Chapter 3

Early the next morning, noise from downstairs woke me.

Still groggy, I dragged myself out of bed and looked over the railing. Wesley was already downstairs, dressed and ready to leave.

The moment he saw me, he waved. "It's graduation day. Why aren't you ready yet?"

The fever had left my head foggy, and I hadn't even checked the class group chat.

Before I could answer, Cassidy stepped out of her room. She was wearing the dress I had spent six months teaching myself to sew by hand.

I embroidered tiny rabbits and foxes across the fabric to match the outfit I made for Wesley. The clothes looked simple, but I lost count of how many times I had pricked my fingers making them.

Cassidy stood there nervously twisting the hem between her fingers.

"Daph, I really love it... Your mom said it looks good on me. But if you don't want me to wear it, I'll take it off and give it back right now."

She said she would take it off, but her grip on the skirt only tightened.

Wesley hurried upstairs and immediately stepped between us.

"Daph, you have plenty of nice dresses. Cass only wants to wear this one. Why are you making her take it off?"

Mom came out when she heard the commotion.

"Daph, do you have to be so petty? I told Cass she could wear it. It's one dress. Just pick another one."

My heart hurt so badly that I could barely speak.

"I never told her to take it off."

But no one cared enough to listen.

By the time I rushed through getting ready, they had already left for school without me.

At the ceremony, Wesley and Cassidy took the stage as the graduating class speakers.

Standing side by side in matching outfits, they looked every bit like a couple.

Wesley stayed close, carefully steadying Cassidy by the arm. He was worried she wasn't used to walking in heels.

The moment they finished their speeches, excited whispers broke out across the audience.

"Wesley and Cassidy look so good together! I heard they're even going to the same college. I'm obsessed."

"Same! They're both gorgeous and brilliant. How could anyone not ship them?"

"Did you see their matching outfits? That's the cutest soft launch ever!"

Then someone suddenly said, "Wait... I thought Wesley was dating his childhood friend."

The crowd went quiet. The classmates who knew the story glanced at me, their eyes full of sympathy.

I said nothing and glanced at the empty seats reserved for my family.

One of my friends leaned over. "Daphne, weren't your parents always so proud of you? They didn't come to your graduation?"

I looked toward my parents, who were sitting several rows behind Cassidy and Wesley, and shook my head with a bitter smile.

"No. They're not coming."

And I didn't need them to anymore.

After the ceremony, my guidance counselor called me into her office. She looked over my college application list and sighed.

"Your SAT score was exceptional. Why didn't you apply to Westhaven University? Oakdale University is an excellent school, too, but it's over a thousand miles away. I think you should give it some more thought."

The irony was that since our SAT scores had come out, Ms. Davis was the only person who had cared enough to ask about mine.

"I've already made my decision, Ms. Davis. Thank you."

Oakdale was more than a thousand miles from Westhaven.

And once I left, I never wanted to come back.