Hide And Seek. They All Betrayed Me Chapter 02

Hide And Seek. They All Betrayed Me Chapter 02

My parents frowned. Opened their mouths. Said nothing.

I didn’t bother. Went to my room.

I’d lived in this room my whole life.

Open the window, and I could see Nathan’s balcony.

As kids, he used to stand there and yell for me to come down.

Later, when we dated, he’d talk to me across the balconies.

I found a cardboard box. Started putting everything of his into it.

A keychain with chipped paint.

A hair clip from a three-dollar stand by the school gate.

A mug with a milk tea shop logo.

When I finished, the box wasn’t even half full.

Three years with Nathan. He’d given me so little.

And all of it was cheap.

Together, maybe less than tonight’s Michelin dinner.

I’d never cared before.

Because when it rained, he tilted the umbrella all the way to my side.

His own shoulder soaked.

When I had a high fever, he stayed at the hospital all night.

Back then, he told me every day,

“Blair, I love you. And I’ll only ever love you.”

I believed him.

But it seemed those words were meant for Wren.

—

Nathan called.

“Why didn’t you pay?”

I froze for two seconds.

“You called just to ask that?”

“You lost hide and seek. Isn’t pay-up-or-shut-up your own rule?”

“We waited at the restaurant. Adrian had to cover it.”

I gripped the phone.

“You lied. I searched the mall for an hour.”

“Then you and Wren sat inside eating. And you want me to pay for it?”

Nathan paused.

“Blair, it’s one meal.”

“Wren’s leaving soon. We just wanted her to be happy.”

Then he grabbed the phone. His voice went cold.

“Blair, can you not be like this every time it’s about Wren?”

“She’s leaving. Do you have to compete with her?”

“Everyone’s always given in to you since we were kids.”

“Why are you still this petty?”

I hung up.

So leaving me alone in a mall counted as giving in to me.

—

I turned back to packing. My arm brushed the framed art on the wall.

The frame fell.

Glass shattered on the floor.

Inside were ninety-nine colorful lucky stars.

Nathan gave them to me for our first anniversary.

He said he folded them for a whole month.

A pale blue star rolled out of the broken frame.

I picked it up. It unfolded. A line inside.

[Wren, you look pretty with a ponytail today.]

I opened a second.

[Wren, once you say yes, I’ll take you to see the ocean.]

A third.

[You talked to another guy today. I was miserable all afternoon.]

My hands started shaking.

I knelt by the broken glass. Unfolded them one by one.

[Wren, I’ll always wait for you.]

[When we get married, I want to play your favorite song.]

[If your parents don’t approve, I’ll become someone they do.]

Ninety-nine lucky stars.

Every single one was Nathan writing to Wren.

Not one word was mine.

A gift he’d spent a month on. Old things he never got to give her.

I’d hung it on my wall for three years like a treasure.

“This is the first time I’ve folded so many things for a girl.”

He didn’t lie.

But that girl wasn’t me.

—

At ten that night, the door downstairs finally opened.

Nathan followed Adrian in.

Adrian pushed my door open. Saw the unfolded stars everywhere.

His face changed.

“Blair, what are you doing? Why’d you open them?”

Nathan stopped at the door.

I held up one of the slips with Wren’s name.

“When were these folded?”

Nathan didn’t answer.

Adrian walked over first.

“They’re just old words. How many years ago was that?”

Then Nathan spoke.

“Tonight was our mistake.”

“Wren leaves next week. We just wanted one good dinner with her.”

“The stars were folded before we were together. I gave them to you.”

“That means I let her go.”

I looked at him.

“You gave me love letters written for her. That’s letting go?”

Nathan frowned.

“Blair, are you going to cling to the past forever?”

“I came to apologize. What more do you want?”

I put the slip in the box.

“I don’t want anything.”

“Nathan, we’re done.”