• 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.

  • way, but with

  • doing here?” I

  • down at me, desperation in his eyes.

  • a word. You can’t

  • 44.4%

  • Chapter 19

  • a plan to go to Davis together. I busted my

  • shifted uncomfortably, “Zephyr, I thought I made myself perfectly clear months ago.”

  • with emotion: “Phoebe, you

  • thirteen years over one bad patch.”

  • all those guys, quit

  • mild annoyance at the interruption

  • things you should have done for yourself, not

  • dump Katherine. I genuinely don’t care about your relationship status

  • anymore.”

  • visibly stung him.

  • were always trying to help

  • my knees begging, I’ll do it right here in

  • take…”

  • don’t I deserve

  • I can’t sleep, can’t focus–I need you back in my life.”

  • childhood stuffed animals–the rabbit and dog–holding them

  • wrong before. But I’ve changed everything. I’ll spend forever making it up to you.” “Please don’t leave me behind, Phoebe.”

  • for them, just replied quietly: “Some things can’t be fixed with apologies, Zephyr.”

  • I can’t forget what happened.”

  • like a convenience, laughing about me with your friends, forcing yourself on me in that

  • Pride of Velvet

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