Chapter 1The Ghost of Seventeen

We were poor. Dirt poor. To buy him that birthday gift, I saved every cent I had for a whole year.

The day my mom’s tragedy struck, I left school early.

That was when I heard him laughing with his friends.

"This piece of junk? A third-place prize at a local diner looks better than this," he said, shaking his head.

His friend laughed loudly. "Since you hate it, Ty, give it to me. I’ll sell it and buy some decent gear."

"Go ahead. Take it."

Tyler Cole threw it to him like it was garbage. And that’s when his eyes met mine.

Years later, at a high school reunion, I heard Tyler had been looking for me for eight years.

* * *

When my eyes met Tyler’s, his expression froze.

The guy holding the watch scratched his head, looking pure agony. "Do... do you want this back?"

I stared at the watch in his hand. It was already scuffed up, clearly not taken care of, even in the short time he’d had it.

It wasn't a luxury watch—it cost a little under a thousand bucks—but for me, that was a year’s worth of cutting back on lunch, saving dollar by dollar.

I looked at Tyler’s wrist. He was wearing a watch today.

I didn't recognize the brand, but I knew one thing for sure: the one he was wearing cost a hell of a lot more than the one I had given him.

I silently took the watch back from Tyler’s friend. Then, I looked at Tyler and spoke slowly.

"I’m sorry. I’ll take care of it."

Tyler kept his eyes low, pressing his lips together in silence. He didn't say a word.

Humiliated, I rubbed the watch in my hand, turned on my heel, and walked away.

As I passed the first trash can outside the school gates, I didn't hesitate. I threw the watch right in.

I looked back at him one last time.

He had lazily opened his eyes, a smile playing on his lips, his gaze filled with pure mockery.

I froze, lowering my head.

It was so humiliating, this crush of mine.

Back then, I didn't know that single look from Tyler Cole would become my nightmare for years to come.