Chapter 8
Chapter 8
Since that day when I’d answered him with a firm “no,” Mack and I hadn’t interacted much.
But somehow, I always ran into him whenever I was with Brain Warrick.
The most memorable instance was after a dinner with Brain, where we stumbled upon a claw machine competition. Brain, true to his word, won an armful of plushies.
He even handed the toys to kids who hadn’t won anything, leaving only one–a butter–colored puppy. Looking at my empty hands, he clicked his tongue softly and handed it to me with a smirk:
ystal, this one’s for you.”
I hesitated, surprised and delighted.
“Brain Warrick, did you spend extra money for this?”
He raised an eyebrow, letting out a light huff.
“I told you. I’m a claw machine pro.”
Just as he said this, I noticed Mack Washington standing on the edge of the crowd.
He was probably here with friends for dinner. I didn’t think much of it.
We kept running into each other after that, though only from a distance. I chalked it up to coincidence.
Until tonight, under the cover of darkness, beneath the dormitory sycamore tree.
Mack stood there in a black T–shirt and pants, at the exact spot where he used to wait for Pearl.
I assumed he was here for her again and instinctively said,
“She’s-”
“I’m not here for her,” he interrupted, his gaze complicated as it settled on me. His voice was low and heavy:
Im waiting for you.”
I found this amusing. Taking a step back, I tilted my head slightly and said,
“Waiting for me? Mack, I don’t think there’s anything left to say between us, is there?”
I moved to walk past him, but his restrained voice stopped me:
“If you don’t still subconsciously like me, Crystal, then why are you always with him?”
Him?
Brain Warrick
“So…” I turned to meet his gaze calmly. “In what capacity are you standing here questioning me? As my roommate’s suitor?”
His expression froze, his gaze cooling as he sneered:
“1st can’t stand seeing someone being used as a substitute, foolishly thinking it’s real love.”
“Crystal, you’d better figure out who you really like, or you might regret it when your memories come back.”
I smiled faintly, my eyes curving slightly.
“Don’t worry, Mack. I’ve thought it through.”
18:23
Chapter 8
“And the substitute isn’t him.”
Mack said nothing, staring at me for a long time.
I didn’t care. Turning away, I went upstairs.
Perhaps it was Mack’s sudden reappearance that unsettled my emotions.
That night, I started having nightmares again.
In the dream, I was back on that afternoon before the college entrance exams.
The rain–washed city was bathed in a gentle sunset glow.
ddles scattered across the streets sparkled like fragments of a painting.
Brain Warrick, carrying his school uniform over one shoulder, lightly leapt up to grab a dripping camphor leaf. Turning around, he faced me as he walked backward, his voice ringing clearly:
“Don’t forget to come to my birthday party at the end of the month.”
I sighed helplessly.
“Got it, got it. You’ve told me this a hundred times already.”
“I’m just making sure you won’t forget.”
“I have an excellent memory; I won’t forget. What you should focus on now is studying for the college entrance exams.”
He let out a soft huff and, with mock seriousness, said,
“My birthday is just as important.”
After a pause, he added with emphasis,
“This time, it’s especially important.”
I looked at him in confusion.
“Why is it especially important this time?”
For some reason, his ears turned slightly red. He began to deflect the question:
“You’ll find out when the time comes.”
But I never got the chance to find out.
The moment that speeding car ran the red light and collided with Brain Warrick, the entire world seemed to fall silent.
It felt like it started raining again, the sky pouring water into my eyes.
It rained endlessly, on and on.
It rained for three whole years.
I woke up, instinctively wiping away the tears at the corners of my eyes.
Reaching for my phone, I checked the date.
In one month, it would be Brain Warrick’s birthday.
This time, he hadn’t reminded me.
But I had remembered for three years.
I waited patiently for the day to come, determined to attend the birthday party I had missed for so long.
18:23
Chapter 8
But life, as always, had other plans.
