They Wrapped Me Like A Mummy To Make Her Smile Chapter 06

They Wrapped Me Like A Mummy To Make Her Smile Chapter 06

“Hey! Wait up!”

Ryan’s voice came from behind me.

“Weren’t we going to the amusement park?”

“Emma! What’s your problem now?”

I walked faster.

The second I stepped outside the school gates, I got into my aunt’s car.

She had taken the day off just to pick me up.

“Everything ready?” she asked gently, her eyes full of concern.

“Yeah.”

“Then let’s go. I’ve got you now.”

The car pulled away slowly.

In the rearview mirror, I saw Ryan run out of the school.

He stopped at the gates, looking lost.

Two amusement park tickets were still in his hand.

The wind lifted his hair. For a moment, he looked almost lonely.

But what did that matter?

His loneliness wasn’t even a fraction of what I’d felt.

Goodbye, Ryan Parker.

For good.

By the time we reached Silverwood, it was already dark.

The drive had taken three hours.

I’d barely spoken the whole way.

My aunt didn’t push. She just glanced at me now and then, her expression full of quiet worry.

Her house was close to Silverwood Prep—ten minutes on foot.

“Stay with me for now,” she said. “You can move into the dorms later if you want.”

“Thank you.”

“Don’t thank me.” She gently patted my head, careful, as if I were fragile.

“That boy crossed a line. If you hadn’t stopped me, I would’ve marched over there myself.”

She had seen the videos.

She’d been furious.

It was me who held her back.

I didn’t want a scene.

I just wanted out.

“It’s over,” I said with a small smile.

“Over?” she snapped, eyes reddening. “When I saw that footage, my heart broke. How could they treat you like that?”

Her voice trembled.

I ended up comforting her instead.

“I’m okay. Things will be better from now on.”

That night, I turned off my phone.

I didn’t want updates.

Didn’t want to know if Ryan was looking for me.

Didn’t want to know if anyone had realized I’d left.

I wanted silence.

For the first time in a long time, I slept peacefully.

No nightmares.

No laughter echoing in my ears.

No eyes watching.

Just the faint sound of my aunt snoring down the hall.

Strangely comforting.

The next morning, my aunt took me to register at Silverwood Prep.

The campus was much bigger than my old school.

Tree-lined walkways. Students reading on benches. Calm, focused energy.

No cliques lingering in corners.

No cruel whispers disguised as jokes.

“This is your homeroom teacher, Ms. Reynolds,” my aunt said.

Ms. Reynolds looked to be in her thirties, glasses perched on her nose, warm smile.

“Emma, right? Welcome.”

Her smile was genuine.

Not forced. Not distracted.

“We actually need a new academic coordinator for the class. Would you be interested?”

“I reviewed your transcripts. Your grades are excellent.”

I blinked.

At my old school, student leadership roles had belonged to Chloe’s circle.

I’d had the grades.

Just not the social currency.

“Are you sure?” I asked quietly.

“Of course. Your work speaks for itself,” Ms. Reynolds said warmly.

“I’m sure the class will be glad to have you.”

When I walked into the classroom, more than forty pairs of eyes turned toward me.

No smirks.

No mockery.

Just curiosity.

“Hi. I’m Emma.”

My voice trembled slightly, but I held steady.

“Nice to meet you.”

Applause followed.

Genuine.

Someone whispered, “She’s really pretty.”

Pretty?

Me?

“And she transferred in with top scores.”

“She seems quiet.”

No one called me clingy.

No one rolled their eyes.

No one looked at me like I was a joke.

My seat was in the third row by the window.

Sunlight filtered in softly.

The girl beside me beamed.

“I’m Lily Dawson—well, everyone just calls me Lily.”

She had dimples when she smiled.

“Emma.”

“Your name’s so pretty!”

She was outgoing, energetic. The moment class ended, she started introducing everything.

Which teachers were strict.

Which cafeteria line had the best burgers.

Where people liked to study.

“We don’t really have mean-girl drama here,” she added. “Everyone’s pretty chill.”

She tilted her head at me. “Was your old school super intense or something? You seem tense.”

“Not really,” I said.

I didn’t want to revisit the past.

“Well, you’ve got me now,” Lily said, thumping her chest playfully. “If anyone messes with you, they answer to me first.”

I listened quietly, warmth spreading through my chest.

So this was what kindness felt like.

No walking on eggshells.

No calculating every word.

No fear of rejection.

Just… normal human decency.

Meanwhile, back in Brookhaven, Ryan was losing his mind.

Since yesterday afternoon, Emma had vanished.

Calls wouldn’t go through.

Messages bounced back.

He had waited outside the school gates until dark.

Nothing.

He’d gone to her house.

Her mom said she’d gone to stay with her aunt.

“Which aunt?” he demanded.

“The one in Silverwood,” she replied, confused. “Ryan, did you two fight?”

Silverwood?

That far?

And on a school day?

A cold feeling settled in his chest.

No.

She wouldn’t actually leave.

She was just mad.

She’d cool off.

Like always.

She always came back.

The next morning, her seat was empty.

Clean.

Completely cleared out.

Even the paperback she used to read during breaks was gone.

He went straight to the homeroom teacher.

“Ms. Thompson—where’s Emma?”

His voice was tight.

The teacher looked surprised.

“You didn’t know? She transferred.”

Transferred.

The word detonated in his head.

“When?” he demanded.

“Yesterday. She’s enrolled at Silverwood Prep.”

Silverwood.

She had really left.

Because of that?

No.

It couldn’t be.

She’d followed him around since they were kids.

He’d teased her before. She’d never left.

She’d pout and he’d say a few soft words.

And things would go back to normal.

How could she leave over something like this?

How could she not tell him?

How could she… just walk away?

He grabbed his phone and dialed again.

Still off.

He kept calling.

Until the bell rang.

Still nothing.

Chloe approached him, concern painted perfectly across her face.

“Ryan, what’s wrong?”

“Emma transferred,” he said hollowly.

Like something had been ripped out of him.

“What? Why?” Chloe covered her mouth in surprise.

But in her eyes something flickered.

Why?

He wanted to know too.

It was just a joke.

They’d joked before.

Worse than that.

She’d never really gotten upset.

So why this time?

His mind replayed yesterday afternoon.

The last look she gave him.

Calm.

Cold.

Like he was a stranger.

There had been no anger in her eyes.

No love either.

Just emptiness.

His chest suddenly tightened.

He doubled over slightly.

So this was what heartache felt like.

Sharp. Crushing.

“Ryan, are you okay?” Chloe reached for him.

Her hand rested on his arm.

Before, that touch would’ve made his pulse spike.

Now it only irritated him.

“Don’t.”

He shook her off.

She froze.

He had never spoken to her like that before.

“Ryan…”

“I said don’t touch me.”

His voice was low, raw.

His eyes were red—like a wounded animal cornered.

The entire class had turned to stare.

Chloe’s eyes filled with tears.

But Ryan didn’t notice.

All he could think about was Emma.

She had really left.

She had really chosen to live without him.