All Chapters of We Burned Like Fireworks: Chapter 1 - Chapter 9

9 Chapters

Chapter 1 The One Left Behind

Alice hurried over after me. "The fireworks aren't over yet. Where are you going? Don't wander off again."I kept my hands in my pockets and smiled casually, but the moment my eyes fell on her hand locked with Troy's, the smile disappeared. "I want to head back first.""Alice, let's get closer to the front. The best view is up ahead." Troy's voice drowned mine out.Alice immediately turned around and let him pull her through the crowd.The people around us gradually closed the gap between them and me.So even if I stayed right where I was, they would still walk off together without waiting for me.Fireworks exploded behind me as I walked through the gates and looked at the roads, packed bumper to bumper.Before we left, Alice had planned everything out. She had said she was never comfortable leaving the arrangements to me.I followed the crowd toward the subway.Someone suddenly grabbed me.Alice was covered in sweat, but there was a faint chill in her voice. "Hunter, you've

Chapter 2 No Room for Me

It was almost 11 p.m. when I got off the subway and followed the directions into a narrow alley.Halfway through, two figures suddenly appeared. Two burly men lurked a few feet behind me, following at an unhurried pace.I panicked. I did not dare call the police outright, so I shared my location in the group chat and frantically tagged the two of them."I'm a little over 300 feet from the hotel. I think I'm being followed. Call the police for me.""These two guys are carrying weapons. Alice, call me. I'll put you on speaker so they'll know you two are waiting for me up ahead.""Where are you?"The farther I went, the darker the alley became. The atmosphere grew increasingly oppressive.Troy finally messaged me. My palms were slick with sweat as I opened it."Hunter, stop messaging us. Alice and I are playing a game, and the connection keeps lagging."I stared at the message for a full minute before laughing out loud.Hearing me laugh, the two men quickened their pace and came

Chapter 3 The Last Spark

Alice anxiously pointed toward Troy. He was arguing with the vendor because his QR payment had not gone through."Alice, call the police!" I shouted to her.The woman suddenly let go of me, and the man behind me kicked the back of my knee. I stumbled and fell.The sharp heel of her shoe dug hard into my ankle.I was drenched in sweat, and the pain made my vision go black for a moment.Meanwhile, Troy finally settled things with the vendor.In the chaos, Alice seemed to glance in my direction. Her eyes lingered on me for less than a second before Troy pulled her around the corner.In the end, a middle-aged man in the crowd could not bear to stand by and watch. He called the police for me.By the time I finished giving my statement at the police station and returned to the hotel, it was well past midnight.I limped into the hotel lobby, my ankle so swollen that I could barely keep my balance.Hearing the commotion, Alice hurried over to help me.She was carrying a bag of medic

Chapter 4 The Cruelest Ending

I lunged at Troy, grabbed him by the collar, and shook him awake.How could they do this to me?Did they not know how cold it was out on the streets in the middle of the night, with the rain pouring down? Did they not know how badly my leg hurt?Troy jolted awake, his swollen eyes filled with panic. I had him pinned to the floor as he rasped out an explanation."Hunter, I'm sorry. I lost my temper last night and smashed my phone. Alice's phone died, too. We looked for you for hours. She had a bit of a fever, so we came back first."I swung my fist at his face.A large red mark immediately appeared across his left cheek.Alice abruptly knocked my arm away, her expression dark with anger."Hunter, you like doing things on your own. If you can't stand seeing Troy and me together, then leave. If you leave, then our promise to be together is over!"I tripped on the carpet, and my foot hit the edge of the nightstand.All I could do was force out an exaggerated laugh to hide my humi

Chapter 5 No Longer Interested

Alice's carefully maintained image as the proud, perfect student was beginning to crack.She stared at Sloane in disbelief."How could that be? He never said anything about going to Brassport University…"Before leaving for Crestwater, Hunter had still been happily planning which fall clothes to bring to Briarwood University."He didn't mention it because he hadn't planned on going there before."Even though their families had known each other for years, Sloane had lost whatever fondness she had once had for the girl standing in front of her. She spoke without holding back."Alice, he's not interested in you anymore. Of course he doesn't want to spend time with you. Just go. Catch your flight with your new boyfriend. Don't waste your time here."With that, Sloane locked the door and headed downstairs to buy groceries.Alice remained rooted outside, her lips pale and dry.Only one sentence echoed in her mind. "He's not interested in you anymore."How could that be?Hunter had

Chapter 6 No Turning Back

By the end of August, I had secured a dorm room at Brassport University.Once my leg had mostly healed, I got a call from an unfamiliar number. It was Alice's mother."Hunter, your mom told me what happened between you and Alice. I'm not asking you to forgive Alice. But for the sake of the friendship between our families, could you keep an eye on her for me?"She flew from Kingsbury to Brassport last night to find you. Whatever you two have to say to each other, talk it out. Then get her to fly home as soon as you can."I gave a small hum in reply.At noon, I went to the university entrance to meet Alice.She had lost some weight. The moment she saw me, she gave me a relieved smile. "Hunter, I finally found you."A light drizzle was falling, so I handed her the other umbrella. "Alice, your mom's worried about you. You should go home."I turned toward campus, but she grabbed my arm. Her expression was even more troubled than the rainy sky."Hunter, before you decide that I'm gu

Chapter 7 The Accusation

A little later, Alice posted a photo of the entrance to Fableland in Brassport in our class group chat."First time documenting Hunter and me being in the same city."The group stayed quiet for several minutes before someone finally worked up the nerve to tag Troy."Your girlfriend went to Brassport. Did you know?"Alice replied immediately, "Troy and I were just joking around. We're not actually dating. We'll each live our own lives once I start college. We won't see each other again."The message instantly set the group chat buzzing.Troy quickly replied beneath it, "Alice and I just had a fight. Maybe Hunter took the opportunity to get her to Brassport to clear her head. That's all. I just wanted to thank Hunter for having Alice."Since he had dragged me into it, I was not about to let him keep patting himself on the back while using me to show off their supposed relationship.I immediately sent a voice message."Troy, we've known each other for 12 years. I only put up with

Chapter 8 Under Investigation

I ended up back at the high school.Alice and Troy were there too. Both of them looked grim, like they had just had a fight. Troy's face was still tight with anger.The moment Alice saw me, she stepped to my side and lowered her voice. "Don't worry. I'm here."I took a step away from her, making it clear where I stood. "I know I haven't done anything wrong. I can handle this myself. You don't need to take my side."She did not expect me to say that. Troy immediately let out a mocking laugh."You keep throwing yourself at someone who doesn't even want you. He thinks he's too good for you, and you still keep chasing him."Alice's expression darkened. When she spoke again, every word was sharp."Troy, if you put that mouth of yours to better use on your exams, you could've gotten into one of the top universities. It's because your head's in the wrong place that you ended up at a vocational school. The gap between you and us will only get bigger from here."Troy had never heard Ali

Chapter 9 The Last Stretch

Outside the school, the tree-lined path was quiet, nothing like the lively place it had once been.I kept a few steps between myself and them, wanting to quietly finish this last stretch of high school on my own.Alice called my name twice, but I did not stop.Troy hurried ahead and blocked my path. "Hunter, did things really have to get this bad between us?"I went too far in the group chat. I admit that. But after you and Alice got together, you shut me out at every turn. You even planned to go to the same college without me. How was I supposed to feel about that?"You and I have been buddies for 12 years. Then you got involved with a rich girl like her and left me behind. How was I supposed to be okay with that?"I stopped and looked at him."You know we've been buddies for 12 years. You also knew Alice and I had grown up together. We went to the same high school so we could support each other, with the goal of eventually going to the same college. So why did you keep interfe

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