They Forgot Me 99 Times, I Won’t Give Them a 100th Chance Chapter 08

They Forgot Me 99 Times, I Won’t Give Them a 100th Chance Chapter 08

Just before the show started, he searched “music festival” in our chat history and finally saw the dozens of

messages I’d sent.

Concert dates, ticket strategies, transportation routes.

I’d even carefully listed which songs were best heard live.

Most of those messages he’d only replied to with emojis.

Worse, he hadn’t replied to a few at all.

Kael stood in the crowd and suddenly turned to ask,

“Did any of you ever say Freya didn’t like music festivals?”

No one answered.

Because no one had said it.

They’d just needed someone to leave out, and they’d made the decision for me.

When the show started, cheers erupted around them.

The band played my favorite song.

But Kael just stared down at the fourth ticket.

That ticket was never supposed to be mine.

But in that moment, everyone thought of me.

On the way back, Adrian found a voice message on his old phone.

I’d sent it to him on my birthday last year.

I’d asked him what color graduation gown the graduation bear should have.

He’d said he didn’t know and told me not to waste money on useless things.

But a month later, when Sienna said other people had one and she wanted one too, he remembered her

major, her gown color, and her name.

Julian also scrolled back to a chat from four years ago.

I’d asked him:

[Let’s make a set of bookmarks for graduation too. Totally five. One for each of us.]

He’d agreed at the time.

Later, when he actually placed the custom order, Sienna was sitting beside him.

So he only remembered the four people in front of him.

They finally understood that it wasn’t that I’d never liked these things.

I’d just been ignored too many times and stopped asking.

Sienna’s eyes reddened.

“Did Freya leave because of me?”

Adrian instinctively wanted to comfort her.

The words reached his lips but stopped.

Every time she cried before, they’d immediately prove she wasn’t wrong.

As for my grievances, they always came after her tears.

“It’s not just because of you.”

Adrian’s voice was hoarse.

“It’s our fault.”

That night, Kael took the unused ticket and went to the apartment I’d once rented.

He rented it again.

The place was empty.

No white lilacs I liked on the balcony. No matching cups in the kitchen.

He was supposed to have moved in here with me.

But to take care of Sienna, he’d easily postponed our future.

Because he was certain I would wait.

He sat on the floor and sent me a long voice message.

This time, he didn’t blame me or urge me.

He said, “Freya, I want to see you.”

“There are things I want to say to you in person.”

The next day, I got a call from the Pack House front desk.

Someone had come from Boston and had been waiting outside the administration building for three hours.

When I walked out of the Pack House, Kael was standing in the rain.

He was holding five gifts that had come too late.

When Kael saw me, he immediately came over.

He’d lost weight, with dark circles under his eyes.

The paper bag in his arms was soaked by rain, revealing the corner of a moon-shaped butter cookie gift box.

“I brought you everything I owed you. Venison hand pies, the bookmark, the graduation bear, and the photos.”

He held the things out to me.

Every item had my name on it.

Freya.

The name I’d waited so long for now felt strange, all crowded together like that.

I didn’t take them.

Kael’s hands froze in midair.

“Freya, I know I was wrong.”

“I’ve already moved out of Maplewood Apartments. We can rent a new place. There’ll be another music

festival. From now on, no matter what it is, I’ll save you a piece.”

He spoke urgently, as if reciting an answer he’d prepared long ago.