Evan's POV
My phone buzzes relentlessly in my pocket. Missed calls, unread messages, texts that don't make sense anymore. The last one I see makes my stomach drop.
It's her.
"Evan, don't text or call me anymore. I can't keep holding on to something that started as a lie. Goodbye."
I drop my phone. My hands shake. My vision blurs. No. This can't be real.
I call her again. Missed.
Call again. Missed.
Text. Nothing.
Group chat. Nothing.
Soraya, Saphira, Aveline, Cassian — we're all frantic. None of us thought it would hit her like this. None of us realized what the consequences of the "bet" would be.
"I didn't think she'd find out," Saphira whispers, voice cracking. "We never meant for it to hurt her!"
"She found out," I snap, my own voice breaking. "And now she hates us. Hates me."
Aveline looks at me, guilt in her eyes. "We didn't know how to tell her. We thought we could fix it later…"
"Later isn't a thing anymore!" I scream. My hands are shaking so badly I almost drop my phone again. "She's gone! She left!"
Soraya grabs my arm. "Evan, calm down! She's in Lumera. We can… we can go see her, talk to her."
I shake my head, pacing. "She doesn't want to see us. She's gone, and we… we broke her."
We sit in silence for a moment, all of us realizing the weight of what we've done. Fingers pointed, apologies forming in our mouths but never spoken. All the years of fun, the festivals, the late-night conversations — everything tainted by a stupid bet we thought wouldn't matter.
And me? I feel like I've lost her forever.
---
Lyra's POV
The next morning, I walk with Lola to the small market near her house. The scent of fresh bread and fried bananas fills the air. People smile at me, ask me how I'm doing, but I give them the same tight-lipped smile I've been wearing since I got here.
I pretend. I act like I'm okay. I laugh when Lola hums a song from when I was little. I nod at the neighbors. I buy some fruit and bread and walk home.
But inside… I feel hollow.
The streets trigger memories. I remember being bullied here, notes left in my locker, whispers in the halls. My stomach knots. And that first day at SVH flashes again — them staring,
whispering as I walked in. My friends. Evan. The bet.
I feel sick. Insecure. Small.
I pull out my phone again, scroll through Elaine's Facebook profile. Gorgeous, perfect, effortless. And I'm left wondering… was that what I was always competing against?
I don't answer Evan's calls. I don't reply to messages. I just let them pile up, like little weights I refuse to carry.
That night, I lie in bed, the star necklace cold against my chest. I can hear the wind outside, the distant hum of the city, the faint laughter of children playing somewhere far away.
I try to sleep. I can't.
And I realize — even here, far from Saint Valley, far from everyone — the betrayal follows me.