Chapter 31
I snapped back to reality.
Antonio, who was driving next to me, handed me a tissue.
I was caught off guard for a moment before I noticed tears had welled up
in my eyes.
When I promised my teacher and signed up for the ten–year closed study, I thought I had already gotten over it.
It finally hit me that recalling those memories still made me emotional.
Never mind.
We all needed more time to forget and move on.
I returned to school, moved into the dorm, and kept working on my nearly finished paper.
The next day, when Antonio and I went to the library, we bumped into. Ruben and Mason again.
They were with Lacey, probably because she felt like exploring the university library.
Ruben was now a teacher at the research institute. In his early thirties, he was already an associate professor.
It wasn’t unusual to see him at the library.
I pretended not to notice them, found a spot to sit, and opened my laptop
to keep working on my paper.
Lacey, however, pulled them to sit not far from me.
I could hear her soft laughter from time to time.
Ruben was a bit embarrassed and tried to stop Lacey a few times, but she just kept chatting away.
Mason gently reminded her, “Be good.”
I suddenly recalled what Mason used to say to me with a sigh when we were little, “Be good next time.”
I wrapped up my paper and hit save.
Feeling like some fresh air, I got up to grab some water.
When I came back, my laptop was in Lacey’s hands.
Ruben and Mason went to get books from the bookshelf.
Lacey was alone, skillfully moving and clicking the mouse on my laptop.
I panicked and rushed over to grab my laptop back.
To my surprise, she fell to the ground dramatically. Her forehead hit the chair and she screamed.
Students reading in the library all turned to look.
I trembled as I retrieved my paper from the recycling bin.
When I opened it again, all the text and charts I had spent nearly half a year completing were gone.
All that remained was a menacing smiley face made of symbols.
That smiley face looked threatening, grinning at me with its teeth bared.
My mind was buzzing.
Ruben rushed over and accused me without asking what had happened, “Grace, why did you push Lacey?”
Chapter 32
