last spark of hope in her heart. The flame she'd kept alive for half a month flickered once, then went out for good. At dinner, Snow did most of the talking, and Cedric laughed at everything she said. The two of them carried on like a couple, then eventually started trying to set Joy up with Jonah. "Joy, you're twenty-seven this year," Snow said. "You can't stay single forever. And what are you doing hanging around Cedric all the time?" "Joy, Jonah's the most dependable of all my friends," Cedric added. "He's three years older than you, and he's a great guy. Why don't you give dating a try?" Joy wanted to run. She wanted to escape the room. The pain and humiliation she couldn't put into words stole the air from her lungs. She couldn't bear to stay, but her legs trembled beneath the table. She couldn't stand. Just as the awkwardness became unbearable, a warm, gentle voice spoke beside her. "Joy, may I pursue you?" Three pairs of eyes turned to her. A storm of emotions swept through Joy. Maybe it was the tears blurring her vision, but Cedric's face suddenly seemed to fade from view. After a long pause, she lifted her head and looked at Jonah. "You can." The moment the words left her mouth, Snow's shrill voice rang out beside her. "Cedric, you spilled your wine! It's all over my skirt. Oh no, I just bought this yesterday!" Joy lowered her head with a bitter smile. See how happy Cedric was? He could finally be rid of her.