That loneliness I’d been afraid of for two lives
started to creep in. I nodded slowly.
“Yeah. No friends.”
I used to spend all my time chasing after
Chase, so when he left, it felt like my whole
world had collapsed.
It’s okay. Me neither.”
He gave me a bowl of soup.
Then I’ll be your friend here from now on.”
For the next few weeks, Samson found me after
school and we studied together.
He was like a little teacher, patient and
focused, always inspiring me.
With his help, I improved quickly, and I gave him
a lot of different ideas.
I gradually told him about the system.
He didn’t think I was crazy or delusional.
He just smiled and said, “Of course, I believe
you. You’re getting more beautiful every day.
like a movie star.”
It was a stretch, but I loved it.
Because nobody had called me “pretty” in a
long time.
Meanwhile, Chase’s parents found out and
forbade him from seeing Lacey.
They said Chase had a screaming match with
them, and they were disappointed and felt
alienated by him.
But in the end, he compromised. He agreed to
stay away from Lacey until after the college
entrance exam and stopped harassing me.
