Chapter 9 Grace stared at the disconnected call, her face shifting between pale and flushed. The awkwardness was suffocating. Seeing this, Sloane stepped forward and gently linked her arm through Grace's. "It's really fine. Our flight's about to leave anyway. Thank you for the thought. If he's busy, it's not a big deal. Whether he shows up or not... doesn't really matter." Her parents quickly stepped in to smooth things over, helping to ease the tension. And so, with a lingering sense of awkwardness and sighs all around, Sloane and her family said goodbye to the Carters and headed for the airport. As the plane climbed into the sky, Sloane stared out the window. The city she'd lived in for eighteen years slowly shrank beneath the clouds until it disappeared completely. For some reason, her heart felt strangely calm. She closed her eyes. Goodbye, Jace. Meanwhile, Jace was helping Marissa get settled at Northbridge University, just as planned. He carried her bags, organized her dorm things, handled everything carefully and thoroughly. "All set?" Marissa asked, beaming. "Let's go get something to eat!" "Not today," Jace replied, rubbing his forehead. "I'm tired. I'm just going to head back and rest.' Ever since the call from his mom the day before, he'd been feeling oddly restless, though he couldn't explain why. "Oh... okay." Marissa looked disappointed but didn't press the issue. Jace stepped out of the girls' dorm building. The afternoon sun was a little too bright, Standing in the shade of a tree, he instinctively pulled out his phone and tapped into a familiar chat thread that had gone silent for far too long. It had been long enough. The fight should be over by now. He'd iced her out, even kissed Marissa right in front of her-if that wasn't a wake-up call, he didn't know what was. That should've been more than enough to teach her a lesson. Time to throw her a bone and talk reconciliation. He imagined the way she'd look when she saw him again-hurt, maybe, but with that barely-hidden joy in her eyes. The corner of his lips tugged into a faint smirk, the kind that said he thought he had everything Chapter 9 40.91% under control. After this, she'd think twice before tossing out the word "breakup" so easily. The only thing was... he didn't know which dorm she'd been assigned. Thinking of that, Jace pocketed his phone and headed straight for the new student registration desk. "Can you help me find someone? Sloane Lane. Dance department. Which residence hall is she in?" The student attendant typed into the system, then looked up with a puzzled expression. "I'm sorry, there's no one by that name on the freshman roster." The smile on Jace's face froze in place. "That's impossible," he insisted, "She's definitely starting this year. Can you check again?" The girl double-checked the system, even scanned through the lists for all departments. She looked back up at him, confused but certain. "I'm sure. She isn't registered in any program here." A wave of unease slammed into Jace's chest, sharp and sudden. He remembered how Sloane had snatched the acceptance letter from his hands that day. He remembered the thing she was about to say-before that call from Marissa interrupted everything... A wild, almost ridiculous thought shot through his mind, sending a chill through his entire body. He yanked out his phone, fingers shaking slightly as he dialed her number-the one he knew by heart. A robotic female voice answered, "The number you have dialed is not in service..." Chapter 9 40.91%