[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":10},["ShallowReactive",2],{"viewer-data-260322C9288E-205":3},{"id":4,"number":5,"name":6,"content":7,"isLocked":8,"price":9,"hasRead":8},205,18,"Chapter 18: \"Don't You Dare Cry Over Me.\"","\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">He doesn't need your concern, and he wouldn't value it anyway. Someone else will look after him.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">At the start of junior year, Bryce Anderson managed to get into City Academy with the second-highest score in the city.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Every once in a while, Eden would join him at the cafeteria for lunch.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"I ordered too much. Here, have some.\" Whenever Lucas Powell walked past them with his lunch tray, he would casually toss a few fried skewers onto Bryce's plate.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Thanks, man,\" Bryce would say, looking up before immediately sliding a few of the skewers onto Eden's tray. \"Eat up, you need it.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"How do you even know him?\" Eden asked, staring at the skewers.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Met him on the court a couple of weeks ago when we were playing ball.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Has he ever mentioned me?\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Bryce looked confused. \"Why would he bring you up? You guys even know each other?\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"It’s nothing,\" Eden replied, her eyes dropping to her tray. \"We aren't close.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Actually, Julian keeps asking me about you. He seems super interested,\" Bryce added with a mischievous smirk.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Eden didn't say another word, just kept her head down and finished her meal in silence.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"I didn't say anything bad about you, I swear!\" Bryce rushed to add. \"Lucas is always there. He can vouch for me.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Eden just gave a faint \"mm-hmm,\" a surge of bitterness bubbling in her chest.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">She felt like she hated Lucas Powell even more now.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Not long after the semester began, the annual fall sports festival arrived.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Eden had been tasked with carrying the placard for her class. When she left the dorm that morning, the temperature didn't seem too low, so she opted for the school-issued white button-down and a pink pleated skirt. But as soon as the opening ceremony kicked off, the sky darkened. A damp, biting wind began to swirl, snaking its way right into the collar of her shirt.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">She stood at the front of her class for over thirty minutes, shivering, until the ceremony finally ended. Since she wasn't participating in any events, she dropped the placard back at the bleachers and hurried off, planning to hit the infirmary for some heat patches before heading back to the dorm to change into something warmer.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">As she stepped into the infirmary, she saw Bryce rummaging through the medicine cabinet.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"What's wrong? Are you hurt?\" she asked.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Me? I'm fine,\" Bryce explained. \"Lucas twisted his ankle yesterday. He has an event later, so I just swung by to grab some meds for him.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Bryce looked at her, tilting his head. \"What about you? You feeling sick?\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Is it bad?\" Eden asked suddenly.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Huh?\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Lucas... is his injury bad?\" Eden pressed. \"If it's serious, he should use that spray over there. It works way better than the ointment you're holding.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"It's alright, nothing too crazy. This should do the trick,\" Bryce replied, then added, \"Seriously, though, you haven't answered me. You not feeling well?\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"No, I just came to get some heat patches. I was standing out there for half an hour holding that sign—I'm freezing to death.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"You girls always wear so little for those opening ceremonies, of course you're freezing.\" Bryce handed her a black jacket he had been carrying. \"Put this on for now and get back to the dorm to change.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Eden didn't stand on ceremony; she took it and draped it over her shoulders. She glanced down at the sleeves, frowning slightly. \"Since when do you wear black? I don't remember you owning this...\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"It's not mine. It’s Lucas's. I was holding it for him,\" Bryce said before rushing toward the door. \"Make sure you get it to him later, okay?\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Eden stood frozen, her fingertips trembling as she gripped the fabric.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">When she got back to the dorm, she changed into a thick tracksuit. She stared at the black jacket draped over her chair for a long time, eventually picking it up and holding it to her chest. She locked the dorm room and headed back toward the track.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">As she walked, her mind raced: How was she supposed to return this to him?\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Should she just march up to the Class 7 bleachers? If his classmates saw her, would they start gossiping about the two of them again?\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">She let out a hollow, bitter laugh at herself.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Why bother worrying? It’s not like anyone was still spreading rumors about her and Lucas anymore.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">She was just about to circle the track toward the bleachers when two boys from Class 7 flew past her, jogging in a hurry.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Lucas wiped out during the relay. It sounds pretty bad—he can't even stand up.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"He kept running even after he twisted his ankle?\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Her heart stopped. Without a second thought, Eden took off after them. Her eyes were locked onto their retreating backs, and in her panic, she didn't see the two boys shoving and chasing each other in front of her. She collided with them, hard.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">She hit the ground, a sharp, searing pain shooting up her tailbone. Her palms scraped against the track, the skin torn and bleeding. She winced, stifling a cry of pain. Even as the boys scrambled to help her up, apologizing profusely and offering to take her to the infirmary, she just muttered a quick \"I'm fine.\" She snatched up the black jacket, which had fallen in the dirt, and scrambled back to her feet, running toward the field.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">But after a few steps, she stopped dead. She couldn't take another step forward.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Across the track, at the far end, Molly Lee was supporting Lucas, who was limping heavily, as they made their way toward the infirmary.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Molly was sobbing, her voice frantic. \"I told you not to run! You just had to do it, didn't you?\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"If you've ruined your ankle for good, don't even think about playing ball ever again!\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Lucas offered a weak, pained smile. \"Is that any way to talk to a guy? Can you stop crying, please?\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Eden stood perfectly still. A wave of suffocating bitterness washed over her. She asked herself, *Eden, what are you doing? Why are you even here?*\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">He doesn't need your concern, and he wouldn't value it anyway.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Someone else will look after him.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Even if you ran over there now, what could you do? Would you be able to support him like Molly is, walking him to the infirmary for the whole school to see?\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">The stinging, raw pain in her palms was a cold reminder. *Wake up, Eden. Stop being so pathetic.*\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">She didn't know how long she stood there. It wasn't until the loudspeaker crackled to life, announcing the check-in for the boys' 800-meter relay, that Bryce came jogging past her. He stopped when he saw her, his expression turning to one of confusion. \"Why are you just standing here?\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">He caught the look on her face and asked, \"What’s wrong?\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Eden didn't say a word. She simply threw the black jacket at him, her expression hardening, and walked away.\u003C/p>",false,0,1774272926823]