Chapter 4

Gwen

The actors kept going. The crowd completely lost their minds.

But in my corner of the dark auditorium, my world went dead silent.

He actually did it.

I sat there, blood draining from my face, watching the boy I grew up with—the boy who used to be my entire world—play his part perfectly.

My chest wasn't even hurting anymore. It was just hollow. The wind could have blown right through me. I felt absolutely nothing but cold.

When the curtain finally fell, the skit was a massive success.

Sloane was glowing, waving at the cheering crowd. But Chase looked completely distracted. His eyes darted frantically across the dark rows of seats, desperately searching for me.

But I was already gone. I'd walked out of the building ten minutes ago.

My phone started blowing up on my walk home.

Gwen, where did you go?

Come on, it was just a senior prank. Don't be so dramatic.

Pick up your phone. We need to talk.

Gwen, answer me!

I swiped the notifications away and powered my phone off.

At school the next day, Chase was in a full panic. I wasn't in class. He ended up cornering our guidance counselor to ask about my college status. Bound by the privacy request my mom had filed, the counselor only gave a vague, "Gwen's top-choice acceptance is locked in."

Chase naturally assumed she meant Yale. He let out a massive breath of relief.

After we graduated, he dumped Sloane. Over the summer, his texts to me completely changed their tune.

Just wait until fall. We'll be in New Haven together, and everything will go back to normal.

I made a list of all the best spots near campus. There's this artisan pizza place you'll absolutely love.

Gwen, let's actually do this. Let's date when we get there.

I left every single message on delivered.

It made Chase anxious, but he convinced himself I just needed time to cool off. He told himself that once September rolled around, everything would snap back right into place.

He figured he had four whole years at Yale to sweet-talk a girl throwing a tantrum.

Then came Move-In Day.

Yale's Old Campus was packed with freshmen and moving boxes.

As soon as Chase finished unpacking, he practically sprinted across the courtyard to Vanderbilt Hall—the girls' dorm I always told him I wanted when we were kids. He stood outside the brick building, bouncing on his heels. He looked expectant, and for the first time in his life, genuinely nervous.

He dialed my number.

It rang three times. Then, I picked up.

"Gwen? Hey, where are you?" Chase puffed out a laugh, actively forcing that easy, golden-boy charm. "Come downstairs, let's go get pizza. I know you've been ghosting me all summer, but I'll be the bigger person and let it slide. Come on."

Dead silence on the line.

Then, he heard my voice. It was light, distant, and crystal clear.

"I'm not in New Haven, Chase. I didn't enroll at Yale."

He froze by the entrance. "...What?"

"I'm at Stanford."

The East Coast sun was glaring overhead.

But suddenly, the entire world tilted underneath Chase's feet.