[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":10},["ShallowReactive",2],{"viewer-data-260322C9288E-195":3},{"id":4,"number":5,"name":6,"content":7,"isLocked":8,"price":9,"hasRead":8},195,8,"Chapter 8: The Missing Name on the Roster","\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">It turned out he meant it. He said he wouldn’t be back, and he really didn’t come back.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">The long summer break dragged on until, finally, it was the first morning of seventh grade at the Prep Academy. Eden Anderson wore a new dress, looking every bit the polished, put-together student as she headed to orientation. Before leaving, she tucked that pink envelope—the one holding the gym membership card—into a brand-new notebook, terrified that it might get crushed in the bustle.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">The Prep Academy campus was a sea of noise. Throngs of freshmen and their parents were crowded around the red bulletin boards, craning their necks to check the class assignments. Eden’s mother paraded her around, forcing her to greet a stream of unfamiliar adults, all while bragging—with excruciating flair—about how bright and obedient her daughter was.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">For the first time, Eden barely went through the motions of nodding and smiling at the hollow praise. Her eyes were laser-focused on the red board, scanning the dense columns of black text for the name she had fixated on for the entire summer. She read the list over and over, her heart hammering against her ribs, but the name she longed for simply wasn't there.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Panic, cold and sharp, began to prick at her skin.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">It’s fine, she told herself. I just missed it. I’m not looking hard enough.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">He had to be at the Prep Academy. He had told her so himself.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">As the crowds thinned and her mother finally headed off to work after a barrage of final instructions, Eden stood alone in front of the board, drifting into a daze. Suddenly, someone tapped her shoulder.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Why are you only just now showing up!\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Eden whirled around, a mix of irritation and relief bubbling up, ready to snap at him. But the face staring back at her wasn't the one she had been praying to see.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Hey, Eden,\" Juliet Clark said with a bright, easy smile.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Eden’s expression stiffened. She forced a polite, robotic greeting. She was dying to ask if Juliet had seen Lucas Powell, but Juliet beat her to the punch.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"It feels like everyone from our middle school is here at the Prep Academy—except for Lucas,\" Juliet complained, curling her lip. \"I never thought he’d be the type to break a promise.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Is Lucas... not coming?\" Eden asked, her voice hitching.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"We live in the same neighborhood. I haven't seen him all summer. My parents heard from the neighbors that his family packed up and moved to the city right after school got out. They said he isn't coming back.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"He... he is?\" Eden’s eyes went glassy, her world tilting on its axis.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">He moved to the city. He wasn't coming back.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">The sting in her nose was instant and sharp. She remembered the day they graduated elementary school; Lucas had stood behind her, shouting that if she didn't wait for him, he’d just leave on his own.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">If he left, he wouldn't come back.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">He hadn't been posturing or trying to get a rise out of her. He had meant every single word.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">But how could he? How could he just pack up and vanish? How could he treat her like this?\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">The more she thought about it, the more her blood boiled. All that time she’d spent agonizing, all that waiting—it felt pathetic. If he didn't want to come back, fine. Who needed him anyway? She could survive just fine without him.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">She blinked rapidly, pretending the wind had kicked up some grit, but the blurriness in her vision had nothing to do with dust. It was the crushing weight of having trusted someone who wasn't worth the effort.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Eden, are you… are you okay?\" Juliet asked, her voice laced with concern.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"I'm fine,\" Eden lied, rubbing her eyes and flashing a brittle smile. \"Just something in my eye.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">There was no dust. She had simply let a liar blind her.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">She wasn't sure what was happening to her.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">For the first month of school, she was the golden girl. Her homeroom teacher adored her, appointing her Class President on day one. Girls flocked to be her friend, and boys were constantly shoving letters or gifts into her desk. Academically, she was untouchable, consistently ranking first in her grade.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Everything about her new life was perfect. So why did she feel like she was drowning?\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Her desk was a graveyard of snacks, trinkets, and love letters that she never bothered to open. Subconsciously, she knew there was nothing in that pile worth her time. Just as she knew, deep down, that the person she actually wanted to see would never walk through those classroom doors.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Eden, I’ve realized something,\" her deskmate whispered one afternoon. \"You’re only interested in studying. None of these guys even catch your eye.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Eden froze. A flash of a memory hit her—a boy with a cocky grin and a reckless attitude.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"If you're ever upset in the future, you can talk to me just like this.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"I think this version of you is pretty cute, Eden.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"How are you still so strong when you’re crying, Eden?\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"It’s hard to imagine that for the next few years, I’ll have to put up with your endless bullying.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Her head spun. Every memory of Lucas looped through her mind, vivid and relentless, making the ache in her chest unbearable.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Liar. You giant, monumental liar. I hate you more than anything in the world, Lucas Powell.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Are you going to the museum for the historical exhibit this weekend?\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"There's an exhibit this weekend?\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Yeah, it opened today. I heard all the seventh graders in the city are going today. I saw a dozen charter buses parked out front on my way in...\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">The two girls walked past her desk, chatting away. Eden didn't think; she bolted out of her chair.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"I’m heading out,\" she told her deskmate. \"If the teacher asks, tell her I felt sick and went to the nurse.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Before the girl could even process the words, Eden had grabbed her bag and sprinted out of the classroom. She scrambled toward the back fence of the school, intending to climb over. It wasn't as easy as the fences back in elementary school; she took a hard fall, twisting her ankle, but she didn't stop. She ignored the fire in her leg and kept running toward the museum.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">She didn't feel the pain. She was burning with a singular, irrational rage. *Lucas, don't you dare let me catch you. If I catch you, I’m going to beat you black and blue, and then I’m dragging you back to this school, and I’m never letting you leave again.*\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">She reached the museum entrance, sprinted through the ticket line, and tore through the halls. She searched every room, fighting through the thick crowds and the drone of tour guides. She circled back again and again, but the face she wanted simply wasn't there.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">As the crowds slowly thinned and the vast hall went quiet, Eden stood in the lobby, suddenly lost. What was she doing? She’d cut class, she’d definitely get in trouble with the teachers, her mother would demand to know where she’d been… her ankle was throbbing with a dull, sickening pain, and she’d probably be limping for days.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">But none of that mattered. The only thing that mattered was that she hadn't found him.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">She couldn't find him.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Tell me, where did you go after cutting class this afternoon?\" Her mother sat on the living room sofa, arms folded, voice icy.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"I wasn't feeling well. I went to the nurse's office.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"The teacher sent a student to check on you. You weren't there. Were you out meeting some boy?\" Her mother sneered, grabbing Eden’s bag and dumping it upside down. A shower of crumpled love letters hit the floor. \"Explain this. Now.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"It’s nothing. They just shoved them in my desk. I don't care about them,\" Eden said, standing by the door. She felt hollow, stripped bare. The injury to her ankle sent a cold sweat down her back, but she felt no way out.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">She thought of Lucas. *Lucas, my mom is yelling again. I’m so tired. My foot hurts so much. Where are you? Where are you? I can't find you.*\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Mom, I'm sorry,\" she said, her voice cracking as she looked up. \"The English teacher wants us to buy a new workbook. I forgot. Can I run to the bookstore before it closes?\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Her mother stared at her, weighing the truth, before finally nodding. \"Go.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Eden pushed through the front door and exhaled, a ragged, desperate sound. She limped all the way to \"The Hideaway,\" the little tea shop near her old school. She stared at their old booth for a long time before finally sinking into the seat Lucas used to occupy.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"What can I get you?\" Miriam, the shop owner, walked over with a notepad. \"The usual? Pearl milk tea?\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">In the past, whenever she was with Lucas, she’d order the pearl milk tea. Lucas always preferred the jasmine green tea.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"I'll have a jasmine green tea, please,\" Eden said, looking up.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Miriam paused, then gave a soft, knowing smile. \"And where’s that handsome boy who always came with you?\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"He moved to the city for school,\" Eden said.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"The city is good. Great schools up there,\" Miriam remarked.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Eden forced a small, painful smile and stayed silent.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"See that girl in the corner?\" Miriam gestured toward a student studying intently. \"She's in ninth grade, goes to the Prep Academy.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"They say the best high school in the city, the Academy, has a special admission program. If you can rank first in the city during the middle school entrance exams, you get an automatic pass to their elite program. That girl? She comes here to study every single day just to make that cut.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Eden’s heart gave a violent, painful jolt.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">She watched the older student in the Prep Academy uniform for a long time. It wasn't until Miriam set the jasmine tea down and cleared her throat that Eden finally snapped back to reality.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">She bowed her head, wrapping both hands around the warm glass, a sudden, fierce resolve igniting in her chest.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">She was going to get into the City Academy. She was going to the city.\u003C/p>",false,0,1774272926216]