"We aren't friends. I don't want to be your friend."

Time slipped by, and before she knew it, the second semester of her sophomore year had arrived.

Shortly after the term began, Julian Smith was injured during a basketball game. His old injury flared up, requiring surgery and forcing him to take a six-month medical leave.

"I’ll probably have to repeat a grade and join my dad’s class next semester. I’ve already talked to Lucas Powell and asked him to keep an eye on you while I’m gone," Julian said, offering instructions to Eden Anderson before his departure. "And Bryce is around too. If anyone gives you trouble, just go to them. Don’t bottle it up and try to handle it alone."

Eden just curled her lips into a faint smile, offered a flat "Mhm," and said, "Take care of yourself after the surgery. Get some rest."

Even though Julian asking Lucas to look after her made her deeply uncomfortable, she didn’t say much. At the end of the day, she couldn't treat him like she treated Bryce—she couldn't just get aggressive and demand, "Who gave you the right to arrange for people to meddle in my business?"

Eden had a sharp temper, yet she was always distant and polite to outsiders. She only ever let her true, abrasive self show to those she was closest to.

Aside from Bryce, the only other person she had ever lashed out at was a younger Lucas. Unlike Bryce, who always tried to hide from her, Lucas had loved sticking by her side, often telling her that the "real" Eden was actually quite cute. Thinking back, Eden couldn't help but smile bitterly.

So, the younger Lucas had lied to her. And the adult Lucas had become exactly like Bryce: neither of them liked this abrasive, short-tempered girl anymore.

On the afternoon after the first monthly exam, Eden returned to the classroom late. The entire building was quiet and hollow. Just as she was gathering her things to head back to the dorms, she saw Molly Lee walk through the classroom door.

"Eden, it’s my turn to do cleanup duty today, but something urgent came up. Could you cover for me?" Molly walked over, blinking up at her. "I came back too late and everyone else has already left. Could you please help me out? I’ll cover for you next time it’s your turn!"

"Fine," Eden paused, but she nodded in agreement.

"I love you, Eden!" Molly wrapped her arms around Eden, snuggling affectionately against her before skipping toward the classroom exit.

"Hurry up! You need to prep that birthday surprise for your brother," another girl waiting at the door called out. "Let's go pick out a gift!"

Eden’s breath hitched. Her hand, which had been resting on the edge of the desk, tightened instinctively.

So, the "urgent matter" Molly had meant was preparing a surprise and buying a gift for Lucas’s birthday.

The gifts Lucas had given her back in elementary school were still kept in her most prized box, tucked deep under her bed. Too many people had given her gifts over the years; truthfully, she hadn't guarded most of them with much care. Whenever her younger cousins came over and cried for them, Eden would eventually just give them away.

But anything Lucas gave her? She always found a way to hide those in the most secure spot, refusing to let even her cousins get a glimpse of them. She never wanted to share a single thing Lucas had given her.

But Lucas would surely never be like her. The number of girls who had given him gifts was countless. Yet, the only gifts Lucas would likely cherish were the ones Molly gave him.

Suddenly, her arm felt numb where Molly had been clinging to her. The lingering sensation of the girl nuzzling against her chest made her entire body recoil. Molly was so good at acting spoiled; no wonder Lucas liked her.

She would never be able to learn that.

Eden stopped dwelling on it, grabbed her bag, and walked over to the STEM building where Class 7 was.

It took her over half an hour to finish cleaning. By the time she was done, the sky was already darkening. The building was completely deserted. Eden decided to stop by the restroom before heading back to retrieve her bag and lock up.

Just as she stepped out of the classroom, she heard someone call out to her.

"Hey, campus queen!"

It was Kane Perez, the guy who had been hounding her for weeks.

Eden felt a surge of irritation. She ignored him, quickening her pace. As she passed the utility room, she spotted Lucas standing at the sink, wringing out a rag.

He was still here, too.

Their eyes locked for a fleeting second of surprise before Eden immediately looked away. She acted as if she hadn't seen him at all and kept walking at a brisk pace.

As she reached the entrance of the girls' restroom, she felt a sudden push from behind.

"What's the rush, queen?" Kane followed her straight into the girls' bathroom.

"This is the girls' restroom. Are you sick?" Eden glared at him, her face cold.

"So what if it's the girls' room? There's nobody else in the building." Kane reached out and grabbed her arm. "How about you do me the favor of grabbing dinner with me?"

Eden slapped his hand away with a sharp *crack*, trying to head for the door, but he yanked her back. He was strong; his grip made her wrist throb with pain.

"Don't blame me for being rude if you keep that attitude! Quit acting so—"

Before he could finish, Eden felt someone pull her aside.

Lucas, who had appeared out of nowhere, didn't say a word. He drove a fist straight into Kane’s face. Kane stumbled back, tongue darting out to lick his bloodied lip, his face a mask of disbelief.

"If you ever bother her again, try me," Lucas said, his voice ice-cold.

Kane stared at Lucas for a long moment, looking clearly frustrated, but he didn't say another word. He cursed under his breath and turned to leave.

"What are you even doing here?" Lucas’s expression was grim, and his tone was far from friendly. "Do you have any concept of self-preservation, Eden?"

For the year and a half since they’d reunited, this was the first sentence he had spoken directly to her.

Eden’s lips parted, and a sudden, sharp ache rose in her throat.

*Because Molly wanted to trade shifts with me.*

*Because Molly was in a rush to buy you a gift and plan your birthday surprise, so she left me to handle it.*

Eden remained silent.

"You don't even ask me for help when something like this happens," Lucas curled his lip into a self-deprecating sneer. "You hate me that much, huh?"

Eden’s eyes burned, and a mist of tears blurred her vision.

Why did she suddenly want to cry so badly?

When he ignored her and treated her like a stranger, she didn't want to cry. But the moment he started acting like this—pretending to care, interrogating her—she felt like she was going to shatter.

*Don't cry in front of him.* Eden clenched her fists, telling herself to hold it together, but the tears were already spilling over. She turned her back to him, facing the harsh, white tiles of the restroom wall, her body trembling uncontrollably.

"Yeah, you're right," Eden said, her voice shaking. "I hate you, and I don't need your help."

*So can you please just leave? Go find your Molly. Stop pretending to care about me just because you’re doing a favor for your buddy.*

*I don't need it.*

Tears streamed down her face, one after another. She wiped them away frantically, biting her lip until it stung, but her shaking only grew worse.

"Why are you still such a crybaby?" she heard him sigh behind her.

He pressed a soft tissue into her palm. "If you hate me, shouldn't I be the one who’s miserable? Why make yourself suffer like this? Are you stupid?"

Eden covered her face with the tissue. Even though he had softened his tone to comfort her, she only sobbed harder, the tears refusing to stop.

"Eden, if you're willing, you could actually treat me like a friend," Lucas said after a long silence.

"We aren't friends," Eden choked out.

"I don't want to be your friend," she sobbed.

Sometimes, she asked herself why they couldn't just be friends. They had been so close when they were little. If they were friends, she could say hello every day, talk to him, and draw a little bit of warmth from him. She wanted to talk to him so badly. She relied on him so much.

Why couldn't she just reach out and grab hold of him? Even holding just the edge of his sleeve would be worth more than holding anyone else's hand.

But she couldn't convince herself.

She was already too far gone.

She was already trapped, and because of that, she could never go back to being "just friends" with him like nothing had happened. She wanted him to like only her, to be good to only her, to stop paying attention to other girls.

What right did a friend have to make such selfish demands?

That was why they ended up like this—like enemies.

Eden spun around and pushed past him, running out. She fled the building. The campus was a wash of grays, heavy storm clouds hanging on the horizon while cold winds whipped the tree branches into a frantic dance. It was desolate.

On the large screen above the library, a music video was playing on a loop. Eden felt her breath hitch, her heart constricting in pain. Something warm dripped from her nose. She wiped it away and saw streaks of bright red blood.

"Eden, can you stop trying to scare me!"

"What did I do to scare you?"

"You just started having a nosebleed—that's not scary?"

"If you don't start taking care of yourself and keep having nosebleeds in front of me, that’s malicious injury! You'll have to take responsibility for me!"

"How do you want me to take responsibility?"

Eden thought back to that day. The Lucas who had once demanded she take responsibility would never come back, would he?

She smiled, looking up at the sky, the trees, the wind, but she could no longer find an answer. Because on the day they parted, Lucas had said that once he left, he wouldn't return.

He wouldn't come back to find her again.