[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":10},["ShallowReactive",2],{"viewer-data-260322C9288E-193":3},{"id":4,"number":5,"name":6,"content":7,"isLocked":8,"price":9,"hasRead":8},193,6,"Chapter 6: \"No One Wants You.\"","\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"If you ignore me again, I’m walking out. And I’m never coming back.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Eden Anderson felt as though her life had shifted off its axis, though, in reality, nothing about her routine had changed at all.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Yet, everything felt different.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Every morning, she arrived at the classroom early, burying her face in her textbooks. But she was really counting the seconds until he walked through the door. The moment she caught sight of his shoulder swinging through the frame, a strange, unearned warmth bloomed in her chest.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">When the other boys crowded her desk with their loud, grating chatter, she wore her usual mask of cold indifference—the \"don't-bother-me\" look she’d perfected. But inside, she was making a mental decree: *He* was the only one allowed in her space. *He* wasn't allowed to leave her for anyone else.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">When a problem stumped her and the frustration began to claw at her throat, she would slash her pen across the worksheet, the sound sharp and grating. Lucas Powell would lean over, silent, watching the storm clouds gather on her face until he couldn't hold back a chuckle. She would shove his head away, furious and embarrassed, but the tension would bleed out of her all the same.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">When she felt crushed, when the weight of expectation became too heavy to carry, she would keep it all locked away. Then, in the solitude of a quiet corner, she would spill it all to him—every bitter, jagged complaint. When she needed him and he wasn't there, she would panic, turning volatile, snapping at him the moment he appeared, only for his clumsy, bewildered expression to break her defenses, forcing a laugh through her tears.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">In his presence, she stopped filtering. She said what she wanted; she did what she wanted. She anchored herself to the belief that he wouldn't mock her, wouldn't grow tired of her, wouldn't hold a grudge, and certainly wouldn't walk away.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">She had no idea where this sudden, bedrock sense of security had come from.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"I said no! Are you deaf? Why are you such a burden?!\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Monday morning. Eden was walking down the tree-lined path toward the school gates when a woman’s screech cut through the air.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Eden looked up. A woman stood over a boy, eyes burning with a venomous intensity. The boy was Lucas.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Listen to me, Lucas. Don't think for a second you can just do whatever you want. The day your father and I finally divorce, you'll see. You’ll see that no one is going to want you.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Lucas stared at the pavement, his expression a flat, lifeless mask. He didn't argue. He didn't defend himself. He just took the abuse like it was part of the landscape.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">A hot, sharp spike of anger pierced Eden’s chest. Her fingers curled, knuckles turning white as she balled her hands into fists.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">*How dare she?*\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Who was she to say he wasn't wanted?\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Even knowing this was his mother, Eden felt a wildfire of rage consume her. In her mind, Lucas’s parents were supposed to be like her aunt and uncle—warm, supportive, stable. Lucas was so bright, so seemingly unburdened, and so charming. He was so much like her cousin Bryce… but the reality was a jagged, ugly contrast to her fantasies.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Lucas!\" Eden didn't think; she just ran, her voice cutting through the tension.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Lucas’s mother turned to look at her, her expression smoothing into a practiced, fake composure.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Go on, get to class. And get home early today,\" the woman spat, turning on her heel and stalking off.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"You're a bit late today,\" Lucas said, looking up at Eden. He offered that same effortless, casual smile, as if the last two minutes hadn't happened.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"You…\" Seeing him smile like that, as if he hadn't just been shredded, made Eden’s heart ache. \"Are you okay?\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Lucas blinked, realizing she’d caught the tail end of the scene. He sheepishly scratched the back of his neck and laughed. \"I’m used to it. It doesn't bother me at all.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Eden didn't answer. She fell into step beside him, matching his pace toward the gate.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">*Actually, you…*\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">*Actually, when you're having a bad day, you can lash out at me. If you’re miserable, you can complain to me. I won't yell at you. I won't make fun of you. I can stay with you. I can protect you, too.*\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">She wanted to say it. She wanted to lay the words out like a physical shield between him and the world. But even with how close they had become, the language of vulnerability felt foreign, impossible to articulate.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">The morning sun was soft, but a chill wind whipped through the trees, casting tangled, dancing shadows at their feet.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Actually, you what?\" Lucas prompted, seeing her falter.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Eden surrendered to her own silence. \"Nothing.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Hey,\" Lucas nudged her arm. \"Want to learn a trick?\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"What trick?\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"You said your mom has the same temper, right? I'll teach you how to handle it.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"How?\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Two ways. First, pretend you’re deaf. Let it go in one ear and out the other until she runs out of air.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"And if I can't take it?\" she asked.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Then you apologize, look sincere, and find an excuse to bolt. Get out of there.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Bolt to where?\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"I know a place,\" Lucas said, his eyes sparkling with a secret. \"I’ll show you during P.E. this afternoon.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">During the last period that afternoon, under the cover of free time, they scrambled over the back wall of the school. Everyone would have assumed Eden—the model student—wouldn't know the first thing about jumping a fence. They didn't know that she’d spent her childhood following Bryce around, learning the physics of rebellion by osmosis.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Tucked into a quiet alleyway not far from the school was a trendy cafe called *The Hideaway*.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">It was cavernous inside, filled with semi-private nooks. In the back, they found a room with small tables and a wall-mounted TV that played whatever they selected.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Whenever I can't stand going home, I come here,\" Lucas said, looking proud. \"It’s not bad, right?\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Eden nodded, a genuine smile finally reaching her eyes.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">From that day on, the cafe became their ritual. She told her parents she was at the library, but she was really here—doing homework with Lucas, talking, watching old movies, just *existing* in the quiet.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">After losing her aunt’s house as a sanctuary, she had found a new, better one. After realizing that Bryce was not the person she could truly tether herself to, she had found someone better.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Lucas was different. Lucas understood. Lucas was a mirror of her own unspoken pain. Lucas’s patience with her had no bottom, and she was certain, deep in her marrow, that he would never leave her.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">When she was with him, she was happy. It was a different kind of joy—not the hollow fun of eating snacks and playing games, but a profound sense of *rightness*. Even if they sat in total silence, she felt exhilarated just to be in his orbit.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">The first semester of sixth grade blurred by. The first day of the second semester, Eden started her period.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">She’d heard the women in her family—her grandmother, her aunts, her mother—complain about agonizing cramps, the kind that forced you to curl into a ball in bed. She didn't have it quite that bad, but the ache was a dull, constant throb that sapped her strength.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">It was a weekend, and she had three hours of intense dance rehearsal for a county television performance. She knew her mother would never allow her to skip, period pain or not.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">By the time she stepped out of the dance studio, the sky was a bruised, heavy grey. She had an umbrella in her bag, but the pain had crawled from her abdomen into her very bones. She felt brittle, exhausted.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">She had piano lessons next.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">She pushed the door open, hand pressed against her stomach, biting her lip to keep from whimpering. She reached for her umbrella, but froze. Lucas was standing there in the rain, waiting.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">He had shown up every weekend, walking her from one lesson to the next, just to spend that short, precious time together.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"We agreed!\" Eden groaned, squinting through the rain. \"If it rained today, you didn't have to come.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Lucas didn't answer. He studied her face, his brow furrowing. \"You’re pale. Are you sick?\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Eden sighed, shaking her head. \"I'm just tired. I’ll be fine once I rest.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Do you want me to call a cab?\" He looked around, but the street was empty. He shrugged off his jacket. \"Forget it. Get on my back.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"No, I can walk—\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">He didn't wait. He shoved an umbrella into her hand, grabbed her, and hoisted her up.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">As they walked, Eden shielded them both, the freezing, needle-like rain pelting the umbrella. She looked at the damp, messy hair at the nape of his neck, and her vision blurred.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Don't worry about me,\" he said. \"Just keep yourself dry.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Lucas?\" she whispered.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Yeah?\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Am I… heavy?\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Lucas laughed, turning his head slightly. \"You want the honest answer?\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"What is that supposed to mean?\" She reached out and pinched his ear, furious.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Ow! Hey, stop! I'll drop you!\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Drop me then! See if you can!\" She twisted her fingers harder, refusing to let go.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Fine, fine! My lady, please, have mercy!\" Lucas ducked, trying to dodge her hand, but his grip on her legs only tightened to ensure she wouldn't slip. \"Eden, how are you this strong when you're in pain? I can't imagine spending the rest of my life being bullied by you.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">*The rest of my life.*\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">The phrase hung in the cold, wet air. It struck her then—she had never actually considered a future where they weren't together. When had she become so utterly dependent on him?\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">She looked down the long, narrow alleyway. It seemed endless, a path that stretched into the horizon. *Will we always be together?* she wondered. *Walking, studying, existing, forever?*\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Quiet all of a sudden. What are you thinking about?\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"I was thinking… we’ll never be apart, will we?\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Like now. We’ll go to the same middle school. Then the same high school. Won't we?\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Of course,\" Lucas said, his tone light. Then he paused, sounding genuinely horrified. \"Wait. You are planning on going to the prep academy, right? Don't tell me you're not going.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"I'm going,\" Eden said, a smile breaking through the gloom. The cold wind bit at her cheeks, but her chest was glowing.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"You still hurting?\" he asked, glancing back.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Eden nodded against his shoulder.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Just a little longer. We’re almost there.\" He picked up his pace, trudging through the downpour.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">*Lucas,* she thought, leaning into him. *Let’s always go to the same school. Let's stay like this.*\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">*Because I don't want to be apart from you. Not ever.*\u003C/p>",false,0,1774272926171]