Chapter 3

As night fell, I stood beneath a tree and watched a young couple mess around with each other right in front of me. That used to be Alex and me.

I'd always buy myself an ice cream, but I never got past the first bite before Alex snatched it away. Like clockwork, he'd tease me playfully, saying I ate too fast and would end up with a brain freeze.

Three hundred miles had never felt like a real barrier between us. Now though, all that tenderness of his belonged to someone else.

The intro of Sunlight Through the Cracks drifted over from the concert venue, and I could no longer hold back my tears.

This song helped me get through those sleepless high school nights, with Jason singing in my headphones, "After the night ends, a new day will come."

But now, standing right next to the music, I was all alone.

My makeup was ruined, smudged all over my face. And the veil, my so-called secret weapon, caught on the railing and ripped open. It mirrored exactly how I felt inside, broken and unraveling.

Two hours slipped by, from the show's opening all the way to its final notes. I counted the stars overhead and watched five groups of people cycle in and out of the nearby café. My phone never lit up once. No calls. No texts.

When the crowd finally thinned out, I gave up and dragged myself back to the hotel. Right as I reached my door, I ran right into Emily and Alex, joking and laughing.

Emily was waving her light stick, her cheeks flushed with excitement. She looked perfectly fine, with no trace of dizziness at all.

Alex was right next to her, chatting away, his eyes sparkling as he soaked in the afterglow of the concert.

When he saw me, he froze for a moment. "Julia, you just got back?"

I didn't bother to respond and headed straight into my room.

Before I closed the door, I heard Emily's fake concern. "Alex, you don't think Julia's mad, do you?"

Alex replied firmly, "Of course not. She's the most understanding person I know."

I hurled the veil into the trash, burning with resentment. Some part of me screamed back at him in my head. He was wrong. I was the pettiest person in the world.

Alex followed me into the room, and when he saw the veil in the trash, his face went ghostly pale. He swallowed hard. "Julia, I'm sorry. Please hear me out. The cell service inside was terrible, and I—"

"Hear you out?" I locked eyes with him, my voice icy. "Fine, then why did you leave me stuck outside for two hours? Why was I the only one stuck with a fake ticket?"

"I'm an asshole," he muttered, slapping himself hard across the face, refusing to meet my eyes. His voice was muffled. "I shouldn't have left you alone, but it was Emily's first concert, and I was worried she might—"

"What about me?" I snapped, raising my voice. "Alex, do you even remember what today is?"

He opened his mouth, but nothing came out.

Emily spoke up, her voice timid. "Julia, it's all my fault. If it weren't for me—"

"Shut up," I yelled. "I'm not talking to you."

Watching Alex instinctively move to shield her, I suddenly realized how pathetic this all was. If I kept pressing, I'd only end up making a fool of myself.

My stomach suddenly growled, reminding me I hadn't eaten a single bite since this afternoon.

Desperate to make things right, Alex pulled out his phone and pulled up the food delivery app. "Julia, I'll order you food right now. Don't bother heading out after this long night. Take a shower and relax, and I will give you a shoulder rub."

The hot water in the shower couldn't chase away the chill that had settled deep in my bones.

When I stepped out of the shower, my takeout pizza sat on the table, piled high with onions and melted cheese.

I picked up the receipt and my eyes stung at the custom note: [extra onions and spicy seasoning.] For six years, he'd always ordered my pizza plain, no onions, no spice, exactly how I liked it.

Alex saw it too and scrambled for his phone. "I will place a new order."

"No need," I said, unlocking my phone. My fingers were trembling as I placed my food order.