All Chapters of Goodbye to My Youth: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

When I picked up Mark Harrison’s call, I was studying for tomorrow’s college entrance exam. We promised that we'd go to the same university.Just ten minutes ago, he sent me a text. [Hang in there, Sadie! Good luck on the exam! I’ll be waiting for you at Horvard or Prescott.]Ten minutes later, I picked up his call, only to hear him confess his feelings to the school beauty."Adele, I've fallen for you. Will you be my girlfriend?" Mark said over the line.My body went rigid, and my pen clattered onto the desk.Adele Gray and I used the same mobile carrier, and our phone numbers were only two digits apart. Mark didn't have a habit of saving contact names, so he must have dialed the wrong number by mistake.Unaware of the mix-up, he kept talking."Adele, this isn't the first time I've confessed to you."Last summer, the first time I saw you at prep school, I fell for you at first sight in that white dress. I wrote you love letters, but you didn't take them. Even so, you agreed

"What is wrong with you today? I went out of my way to bring you a frappuccino, and you’re giving me an attitude? Forget it if you don't want it. Gosh, you're so spoiled," he muttered impatiently.His reaction took me back to when we first met.It was seventh grade, and his grades were dead last. His parents were fighting every single day over how to deal with him. Mark used to sit all alone in the stairwell, looking as helpless and pitiable as a stray dog on the street.We were just ordinary classmates back then. I happened to run into him while visiting family nearby.He looked up and asked me, "Sadie, why are your grades always so good? If I were as smart as you, do you think my parents wouldn't get divorced?"I didn't know the answer.But after that day, I took the initiative to ask our teacher to make Mark my seatmate. I lent him my notes and explained the problems to him. Since his foundation was weak, we started from elementary school material. When he couldn't memorize fo

"Sadie, what were you going to say just now?"I gave him a slight smile."Nothing. Just... wishing you the best of luck with your early admission."…The next day, it was time for the exam.I packed my stationery early in the morning, checking my bag four or five times before heading out to the test center with my parents. On the way, I scrolled past an update Mark posted online.[Waiting for your triumphant return on this bright summer day!]Attached was a photo of him holding a gorgeous bouquet of flowers. Adele’s name was written loud and proud on the handwritten gift card.In the comments, someone asked, [Mark, haven't you gone a bit too far? Aren't you scared Sadie's gonna see this?][The college entrance exam is today. Aren't you intentionally trying to mess with her head?]Mark posted a smiling emoji in reply.[What’s there to be scared of? Once today is over, my early admission is set in stone.][I’ve held back for so long, and the day is finally here.]After typin

"There are so many people here today, plus representatives from Horvard and Prescott. Do you really have to turn this into a giant spectacle?"I found it hilarious.It turned out he actually knew what shame felt like. Yet when he left me standing alone out in the freezing snow, he never once wondered if I’d feel humiliated.When he tossed the gingerbread cookies I'd spent a week hand-decorating into the trash, he never once wondered if my heart would break. And when he spiked my drink with Amoxicillin, he certainly never gave a single damn whether I lived or died.Mr. Simpson, barely holding back his rage, demanded, "What about tomorrow's exams?"You've already missed standard Literature and Math today, but there are still testing sessions scheduled for tomorrow and the day after."If you start reviewing right this second, even if your scores aren't ideal, it's still infinitely better than giving up completely!"Mark’s eyelids twitched violently.It was as if those words whippe

Mark immediately broke down into hysterical cries."Of course you'd say that! You two are in this together! You just want to protect Sadie!"The police officers stationed nearby to maintain order walked over with solemn expressions."What's going on here? If this involves tampering with early admission spot allocations and impacting a student's college entrance exam, that's a serious offense."Mark acted as if he had just seen his savior. He instantly rushed up to the officers, shouting, "Officers, you have to help me! They sabotaged me so I missed my college entrance exam, and now my life is ruined! I want to press charges against them!"Mom squeezed my hand tightly, her voice trembling with rage. "You're lying!"And Dad stepped forward to shield me. In a low, composed voice, he said, "Where's your evidence?"Mark sneered. "Evidence? The whole senior class knows I was recommended for early admission! Isn't that enough evidence? Before yesterday, the name posted on the school's