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Chapter 3

Autor: Vesper Vale
The day I went to Alderton to process my withdrawal, the cut on my hand had still not healed. Elaine, who had promised to come with me, dropped me again without hesitation because there was an issue with Bradley's registration materials.

Even though I was used to it by now, the message still left a dull ache in my chest. However, then I thought, maybe it was better this way. I had already decided to walk away from their lives.

I dragged my luggage to the queue by myself. The freshman volunteer at the check-in desk glanced at my name and paused.

"You're Leo Chambers?"

He grinned. "Bradley just mentioned you. He said you went to high school together and that you'd probably be coming around to their place on weekends for meals.

"He also said he hoped the RA wouldn't be too strict about curfew.

"Those two really are a perfect match, by the way. Alderton's about to have its own campus power couple."

Classmate. Their place. Couple.

Those words sank in like needles, and I could not speak for a long time.

At noon, a new post from Bradley appeared on my feed. He was standing in front of the Alderton gates. Elaine stood beside him, holding two coffees and a stack of papers.

The caption read, [First day in Kellmore with Elaine. We've both got a new home now.]

The comments were full of classmates egging them on.

[Is this the official announcement?]

[So where does that leave Leo Chambers?]

[I mean, the childhood friend always wins in the end, right?]

Elaine did not deny any of it. If it had been about me, she probably would have jumped in immediately, saying things like, "Leo and I are just friends. Don't get the wrong idea."

A downpour hit out of nowhere while I was inside the administration building. My luggage and documents were still outside under a temporary canopy at the check-in area. I texted Elaine and asked if she could push my things into the main hall.

She replied, [There's an issue with Bradley's physical exam form.

[I need to go with him to get it sorted out.

[Your suitcase is waterproof. It'll be fine.]

By the time I ran through the rain to get there, my suitcase was soaked through and most of my papers were ruined. I gathered up the documents, but my foot slipped as I stood and I hit the edge of the steps hard.

The scab on the back of my hand split open and blood ran down my skin, mixing with the rain. My vision blurred and it took me a long time to get back on my feet.

The resident advisor happened to walk by and pulled me into the main hall. She flipped through what was left of my papers and asked, "Can you talk? I'm going to call your emergency contact. Did she come with you for check-in?"

The call went to Elaine. The first call went unanswered. The second time, she hung up.

When I had filled out the freshman system, it was Elaine who had insisted I put her down as my emergency contact. She had taken my phone, typed in her number, and said, "From now on, if anything happens to you in Kellmore, the school calls me first."

I had believed her.

The advisor went quiet for a few seconds, then looked at me. "I can't reach her. Take a breather, and once the rain lets up, I'll take you to the campus clinic."

Half an hour later, Elaine finally showed up, carrying a set of bedding that Bradley had just picked up from the supply office. She saw the state I was in and frowned.

"Why is it always something with you, Leo?"

Bradley glanced at me. "Sorry. I held Elaine up."

Elaine cut in immediately. "It's not your fault."

The advisor had seen enough. "Is this student your boyfriend? He was out of it for quite a while.

"If you signed up as his emergency contact, that means something. You don't get to show up late and then make him feel bad about it."

I looked up at Elaine. For just a second, I wanted to ask. Were we ever actually going to be together?

However, the thought collapsed the moment it formed. The answer was already obvious.

That night, I reprinted every water-damaged Pennington document and clipped them together, page by page. Just as I slid the last sheet into the folder, an email from Pennington came through.

[Late-enrollment review: Approved. Please complete final confirmation and in-person verification within three days.]

I booked a flight to Westport.

The night before I left, the Alderton freshman group chat blew up. Someone had screenshotted Bradley's post and shared it on the campus forum, gushing about the picture-perfect new couple that had just enrolled.

I stared at the wall of congratulations and well-wishes in the comments, my fingertips trembling.

I was still not ready to let go. I could not accept that all those memories, everything we had shared, had only ever been real to me.

In the end, I left one comment under that campus forum post.

[Don't get the wrong idea. She has a boyfriend.]

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  • I'm Done Chasing After You   Chapter 10

    The day of the midterm presentation, I stood at the front of a Pennington lecture hall for the first time.The professor, classmates, and a handful of exchange students sat in the audience. I finished my presentation, and when I looked up, my gaze wandered to the last row.Elaine was sitting there. She had lost a lot of weight, and there were faint shadows under her eyes. She did not rush toward me the way she had the last time. She just sat there, watching quietly, as if she had finally learned to let me finish first.When the presentation ended, the room broke into applause. I closed my folder and stood at the front, and something in me almost wanted to laugh.I had spent so long waiting for someone else to speak up for me, to explain things on my behalf, to decide whether or not I deserved to feel hurt. Now I was the one standing here, and I did not need anyone's permission to speak.After I stepped down, the professor told me that Pennington's exchange program had an opening a

  • I'm Done Chasing After You   Chapter 9

    Autumn came quickly at Pennington. The sea breeze rolled in and curled the edges of every textbook. I started working on a small research project with one of my professors, organizing materials, helping with translations, and occasionally editing drafts.When I was busy, I barely thought about Elaine at all. She had stopped showing up every day like before. She still sent the occasional message, but I never read them.One afternoon, my student advisor handed me a document that had been forwarded from Kellmore. I opened the envelope and found a sealed letter inside. My name was written on the front in handwriting I recognized immediately. It was Elaine's.I stared at it for a long time, then put it in my desk drawer without opening it.By the time I got out of class that evening, it was already dark. I was standing at the campus entrance waiting for the bus when Elaine's number came through again.This time, I picked up."Talk."She seemed caught off guard. "You finally answered.

  • I'm Done Chasing After You   Chapter 8

    Elaine came looking for me again, this time outside the library.I had just finished a group presentation that day. The professor had praised me for how clearly I organized the material and how well I structured my argument.Standing at the front of the room and answering questions, I felt a strange sense of disorientation. I had spent so long watching other people's faces for cues. Now that someone was actually listening to what I had to say, I almost did not know how to handle it.After the session ended, I carried my materials downstairs. Elaine was standing right outside the entrance, holding a cup of hot coffee.I slowed for a second.She saw me and walked over immediately."Leo."I glanced at the cup in her hand. "What are you doing here?""I want to talk.""I wasn't clear enough last time?"She swallowed hard. "Bradley and I broke up."I did not say anything.She seemed afraid I would not believe her, so she added, "It's not because you pressured me. I figured it out

  • I'm Done Chasing After You   Chapter 7

    Elaine stood outside the Pennington gates all night.My student advisor told me the next morning. She said it had rained the night before, and the girl had stood by the road and refused to leave, asking for me by name more than once. Security would not let her in, and she did not make a scene. She just stood there until nearly dawn before she finally left.I listened and nodded. "Got it."My advisor looked at me for a moment but did not say anything more.It was only later that I realized I had meant it. Not because the pain was gone, but because there was no longer any point in letting it show.That evening, I was organizing materials in the library. My phone sat quietly beside me. I scrolled back to my old messages with Elaine.I had only meant to delete them. But once I opened the thread, I ended up reading through every single one.The earliest was from the day of the train.[Leo, just manage on your own for a bit. I'm grabbing something for Bradley.]Then the day they m

  • I'm Done Chasing After You   Chapter 6

    The next morning, I went to Pennington to finish my enrollment paperwork. The upperclassman handling my intake walked me through each form patiently, line by line."This emergency contact field needs to be a family member or someone you trust."I looked down at the form and paused for two seconds. Then I wrote in the number for my assigned student advisor. She had given it to me the day before, telling me that since I was new to Westport, I should call her if anything urgent came up.The upperclassman glanced at what I had written but did not say anything. He just smiled and took the form."You can come to me too, if you ever need anything. Don't try to handle everything on your own."My fingers tightened around the pen.I used to dread the idea of asking anyone for help, because every time I did, the response always made me feel like I was a burden. However, at Pennington, nobody looked at me that way. Someone helped me with my paperwork. Someone reminded me about my class sch

  • I'm Done Chasing After You   Chapter 5

    I turned off my phone in the car on the way to the airport. Before the screen went dark, Elaine's messages came pouring in, one after another.[Leo, where did you go?[The building manager said you checked out.[What's this about Pennington?[Answer me.[Stop this.]My finger hovered when those last two words appeared. Then I blocked her.Outside the car window, the Kellmore overpass stretched out under the early morning lights, each one sliding past and falling behind. I thought of the day I had first arrived in Kellmore. She had said the same thing then."Stop it."Just hang on a little longer."I'll be right there."Yet her version of "right there" never meant anything.Before the plane took off, I canceled my old phone number and slipped a new SIM card into my phone.The cabin was quiet. I leaned against the window and watched the clouds close in overhead. I used to think that if I just waited long enough, Elaine would eventually turn around and look for me. Howeve

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