The Graduation Photo Betrayal

At three in the morning, the class monitor, Hayden Clark, suddenly posted a message in the group chat announcing that the graduation photos would be taken the morning after next.

He then sent a payment QR code in the chat, where each student had to pay 50 dollars for the graduation photos.

I told Hayden that I had my thesis defense scheduled for the morning after next and asked if the time could be changed.

He immediately snapped back at me, “Is your time the only time that matters? If you can’t come, then get lost!”

Wanting to keep the peace, I paid the money and went through great trouble to rearrange my schedule.

But when the day for the photos finally arrived, Corin Vale told me, “The graduation photos were already taken yesterday!”

I deliberately changed into the new shirt I had bought and carefully styled my hair before heading to school.

But when I arrived at the track field under the blazing sun, I discovered that there wasn’t a single person there.

I took out my phone and checked the notification again.

[The day after tomorrow at 10 a.m., gather on the track field for the graduation photo.]

I scrolled down.

There was no notice about any change in time.

Everything seemed correct, yet the field stood completely empty.

I refused to believe it and thought they might have hidden somewhere else to escape the heat.

Worried about wasting time, I hurried over to the gym.

But inside, only a few younger students were playing basketball.

The scorching sun burned against my skin, and sweat slid down my back, soaking the white shirt I had specially prepared for the graduation photo.

The hairstyle I had so carefully arranged had collapsed, and a few strands of hair clung awkwardly to my forehead.

Unable to endure it any longer, I called my dormmate Corin Vale.

“Hello, Everett. What’s up?” Corin answered uneasily.

“Where are you guys? Did the graduation photo time change? Why is there no one on the field?”

I tried my best to keep my voice from breaking.

The line went silent for a few seconds.

“Well… Everett, actually… we already took the photos yesterday.”

“Yesterday?”

My voice suddenly rose, drawing the attention of several nearby students.

“But Hayden clearly said today…”

“Hayden later announced the time change in a smaller group chat. He probably… forgot to add you.”

Corin’s voice grew softer and softer.

My hand holding the phone began to tremble.

It was happening again.

Ever since the class event in our sophomore year, when I refused Hayden’s unreasonable demand to split extra expenses, I had become the target of exclusion by the small clique of classmates.

But this time, they had gone too far.

A graduation photo was something that happened only once in a lifetime.

“Then what about the fees I paid?” I asked, biting my lip.

“Well… you’ll have to ask Hayden about that.”

Then Corin hurriedly said he had something else to do and hung up.

I stood there, feeling as though all the blood in my body had rushed to my head.

It was not a small sum for me. I worked part-time to earn this money.

What hurt even more was that my face would never appear in the graduation album.

And every classmate would remember it, Everett, the oddball who did not even show up for the graduation photo.

I took a deep breath and opened Hayden’s WhatsApp message.

Our chat history still lingered on his aggressive message: [If you don’t come, then get lost.]

My fingers trembled slightly with anger as I typed: [Hayden, why wasn’t I informed when the graduation photo time was changed? I already paid the money, so why wasn’t I included?]

After I sent the message, the screen showed that he was typing, then stopped, appeared again, then stopped.

A full five minutes passed before Hayden finally replied: [Who told you not to read the group messages? If you can’t fit in, who else can you blame?]

I stared at the message, my eyes burning.

I decided to go to the school counselor, Mr. Glenn Harper, and demand an explanation.