Lahat ng Kabanata ng Beyond You: Kabanata 1 - Kabanata 9

The cake I had spent four long hours painstakingly making was completely ruined with a fork.The blueberries I had carefully arranged to spell my name "Colin", had been scooped out in one chunk. They stuck to the frosting-covered "Happy Birthday" cake topper.Joel Slade picked it up with a napkin and tossed it into the trash like it was garbage.His disgusted voice rang in my ears."What is this nasty thing? It tastes awful! It doesn't even compare to what Lena makes. She's a professionally trained chef, after all.""You're so picky." Our sister, Megan Slade, teased him. But her eyes were full of affection for him. "If you don't like it, just throw it away. I'll have Lena make you a new one.""Deal. Then have her write, 'Megan will be at Joel's beck and call for the rest of her life' in frosting!" Joel said. "It's your fault for coming back and stealing Mom and Dad's love. "You even kept fighting me because of that dead weight!"Megan, who used to clash with Joel constantly an

Megan clicked her tongue in annoyance. "Next time, just tell me sooner if there's something you can't eat. Otherwise, it's just a waste."As she spoke, she picked every piece of mango off the cake and pushed the rest back toward me."Joel asked Lena to make this cake to apologize to you. He knows you like orchids, so he specifically asked for an orchid design. He thought you'd like it," Megan said."He can be rude sometimes, but he's really kind-hearted. At least have a bite, or he'll get upset."I felt my throat tighten. I dug my nails into my palm until I drew blood without noticing."But I'm allergic to mango," I repeated under my breath.Megan sighed impatiently. "I already picked it off, didn't I? One bit won't hurt you."Just then, Joel suddenly pushed the door open."Don't tell me Colin doesn't like the cake I had Lena make. You've been trying to cheer him up forever. He's way too hard to please."Before I could speak, Megan chimed in first. "This is your gift to him. H

Megan's expression was frighteningly dark.She stood in the airport terminal, dialing my number repeatedly. But no matter how many times she tried, all she got was a busy signal.She exited the call screen and angrily typed a message. "What the hell did you mean by that message? Answer your phone!"The moment she sent it, she saw that it had failed to send.Megan's eyes widened in disbelief.Joel stood beside her with his suitcase, looking ready for a vacation in Harborton.When he saw the screen on her phone, he scoffed."He's really putting on a show now. Is he throwing a tantrum just to make you go comfort him?" he said. "Why don't we go have fun in Harborton first and leave him alone? "Once he realizes he has no school to attend and suffers a little, he'll come crawling back to us."With that, Joel casually grabbed Megan and tried to pull her onto the plane.But the moment he touched her, she violently shook him off.For some reason, an uneasy feeling crept up on her.

A major story spread across Heston this month.At Megan Slade's wedding, someone whispered something to her. Right in front of her family and all the guests, she abandoned the groom and ran away.The whole thing caused a huge stir in Heston.Meanwhile, I was thousands of miles away and knew nothing about it.After the SAT, I moved to a new city by myself with nothing but a suitcase.Using the money I had worked so hard to save, I enrolled in a private school to repeat my senior year.The private school had a strict boarding system, and students had to turn their phones in.I spent every day at school, stuck in the same routine of eating, sleeping, and studying. So I had no idea what was happening outside.A month later, I finally got my phone back. The moment I turned it on, countless missed calls from different unknown numbers flooded the screen.One glance at the location displayed on the call screen was enough for me to guess it was probably Megan calling me from different

There was a sickening squelch, and a warm drop of blood splashed onto my face.Joel's eyes went wide as he screamed, "No! I wasn't trying to stab you. You could've gotten out of the way! Why did you jump in front of me?"The bakery staff rushed outside and called the police.Joel tried to run, but the employees pinned him down.The whole scene descended into chaos.Megan didn't even look at him.Maybe the look of terror on my face got to her. She ignored the blood pouring from her arm and used her uninjured hand to wipe the blood off my face.She kept trying to comfort me."Colin, don't be scared. I'm okay. It doesn't really hurt."Seeing the blank look on my face, she quickly tried to explain."I didn't forget my promise. I'm not here to get in your way," she said. "I just didn't want you to get hurt."I thought I had already kept him in Heston. I let my guard down. This is all my fault."During that time, the Slades had sent people to look for her, and Joel insisted on co