That night after I left , it started pouring rain . My roommate came back telling me there was some lovesick guy standing outside our dorm in the downpour . I felt absolutely nothing and had zero desire to go console him . Tanner stood outside our building all fucking night , only leaving when the sun came up . What a pathetic display . But I never expected that instead of going back to Atlanta , he'd flown straight home to New York . A few days later , his mom called me , and I almost didn't pick up . " Drielle , sweetie , could you please talk some sense into Tanner ? He's been sick ever since he got back from Massachusetts . " " He had a 104 - degree fever and refused to go to the hospital or take medicine . He finally recovered today , but now he won't go back to school " " He's talking about dropping out and retaking the SATs to get into MIT to be with you … " My head was pounding with pure frustration , but I didn't hesitate for a second . " That's impossible , Mrs. Whitlock . I won't wait for him . I've already planned out my college life , and I'm not stopping to waste time on someone who can't respect my choices . " " Please tell him to stop being an idiot , or I'll think even less of him than I already do . " I heard something crash to the floor on the other end of the line . Good . Maybe reality was finally sinking in . Eventually , I heard Tanner went back to school after all . His grandparents had intervened to talk sense into him . But apparently he was planning to apply for grad school at MIT to " be near me . " The audacity was mind - blowing . Every break , he'd fly from Atlanta to Boston to see me . Even when I completely ignored him , he'd just lurk from a distance and leave things I used to like - flowers , books , stupid little gifts that made my skin crawl . But by winter break , I was already in a relationship . With Felix - the guy who acted all tough around everyone else but turned into a complete sweetheart around me . He'd written me 99 love letters , and I finally couldn't say no anymore . Plus , he really did have incredible abs . His confession letters occasionally included shirtless gym selfies , which made my roommates constantly tease me to " verify the quality . " After Tanner saw Felix carry me down the ice slide at the winter festival - laughing and carefree in a way I'd never been with Tanner - he completely vanished from my life . Finally . Years passed , and I rarely heard about Tanner anymore . Even my family moved away from our old neighborhood to escape the awkwardness . 16:45 22.9 % Golden Boy Blew Our 13 Years ? Joke's On Him . I Bagged A Tycoon ! Chapter 26 Much later , I got into a direct PhD program like I'd always dreamed , with Felix supporting me every step of the way . We both landed positions at a top - tier aerospace research facility . When I occasionally think back to those teenage years , it really was just one small , pathetic chapter in what became an incredible story . The future holds endless galaxies waiting for me to explore , and I'm done looking backward . Some people are just meant to stay in your past .