A Childhood Promise, A Cold Comeback Chapter 03

A Childhood Promise, A Cold Comeback Chapter 03

The following day, I took my new transfer application to school to get it stamped.

Watching the bright red seal—the mark of my departure—being pressed firmly onto the paper, a hollow feeling opened up inside me.

I stood frozen for a moment before someone stepped in front of me, blocking my path.

Lucas frowned slightly, “Haze, did you change the passcode to your front door?”

“I dropped Coco off yesterday and went straight to your place, but the door wouldn’t open…”

I cut him off, my voice clipped, “Yeah, I changed it.”

He looked annoyed, yet still tried to sound affectionate as if nothing had happened, “What’s the new code? I need to be able to check up on you.”

I kept my tone calm, “No need. I won’t be living here after I transfer.”

Lucas glanced at the folded application in my hand, feigning sudden remembrance, “I almost forgot about this.”

“Don’t worry, Haze—I’ll get mine stamped tomorrow.”

These casual walks and talks with Lucas had grown rare ever since Coco Mitchell transferred to Central High.

I closed my eyes, allowing a flicker of old longing to surface, and tested the waters, “Between us, there’s no need for such concern.”

Lucas fell silent for a long time, then spoke abruptly, “Haze, the thing is…”

Before he could finish, Coco appeared behind him, arms full of notebooks, and complained to him in a clingy tone, “Lucas, you promised to tutor me. Where’d you go?”

She handed him the notebooks, adding with a playful blink, “I saw your tutoring schedule goes out two months, so I prepped all the materials. You don’t mind that I peeked, right?”

“Of course not…” Lucas smiled, but it looked forced, and he shot me a guilty glance.

When he saw I had no reaction, a faint look of disappointment crossed his face.

So while pushing me away, he’d already planned a future with someone else.

A future that never had a place for me.

I fought to keep my composure, but a bitter ache spread through me like strong wine, endless and overwhelming.

I pinched my palm to steady myself and said, “I’ll leave you two to it.”

Coco acted as if she’d just noticed me, jumping as if I’d startled her, “H-Hazel…”

“Are you upset because Lucas and I are studying together?”

“But I don’t have the same resources you do—my family’s not well-off…”

Her voice trailed off, and she burst into sobs again.

I had no patience left for her performance. “Move.”

The last trace of guilt vanished from Lucas’s eyes. He grabbed my wrist, his voice sharp with anger, “Hazel, what is your problem?”

He dragged me in front of Coco and shouted, “Apologize to her!”

The last shred of my resolve crumbled into dust.

This time, I didn’t hesitate. My hand shot up and struck Lucas hard across the face.

“Lucas, the one who needs to apologize is you.”

“But not to her. To me.”