The fierce, unyielding Eden was coming for him. And this time, he wouldn’t be able to just leave her behind and walk away like he did all those years ago.

Eden had aced her entrance exams, placing first in the entire city, which earned her a spot at the prestigious City Academy. Standing before the red-lettered merit board posted outside the Municipal Board of Education, her eyes finally found the name she had been tethered to for three long years. Lucas Powell had placed second, just four points behind her. He was coming to City Academy, too.

A sharp, familiar ache bloomed in her chest. Tears welled up, spilling over before she could blink.

Patrick, her father, who had accompanied her to check the results, mistook her tears for sheer joy. He patted her shoulder, his voice thick with pride. "You worked hard, kiddo."

She had worked hard. God, had she ever.

Lucas, do you have any idea?

This road was grueling. But it was worth it. Every sleepless night, every grueling practice session—it was all worth it because, finally, I’ll be able to see you again.

Eden wiped her face with a frantic, messy hand, her eyes locked onto his name once more. A watery smile curved her lips.

"I took first place!" Back at home, she sprawled across her bed, staring at the ceiling, playing out the scene in her head: how she would flaunt her victory in front of him. "You lost to me this time, Lucas."

Throughout the summer, she’d enrolled in prep courses, spent hours refining her style, buying new clothes, and suppressing her volatile temper—all just to be the best version of herself when they finally collided.

The girl everyone saw as the perfect, untouchable Eden was willing to burn it all down just to be a little better for one person.

*It’s just to make him regret it,* she told herself.

When school started, she promised she’d confront him. Why did you leave without saying goodbye? She’d warn him—never do that again. Or, if it came down to it, she’d swallow her pride. She’d promise to stop being so difficult, to stop snapping at him. She just wanted to know which city he liked. Did he like Beijing? If he did, they could go to university there together.

She was done with separations. Three years had been an eternity, a yawning chasm in her life that swallowed her joy and freedom whole. No one could fill that gap—only Lucas could.

She was never going to lose him again. She refused to be this miserable anymore.

The day before registration, Eden arrived early to handle her dorm check-in. She lugged her suitcase from the house to the bus terminal and boarded the coach headed for the city center. It was only an hour and a half from F-County to the city, but it had taken her three years to make this trip.

As she dragged her trunk through the gates of City Academy, a wave of unprecedented liberation washed over her. Every brick, every leaf, every tree on this campus looked radiant. Perhaps it was because this was a gateway to the future, and because he would be here, too. Everything felt infused with a new, strange magic.

Eden navigated the girls' dorm, following the room assignments posted in the lobby. Inside her assigned room, two girls were chatting while unpacking. They looked up, their faces lighting up with excitement.

"Hi," Eden said, greeting them with polite, practiced distance.

One of them, wearing a yellow sundress, tossed her belongings aside and practically sprinted over, grabbing Eden’s luggage. "Oh my god! You’re the legendary Fairy!"

Eden offered an awkward, tight-lipped smile.

"I’m Molly Lee," the girl chirped. "You can call me 'Orange,' Fairy!"

"I'm Shelby Rivera." The other girl, dressed in an oversized black tee and distressed jeans with a sharp, pixie-cut bob, spoke with a cool, tomboyish confidence.

"I’m Eden," she replied.

"Fairy, I’m younger than you, so I’ll just call you Eden-sis," Molly said with a grin.

Molly and Shelby lived in the city and were registered as day students; they would only be around during the day. After Shelby finished unpacking and headed home, Eden decided to hit the campus convenience store for toiletries. Molly looped her arm through Eden’s, insisting on tagging along.

Molly chattered the entire way, buzzing with energy and fishing for gossip about the "campus celebrity." Eden responded with stiff smiles and monosyllables. She could never quite master the art of intimacy; being this close to someone felt like an invasion. Back in middle school, the boys who chased her had branded her as cold and arrogant because she didn't play their games. The girls weren't much better—they’d latch onto her arm after class, inviting her to gym or drills, but Eden could always sense the prying, the hunger to dissect her. Their company didn't cure her loneliness; it only made it more suffocating.

The extended Anderson family had never liked her parents, and by extension, they didn't like her. They saw her high marks and pretty face as nothing more than a shallow veneer, claiming she was emotionally stunted and ice-cold.

Only Lucas had been different. He was the only one who didn't care about her walls, the only one who loved to make her cry and tease her until she laughed. With him, she wasn't a stiff, frozen doll. She could be messy. She could be real.

The thought of him made her heart stutter. A cool evening breeze stirred her hair, pressing loose strands against her flushed cheek.

Inside the store, Molly began tossing snacks into her basket with wild abandon. "I have a neighbor who's a freshman, too. He's coming tomorrow. Shelby and I went to junior high with him, and we’re all pretty tight. I’ll introduce you tomorrow!"

"Sure," Eden nodded.

"Oh, look! Green tea!" Molly shrieked with delight. "My neighbor is obsessed with this brand. You can never find it anywhere, not even in the city shops. I have to grab some for him!"

Eden looked, her eyes landing on the last bottle of green tea on the shelf. A flash of vertigo hit her. Instinctively, her hand shot out and snatched the bottle before Molly could reach it.

Molly paused, blinking. "Oh, Eden-sis, do you like this stuff too?"

Eden stared at the plastic bottle, her expression softening into something genuine and hazy. "Yes. I do."

"It's all yours, then!" Molly laughed, waving it off.

Eden mumbled a quiet thanks and dropped it into her basket. At the register, she packed her items away but kept the bottle of tea in her hand, her fingers tracing the cold condensation.

"See you tomorrow, Eden-sis!" Molly chirped as they parted ways outside.

"See you," Eden said. She turned and walked toward the dorm, the sunset painting the pavement in streaks of liquid gold. The heat of the dusk warmed her skin, and she pressed the cold bottle against her cheek, her lips curling into a secret smile.

She let her imagination run wild. What would Lucas look like now? His parents were tall; he must have shot up. Was he still that reckless, carefree brat who loved to stir up trouble? Would he look at her with that same flash of recognition in his dark eyes? Would he call her name as if no time had passed at all?

Her heart hammered against her ribs, her palm damp against the bottle. She wasn't nervous—of course not. Eden told herself it was Lucas who should be nervous.

The fierce, unyielding Eden was coming for him. And this time, he wouldn't be able to just leave her behind and walk away.