Chapter 4

Grace lay in the hospital bed. The moment she opened her eyes, she saw Brandon looking guilty as hell. "Grace, go ahead and curse me out. I never should've left you like that."

After jumping out of the car and cracking her head open, Grace's head was wrapped in bandages, and the pain was killing her.

Brandon's words kept buzzing in her head like an annoying fly.

She sucked in a sharp breath, forcing herself to pull it together and respond. "We're classmates. It doesn't matter whether you choose to help me or not. I have no reason to blame you."

Brandon stared at Grace, his eyes wide with shock.

Back in the day, she was the school's resident drama queen.

During a field trip, all she got was a tiny scrape on her foot, but she threw a fit and made him carry her the whole way back.

When Grace accidentally cut her finger with a paper cutter, she acted all cute and made him feed her for a whole week.

And after that avalanche, even though Grace ended up fine, she still gave him the cold shoulder for a whole month.

But now, even with her injuries this serious, Grace didn't say a word.

Brandon took Grace's hand. "Grace, please don't give me the silent treatment, okay? I can explain it.

"When I heard Riley passed out, my mind went totally blank. I-I was terrified something really bad could happen to her, that's why I freaked out.

"But your situation was different, Grace. Those drunks might've messed with you, but they wouldn't dare actually hurt you or do anything truly dangerous."

It was the first time Brandon had ever been this patient, explaining himself to Grace like this.

Grace gave a slight nod. "So? Was Riley in any real danger?"

Brandon stammered. "S-She had low blood sugar. I gave her a piece of candy, and she was fine."

It was a totally normal thing to say, but Grace froze.

She was a transfer student, too. Back in her sophomore year, she transferred to Brandon's high school with her dad.

Her mom had just passed away, and her dad was so wrapped up in work that he didn't care about her at all.

She was like a snail, shutting herself off from the world, hiding inside her shell.

Being meek made her an easy target for bullies.

When her classmates were insulting and bullying her, Brandon stepped right into the crowd surrounding her and offered her a piece of candy.

He encouraged her, "Don't be scared. Step out, and everything's going to be okay."

In her memory, that seventeen-year-old boy walked toward her from the sunlight, glowing like he was made of gold.

For that piece of candy, Grace kept chasing after Brandon, always trying to get closer to him.

She followed him from high school all the way to college, even choosing the same school and major just to be near him.

But right now, it hit her suddenly that what she'd been so desperate for was really only that one fleeting moment.

Brandon always had candy to give. He could hand it out to anyone.

It was the same with his feelings. He had enough to go around, and anyone could get a piece.

All that love and hate Grace had been tangled up in was only her own stubborn obsession.

Grace clenched the bedsheet hard, and her headache just kept getting worse.

Brandon, desperate to make it up to her, said, "Grace, let me take care of you."

She turned away, letting out a soft laugh. "Go. I don't need anyone to look after me."

Brandon's brows knitted together. "I've said so much already. Why are you still mad at me?"

Grace shook her head. "No, I'm not mad. Everyone's busy with graduation stuff, and my injury isn't really a big deal, so there's no need for you to stick around."

Brandon gave a small smile. "So you're worried about me? I knew you'd never stay mad at me. You're so nice."

Grace turned onto her side, facing away from him, not even bothering to say another word. "If you say so, so be it."

Brandon hurried out, saying he had to rush back to the college to submit some paperwork.

But later that night, Grace saw a post from Riley on her social media.

In the photo, there was a big box, knee-high, stuffed full of all kinds of candy.

Riley was holding Brandon's hand, their fingers intertwined.

Riley: [It was only low blood sugar, but he totally panicked and spent the whole afternoon taking me around to buy all this candy. Guess even a little flower blooming in barren soil can taste sweetness too.]

Grace couldn't take her eyes off their intertwined fingers.

On Brandon's wrist was that bracelet she knew all too well.

She'd climbed two mountains and made the trip to the church for Brandon's birthday, pouring her heart into every prayer.

The priest had told her that if she braided a strand of her hair into the string, it would protect the one she loved.

Back then, she was head over heels. She really believed her prayers could keep him safe from harm.

But in the end, all she got was the feeling that she'd only moved herself.

She turned off her phone, set it to silent, and drifted off into a deep sleep.

When she woke up, she saw her advisor had blown up her phone with calls.

Still groggy, she called him back. "Mr. Sanders, what's going on?"

"Grace, they found out that the project you submitted for your master's application was faked," Colin said.

Grace jolted upright in bed. "What?"