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Chapter 4

Author: Arya Sue
"Hurry up! Everyone's waiting for you!" someone outside the window shouted.

Bradley's moment of panic vanished at once.

He called out "Coming!" to Nicole outside the window, then hurried out.

The words "Bradley, I'm leaving the country" caught in my throat.

My phone buzzed.

It was a message from Bradley.

"Sabrina, I'll come see you tonight around 8:00 pm. There's something I need to tell you."

I didn't reply. Instead, I opened the chat I shared with Dad.

"Sabrina, our flight is at 8:00 pm tonight. Get ready."

After replying "Okay" to Dad, I answered Bradley's message.

"How about 7:00 pm?"

Bradley replied right away, "Alright."

I put down my phone and started packing what I would need for my trip abroad.

At 6:00 pm, Mom came in with a few UV-protective jackets. "Your old ones are worn out. Just throw them away."

I scrolled through my social media feed and saw a photo of Nicole wearing the jacket Bradley had bought her. She was smiling beside him on a street lined with food stalls.

The caption read, "No matter where life takes us, let's never forget each other."

I nodded. "Okay. I'll get rid of them all."

At 6:30 pm, Bradley sent me a photo. "This stuffed bunny is so cute."

In the corner of the photo, Nicole was holding one of a matching pair of soft toys.

I was about to send back an emoji when he unsent the photo.

He didn't send anything else.

I figured he must have sent it to me by mistake.

At 6:40 pm, I finished packing and scrolled through all the posts Nicole had made that afternoon. They were all about herself, her and Bradley, and their entire class.

After liking each post, I texted Bradley, "Are you done?"

Bradley replied, "We just finished. I'll take Nicole home first. Don't worry. I won't be late."

"Okay," I replied.

At 7:00 pm sharp, I threw away the last of my study materials.

At last, I heard someone downstairs.

I went down to see what was happening.

Dad stood by the door, waving me over. "Sabrina, it's almost time. Let's go."

At 7:10 pm, Dad helped load all my luggage into the car.

Before getting in, I took a charm off my backpack.

Bradley had made the charm himself for my 12th birthday. It looked like a little gift box.

He clipped it onto my backpack and said earnestly, "Think of this little gift box as me. When I'm not around, let it keep you company."

He squeezed the box, and a recording played. "Grow up soon, Sabrina."

Before tossing it, I squeezed it again.

"Grow up soon, Sabrina."

It was just as Bradley wished. I had finally grown up enough not to need him anymore.

At 7:50 pm, Dad and I got ready to board our flight.

Bradley finally sent me a few messages.

"Sabrina, Nicole has a stomachache. I need to take her to the hospital, so I'm not coming over tonight."

"About what I wanted to tell you… I didn't apply to the college we agreed on. Nicole would be all alone in another city, and it wouldn't be safe. So I applied to her college instead."

"But don't get upset. I'll buy tickets to come see you often. Get to bed early tonight. I'll bring you the bracelet you wanted tomorrow."

I read the messages and smiled, finally at peace.

I replied to each of his messages.

"There's no need to come over, Bradley."

"I'm not going to the college we agreed on, either."

"I'm leaving the country. We don't need to see each other again."

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  • No Bracelet, No Boyfriend, No Future Together   Chapter 11

    Bradley no longer just watched me from a distance. Despair began to show in his eyes.A few times, it looked like he was about to rush over and stop me. But each time, my friends or family would step in and block him.Whenever Mom saw him, her face grew serious, and she would step in front of me.The days passed as things stayed tense, and I continued to ignore him.Finally, I received an offer from a university abroad.On the day of my flight, Mom and Dad took me to the airport.At the security checkpoint, I hugged each of them goodbye.Mom couldn't hold back her tears. She reminded me over and over to take good care of myself.Dad patted my shoulder, looking at me with trust and hope for my future."Go on, Sabrina. Go and live your life."I nodded firmly and gave them a bright smile. "Don't worry about me, Mom and Dad. I'll be fine."With that, I turned and walked through security, pulling my suitcase behind me.The international terminal was crowded with people coming an

  • No Bracelet, No Boyfriend, No Future Together   Chapter 10

    Bradley thrust out his hand and held the closing door firmly in place."Sabrina, please don't close the door. I'm begging you. Give me one more chance."He was so strong that I couldn't push the door closed.His calm, composed facade completely fell apart. All that remained was a desperation to make me take him back."I know I messed up. I really do. Please forgive me! I shouldn't have doubted you, yelled at you, or ignored you. Please give me one more chance. Let's start over, okay?"He stumbled over his words, tears welling up in his eyes.Nicole stood to the side, already in tears. She ran off without another word.But neither Bradley nor even I glanced at her.We stared at each other through the narrow gap in the door.He looked at me pleadingly, but I felt nothing."Let go," I said icily."I'm not letting go! Not unless you promise to give me another chance!" His stubbornness couldn't be any more out of place.While we stood there refusing to give in, Mom called from

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    Just then, my phone buzzed again. I knew without looking that it was probably another message from Bradley.He had been sending messages on and off since last night. Some were explanations, others were questions, and a few were desperate pleas.He asked why I was being so firm and why I wouldn't give him another chance.He said he truly knew he had made a mistake and asked me to think it over.I didn't reply to a single message. I put my phone on silent and placed it face down on the table.I stayed at the cafe for over an hour before leaving.In the early evening, Dad called me. He said his meeting had been delayed, so he could have dinner with me that night.I happily agreed.By the time I arrived, Dad had already ordered our food. We ate and talked, enjoying each other's company.He asked me what I thought of the city.I said I liked it a lot and that everything here felt new to me.Dad smiled and said he was glad to hear that. He then asked if I had decided which college

  • No Bracelet, No Boyfriend, No Future Together   Chapter 6

    "It's okay. Math is my worst subject anyway. What's done is done. I'll just do better next time."Bradley looked up at Nicole, his eyes unusually red-rimmed."Why didn't you tell me you went to look after the kitten? We found that stray cat together. Why did you go off on your own? You should've asked me to come with you."That road was already hard to travel, and you're not very good at riding a bike. Why didn't you ask me to go with you?"He was about to say more when Nicole cut him off, clearly annoyed. "I'll do what I want. Who are you to tell me what to do?"Bradley opened his mouth, almost saying the words he had been holding back.But just then, he saw me standing outside the door.He struggled to swallow the words he had wanted to say.He stood up, strode toward me, and opened the door.In the silence, I forced a small smile. I was about to say something unrelated and change the subject so he wouldn't feel embarrassed.Then Bradley said sharply, "Sabrina, were you e

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