Part 1My Online Crush Is The Hockey Star in School, But I Ghosted Him

I have a scar on my face, so I found a boyfriend in a game.

He said he was short and couldn't find a date in real life.

I said I was ugly, so we were perfect for each other.

When I went to meet my online crush in person, I never expected to see the department's heartthrob at our agreed-upon meeting spot.

I touched the scar on my face, nervously dialing my online boyfriend's FaceTime number.

Then, I watched the heartthrob pull out his phone and tap "answer."

"Hello?" A clear voice came through the phone.

"…Are you here?" I asked softly.

"Yep, already by the lake." He straightened up, tucked his book away, and scanned the main road, clearly looking for me.

Something unexpected came up today, so I rushed back to my dorm to change and grab a book. By then, it was almost our meeting time, so I took a shortcut.

That's how I ended up seeing Landon Reed, the department's heartthrob, at our meeting spot.

Landon was by the lake, leaning against a sycamore tree, reading.

Sunlight dappled through the leaves, making him look relaxed and gentle.

A faint smile played on his lips.

He wore a black jacket and held a book.

Those were our agreed-upon identifiers.

And there was no one else by the lake.

I didn't dare approach, hiding behind a tree.

Nervously, I dialed my online boyfriend's FaceTime number.

Then…

"Are you here yet?" the voice on the other end asked again.

I ducked further behind the tree and whispered, "Something… something came up. I'll be a little late."

The voice on the other end had a soft chuckle in it. "No worries, take your time."

My online boyfriend never rushed me, just like always.

I hung up, still reeling.

Wait, didn't my online boyfriend say he was short?

He had to be at least 6'1" or taller. How was that short at all!?

And you can't find a date in real life? Didn't you reject a long line of girls confessing to you back in freshman year?

I tapped open my online boyfriend's SnapChat profile, but there was no information there.

I stared blankly at my phone, then back at the guy by the lake, utterly baffled.

Seriously, how did my perfectly normal boyfriend turn into the department heartthrob?

I was still hesitating whether to go out and introduce myself when a girl walked up to Landon. I recognized her as Audrey Davies, the campus beauty.

Audrey was two years ahead of us and, like us, was in the Computer Science department.

She'd just returned from an exchange program abroad and already had her master's program guaranteed.

Tall and slender, with fair skin and waist-length hair gently swaying in the breeze, she looked soft and elegant.

Audrey walked up to Landon and started chatting. She talked and laughed, and Landon occasionally nodded.

Landon had his back to me, so I couldn't see his expression.

A knot tightened in my chest.

Handsome guys are meant for beautiful girls.

That's what a perfect first meeting in real life should look like, right?

I touched the scar on my face, covered by makeup, then glanced at my white jacket and the book in my hand.

I forced a wry smile, then quietly slipped away.

On my way back to the dorm, I saw a poster for a game-themed collaboration at the bubble tea shop. Thoughts rushed through my mind.

Originally, after our meeting, we were going to go for bubble tea.

Because that's where we met and started our online romance: in that game.

I didn't look at the poster again. I turned and left.