Chapter 1

The next afternoon, I arrived at the mall 20 minutes early.

My boyfriend, Callum Holt, had asked me to buy the movie tickets the night before. He wanted the five of us to get together on the last day of Thanksgiving break. No one was allowed to bail.

However, after waiting by the ticket machine for 15 minutes, I still hadn't received a single reply in our five-person group chat.

Then, my childhood friend, Vincent Black, called. Laughter and terrified screams filled the background.

"Zara, why are you still downstairs? We're already inside the escape room."

I froze for a few seconds before asking, "Weren't we supposed to watch a movie together?"

Vincent fell silent.

"Didn't we change the plan last night?" he replied. "Lena can't handle horror movies, so Callum suggested an escape room instead. Everyone in the group chat agreed."

"Which group chat was that?" I asked, tightening my grip on the phone.

Silence fell on the other end of the line.

Then, Vincent quickly laughed it off. "Oh, come on. Just get a refund for the tickets and come join us."

I headed upstairs, clutching the five movie tickets.

By the time I reached the escape room entrance, all five of them were already wearing their wristbands.

When Lena Wright saw me, she froze for a moment before smiling and stepping aside.

"Oh, Zara! You're here too. I thought you knew we'd changed the plan."

Callum frowned slightly and took the tickets from my hand. "Vincent and the others didn't tell you? Never mind. We'll get a refund later. The game's about to start."

He said it so casually, as if leaving me out were just a minor mistake.

The staff member explained that, with six players, one person would have to go in alone and find a key in the dark room.

Without the slightest hesitation, Vincent handed me the gray wristband.

"Let's give it to Zara. She's the bravest one here, and she's the best at problem-solving."

Lena visibly relaxed.

"Thank goodness Zara's here. I'm terrified of being locked in a dark room alone," she said.

I took the wristband without protest.

As the door swung shut, Lena's sudden scream rang out from outside.

My brother, Ethan Spencer, and Callum laughed and rushed to comfort her.

"It's fake. Don't be scared. We're right here with you."

Inside the dark room, the only sounds were the machinery clicking and whirring. I suddenly remembered my first time playing an escape room game back in college.

I was afraid of the dark, too.

Back then, a power outage had left us completely in the dark. I clutched Callum's sleeve and refused to let go. He stayed by my side until the lights came back on.

Somewhere along the way, though, I had become the one who supposedly never needed anyone to look after her.

20 minutes later, I emerged from the dark room with the key, only to find the others had already reached the final stage.

The combination lock required a four-digit code. My childhood friend, Nicholas Lawson, glanced at the clue and entered 0716 without hesitation.

The lock clicked open, and all five of them burst out laughing.

When I asked what the date meant, Ethan patted me on the shoulder and said, "It's the day Lena got blackout drunk for the first time last year. It's no wonder you don't know. She made a total fool of herself that night."

Lena blushed as she chased after Ethan, while Callum doubled over laughing beside them.

I stood there watching them and realized, for the first time, just how many memories they'd made together without me.

After the game, the staff member offered to take a group photo.

"We've been using that camping photo as our group chat profile picture for six months. Let's get a new one today," Lena said, holding up her phone.

Then, as if suddenly remembering I was there, she quickly added, "Zara, you should join us too. Otherwise, it'll look like we're excluding you again."

Everyone turned to look at me with smiles on their faces. I forced a polite smile and handed my phone to the staff member.

"You guys go ahead. I'll head downstairs and get a refund for the movie tickets," I said quietly.

This time, no one came after me.

On the subway ride home, a message from Callum appeared in our group chat.

"Is it just me, or has Zara been acting weird lately?"

Five minutes went by, but no one replied.

Staring at the empty chat, I finally understood the truth. The things they really wanted to say were never meant for this group chat in the first place.

When we first created this group chat nine years ago, we called it The Irreplaceables.

Back then, whenever someone changed their profile picture or updated their nickname, the other four would tease them endlessly.

However, after Lena came along, the group grew quieter and quieter.

I always thought we'd simply grown up and gotten busy with our own lives.

Now, I finally understood. It wasn't that they'd run out of things to say. They'd just moved all the fun somewhere I couldn't see.