Chapter 1

On the day of college registration, I went to the university alone for the first time.

Beck said he was waiting for me at the North Gate, and Miles sent me the location.

Paige also urged me in the group chat.

"Hurry up! You're the only one missing out of the four of us."

I dragged my two suitcases and followed the navigation arrow for nearly two miles.

But when I got there, there was only an abandoned track field.

I called Beck, and he laughed so hard he couldn't catch his breath.

"You're so stupid. That's the old campus."

"We just sent a random location, and you actually believed it?"

Paige was laughing in the background.

"Wren, aren't you the best at taking tests? How can you not even read a map?"

I swallowed my grievances and called another ride to the new campus.

But when the driver dropped me off at the East Gate, the student volunteer at the registration desk told me the registration period was over.

I was so anxious that tears immediately fell.

Just then, a FaceTime call popped up.

On the screen, Miles was holding an umbrella for Paige, and Beck was carrying her pink suitcase.

Mom and Dad stood behind her, smiling as they took pictures of her.

And my favorite white dress was also on Paige.

She waved her phone.

"Don't cry. It was just a joke."

"Registration isn't actually over. I just asked the volunteer to say your documents were incomplete."

"Who told you to look so funny when you get lost?"

Beck frowned at me. "Today is a good day. Don't ruin the mood."

Miles also spoke in a flat tone. "You need to change. No one is going to coddle someone with no sense of direction forever."

I looked down at the navigation arrow jumping erratically on my phone.

I suddenly remembered that over the years, they had always been like this.

Giving me the wrong directions.

And then blaming me for walking the wrong way.

It turned out it wasn't that I had no sense of direction. It was that they never wanted me to arrive.

***

"So there's no problem with my documents, right?"

I stood under the awning at the East Gate, rainwater dripping from my hair.

The volunteer rubbed his hands together awkwardly.

"I'm sorry."

"Paige said this was a traditional prank between you friends."

I looked at the call log on my phone screen and calmly put the soaked acceptance letter back into my folder.

"I understand. Thank you."

By the time I dragged my muddy suitcases into the registration hall.

They were standing in front of a display board.

Beck was holding two iced coffees, putting a straw into one for Paige.

Miles was half-squatting on the ground, using a tissue to wipe the mud spots off Paige's white shoes bit by bit.

My parents held their cameras, circling Paige to find the best angle.

"Smile, Paige."

No one noticed me standing ten steps away.

Paige was the first to see me.

She immediately pushed Miles's hand away and trotted over to link her arm through mine.

"Wren is finally here!"

"We didn't see you coming and were worried sick."

Her tone was whiny, but she couldn't suppress the mocking curve of her lips.

I slowly pulled my arm away.

"You were worried about me, so all three of you ignored my calls?"

Beck frowned and handed over the iced coffee without a straw.

"You still made it in the end, didn't you?"

I didn't take it.

Miles stood up and tossed the dirty tissue he'd used on her shoes into the trash can.

"Your sense of direction is terrible. This was a good opportunity for you to practice."

"Wren, you have to learn to grow up on your own."

I looked into his deep eyes.

When I was six, I got lost in a mall and cried until I could barely breathe.

He was the one who took my hand and wiped my tears over and over again.

He said, don't be afraid, Wren. I'll show you the way from now on.

That bit of past tenderness was now like a dull knife, slowly carving into my chest.

"Time for pictures!"

Dad waved from over there.

Paige immediately ran over and naturally stood right in the center.

Mom pulled me to stand at the very edge.

Beck was tall. He leaned slightly, his shoulder perfectly blocking half of my face.

The shutter clicked.

After taking the photos, Mom looked down to flip through the screen.

"Paige is so photogenic. This white dress makes her look so radiant."

From beginning to end, no one asked me if I was tired after walking nearly two miles to an abandoned track field, or if I had blisters on the soles of my feet.

That evening, the staff member at the Housing Office handed me a form.

"Wren Harper, right? Your single room has been changed to a double with Paige."

I froze for a moment.

To prepare quietly for a national scientific research competition, I had applied for a single room in advance.

Paige poked her head out from behind and looked at me with a smile.

"I had Beck submit the roommate application for me, saying you agreed."

"The single rooms are at the end of the hall. With your terrible sense of direction, what if you get lost going to the bathroom in the middle of the night?"

I looked at her innocent face.

For the first time, I didn't play along with the excuse they laid out for me.

I turned to look at the staff member.

"I never agreed to any roommate application. Please restore my original arrangement."

The air instantly grew quiet.

Paige's eyes turned red in a second.

"I was just afraid you'd be lonely."

Beck pulled Paige behind him, his face darkening.

"Wren, Paige is trying to be nice and keep you company. Are you crazy?"

Miles also furrowed his brows slightly.

"You're already starting drama right when school starts."

"Apologize, and we'll let this go."

I looked at the two men in front of me who had protected me since we were kids.

I suddenly felt it was all so meaningless.

I took back the key to my single room, dragged my suitcases, and turned to leave.

My phone vibrated just then.

It was the final enrollment and flight confirmation letter from Cambridge University.

There was exactly one month left until the deadline to reply.