He smiled lazily, bright and clean, like the scorching sunset above him. Yet, to him, Eden was nothing more than a ghost—a transparent nothing that didn't exist at all.

On the way back to class that day, Julian Smith mentioned there would be a freshman basketball game on Saturday and invited her to watch. She had wanted to refuse; she didn't understand the game and had zero interest in watching others chase a ball. But when Julian added, "Lucas is a killer on the court," she hesitated. Julian didn't miss the opening and pressed his invitation until she finally caved.

Saturday morning, Eden arrived at the gym immediately after breakfast. The lights were blindingly bright. She found an empty seat in the stands, but before long, Kane Perez—the athlete from Class 10 who had sent her a milk tea earlier—slid into the seat next to her.

"Hey, beautiful. Want to grab lunch later? Remember me? I’m Kane from Class 10," he said, his voice dripping with arrogance.

"Not interested," Eden said, her tone ice-cold.

"A real ice queen, aren't you? Don't be like that. Just a quick lunch. I won't bite." As he spoke, he let his hand brush against hers, lingering just a second too long.

Eden recoiled as if burned, jumping up to find another seat.

"Hey!" Seeing her retreat, Kane stood up to follow her.

"Eden!" Julian appeared just in time. He spotted Kane trailing her and stepped between them, pulling Eden behind him. "Is there a problem, man?"

"Oh, got a bodyguard, huh? Should’ve said so," Kane sneered, rolling his eyes before walking off.

"You okay?" Julian asked.

Eden nodded, but her gaze was fixed on the gym entrance. Lucas Powell had just walked in with Molly Lee. Their eyes met for a split second across the court.

Eden turned her head, breaking the contact. For some reason, she flashed a bright, deliberate smile at Julian. "Which class are you playing against? Are you ready? You think you can win?"

Julian froze, clearly unused to this sudden personality shift. Eden wasn't used to it either. But she had to do it. She had to show Lucas.

"Eden! Who was that guy? So annoying, the way he wouldn't leave you alone!" Molly walked over with Lucas, looking concerned.

"Kane Perez from Class 10," Julian answered for her. "We went to middle school together. He was a creep then, and he's still a creep now. Don't worry about him; if he bothers you again, just come find me in Class 7."

Eden offered a polite, distant smile.

"Come on, Eden, sit with me!" Molly grabbed Eden’s arm, then turned to Julian. "The first match is yours. My brother’s leg injury hasn’t fully healed, so Julian, you’d better protect him out there!"

Julian scoffed. "Why don't you do it yourself? We're a player short anyway."

Molly ignored him, dragging Eden toward the bleachers. "Over the summer, my brother was playing at the gym, and he ran into some players with terrible sportsmanship. He got hurt pretty bad."

"His injury... it hasn't healed?" the words slipped out before Eden could stop them. She quickly added, "I have a cousin who plays, he rarely gets hurt."

"It would’ve healed if he’d just rested, but he wouldn't listen. He just kept playing. His mom and I, we hate it, but what can you do? He loves it," Molly sighed. "When he sets his mind on something, he doesn't know how to quit."

Eden’s eyes rested on the boy shooting hoops. She thought of the membership card to the local basketball club in her drawer—the one she never gave him. She had written in the accompanying note: *I’m giving you this, but you have to promise me—no more injuries.*

She had brought that card all the way to City Academy, but the chance to give it to him was gone forever.

The gym was a chaotic roar of sound. Girls screamed, cheering for their respective classes. Eden shouted for Class 1, but her eyes were disobedient, locking onto Lucas again and again. Was it her eyes that wouldn't listen, or her heart?

The whistle blew. Class 7 had won.

"I’m going to check on my brother. Want to come, Eden?" Molly asked.

"Sure." Eden followed her down to the court. As they passed a stack of water bottles, Molly tossed one to Eden. Before she could react, they were in the middle of the crowd.

Julian was pulling at his jersey, dripping with sweat, chatting with Lucas. Lucas tilted his head, listening with a faint, subtle smile. His bangs were plastered to his forehead with sweat, and he swept them back with a careless gesture.

Molly ran toward them, but a girl from her class stopped her. "Molly! My camera's busted, help me look at it!"

"Coming!" Molly turned and ran off.

Eden stood alone, awkward. She walked over to the two boys, clutching the water bottle.

"So? We played pretty well, right?" Julian grinned.

"Yeah," Eden said, offering a small smile.

"Honestly, I'm average. Lucas carried the whole game," Julian said, throwing an arm around Lucas's shoulder.

Lucas just laughed—a sound so bright it felt like a needle in Eden's chest. She felt a familiar sting of bitterness and hurriedly looked away. She held the water out toward Julian. "Do you want some?"

Julian blinked, surprised. "For me?"

Eden looked up, forcing a natural, warm smile, though her periphery was locked on Lucas’s reaction. "Yeah."

"Thanks," Julian took it, then glanced at Lucas. "Lucas, you thirsty—"

"Brother! Here!" Molly came sprinting back, breathless, her hair messy, a bright smile lighting up her face. She held out a bottle. "That last shot was so cool! You have to teach me sometime. You can't just play with Julian!"

Lucas didn't say a word. He took her bottle, cracked it open, and drank half of it in one go.

"Stop being jealous!" Julian laughed. "You two spend more time together than we do." He added teasingly, "He just doesn't want to play with you."

"You're trying to annoy me again!" Molly lunged for his bottle. "Don't you dare drink that! That was mine!"

"This was from Eden, how is it yours?" Julian argued, shielding the bottle.

"I gave it to Eden! I don't care, you can't have it!"

As they bickered, circling Lucas, Eden spoke up. "I’m heading back to the dorms."

"We’re going out for food, you sure you don't want to come?" Molly asked.

"No, I'm not that hungry."

"Alright then, see you later, Eden!"

"Bye." Eden waved to Molly and Julian. She didn't acknowledge Lucas. As she turned, the smile vanished. *What are you doing, Eden?* she asked herself. *Why force yourself to be this friendly to Julian? Just to make him jealous? Does it even matter?*

His eyes were full of another girl. The memories they shared—he didn't remember them. He didn't remember her.

Back at the dorm, Shelby was cleaning her desk. "I slept in, missed the game. Did Class 7 win?"

"Yeah," Eden said flatly.

"Molly went out to celebrate with Lucas again, I assume?" Shelby asked.

Eden didn't answer.

"She's so carefree," Shelby mused. Then she brightened. "Hey, let's go out. I have a voucher for the salon by the west gate. Free haircut? Come with me?"

Eden shook her head, but Shelby insisted, dragging her along.

Her mother had been nagging her to cut her hair for years—*it's easier to manage, it saves time for studying.* She had always refused, clutching those long strands like she was holding onto a secret obsession. But in that moment, the decision felt instantaneous. Was it a ritual to cut ties with the past, or just a desperate attempt to catch his eye? She couldn't tell.

*Lucas, you're so annoying! Stop pulling my ponytail!*

*I’m going to get it cut, my mom's been begging me to anyway.*

*Why cut it?* he’d asked, his voice suddenly low. *I like your long hair.*

*Too bad, I'm doing it!*

"I can't believe how good you look with a bob. You're one of those people who looks good in anything," Shelby said as they walked back.

"Hey, freshman! You cut your hair!" Two girls from the student council approached them, eyes wide. "It looks great! Way better than the ponytail. The boys in your class are going to lose their minds!"

Eden laughed shyly.

As they walked past a convenience store, she locked eyes with someone walking out—Lucas.

"You really are obsessed with that green tea, aren't you?" Shelby grabbed the bottle from his hand. "Confiscated."

"You don't hold back, do you?" Lucas said, totally unbothered.

"Molly drank my water yesterday. Consider this even," Shelby said, taking a sip.

"Whatever, settle your debts with her, don't drag me into it," Lucas shrugged.

"Are you two talking about me behind my back?" Molly popped up, bumping into them playfully.

The three of them dissolved into banter and laughter, a tangled, close-knit circle. Eden slowed her pace, lingering in the shadows of the swaying trees. The sunset painted the boy's profile in soft, golden light. He was smiling, clean and bright.

To him, she was a ghost. A non-entity.

She had cut her hair. People told her she looked beautiful. People wondered why she did it. People talked about her.

But he didn't even spare her a glance. Besides that first day in the cafeteria, he hadn't looked at her, hadn't spoken to her. He said he didn't remember the past.

*Fine,* she told herself, swallowing the lump in her throat. *If he can forget, so can I.*

*Be proud, Eden. He doesn't like you? Well, I don't like him either.*