Love Out of the Picture

On the third day of our graduation trip, my childhood sweetheart finally agreed to take pictures of me. But after only a few minutes, she frowned in frustration and lowered her camera. "Not a single one looks good." A classmate looked confused. "How is that possible? Every picture you take of Ethan turns out great." It hurt to hear that, but I stayed silent. Mabel lowered her camera and looked at me. "Forget it. Let's not take any more. You're just not very expressive. No matter how I photograph you, you always look ordinary." After saying that, she casually stopped a girl by the roadside who was holding a camera. "Hi, could you take a few pictures of him for me? I'll come back and pay you later." Before the girl could even answer, Mabel grabbed her camera and ran toward Ethan. The moment she pointed the camera at him, her mood brightened again. "Turn around and lower your head a little. That's it. You look great..." I stood there quietly, watching how naturally the two of them worked together. Suddenly, I remembered asking Mabel a long time ago, "Why do you always make me look so good in your pictures?" Back then, she had smiled as she fixed my hair. "Because there's love behind the camera. When you love someone, every picture turns out beautiful." Now I finally understood. She didn't love me anymore. Mabel and I had originally applied to colleges in Northfield together. I quietly took out my phone and changed my application to a university in the distant city of Portwell. Chapter 1 Alvin's POV It took me three minutes to revise my college application choices before I realized the tourist photographer Mabel Sutter had randomly stopped was still waiting. I was about to tell her I didn't need any photos after all, but she raised her camera first and smiled brightly. "Can you do me a favor? I'm a beginner. I think you really fit the scenery here. Could I take a sample set of photos for my portfolio? It'll be free. And if you don't like them, I'll even pay you 100 dollars." She caught me off guard and made me laugh. After thinking it over, I agreed. After all, I had spent extra time getting ready today, and I loved having my picture taken. But this was already the third day of our trip. Mabel had taken photos of the waves, the sunset, and countless pictures of Ethan Jilbert laughing without a care in the world. She had never taken a single one of me. I didn't even have one photo good enough to post on social media. Once the shoot started, the young photographer became completely focused. She gently and patiently guided me through different poses and expressions. She wasn't impatient like Mabel. Before long, the session was over. She turned the camera around so I could see the pictures. To my surprise, every single shot looked amazing. After looking through them carefully, I said sincerely, "I should pay you after all. You're really good." There was no way a beginner could take photos like these. But she just smiled and waved her hand. "I'm not a professional photographer. It's nice to meet you. Enjoy your trip." After sending me the photos, she turned around and walked away along the shoreline. Not far away, Mabel and Ethan were still taking pictures. Mabel kept pressing the shutter while exchanging smiles with Ethan. I walked over to tell my classmates I was heading back first. But when Ethan saw me, he spoke before I could, "Alvin, we're taking a boat to the little island for more pictures. Want to come with us?" I shook my head. "I'm kind of tired. I want to go back to the hotel." Only then did Mabel turn around and look at me for several seconds. "Are you upset? Didn't that photographer get any good pictures of you? Well, that's normal. You're just hard to photograph. Most people wouldn't have the patience I do to keep finding the right angle for you." I looked sadly at the girl I had spoiled since we were kids. I couldn't understand why she had become so mean after Ethan showed up. She used to encourage me and compliment me all the time. But after Ethan transferred to our school, that all changed. I shook my head. "No. I love the photos she took of me. They're my favorite pictures from this whole trip." Mabel's face darkened instantly. The annoyance in her eyes was impossible to miss. She let out a mocking laugh. "You're just upset because I didn't spend today taking pictures of you. Don't say something that ridiculous just to make me mad. What kind of good photos could some cheap roadside photographer possibly take?" "Ethan, let's go." She turned and headed for the boat. But Ethan grabbed her hand and looked at me with disapproval. "Alvin, Mabel has taken so many great pictures of you before. How could you say something like that and hurt her feelings? You're ungrateful." Ungrateful? Was I supposed to be grateful that she had fallen for someone else and grateful that she kept putting me down? After hearing Ethan's words, Mabel didn't seem as angry anymore. "Forget it. Not everyone knows how to appreciate kindness the way you do." With that, she left with Ethan. I stayed where I was and watched them walk away. As the waves crashed onto the shore, salty seawater splashed against my lips. It tasted so bitter. Chapter 2 That night, I uploaded the photos from the day to social media. A comment I hadn't seen in a long time suddenly appeared. "Wow, Mabel took so many amazing photos of you again. You're so lucky!" I froze when I saw it because it had been a long time since I had seen someone leave a comment like that. Even when we weren't traveling, Mabel used to take my everyday photos at the dorm and around campus all the time. I would upload them to social media every few days, so everyone knew those photos were taken by Mabel. But everything changed after Ethan transferred to our school a year ago. I checked my social media and realized I hadn't posted anything for six months. I replied to my classmate's comment. "These weren't taken by Mabel. A stranger took them for me. She was really talented." A few minutes later, Mabel also uploaded nine photos to social media. Every single one was of Ethan. The backgrounds in our photos were almost the exact same ocean view. It looked like we were competing with each other. "Thanks to the most handsome guy for letting me take his pictures. I had so much fun today." Ethan quickly commented. "You're the amazing one. Your photos are incredible. I had a great time too!" I stared at the screen for a long time. Suddenly, I felt disgusted. Before my phone screen turned off automatically, I still gave Mabel's post a like. I made up my mind. From now on, I would no longer be a part of her life. The next morning, I ran into Mabel when I went downstairs. She was looking down at her phone, but the moment she noticed me from the corner of her eye, she frowned. "Didn't you realize how badly sunburned you got yesterday?" Before I could even respond, she had already walked out of the hotel quickly in her heels. Ten minutes later, she came back carrying a pharmacy bag. She opened a tube of aloe vera gel and shoved it into my hand. She said with a mocking tone, "Didn't you say that photographer was amazing? Then why did she keep making you stand under the hot sun? Look at you. Your neck is already peeling from the sun." I looked into her eyes. Even though her words were harsh, the familiar concern in her eyes was still the same as before. I sighed quietly in my heart but said nothing. I didn't want to argue with her right now. Then Ethan walked over. "Oh, what happened to you? Good thing Mabel carefully put sunscreen all over me yesterday, so I didn't get burned at all." My hand stopped while I was squeezing out the aloe vera gel. When Mabel noticed me stop, she explained, "Ethan couldn't reach some places on his back, so I helped him apply it." I stayed silent for a few seconds before taking out my phone and opening my banking app. "How much did the aloe vera gel cost? I'll send you the money." Mabel's expression darkened. "Alvin, what's wrong with you?" I didn't answer. We had grown up together. We never cared about small amounts of money. We often bought things for each other without thinking twice. But things were different now. I handed the aloe vera gel back to her. "If you don't want to take my money, then I can't accept this either." Ethan looked innocent. "Alvin, I'm sorry. Are you upset because of what I said? But I really did ask Mabel for help because I couldn't reach my back." Mabel looked at me with disappointment. "Why have you been getting angry over nothing these past few days? We're all adults now. Can't you control your emotions a little better?" I threw the aloe vera gel onto the hotel table and gave a cold laugh. "Then we just won't keep in touch anymore." Mabel frowned. "Alvin, how can you just say something like that?" I looked back at her. "Then how can you casually help another guy put sunscreen on his back?" Before Mabel could figure out how to respond, I picked up my bag and walked away. Chapter 3 I went to Aquatica World alone and spent the entire day there. When I returned to the hotel, I found that someone had uploaded a video in our class group chat. Our homeroom teacher also sent several smiling emojis. "This is the graduation memory video Mabel made for our class. I've been too busy lately, so I forgot to upload it. Everyone can save a copy as a keepsake." I hesitated for a moment before clicking on it. In the entire eight-minute video, I only appeared for one second during the introduction. But Ethan appeared countless times. Ethan eating, Ethan studying, Ethan running... After watching it, I tossed my phone aside and lay on the bed with my eyes closed. The Osmo Pocket Mabel used to film this video was the birthday gift I bought for her after working as a car washer during two school breaks. We had used that camera to record countless little moments at school. But when she finally edited everything into a graduation memory video, my part was almost nonexistent. A classmate joked in the group chat. "Mabel, are you secretly in love with Ethan? Why did you film so much of him?" "Yeah, all the scenes of the rest of our class combined aren't even as much as Ethan's." Mabel didn't reply. But I already had my answer. I knew she must have fallen for Ethan. Thinking about all the excuses she had given me before and how blindly I trusted her made me feel hurt. Mabel and I had carefully prepared for the photography competition together. We discussed ideas and locations for the photos. In early winter, I wore summer clothes for two days because she asked me to. After the photos were taken, I came down with a high fever. Back then, I spent every night after school editing pictures. I was so exhausted that my eyes were filled with red veins. But the photos Mabel finally submitted for the competition were pictures she had secretly taken of Ethan at some point. I took the student newspaper with a photo of the two of them standing side by side and confronted Mabel. She only laughed and tried to calm me down. "We both joined this photography competition before. Ethan just transferred here this year, so this is his only chance. Just let him have this one. Don't be so petty." Her words left me feeling so wronged that I didn't even know how to respond. During the second semester, Mabel moved her seat next to Ethan. Then she spent time every day helping him with his homework. She openly explained it to me, "I think Ethan is a great model. We might be able to work together for a long time in the future. But his grades aren't good enough for the colleges near Northfield University, so I need to help him study. Don't bother me for now. If you have questions, just ask others for help." Besides that, there were many other small things. She was pulling away, and it was not just with the camera—her love for me was fading too. I stood up, took the confession gift I had prepared for Mabel out of my suitcase, threw it into the trash, and changed my flight. I no longer wanted to continue this trip with her. Chapter 4 The next morning, while we were having breakfast in the hotel restaurant, I told everyone that I was leaving early. Mabel was handing Ethan some bread, and the moment she heard that, she froze. Ethan asked me first, "Alvin, are you feeling sick, or are you just not having fun on this trip?" I smiled and replied, "I had a pretty good time, but I suddenly want to see some different places. So I think this is where our trip ends. Besides, I don't really know you that well. You don't need to worry about me like this. I don't like it." Ethan immediately looked awkward. Mabel frowned and criticized me. "Alvin, how can you be so rude? Ethan was just showing concern for you. Why are you purposely being rude to him? Are you upset because of what people said in the class group chat last night? You can be jealous, but don't take it out on Ethan just because he has a good temper." When Mabel said I was jealous, there was a hint of pride in her eyes. Even now, her first instinct was still to protect Ethan. She was even using my pain as proof of her own importance. I took a deep breath and calmly looked at Mabel. "This has nothing to do with those jokes. I don't care whether you like him or not. That's between the two of you. I just want to tell Ethan that I hope people can respect each other's boundaries. That applies to me and everyone else. I'm full. I'm going to the airport first. I hope you two have a great trip." Mabel suddenly grabbed my hand. "Don't leave! If you're not jealous, then why are you suddenly leaving? I'll explain everything in the group chat, okay? Just sit down." I pulled my hand away from hers. "I also hope you can respect my boundaries." Mabel gritted her teeth and shouted. "Alvin, if you leave today, you will definitely regret it!" I felt disappointed for a while, but later, I felt relieved. Would I really miss something by leaving? Even if I did, it didn't matter. After all, because of Ethan, we had already missed countless chances with each other, hadn't we? When I got home, my mom, Willow Colton, gave me a look. "So? How did it go?" I looked at her in confusion. "What are you talking about?" She clicked her tongue and explained, "Mabel's mom told me that Mabel saved money for a long time to put together a fireworks display so she could confess her feelings to you. Aren't you two officially together now?" I lowered my head. So this was what I had missed? Without thinking, I swiped my phone screen and opened my social media. Then I saw that Ethan had just posted something. "Thank you for the amazing fireworks show, class queen. I had so much fun, haha!" The picture showed a huge fireworks display and the two of them standing close together with their backs facing the camera. I let out a sarcastic laugh. Their love was so cheap. I was lucky I missed it. "Mom, I don't like Mabel anymore. I also changed my college application to Portwell. Please don't tell Mabel's parents yet." Willow stared at me in shock. "You two had a fight?" I only shook my head. I didn't want to explain too much. "Mabel and I are finished. I'm going to Grandma's house for summer break. I'll come back before school starts." In the past, whenever we fought, I was always the one who tried to fix things first. But this time, I chose to let go. So Mabel and I completely lost contact during those two months. Before school started, Mabel's mom asked Willow if she needed to help us buy tickets for the same train. Willow politely refused and told her that I would go to school by myself. On the day I left for Portwell, I rested with my eyes closed during the nearly five-hour flight. After the plane landed in Portwell, I took my phone out of my bag. When I unlocked it, I saw many missed calls and unread messages from Mabel.