Chapter 5: Campus Legends and Cold Shoulders

Linda had warned we’d run into each other at school, and she was right.

Not only were we at the same university, but in the same major. He was basically a campus legend.

Winning two back-to-back international finance competitions was a big deal, even at UChicago. People whispered his name in lecture halls and posted about him on the campus subreddit.

I was floored when I saw him on the campus celebrity list.

So he was a star student.

Walking with friends past Cobb Gate toward the Reynolds Club, I spotted Julian again.

He wore a crisp white shirt and a bold silver earring. The sunlight filtered through the maples, reflecting off him. His expression was bored and distant, like he was already somewhere else.

I hesitated, debating whether to say hi or keep my head down.

My heart hammered, but I decided to go for it.

As we passed, I turned and called, "Julian, hey!"

He paused for a split second, eyes flickering to me, then kept walking like he didn’t know me.

The wind rustled, sunlight flickered on the sidewalk, and the leaves whispered above us.

My friends stared, probably wondering where I got the guts. The silence was thick.

I just smiled and watched his tall figure disappear, thinking, He really knows how to put on a front.

He was wary of me, but too lazy to deal with it.

I let the moment pass, refusing to let his cold shoulder sting. Sometimes, silence says everything.