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All Chapters of You Were My Plan. Not My Future: Chapter 1 - Chapter 9

9 Chapters

Chapter 1

When I returned to the classroom, Ethan was talking to a girl beside his desk.He looked up and spoke as naturally as ever, as if I had never heard what he said outside prom.“Where are your sunglasses?”I rubbed my aching temple. Afternoon sunlight poured through the windows, making my eyes sting and my stomach turn.“I left them in the ballroom.”I had suffered a concussion during soccer practice the previous fall. The scans showed no permanent damage, but the dizziness, headaches, and sensitivity to light had lingered. My doctor expected a full recovery. I simply needed more time.Ethan frowned, stood, and lowered the blinds beside my seat.“Wait for me after school. I’ll drive you home.”I nodded. We had been making that trip together for months.For a moment, the familiar arrangement was comforting. Then I remembered what I had heard at prom.He was offering me a ride. That did not mean anything between us had changed.After classes ended, someone appeared at the door and called E

Chapter 2

Ethan’s birthday was two days away.His present was already wrapped. I had bought it before prom and tucked a birthday card under the wrapping.The next morning, I took it to his house. I wanted him to have it, even if I was no longer sure where our friendship stood.His mother, Melissa, opened the door and smiled.“Avery, come inside. The sun is too strong for you to be walking around alone.”“I wore my sunglasses and took the shaded route.”“You still shouldn’t stay outside too long.”She glanced upstairs.“Ethan has been gaming since breakfast. The state merit scholarship exam is only a few weeks away, and your school still gives you a day off.”She set some fruit on the kitchen island.“Go keep him company. Tell me what you want for dinner.”After Melissa left, I knocked on Ethan’s bedroom door.He was wearing a headset, his eyes fixed on the computer screen and a controller in his hands. When he noticed me, he waved me inside.I sat on the couch behind him. The images changed too

Chapter 3

My document pouch fell from my hands.Pencils, erasers, and identification papers scattered across the floor. My exam pass slid several feet away.“Sorry. Didn’t see you.”Mason had bumped into me.I crouched to retrieve the pass. Before my fingers reached it, his shoe came down on the paper.Mason wore the expression people used when they thought an insult counted as a joke.“Do you really still get dizzy, or have you gotten used to everyone taking care of you?”“That’s none of your business.”I gripped the edge of the paper, but he did not move his foot.“You look completely fine. Using last year’s concussion is getting a little old.”People nearby began watching.“Move your foot.”“I’m only saying you should give Ethan some space. You always need rides or someone waiting for you. Is that fair to him?”“What happens between Ethan and me has nothing to do with you.”I pulled harder. Mason shifted his shoe, and the paper tore down the middle.“I didn’t mean to do that.”Before he could

Chapter 4

The table erupted with teasing.I sat straighter, my hands clasped beneath the table.I was about to spare Ethan the embarrassment when he answered first.“Stop. Our families have known each other forever.”The noise faded.“After her accident, our parents asked me to look out for her. That’s all.”He said it so casually.I thought of him lowering the blinds beside my seat and carefully checking my scraped palm. I had felt close to him then.Now, in front of everyone, he made those moments sound like chores our parents had assigned him. I looked down, wishing no one had asked.I went to the restroom and stayed until my face looked composed again.When I stepped into the hallway, I heard voices near the other restroom.“Ethan, when are you going to date someone?”“You’re always with Avery. Who would even try getting close to you?”“She’s been recovering for almost a year. Are you supposed to take care of her forever?”“Chloe obviously likes you. You’ll regret missing that chance because

Chapter 5

ETHAN’S POVAvery’s absence should have given Ethan the easiest summer he had experienced in years.No one needed him to lower the lights or leave a gathering early. He could go anywhere with his friends without worrying that a dead phone might cause someone to wait for him.Yet when Diane told him Avery had already left for Lakeshore, he felt only an unfamiliar emptiness.“How could she leave like that?” he asked quietly. “We were supposed to attend Westbridge together.”Diane looked surprised.“I thought she had discussed it with you.”Ethan shook his head, his face slowly losing color.Diane seemed to remember something Avery had told her. She sighed.“Taking care of Avery all these years must have been difficult.”“No, I never…”She interrupted gently.“After her accident, I worried constantly. I was afraid she would get dizzy, fall, or struggle at school.”“Because you grew up together, I became used to asking you to stay with her. Driving her home, reminding her to rest, and watc

Chapter 6

Lakeshore was only a three-hour drive from home.My aunt lived nearby, so I had someone to call if anything truly went wrong.Most of the time, I lived in the dorms. I occasionally spent weekends with my aunt and returned home during longer breaks.I joined the campus magazine and an outdoor photography club. No one there knew how much I had once depended on Ethan, and no one decided what I could or could not do before I tried.My health continued to improve.During the first few months, I still avoided harsh lights and limited my screen time. Gradually, the dizziness became rare. As long as I rested properly, an occasional headache did not interfere with my life.I stopped hiding the fact that I had been injured. I also stopped feeling embarrassed when I needed a break.After trying enough things on my own, I discovered that I could handle almost everything.During vacations, I sometimes worked at the campus library. More often, I traveled with my parents.By the beginning of my final

Chapter 7

The porch light was dim, but I could see that Ethan’s eyes were red.I did not understand him.I still remembered every moment of our graduation dinner. He had been the one who asked me to leave him alone. Now he was asking me to let him back in.“Ethan, you told me to go.”I pulled my wrist from his hand.“I thought about what you said. You were right. I shouldn’t keep holding you back.”“No.” He stepped closer. “I regretted everything as soon as that night ended. I said cruel things I didn’t mean.”“I tried to apologize, but you blocked me. I thought I could find you when school started. Then your mother told me you had already left.”His voice softened.“Avery, can you forgive me? Please stop being so cold.”“Cold to you?”I remembered waiting in an empty classroom and hearing him say that he was not my parent. Yet somehow, he was the one being hurt now.“You promised to drive me home. I waited for two hours, even after my phone died, because I was afraid you would return and find m

Chapter 8

I remembered the months after my injury.During my first serious dizzy spell, I could not tell whether the floor was still moving. Ethan held my hand on a bench outside the gym and promised that everything would become steady again.For months, he stayed beside me. He lowered classroom blinds, turned off music when my head hurt, and slowed his steps until the dizziness passed.The boy who made me feel safe and the one who hurt me outside that restaurant had always been the same person.I understood why he had changed.Understanding did not erase what happened.After a long silence in the coffee shop, I looked at him.“It already happened, Ethan. Regret can’t change the past. We should both move forward.”I picked up the drinks and left. He followed me outside.“Avery, will you forgive me?”I stopped with my back to him.“I don’t know. I can’t right now.”The street behind me went quiet.“I understand why you felt trapped. The adults kept making you responsible for me, and our classmate

Chapter 9

“Avery. It’s been a long time.”I turned toward Chloe.She was still easy to recognize, although her hair was shorter and her expression softer than I remembered.“Can we talk for a minute?” she asked.I nodded.Chloe glanced toward the parking lot as if deciding where to begin.“I did like Ethan in high school. You probably knew.”“I heard people mention it.”“But I gave up quickly.”She smiled without regret.“Do you know why?”She continued before I could answer.“Every emotion he had revolved around you. He was happy when your recovery went well. He panicked when he couldn’t reach you. Even his frustration came from everyone constantly making jokes about the two of you.”“When he wanted to escape, he wasn’t truly trying to escape you. He wanted to escape the responsibility everyone had placed on him.”“He couldn’t separate those things at the time.”The evening breeze carried the familiar scent of citrus and rosemary.“I could tell there was no room for anyone else in him,” Chloe s

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