Chapter9
The next day, I dug through my closet and finally found the glass jar Chase had once given me-filled with 999 origami cranes he’d folded by hand.
Every colorful sheet carried his handwritten love notes and dreams about our future.
But now that we were going our separate ways, it was only right to return it to him.
That evening, I waited by the riverbank, glass jar in hand.
Eventually, Chase showed up.
But Maddie was with him.
She looked surprised when she saw me.
“Sis? Chase and I are just here for the fireworks show-what about you?”
Her words made Chase stiffen. His face changed immediately.
“We just ran into each other on the way,” he explained quickly. “It’s not what you think.”
I looked at his guilty expression-trying not to upset either of us-and felt nothing at all.
I simply handed him the jar.
“This belongs to you. I’m giving it back.”
“Wow, these origami cranes are so pretty!” Maddie snatched the jar from my hand before I could react.
But the jar slipped from her grasp and-
Crash.
It shattered on the pavement, scattering paper cranes into muddy puddles.
“Oh no, I’m so sorry! My hand slipped-I’ll help pick them up!” she cried, reaching for the ground in a panic.
“Don’t,” Chase said, rushing to stop her. “It’s just some paper-what if you cut yourself?”
Too late.
“Ah-ow…” Maddie hissed as a thin line of blood bloomed on her fingertip.
Chase quickly pulled out a tissue, dabbing at her wound, clearly torn.
“Sierra, I’ll take Maddie to the hospital first. We can talk later, okay?”
Without waiting for a response, he helped her up and rushed off.
I opened my mouth, but the words came out too soft for anyone to hear.
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“There won’t be a ‘later’ anymore, Chase.”
Just then, fireworks exploded above the river-vivid bursts of color lighting up the sky like a dream.
I tilted my head, watching them in silence, pretending they were for me. A private farewell.
When the show ended, I asked a sanitation worker for a broom and dustpan, swept up the glass shards and soggy
cranes, and tossed them into the trash.
When I got home, Maddie still hadn’t returned. Neither had my parents.
I didn’t care. I just finished packing what was left.
By early morning, I had organized every last thing in my room. But I didn’t plan on taking any of it.
Once I was gone, if my parents wanted to throw it all away, it’d be easy.
I only brought one backpack-with my ID, school transcript, and a few essentials.
No tears, no lingering.
I left the house I’d lived in for eighteen years without a single glance back.
South Station, Westhaven.
I spotted the military jeep right away, a red flag fluttering from the front.
A few other students were already waiting nearby, backpacks slung over their shoulders, smiles exchanged in silent understanding.
I stepped forward and handed my school transcript to the uniformed officer.
“Sierra Hayes, reporting in.”
The teacher took my documents and nodded warmly.
“Welcome to the Northwest Institute of Science, Sierra. From this moment on, you’re on track for a dual-degree program. You’ll be a pillar of the future scientific field.”
I bowed deeply, then climbed into the jeep with the others.
Once seated, I pulled out my SIM card, snapped it in half, and tossed it out the window. Then I powered off my phone and handed it over to the teacher.
From this moment on, I belonged to the country. To the northwest.
Goodbye, Westhaven.
On the other side of town, after getting Maddie’s wound treated, Chase finally found out she was leaving for Bali the next Chapter9
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day.
Since her parents were going too, he assumed Sierra would be joining them.
He texted her on Messenger:
[Hey Sierra, heard your whole family’s off on vacation. Once you’re back, we’ll have the graduation dinner. That’s when I’ll
go public with us, okay?]
But the message went unanswered.
Chase figured she was still mad about the fireworks thing. Girls needed face-to-face coaxing anyway.
Going public had always been Sierra’s dream. She’d forgive him by then, right?
With that in mind, he put down his phone.
Graduation Dinner.
The hotel lobby was covered in banners that read:
“A Decade of Hard Work, One Night of Glory – Honoring Our Beloved Teachers.”
Chase greeted the teachers politely as he arrived and scanned the room. He saw Maddie and her parents, dressed to the
nines.
But Sierra was nowhere to be found.
“Hey, Maddie-where’s your sister?” he asked.
“She left last week. Probably too busy to make it back,” Maddie replied with a vague smile.
Whispers rippled through the crowd.
“Wait, didn’t she ace every exam? Why would she bail on graduation?”
“Maybe she flunked the SAT? Too sad and left?”
Maddie put on her usual sweet face. “Come on, don’t say that. She just wanted to…experience life, I guess.”
Chase felt a strange unease settle in.
Had Sierra really not done well? Was that why she’d been ignoring him?
He pulled out his phone and sent another message:
[Sierra, it’s okay if you didn’t do well. You can always retake the SAT next year. I’ll be waiting for you at Columbia.]
Before he could say more, their Guidance Counselor, Mr. Carter, stepped on stage.
He gave a heartfelt speech to the graduates.
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And then, he added, “Before we wrap up, I’ve got one last exciting announcement. This year, someone in our class was selected for a national-level early admission program-double major, full scholarship. Let’s give a round of applause!”
The room erupted.
Everyone started guessing who it could be.
Then Mr. Carter tapped his phone, and a picture flashed on the giant LED screen.
The entire hall went silent.
Maddie’s jaw dropped.
Chase shot to his feet.
On the screen was Sierra Hayes, holding her official admission letter.
Chapter9
