All Chapters of Graduation Day: I Wasn't in the Picture: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

10 Chapters

Chapter 1

After deleting the photos, Gavin Mercer tossed the phone right back to Charlotte Hale so she could keep scrolling through her options.Right as she took it, an email with a rejection letter from the company she had just interviewed with came through, and she immediately started tearing up."Am I really that incompetent?" Charlotte asked. "I can't even get a foot in the door anywhere."Mom wasted no time pulling her into a tight embrace."What are you talking about? If anyone's going to struggle to find a job around here, it's Natalie, not you. You've always excelled at everything since you were a kid, so there's no way you're going to end up unemployed."She threw a pointed look over her shoulder at me before continuing, "That company obviously doesn't know real talent when it's staring them in the face. Don't worry about it. We'll take our time and find you the perfect fit."I stood nearby, silent and stationary, yet I had somehow been dragged into the conversation to serve as t

Chapter 2

The next morning, Mom dragged all of us out to the mall.She insisted that since Charlotte was about to start a corporate job at a massive company, she needed to look the part.They had picked out a designer pantsuit that cost over 6,000 dollars, a 15,000-dollar designer tote bag, and a 5,000-dollar pair of heels.Every single time Charlotte checked a price tag, Mom would just beam at her and tell her to ignore the numbers."You're stepping into the big leagues now, so you have to look impeccable," Mom said.Dad didn't hesitate to swipe his credit card at the register, while Nolan stood by with his hands full of shopping bags, asking Charlotte if there were any perfumes she wanted to take a look at.Gavin even went as far as to crouch down on the floor, gently feeling the back of Charlotte's brand-new heels."The leather feels a little stiff here. Let's swap them out for another pair. I don't want you blistering your feet on your very first day of work," Gavin murmured.I stood

Chapter 3

When I got back home, Mom stopped me just as I was about to head into my room."Pack your things. Lottie's moving in tomorrow. She's starting her new position at Stellar Group next week, and her place is way too far from the office, so she's going to be living with us from now on."I followed her gaze toward the hallway.A fresh set of bedding was sitting out alongside a brand-new vanity table that had just been delivered, everything decked out in Charlotte's favorite shade of pink."Where's she staying?" I asked."Your room, of course. It's not like we have any other spare bedrooms."I froze. "Then what about me?"Mom paused for a second before pointing toward the utility closet by the entrance."Clean out the closet. We can fit a folding cot in there. Lottie's a guest, so you'll just have to make do for a bit."The closet was packed to the ceiling with old furniture. A massive cabinet blocked half the window, and the corners of the walls were covered in stubborn mildew stain

Chapter 4

I dropped to my knees and gathered the shattered pieces of the emerald into my palm.The jagged edge sliced into my finger, letting blood seep into the hairline cracks of the broken stone.On my 18th birthday, Grandma had placed this exact pendant around my neck. Her hands were already losing their strength, forcing her to fumble with the clasp several times before she finally managed to fasten it."You're always giving in," she had said. "Once I'm not around anymore, you have to learn to hold onto the things you love. Don't go making yourself miserable just to please others."I had wrapped my arms around her at the time, insisting that as long as she was by my side, I would never have to suffer through anything.But then Grandma passed away.From that moment on, nobody in our household treated me like a little girl who could get hurt, who felt pain, or who deserved to be fiercely protected and loved.I had failed to protect the very last piece of her memory.The only shred of

Chapter 5

It had been a month since I left, and not a single person tried to find me.Whenever anyone asked where I was, Mom would just snap with irritation, "She's just being difficult and petty. She threw a massive tantrum because she didn't want to give up her room for Lottie, so now she's hiding out somewhere just to give us a scare."Dad didn't pay it any attention either. "It's not like she's got any real career prospects out there. Once she gets a taste of the real world, she'll come crawling back on her own."Nolan insisted that I had been pulling this exact stunt since childhood, claiming that if everyone simply gave me the cold shoulder, I would eventually show up to apologize.Even Gavin joined in, complaining about how much I had changed.He kept bringing up how I used to be the easygoing one, but was now making everyone miserable over a broken emerald pendant.Not a single person ever stopped to ask where I had actually gone.They were convinced that it was only a matter of t

Chapter 6

Dad's fingers trembled when he took the phone.A formal contact list filled the screen, displaying a headshot, alma mater, and brutal clarity. The girl in the photo was me.Below it, a single line of text struck them all like a vicious slap in the face."Selton Space Center. Procurement Bidding. Preliminary Review Lead, Natalie Sinclair."Mom leaned in for a closer look, the color instantly draining from her face."This is impossible," she blurted. "How could she land a job like this? I thought she couldn't find any work."Albert stared at them, the look in his eyes growing complicated. "It wasn't that she couldn't find a job. You just never bothered to ask."That response was more humiliating than any direct insult.Just moments ago, they had been standing proudly in the lobby of Stellar Group, boasting about how prestigious Charlotte's new career path was going to be while tearing down their own daughter for having zero prospects.Now, the same person they had dismissed as s

Chapter 7

They didn't head back to the house after leaving Stellar Group.Gavin lingered outside the building for hours, borrowing his friends' phones to try my number from every contact he could find, but the call never connected.Beside him, Mom was shaking so badly she could barely hold her phone, sending message after message."Natalie, I just found out you joined Selton Space Center.""Why didn't you talk to us before making a massive decision like this?""Call me back right now, and stop acting out."A red exclamation mark popped up at the end of every text bubble.By the end, the panic in her tone was obvious."Natalie, where on earth are you?""I was wrong, okay? I shouldn't have spoken to you that way. Please stop scaring me like this."Nevertheless, the texts still didn't go through.Desperate to figure out where I went, Dad called my university's career center, only to be told that it was private information and could not be shared. Next, he tried my professor.My profes

Chapter 8

There were only two days left until the review conference.Gavin took the earliest flight out and endured a three-hour car ride afterward, finally making it out to Selton.By the time he stepped out of the car, night had already fallen.The dry, bitter wind of Selton whipped across his face, leaving a sharp sting against his skin.Standing beneath the space center's dormitory building, he felt the true weight of those 2,000 miles for the very first time.In the past, he had always thought that I couldn't live without him, assuming that whenever he turned around, I'd still be standing right where he left me.But now, he'd had to travel across half the country just to catch a glimpse of me.I was heading home from work when I spotted him standing under a street lamp. Having not seen him in over a month, I noticed he had lost a considerable amount of weight. The moment Gavin saw me, his eyes welled with tears."Natalie…"The first words out of his mouth were an apology. "I'm so

Chapter 9

Gavin failed to sway me.The next day, Mom, Dad, and Nolan traveled through the night to reach Selton.Mom was prone to motion sickness and looked terrible after the long journey, yet the moment she arrived at the entrance of the space center, she asked Gavin, "Did you see Natalie? Is she willing to help Lottie out?"Gavin stayed silent.The composure Mom had been trying to maintain cracked right then and there."We traveled all this way just to see her," Mom cried. "The least she can do is show her face."They tried to enter the premises, but the space center enforced strict access controls. The guard on duty pointed to the logbook, instructing them to state their business."We are Natalie's family," Dad said.The guard spent a long time scanning the computer screen before looking up at him. "Natalie Sinclair hasn't registered any family visits."Dad froze. "I'm her father. Since when do I need to clear security just to see my own daughter?""This is a space center, not a re

Chapter 10

On the day of the review conference, I woke up early.The sky cleared up beautifully, leaving nothing but a pale blue canvas outside my window. I put on my ID badge and did one final review of the preliminary review forms.At exactly 9:00 am, I logged into the virtual meeting.One by one, the camera feeds lit up across the screen.The room over at Stellar Group was packed with people, and Albert sat at the head of the table, his expression tense.Charlotte wore the blazer Mom had picked out for her, though her eyes were bloodshot. The other members of the department sat beside her.Further back in the room were Mom, Dad, Nolan, and Gavin.They had obviously used Dad's connection with Albert to sit in on the meeting. I took a glance at them before looking away."Good morning, everyone," I said. "My name is Natalie Sinclair, and I'm the preliminary review lead for the bid."A sudden silence fell over the other end of the line, and Dad's face visibly stiffened.In the past, he

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