CHAPTER FOUR

HAZEL

I stepped out of my dad’s car, the sound of the engine fading as he parked. I had barely closed the door when my dad called out, "Hazel, honey, are you sure about this? It's not too late to reconsider going back to the city."

I sighed, facing him. We'd talked about this countless times, and I'd considered it too. The mangled body, the feeling of being watched, Darryl's coldness – it all tempted me to flee back to Aunt Jenna's

But I couldn't give up yet. I glanced back at my dad who was still watching me intently. “Dad, I’m sure about this.”

He nodded with a resigned sigh. As I turned to enter the school, his voice stopped me. "Wait, Where's your necklace?"

I reached into the pocket of my oversized hoodie and pulled out the necklace. “It’s right here.”

Dad frowned. "Hazel, it's meant to be around your neck, not stuffed in a pocket."

"Fine, fine," I grumbled, letting him fasten it for me. "Why is this thing so important anyway?"

Dad opened his mouth, then closed it again. He looked like he was battling with himself, trying to decide whether to tell me something. But before he could respond, his phone buzzed.

"Damn," he muttered, glancing at the screen. "I've got to go. There's an emergency at the station." He gave me a quick hug. "Be careful, okay?"

I nodded and watched him drive away before turning to face the school. The sign above the entrance read "Ashwood High," and my stomach did a little flip. This was really happening.

Inside, the halls looked exactly the same—lockers lining the walls, posters for school clubs plastered everywhere. For a moment, I was ten again, racing down these corridors with Darryl at my side.

I shook my head, trying to focus. I had two weeks. Two weeks to get Darryl to remember our friendship, to make him see me again. If I couldn't... well, then maybe Dad was right. Maybe I didn't belong here anymore.

The administration office was empty except for a sleepy looking secretary who barely glanced up as I collected my schedule and locker assignment. I tucked the papers into my bag and turned to leave, only to collide with someone entering the office.

Books scattered across the floor as we both stumbled backward.

"I'm so sorry," I said, dropping to my knees to gather my scattered belongings. The girl didn't move to help, just stood there watching me scramble. As I stood up, ready to apologize again, the words died in my throat.

It was her. The girl from Darryl's car. Up close, she was even more stunning with perfect curves and a flawless skin. Her Gray eyes narrowed as she recognized me.

"It's you again.” She smirked. “You really have a habit of getting in people's way, don't you? First the bicycle, now this. What's next, bicycle klutz? Or are your golden eyes too clouded to see where you're going."

I felt my cheeks burn. I hated when people picked on my appearance. All the niceness drained out of me in an instant.

"Listen here," I said, meeting her gaze. "I've been nothing but nice to you. I don't know what your problem is, but being a bitch isn't going to solve it. How about you try being a decent human being for once?"

Her eyes widened, clearly not used to someone standing up to her. I could tell her type - the queen bee, untouchable, used to everyone cowering before her.

She recovered quickly and stepped closer. "Well, let me just drop this one for now since you clearly don't know who I am. But consider this your only warning.. stay away from Darryl. He's moved on from whatever little childhood fantasy you're trying to relive. He doesn't need any blasts from the past."

My heart skipped a beat. So Darryl did remember me. He wasn't just ignoring me because he'd forgotten - he was deliberately avoiding me. I wasn't sure if that made things better or worse.

"Thanks for the warning, but I don't take orders from schoolyard bullies. If Darryl has a problem with me, he can tell me himself."

I brushed past her, making sure my shoulder knocked into hers as I went. But even as I walked away, her words echoed in my head. Why was Darryl really avoiding me?

***************

"I'm Hazel LièRén, nice to meet you all."

I stood at the front of the history class, feeling all eyes on me as the teacher had called me out. Being the "new" student or rather, the returned prodigal was already grating on my nerves.

Mr. Thompson, a middle-aged with a receding hairline and glasses leaned forward.

"LièRén? That's quite an intriguing name. What does it mean ?"

I sighed, already bored with this interrogation. "It's Chinese. It means 'brave hunter.'"

"Okay, that's... unexpected. A Chinese surname for a girl who looks no where Chinese."

"Yeah, tell me about it," I muttered, thinking back to the countless times I'd questioned my dad about our family name. His vague answers about "generational traditions" had always left me more questions than answers.

His gaze drifted downward, fixating on my chest. I was about to call him out for being a creep when I realized he was staring at my necklace.

"That's an unusual pendant," He continued. " Where did you get it?"

Instinctively, my hand flew to the silver arrow-shaped pendant hanging from my neck. "It was a gift from my father."

"May I take a closer look?" he asked and stepped forward with an outstretched hand.

“Not a chance in hell," I said bluntly, taking a step back.

"Whoa, I was just joking," he chuckled with his widened eyes. "You're so unique, I must give you that."

"Unique? More like weird," someone muttered from the back of the class.

"Tell me about it. She's looking so freakish with that hair and those eyes," another voice whispered.

Ignoring the whispers my enhanced senses picked up, I focused on Darryl at the back of the room. He wasn't even looking at me, engrossed in conversation with the guy beside him - Lucian, if I remembered correctly.

Katrina was laughing at something, her hand on Darryl's arm. The sight made my heart ache. I should be the one there instead.

Finally, Mr. Thompson dismissed me with a wave. I made my way to an empty desk, stealing glances at Darryl. Each time I looked, he quickly averted his gaze.

As the bell rang to signal the end of class, I gathered my books, watching Darryl rush out with his friends. Without thinking, I ran after him.

"Darryl!" I called out. "You can't keep pretending I don't exist!"

But he kept walking, ignoring me completely.

"You know, for someone who used to be my best friend, you're acting like a real asshole!" The words tumbled out before I could stop them.

He stopped immediately, turning to face me. Before I could blink, I found myself pinned against the wall. Darryl's face was inches from mine with his eyes blazing. His breath was warm on my skin which sent shivers down my spine. Despite the rough treatment, I couldn't help but notice how angelic he looked up close.

Darryl growled with that same animal sound from before. "You want my attention? Fine, you've got it. What do you fucking want?”

I swallowed hard, struggling to form words. "I... I just wanted to ask why you're treating me like this? I don't deserve all this... I don't even know what I did!"

"You don't know what you did?" He laughed bitterly, running a hand through his hair. "Does 'It's gonna be the best day ever, Darryl!' ring any bells? Oh wait, that didn't quite work out, did it? Happy fucking birthday to me."

I froze, the memories I'd tried so hard to suppress coming back in a rush. "I... I didn't mean-"

He cut me off. "Just leave, Hazel. Leave this time and stay gone forever. You disgust me." He slammed his hand against the wall beside my head and stormed off.

I stood there, stunned. That day came back to me in vivid detail. I'd woken up early, excited to surprise Darryl. I'd baked his favorite cookies and wrapped his gift a friendship bracelet I'd spent weeks making. Everything was perfect.

Then Dad had called me downstairs. "There's been an accident," he'd said "It's your mom. She didn't…."

The world titled. Before I could even process what was happening, Dad was throwing clothes into a suitcase, saying we had to leave immediately. I'd begged him to let me say goodbye to Darryl. To explain. But there hadn't been time. There was never enough time.

In a daze, I'd scribbled a quick note for Darryl, trying to explain. I'd left it with the cookies and gift on his porch, praying he'd understand.

But he never called. Never wrote. And when I finally gathered the courage to reach out months later, my letters came back unopened.

Standing in this hallway now, I realized I wasn't just trying to reconnect with Darryl. I was trying to fix something that had been broken long ago. And I had no idea if it was even possible.