Chapter 2

The next morning, Ava started cleaning her room with a vengeance.

Not just tidying, but purging.

She pulled out a large cardboard box from the back of her closet, labeled "Memories - E&J."

Inside, faded homecoming king and queen sashes they' d jokingly fought over when Jax was crowned king and she queen.

A collection of cheap, plush carnival prizes Ethan had won for her, his debate-team precision surprisingly effective at ring toss.

Ticket stubs from movies, concerts, football games.

Years of shared history.

She dumped it all into a black trash bag.

It felt good, a symbolic cleansing.

This wasn't just about college anymore. This was about reclaiming herself.

As she dragged the heavy bag towards the recycling bins outside, Ethan' s sleek black BMW pulled up to the curb.

Jax was in the passenger seat.

Her heart lurched. Perfect timing.

They hopped out, all smiles and easy confidence.

"Hey, Ava!" Jax called out, "Working hard?"

Ethan' s eyes fell on the bulging trash bag, then to the "Memories - E&J" box peeking out of the blue recycling bin.

His smile faltered. "What' s all this?"

He walked over and pulled the box out. Jax peered over his shoulder.

Their expressions shifted from confusion to disbelief, then to a dark, offended anger.

"Are you serious, Ava?" Ethan' s voice was tight. "You' re throwing this away? All of it?"

Jax looked genuinely hurt. "These are... these are our memories. What the hell, Ava? Are you that mad about the prom dress still? We said we' d pay you back!"

He sounded like she was being petty, trivializing their deep, unbreakable bond.

Ava kept her face neutral, her voice carefully devoid of emotion.

"Mom wants me to declutter before college. It' s just old stuff taking up space."

A plausible lie. She met Ethan' s searching gaze without flinching.

The coldness in her own voice surprised her.

She felt a strange detachment, as if watching this scene from afar.

Ethan' s jaw clenched, but he seemed to accept her explanation, or at least pretend to.

"Right. Decluttering." He dropped the box back into the bin with a thud.

Jax still looked bewildered. "So, you' re not mad anymore? About the dress, or, you know, Chloe?"

Ava almost laughed. They truly had no idea.

"It' s fine, Jax. I' m over it."

Relief washed over their faces. So easy to fool them.

Or perhaps they were just eager to believe everything was back to normal, their comfortable trio intact.

"Good," Ethan said, a fraction too quickly. "Because we were thinking, we should all go to that end-of-year bonfire at Zuma Beach tonight. Everyone' s going to be there."

"Yeah," Jax chimed in, "Chloe' s helping organize the food. It' ll be epic."

A quiet satisfaction settled in Ava. Their relief was her confirmation.

They were still oblivious.

But Ethan shot a quick, assessing glance at Jax.

"We should probably make it up to Ava, though," Ethan said, his tone thoughtful. "Maybe grab her favorite ice cream on the way? Or that new charm bracelet she wanted?"

Jax nodded eagerly. "Good idea, man. Show her we' re still her guys."

They were strategizing, trying to appease a resentment she no longer genuinely felt, only a cold, hard resolve.

Their efforts were for a ghost.

Later that day, Ava scrolled through Instagram.

Chloe had posted a story: a Boomerang of her, Ethan, and Jax laughing, their heads close together, with the caption, "Bonfire prep squad! So excited for tonight! #NorthwoodLegends #Besties."

Ava felt a flicker of something, not jealousy, but a distant, clinical observation of her own displacement.

She was already becoming a footnote in their narrative.

The mail arrived.

A thick, cream-colored envelope with the Yale University crest embossed in the corner.

Her hands trembled slightly as she opened it.

"Dear Ms. Miller, we are pleased to offer you admission to the Yale Class of..."

Validation. A quiet, personal triumph.

She folded the letter carefully and tucked it into her drawer, beneath a pile of sweaters.

Her secret. Her future.

Her phone buzzed. A text from Jax.

Jax: Bonfire at 7! Ethan' s picking me and Chloe up, we can swing by for you around 6:45? Get ready for the best night! UCW here we come! (Soon! Haha)

The irony was so thick, she could taste it.

They were celebrating a future she wouldn' t be sharing.

At least, not with them.

Her mom walked in. "Honey, are you sure you want to go to this bonfire? After everything?"

Ava shrugged. "It' s the last big thing before graduation. I should probably show my face."

Besides, a small, perverse part of her wanted to see them, one last time, in their natural habitat of blissful ignorance.

"Just be careful, okay?" her mom said, her eyes worried.

Ava nodded, forcing a smile. "Always."

The word felt hollow now.

The bonfire was already raging when Ethan' s car, now carrying a chattering Chloe in the front seat, finally picked Ava up.

Ava squeezed into the back.

"Sorry we're late!" Chloe chirped, turning around. "We had to make a last-minute run for more marshmallows. Ethan is such a hero, he found the last jumbo bag at the store!"

Ethan just smiled, his eyes on the road. Jax hummed along to the radio.

Ava felt like an afterthought, a courtesy pickup.

The air in the car was thick with Chloe' s perfume and the boys' easy laughter.

It was an uncomfortable ride, her needs, her presence, already overlooked.

The salty air hit her face as they parked near the beach, the sound of crashing waves and distant music filling the night.

This was it. The beginning of the end.