• Chapter 19

  • Chapter 19

  • I accepted admission to Stanford, moving with my family to Palo Alto.

  • When I heard Zephyr had managed to get into UC Davis after all, I simply nodded, unsurprised.

  • Despite everything ugly between us, we’d known each other most of our lives.

  • I was genuinely glad he’d found his way back to a better path.

  • For his sake and his parents‘. But Stanford and Davis- One in Silicon Valley, one in the Central Valley. Different worlds, different futures, different lives.

  • I spent the entire summer traveling, exploring national parks and cities I’d never seen.

  • It wasn’t until welcome week that I heard from old classmates: Zephyr had been frantically searching for me all summer.

  • I hadn’t shared my location with anyone from high school. I

  • ‘d made sure my parents understood the full situation to prevent any accidental information leaks.

  • But somehow, he still managed to find me on campus during the first week of classes.

  • Zephyr looked rough–his usually perfect hair unwashed, dark circles under bloodshot eyes, clothes wrinkled like he’d slept in them.

  • A year ago, I would have found his disheveled appearance heart–wrenching.

  • Now I just noticed how ordinary he looked without his carefully maintained image.

  • but with confusion rather

  • you doing here?”

  • down at me,

  • a word. You can’t just vanish like that, Phoebe.”

  • 44.4%

  • Chapter 19

  • to go to Davis together. I busted my ass to get in. Why aren’t you there?”

  • I made myself perfectly clear months ago.”

  • emotion: “Phoebe, you can’t do this

  • years over one

  • Derek and Mason and all those guys, quit drinking, haven’t touched a cigarette in months–I did everything right!”

  • nothing but mild annoyance at the interruption

  • those are all things you should have

  • Katherine. I genuinely don’t care about

  • anymore.”

  • stung him.

  • trying to help me

  • on my knees begging, I’ll do it right here in front of everyone. Just

  • take…”

  • through, don’t I deserve one

  • makes sense without you. I can’t sleep, can’t focus–I need

  • out our childhood stuffed animals–the rabbit and

  • I’ll spend forever making it up to you.” “Please don’t

  • just replied quietly: “Some things can’t be

  • I can’t forget what happened.”

  • about Katherine while using me, treating my body like a convenience, laughing about me with your friends, forcing yourself on me

  • of Velvet

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