[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":10},["ShallowReactive",2],{"viewer-data-260322C9288E-189":3},{"id":4,"number":5,"name":6,"content":7,"isLocked":8,"price":9,"hasRead":8},189,2,"Chapter 2: \"Was It Really Fate?\"","\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Eden Anderson shook her head violently, trying to rattle that infuriating boy out of her brain. It was no use. Lucas Powell was truly, hopelessly, and utterly exhausting.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Ever since that day, Eden had come to a harsh conclusion: she would no longer wait for someone to reach into the depths of her heart and understand the exhaustion hiding beneath her smile. She had tried opening that small door once, inviting someone in to see the real her, but the attempt had been a disaster.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">The real Eden wasn't particularly remarkable. To be admired, to be liked, she had to play the part of the flawless golden girl.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">She stopped fidgeting at family dinners, opting instead to memorize flowery toasts, delivering them with practiced, heartfelt conviction. She stopped wasting time on video games or TV, pouring every spare second into her studies. Eventually, she became the girl who scored a perfect hundred on every exam, never leaving a single math problem unanswered on the page.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">She stopped asking why her cousin Bryce could live so freely and happily while she remained shackled.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">She stopped asking altogether.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Slowly, she transformed into the version of Eden that left every adult—especially her mother, Linda—impressed. She was the model of excellence, the responsible one, especially compared to her noisy, careless cousin. Her aunt Gloria stopped taking digs at her, and the adults now constantly scolded Bryce, asking, \"Why can't you be more like your cousin?\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Bryce would just sneer, \"Why on earth would I want to be like her?\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Eden echoed the sentiment in her heart. *Bryce, don't ever be like me. If you ever became like me, you would be miserable.*\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">At twelve years old, Eden lived like an adult of twenty.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">On the first day of sixth grade, Eden, the class president, arrived early with her bag packed. She had just pulled out her literature textbook and was heading to the front of the room to lead the morning reading when the homeroom teacher walked in. Beside her was a boy Eden had never seen before.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">He was a transfer student. He was stunningly handsome, carrying himself with an effortless grace that made Eden’s internal alarm bells scream. She felt it in her gut: the second Bryce had entered her life.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Around the room, her classmates looked up, their eyes buzzing with curiosity and excitement. Eden, however, buried her face in her book, silently praying. *Please be a complete disaster. Please be a troublemaker with zero brains and an even worse personality.*\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">But she couldn't help it. She peeked.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">He was just too good-looking. She had grown up around Bryce’s face her entire life; she was immune to mere good looks. But Lucas… he looked like a prince ripped from the pages of a fairy tale, tempting her to look just once more.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Hi everyone, I'm Lucas Powell,\" he said, standing on the podium, his tone friendly and poised. \"It's a pleasure to be here.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Oh, look at that! A match made in heaven!\" a joker from the back row shouted, dragging out the syllables. The entire class erupted in giggles, eyes darting between him and Eden.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Heat flooded Eden’s face, creeping up to her neck. The shame of being teased in front of the teacher and the entire class shattered her carefully constructed veneer of composure. She snapped her head up, ignoring the joker and fixing the culprit on the podium with a cold, piercing glare.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Lucas met her gaze, looking completely bewildered. He hadn't the faintest idea what he had done wrong.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">The teacher frowned and banged a ruler against the desk. \"Enough! If you put as much energy into your studies as you do into gossiping, we'd all be geniuses.\" She scanned the room and settled on the only empty seat—right next to Eden in the front row. \"Lucas, go sit there. Next to Eden.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Oooooh!\" the boys jeered again, only to be silenced by the teacher’s sharp rap on the chalkboard.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Eden stared straight ahead, her face burning, burying her nose in her book. That front-row seat by the window was something her mother had begged the teacher for behind her back. Eden hated the special treatment, but she was the one who had to deal with the fallout.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">She had never had a deskmate, and certainly not a close friend she could confide in. The girls were polite but distant, keeping a wary, respectful space. As for the boys? To Eden, they were all the same—disruptive, loud, and chronically allergic to discipline.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">And now, she was trapped with one. A boy who looked like he had everything.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Lucas walked over, dropped his bag, and nudged her arm the moment he sat down. He gave her a wide, sunny grin. \"Looks like we have a connection, classmate.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Years later, Eden would still remember that first moment. She would always remember his opening line: *We have a connection.*\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Did they?\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Their connection was as fleeting as sand slipping through fingers. Eden had tried so hard to hold on, only to be left with the singular, beautiful memory of that sixth-grade year.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">But back then, all she could think was, *who cares about a connection with you?*\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Eden didn't acknowledge him. She gripped the sides of her chair and shifted it toward the window. Then she pushed her pencil case, her books, and her water bottle as far as possible to the side. The space was so cramped she couldn't even stretch her arms, but she would have squeezed herself into a splinter of wood to get away from him.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Within a single day, her fears were confirmed. Lucas Powell wasn't just a transfer student; he was a second Bryce. Just as handsome, just as naturally gifted, just as popular.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">In math class, the teacher always spent the last ten minutes presenting a \"challenge question.\" Usually, Eden would solve it quietly and wait for the teacher to ask for volunteers. When the room went silent, she would be called up to the board, writing out the solution in clean, precise strokes, bathing in the praise of teacher and student alike.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">But today, the moment the teacher finished speaking, Lucas’s hand shot up. Before Eden could even organize her thoughts, he was already rattling off the correct steps and the final answer.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">The class cheered. The boys in the back hooted. To Eden, every word of praise directed at him sounded like a taunt: *Eden, you’re not good enough.*\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">In that moment, she realized the truth: her opponent wasn't just Bryce. Even if she defeated Bryce, fate would just throw a Lucas in her path. Would there be more Lucas Powells waiting for her, for the rest of her life?\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">How was she supposed to stay on top? How was she supposed to beat everyone?\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">She was spiraling into a existential crisis when she heard a voice beside her. \"The department head told me to head to the gym to get my uniform, but I'm lost. Would you mind showing me the way?\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"I don't know the way either,\" Eden said.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Lucas paused, looking confused. \"Aren't you the class president? Don't you usually handle the uniform distribution?\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Just because I've been there doesn't mean I remember the route,\" Eden retorted. \"I forgot.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">When the final bell rang, the teacher called Lucas to the podium to explain some transfer protocols. Eden packed her bag and stood by her desk, waiting.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Are you waiting for me?\" Lucas asked, jumping down from the stage, looking surprised.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"No,\" Eden snapped.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Oh.\" Lucas pouted, slow to shove his gear into his bag.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Can you hurry up?\" Eden asked, her tone sharp. \"My mother is waiting at the school gate. If I'm late, she’ll...\" She caught herself and bit her tongue.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Why was she telling a transfer student about her personal life? She had never told anyone.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Almost done!\" Lucas hurried, snapping his bag shut and following her out. \"So, you said if you're late, what happens with your mom?\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Why do you care?\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"You're the one who started the sentence!\" Lucas said, sounding genuinely aggrieved.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">They exited the building and passed the school cafe. Lucas gestured inside. \"I want to grab something. Wait here?\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Eden checked her watch and nodded, impatient. She didn't want to deal with the crowd inside, so she stood on the curb. A few minutes later, he walked out with two popsicles.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Here. For helping me.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"I don't want it. You eat it,\" Eden said.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"I can't eat two,\" he said, shoving one into her hand. \"Take it home!\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"My mother doesn't let me eat these.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Lucas stared at her, cutting straight to the heart of it. \"So, is it that you don't want it, or that you're just saying you don't want it because your mother won't let you?\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Does it matter?\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"It matters a lot. She's stripping you of your choices. You have to learn to fight back.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Eden looked at him and finally laughed—a bitter, hollow sound. Finally, someone had said it out loud… even if it was that infuriating boy who kept stealing her spotlight.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"What if I can't fight back?\" she asked.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Then you exercise your rights whenever she isn't looking,\" Lucas said, thumping his chest confidently. \"Like when you're with me. Go on, eat it!\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Eden hesitated, then whispered a soft \"thank you.\" She took a bite of the popsicle, her teeth aching from the cold, but for the first time, the sunset hitting the asphalt seemed a little bit warmer.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">When they reached the school gate, the area was mostly empty. Linda Anderson was standing under the shade of a tree, checking her phone with an irritated expression. Seeing Eden finally emerge, she walked over.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Why are you so late today?\" Linda asked, holding back her temper.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Before Eden could speak, Lucas stepped forward, giving a polite nod. \"Hello, Mrs. Anderson.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Linda’s expression softened. \"Hello.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"I'm the new transfer student,\" Lucas explained smoothly. \"The teacher asked Eden to help me pick up my uniform after school. Sorry for the wait.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"It's fine,\" Linda replied. \"She's the class president; helping is her duty.\" She looked at Lucas, then back at her daughter. \"She’s… a competent president, right?\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Eden felt a flare of panic and shot Lucas a warning glare.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Oh, she’s—absolutely—the best!\" Lucas said, his voice comically enthusiastic, over-emphasizing every word. \"She’s so helpful. She’s been incredibly welcoming to the new kid!\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Good,\" Linda beamed. \"Alright, we're heading out. You get home safe, too.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Will do,\" Lucas said. \"Goodbye, Mrs. Anderson. See you later, President!\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Back home, Eden noticed her mother was in an uncharacteristically good mood. They finished dinner in an uneasy silence, but there were no critiques or nagging.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">In her room, Eden sat at her desk to study, but her mind kept drifting to a phantom image, floating around like a stray spirit.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">*We have a connection.*\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">*She's stripping you of your choices.*\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">*Exercise your rights whenever she isn't looking.*\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">She couldn't understand why his words, his expressions, and his actions were carving such a deep path into her memory.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Eden shook her head hard, trying to rattle Lucas Powell out of her brain, but he was stuck. He was truly, hopelessly, and utterly exhausting.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">She picked up her fountain pen and opened her workbook. Before she even reached the first problem, she caught herself scribbling his name on the scratchpad. Annoyed with herself, she dug the nib of her pen into the paper, stabbing at the characters of his name until the ink bled through the page.\u003C/p>",false,0,1774272926023]