Chapter 1

It was the spring semester of senior year. One hundred days left until the SAT.

Samuel Levin sat in the last row of the classroom, staring at the seat in front of him. He felt his chest tighten with unease.

That was Gemma Scott's seat. She hadn't shown up for three days.

"Samuel, you okay?" Leo Walters asked, giving his shoulder a light pat.

Samuel forced a smile. "Yeah. I'm fine."

"Gemma hasn't been at school for three days," Leo said. "I heard she withdrew."

Samuel's heart dropped, but he kept his face neutral. "Did she?"

"Yeah." Leo nodded. "People are saying she's been hanging out with some shady guys off campus lately. Do you know anything about that?"

Samuel shook his head, but panic was already creeping in. He thought about how Gemma had been coming home late these past few weeks, the guilty look in her eyes whenever she saw him, and the way she kept dodging his questions.

He thought, ' Did something really happen to her?'

After school, Samuel didn't go home. Instead, he headed straight to Gemma's house.

When Gemma's mother, Evelyn, saw him, tears immediately welled up in her eyes. "Samuel, you probably don't know, but Gemma is—"

"Mrs. Scott, what happened to Gemma?" Samuel asked, his unease growing stronger by the second.

"She withdrew from school," Evelyn said through tears. "She's been seeing someone recently, a guy named Harry Jones. We tried to talk to her, but she wouldn't listen. Then she stopped coming home altogether.

"Samuel, could you talk to her?"

Samuel froze. He had heard of Harry, who was said to be a troublemaker from outside school, someone rumored to bully students.

"Mrs. Scott, do you know where Harry is?" Samuel asked.

"I don't." Evelyn shook her head helplessly. "Gemma never tells us where she goes."

Samuel's heart sank. He knew something had happened to Gemma.

*****

The next day, Samuel went to every place he thought Gemma might be, from cafés to pool halls. In the end, he finally found her at one of the pool halls.

Gemma had on a short skirt and heavy makeup, sitting right on Harry's lap, laughing like she was having the time of her life.

Harry had his arm around her waist, a cigarette in his mouth, looking way too pleased with himself.

Samuel stood at the entrance, feeling like his whole world was falling apart.

"Gemma," he said softly.

Gemma stiffened for a moment, then turned to see Samuel. Her smile faltered. "Samuel, I—"

"What are you doing here?" Samuel asked, his voice trembling.

"I—" Gemma stood up, avoiding his gaze. "I'm having some fun."

"Having fun?" Samuel's voice shot up. "Gemma, you're only seventeen. You're still in high school. Do you know what you're doing?"

"Why do you care?" Gemma snapped, getting impatient. "I can do whatever I want. You don't get to boss me around."

"I'm worried about you," Samuel said. "Harry isn't a good guy. He's going to ruin your life."

"What do you know?" Gemma sneered. "All you do is study all day. Do you know how to actually live? I'm telling you, when I'm with Harry, I've felt truly alive.

"I'm sick of all those days spent cramming for exams."

Samuel froze. He looked at the girl he knew so well yet suddenly felt like a stranger, and it felt like something inside him had broken.

"Gemma, is that really how you feel?" Samuel asked, his voice cracking with barely held-back tears.

"Yes," Gemma replied coldly. "Samuel, stop acting like you're better than me and trying to tell me what to do. I'm sick of that boring life. I want some excitement. I want to live differently."

"But we said we'd apply to the same college, remember? We were supposed to—" Samuel stammered.

"That was your idea, not mine," Gemma cut him off. "I never promised you anything."

Samuel felt like his heart had been ripped apart.

They'd known each other for twelve years, from kindergarten to high school. He always thought they'd end up together, but now Gemma was telling him it had all been his own wishful thinking.

"Gemma." Samuel's voice grew softer. "Why?"

Gemma laughed sarcastically. "Because you're boring. Samuel, what can you do besides studying? Do you know how to enjoy life? If I stayed with you, I'd suffocate sooner or later."

Samuel felt his chest tighten all at once.

He wanted to argue back, wanted to tell Gemma that he could have fun too, that he wasn't as boring as she thought, but the words died in his throat because deep down, he knew she was right.

It was true. All he really knew was studying, and he didn't understand what real excitement or fun was.

"Gemma, are you sure about this?" Samuel asked. "This will destroy you."

"So what?" Gemma laughed. "Even if it does, that's my choice. Samuel, stay out of my life. I don't want you to come after me anymore."

After saying that, Gemma turned around, grabbed Harry's arm, and grinned at him. "Babe, let's go. It's stuffy in here."

Harry shot Samuel a cocky look, pulled Gemma close, and swaggered out.

Samuel remained where he was, watching them disappear into the far corner of the pool hall.

It felt like his whole world had collapsed, and the person he used to be closest to now felt like a stranger he didn't really know anymore.

*****

That night, Samuel sat alone in his bedroom, staring at the photo of him and Gemma on the wall.

In the picture, they were both smiling so happily. Gemma had her hair in a ponytail, and Samuel was in his school uniform, both of them looking young and full of dreams about what was ahead.

However, everything had changed.

Samuel picked up the frame, stared at the photo for a long time, then set it down gently. He knew he had to accept the harsh truth.

Gemma was gone, and the girl who used to grow up with him wasn't the same person anymore.