Rain, Favoritism, and a New Direction

The car tore through the rain.
Instinctively, Caleb yanked his protégé back from the curb.
And a wave of filthy street water soaked me from the knees down.
“Rachel’s just a freshman,” he explained, not looking at me. “She’d have a meltdown if her new dress got dirty.”
I said nothing.
I just stared down at the brand-new white pants I’d bought specifically to meet his mother. I tried to wipe the mud away, but the dark, ugly stain only spread across the fabric.
A hollow feeling bloomed in my chest.
I looked up at him. “You know what? I think I’ll sit this one out.”
…
Caleb’s expression froze for a second before Rachel tugged on his arm.
“Come on, Caleb, it’s really starting to come down now.”
Of course.
Her pale pink dress was getting damp, clinging slightly to her frame. Caleb’s umbrella tilted further in her direction, shielding her completely. He shot me an annoyed look.
“It’s just a little mud. Are you serious?”
“I’m not going.”
His brow furrowed. He took Rachel’s hand.
“Fine. Have it your way.” He turned. “Let’s go, Rachel.”
The umbrella, my only shelter from the downpour, vanished from over my head.
I could hear Rachel’s delicate, worried voice drifting back.
“Is this okay? Won’t she be mad when you get back…?”
Caleb’s arm wrapped around her shoulder.
“If she’s mad, that’s not your problem. Get closer, I don’t want you getting sick.”
I tilted my head back, letting the rain hit my face.
It really was coming down harder now.
But there was only one umbrella. And Rachel had been a late addition to our plans.
There was never enough room for three.
I showered the moment I got back to the dorm, but a familiar stuffiness was already creeping into my sinuses. The start of a cold.
My first thought was to tell Caleb. I picked up my phone, then set it back down.
I couldn’t help but remember the last time.
[I think I’m coming down with something.]
[My head is so stuffy, I don’t know if I can make it to class tomorrow.]
He’d been in the middle of a gaming session with Rachel, who had the bunk across from mine. He didn’t reply until the match was over.
[Damn. That’s wild.]
I’d just stared at the screen, my mind a dull blank. A part of me felt a sting of hurt, but another part had known that’s exactly how he would react.
But I hadn’t expected what came next.
Rachel, who was on voice chat with their team, sniffled softly.
Caleb heard it instantly.
“What’s wrong, Rachel? You getting sick?”
From her top bunk, her eyes met mine for a fleeting, deliberate moment.
“It’s just a little cold in here,” she murmured. “I didn’t realize the dorms in Northwood had such bad heating.”
And just like that, Caleb quit the game mid-match, earning a stream of curses from his teammates.
Twenty minutes later, there was a tap on our ground-floor window.
Caleb stood outside, his nose red from the cold, holding up a bag of cold medicine.
He handed it through the window to me.
“Rachel’s new to campus, Luna,” he instructed. “Look after her, will you? Go get her some hot water or something.”
Then, as if the mountain of used tissues on my own desk was invisible, he smiled up at Rachel.
“Take this on schedule. I don’t want you calling in sick for Prof. Albright’s presentation and using ‘my makeup won’t set right’ as an excuse. He’ll be pissed, and I’m not covering for you this time.”
Rachel crinkled her nose playfully.
“I know, I know. Go on, get back to your game before you get banned.”
She slid the window shut and glanced at me.
“Don’t worry, Luna,” she said, her voice dripping with faux concern. “I won’t actually make you my servant.”
…
It wasn’t the first time. Not even close.
But every time I tried to argue with him, to point out his blatant favoritism, he’d just sigh wearily.
“Rachel’s family friends with my academic advisor, Luna. I can’t just ignore her, can I?”
This time, I didn’t argue.
I just lay in bed, my head splitting.
My phone buzzed with a message from an unfamiliar number:
[Hey Luna, you okay? Someone in my class said they saw you get caught in the rain this afternoon.]
I started to type a reply, my voice catching in my throat.
A moment later, a gentle knock echoed from the windowpane.
A guy from my department, an underclassman, was standing outside in the downpour. He started passing a small mountain of things through the window.
“Here’s a thermos of hot water.”
“And I just ran to the pharmacy for this medicine, see if it helps.”
“I also ordered you some chicken soup and fruit from a delivery service; they’ll bring it to the lobby in a bit.”
I was stunned, speechless. I tried to refuse, but Leo was already backing away, disappearing into the rain.
My phone buzzed again.
[Sorry if this is weird, Luna. I know you have a boyfriend, but… he doesn’t seem to be taking very good care of you.]
Maybe it was the medicine, or maybe it was the sleep, but I felt a little more human when my other roommates returned. They noticed my flushed cheeks and asked how I was feeling.
Then the door swung open.
Rachel swept in, her arms laden with shopping bags.
“Presents for everyone!” she announced, dropping them onto her bed.
She held up each item, narrating its origin. A fancy skincare set someone had gifted Caleb’s mother. A stylish new scarf.
“Mrs. Evans is so sweet,” Rachel said with a sigh. “She says nice things are wasted on old people and should be given to the young first.”
The room went silent. My roommates’ eyes darted nervously toward me.
Everyone knew Caleb was my boyfriend.
The gifts Rachel was offering suddenly felt radioactive. Wisely, no one said a word.
Rachel’s smile widened.
“Oh, don’t be silly. Some of these are just samples and travel sizes. Take them! I made it perfectly clear to Mrs. Evans that I’m not Caleb’s girlfriend. She totally gets it.”
She padded over to my bunk and looked up at me.
“What’s wrong, Luna? You’re awfully quiet. Are you upset that I brought back gifts?” Her expression was pure innocence. “It’s not my fault you decided not to come, you know.”
For a long moment, I just closed my eyes.
“Take them,” I said to my roommates. “They’re for you.”
Only then did they move, murmuring thanks to Rachel as they picked through the items. Like a benevolent queen, she even set one of the smaller bags aside on my desk.
I climbed down from my bunk, picked it up, and tossed it back onto her bed.
“I don’t want it.”
“What’s your problem?” Rachel shot up, deliberately bumping her shoulder into mine as she stood.
Already dizzy from the fever, I staggered, grabbing the bed frame to steady myself.
She pouted. “I brought that back especially for you. No one else got one.”
She paused, a sly grin spreading across her face. “Does it bother you, seeing all the things Caleb’s mom gave me? If you’re that unhappy about it…”
I cut her off.
“Those things,” I said, my voice cold and clear, “are the gifts I bought for Caleb’s mother. Only you would be proud of receiving hand-me-downs you didn’t earn. Now, apologize.”
She stared, dumbfounded. “What did you say?”
“You bumped into me,” I repeated, locking my gaze on hers. “Apologize.”
Her expression hardened. She crossed her arms. “Apologize? Me?”
I didn’t move, didn’t back down. Our roommates froze, watching us.
Just then, a knock came at the door. A girl from our program peeked in.
“Is Luna here? I have a delivery for her from Leo.”
After the girl left, Rachel’s eyes landed on the new items on my desk. A slow, knowing smile spread across her face.
“Oohh,” she cooed. “No wonder you were in such a hurry to get back to the dorm.”
That night, they were gaming again.
In the middle of a team fight, Rachel’s voice suddenly rang out, sweet and poisonous.
“Hey, Caleb… you spend so much time with me. Aren’t you worried you’ll get cheated on?”
The frantic clicking and shouting on their voice chat went dead silent.
Caleb didn’t seem to catch her drift.
“Nah, not Luna,” he said dismissively. “She’s not the dramatic type.”
I closed my eyes. Under my pillow, my phone vibrated softly.
[Hey Luna, are you asleep?]
[The girl who dropped off the stuff was just a delivery runner I hired. They won’t let food delivery drivers into the dorms.]
[Sorry to bother you so late, I was just worried about you…]
I was running late for my 8 AM lecture.
When I walked in, Caleb was already there. He waved me over, a breakfast sandwich saving the seat next to him.
Usually, I was the one who got here first to save his seat.
It was, I knew, his version of an olive branch.
He reached for my bag out of habit, but I held onto it, placing it on the other side of me as I sat.
Caleb sighed. “Still mad? You ignored all my texts last night. It’s not my fault you decided not to come. My mom’s sick, Luna. I couldn’t just cancel because you were having a moment.”
That wasn’t the point. It was never the point.
I met his gaze. “When you asked me to come, you said you wanted to bring your girlfriend home to meet your mom.”
He frowned. “Yeah. And I came to pick you up.”
The absurdity of it was breathtaking.
“You came to pick up Rachel.”
His brow suddenly relaxed, as if a great mystery had been solved.
“Oh, so that’s what this is about.” He leaned in, explaining as if to a child. “Rachel heard my mom wasn’t well and wanted to come pay her respects. We were both going anyway, so we just went together. It was just convenient.”
I pressed my lips together. I didn’t have the energy to argue with him about why that was wrong. I’d argued it a hundred times before.
I was so, so tired.
I pushed the breakfast sandwich back towards him.
Just then, a cheerful voice cut through the air.
“Luna! You actually saved me a seat? You’re the best!”
Caleb froze. He grabbed my arm, his face darkening. “Who is he?”
“A freshman from my department.” I pulled my arm away and slid my bag onto my own chair, moving to the outside seat. “You can sit next to him. I don’t want to.”
Leo blinked, then quickly recovered, slipping past me to stand next to Caleb.
“Hey, man. Sorry about this. Thanks for saving the spot.”
Caleb’s jaw was tight as he watched Leo slide into the seat between us. He looked like he was about to explode, but the professor had already walked in and started the lecture.
His fingers flew across his phone screen. My pocket buzzed.
[What the hell is this, Luna? You’re putting some random guy between us?]
[Are you seriously trying to piss me off?!]
He was getting more and more agitated. Finally, he shot to his feet.
“Yes, you in the back?” the professor asked, a rare smile gracing his stern face. “Eager to answer a question, are we? Excellent. Then please, explain how the third formulation of Kant's categorical imperative in the Groundwork of the Metaphysic of Morals synthesizes and transcends the first two. What potential dilemma, inherent in the first two formulations, does it seek to resolve?”
Caleb stood there, rigid as a statue.
The seconds ticked by. The professor’s look of encouragement curdled into one of stern disapproval. He adjusted his glasses.
“You can’t answer? What’s your name, son?”
To my surprise, Leo raised his hand.
“Professor, I can answer that.”
He proceeded to deliver a clear, concise explanation that had the professor nodding in approval. At the end, he asked for Leo’s name, then his gaze landed back on Caleb.
“And you. What was your name again?”
Just before the class ended, Rachel finally arrived, her makeup perfect, slipping in through the back door. She tiptoed down the aisle, located Caleb, and began her usual routine of whispering and gesturing to swap seats until she could squeeze in between us.
As she settled in, she saw Leo and her eyes went wide with innocent confusion.
“Caleb, what’s going on?” she cooed. “Who’s this guy sitting here~~?”
Her voice was sickly sweet. She leaned past Leo to look at me. “And he’s right next to Luna, too.”
From the front of the room, the professor’s voice boomed.
“The young lady in the back who just arrived. I don’t recall seeing you for the first half of my lecture.”
Rachel froze, slowly turning her head.
“Professor, I was sitting in a different spot. I couldn’t hear well, so I moved.”
“Is that so?” The professor scanned his attendance sheet. He looked up. “Rachel, isn’t it? Then perhaps you can tell us what potential dilemma, inherent in the first two formulations of the categorical imperative, the third formulation seeks to resolve?”
That day, both Caleb and Rachel were officially marked down for poor performance.
Caleb was furious. He was convinced it was all my fault. He cornered me outside the dorm building that afternoon.
“What is wrong with you? Is this still about not seeing my mom? Luna, you were the one who bailed! Why are you taking it out on me now? First you embarrass me in class, then you get Rachel in trouble. Are you happy now?!”
His indignation was so absolute, it left me breathless.
“You got marked down because of your own actions, didn’t you?” I asked, my voice flat. “I didn’t make you show up late, and I didn’t make you unable to answer the professor’s question.”
He sputtered, momentarily lost for words.
Rachel appeared at his side, clutching his sleeve.
“It’s really me she has a problem with, isn’t it… Just because your mother likes me, she sets us up in class…” She bit her lip, her eyes welling up. “Maybe… maybe this is for the best… Caleb, we should stop hanging out. I don’t want to cause any more trouble between you two.”
With that, she turned and hurried into the building.
Caleb started to chase after her, but the dorm monitor stopped him at the door. He spun back around to face me, his eyes blazing.
“Are you satisfied now? And what about that guy? Why were you saving a seat for him? Explain yourself, Luna!”
I just looked at him. He seemed like a stranger.
“There’s nothing to explain. He’s just an underclassman. I was looking out for him.”
Caleb froze. The excuse—his excuse for Rachel—hung in the air between us.
But he recovered quickly, his voice rising as I turned to leave.
“Luna, when did you become so unreasonable?!”
…
The air was still so cold.
I rubbed my hands together.
Maybe, I thought, the reasonable Luna had frozen to death in the rain.
After that day, Caleb went into full-on silent treatment mode.
Not only was he attached to Rachel’s hip 24/7, but he also started sending bouquets of roses to her at the dorm every few days. Girls from other floors, unaware of the situation, would gossip.
“Is that guy Rachel’s boyfriend? They must have had a fight. He’s sending apology flowers every day, he must be serious.”
I looked up from my textbook.
“He’s my boyfriend.”
The girl who had been gossiping choked on her apple, coughing violently. I handed her a bottle of water.
“But,” I added calmly, “we can break up.”
…
The next day, Caleb was on the warpath.
When I didn't reply to his furious texts, he brought Rachel to the coffee shop where I worked part-time.
“Iced Americano, no sugar,” she ordered.
I made the drink and brought it to their table. The second her fingers touched the cold glass, she recoiled.
“Oh, why is it iced?” She glanced at Caleb and pouted. “Never mind, it’s fine. I mean, you’re his…”
A large hand covered hers, stopping her from pushing the drink away.
“Why should it be fine?” Caleb’s eyes met mine, hard and challenging. “Is this how your shop operates? Can’t even get a simple order right?”
I kept my expression neutral. “The lady ordered an Iced Americano. Iced drinks contain ice.”
“Luna, why are you being so difficult…” Rachel whined, her voice thick with fake distress.
Caleb squeezed her hand. “It’s okay, babe. I know you’re on your period. You can’t have cold things, and you can’t get upset.”
He leaned back in his chair, a smirk playing on his lips. “Now, I’ve changed my mind. We want one without ice.”
I took a deep breath, clinging to my professionalism, and took the coffee back to remake it.
When I returned with the new one, Caleb’s smirk widened. “You didn’t just pick the ice out of the old one, did you? Because that would be disgusting. A customer would be very grossed out.”
A fire was building in my stomach.
“If you find our service disgusting, you are free to leave.”
“Nope.” His fingers tapped a rhythm on the table. “You’re the server. And I demand that you serve my friend here until she is completely satisfied.”
I turned to walk away.
He shot out of his chair and grabbed my wrist.
“What, you can’t take it anymore? Is this you throwing a tantrum, Luna? Wasn’t it you who told everyone you wanted to break up with me?”
The shop wasn’t empty. He dragged me towards the entrance, his voice rising.
“Stop pretending, Luna. You’re pissed seeing me with Rachel, so why are you being so stubborn? I’m going home again next week. I’ll take you to see my mom. How about that?”
His tone softened, became wheedling.
“You know I only came here today to get you back.”
I felt sick.
As someone walked past us, I reached out, snatched the milk tea from their hand, and flung its entire contents into Caleb’s face.
“LUNA!!!”
His face was a mask of pure fury.
Thunk.
I tossed the empty cup into a nearby trash can.
“Now,” I said, meeting his dripping glare. “I’m satisfied.”
Rachel gasped, rushing to his side and frantically trying to dab the sticky mess off his face with a napkin.
I turned to the person whose drink I’d stolen.
“I’m so sorry. Let me buy you a new one.”
The air was thick with silence. I looked up and saw Leo, a wide grin spreading across his face. “It was for you anyway, Luna,” he said, his eyes sparkling. “That was awesome.”
Caleb’s expression shifted, his gaze flickering from me to Leo.
“You again.”
Leo’s grin didn’t falter. “Surprise, right?”

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