They Wrapped Me Like A Mummy To Make Her Smile Chapter 07

They Wrapped Me Like A Mummy To Make Her Smile Chapter 07

In the days that followed, Ryan seemed like a different person.

He used to be loud. Carefree. Always joking.

Now he barely spoke.

He zoned out in class. Sat alone after school.

When people tried to talk to him, he brushed them off.

His friends said he was acting crazy.

“She transferred. So what?”

“You used to complain she was clingy.”

“Now she’s gone. Shouldn’t you be relieved?”

Relieved?

He couldn’t feel anything close to that.

Every afternoon, he went to Emma’s apartment building and waited downstairs.

Maybe she was just visiting her aunt.

Maybe she’d come back in a few days.

One day passed.

Two.

A week.

She never returned.

Her mom told him Emma was enrolled in school in Silverwood now.

“She’s doing well,” she said gently. “Ryan… what happened between you two? She left so suddenly. Didn’t even tell you?”

He had no answer.

What was he supposed to say?

That he’d humiliated her just to impress someone else?

That he’d treated her like she didn’t matter?

Eventually, he managed to get the address of Emma’s aunt.

That weekend, he sat on a bus for three hours to Silverwood.

He needed to see her.

Needed answers.

Needed to bring her back.

Outside Silverwood Prep, he waited all afternoon.

And then he saw her.

Emma walked out in her new school uniform, surrounded by a few girls.

She was laughing.

The kind of laugh he hadn’t heard from her in a long time.

Relaxed.

Unforced.

Real.

Not the careful, measured smile she used to wear around him.

Not the one that checked his mood before shining.

So this was what she looked like without him.

Ryan took a step forward—

Then stopped.

She looked… better.

Happier.

Did he even have the right to interrupt that?

As he hesitated, Emma turned her head.

Their eyes met.

Her smile froze.

Then she looked away as if he were a stranger.

She grabbed her friend’s arm and walked off quickly.

That silent dismissal cut deeper than any words.

Ryan stood there, unable to move.

For the first time, it truly hit him.

He had lost her.

Not temporarily.

Not over a fight.

But completely.

Meanwhile, my life at Silverwood Prep settled into rhythm.

My classmates were kind.

No one knew my past.

To them, I was just a transfer student.

Good grades. Quiet personality.

That was all.

Lily became my closest friend.

She was bold, energetic, always ready to defend me.

“Emma, badminton after school?”

“Emma, explain this problem to me!”

“Emma, what skincare do you use? Your skin’s flawless!”

She talked nonstop, like a happy little sparrow.

Through her, I met more people.

Slowly, I lowered my guard.

Started believing not everyone wanted to hurt me.

Started believing I deserved to be treated well.

The atmosphere here was different.

People studied hard.

There weren’t toxic cliques.

Teachers actually cared.

Students supported each other.

My grades improved steadily.

I won first prize in a math competition.

Made it to the finals in the State Speech Championship.

Ms. Reynolds often praised me.

“Emma is one of our class’s strongest students.”

And my classmates meant it when they congratulated me.

No jealousy.

No exclusion.

Just sincerity.

Life could be simple and peaceful.

Not everywhere was cruel.

One afternoon between classes, Lily leaned over conspiratorially.

“Emma, the guy from next door’s been asking about you.”

“Who?”

“Ethan Miller. The basketball captain. Six-two. All the girls like him.”

Her eyes sparkled with gossip.

I shook my head. “I don’t know him.”

And I didn’t.

Since transferring, I’d focused on studying.

I hadn’t paid attention to star athletes.

“Oh my God, yes you do. He helped you carry those textbooks last week!”

That jogged my memory.

When the new semester books arrived, a tall guy from the next class had offered to help.

He had an easy, bright smile.

“Thanks,” I’d said.

“No problem,” he replied, rubbing the back of his neck, ears slightly red.

That was it.

“Why’s he asking about me?” I asked.

Lily wiggled her eyebrows. “What do you think? He likes you.”

I blinked.

Likes me?

Actually likes me?

Not the way Ryan had.

Not the kind that assumed I’d always stay.

Not the kind that treated me like an extension of himself.

But the kind that asked around quietly.

That helped shyly.

That blushed.

“Don’t overthink it,” I said.

But inside, something shifted.

Maybe I could be liked.

Maybe I could be chosen.

Maybe I was worth cherishing.