Chapter 70

Once the crowd had dispersed, Marguerite jumped down from a large tree near the gym entrance.

Yellow was stunned. He had no idea how the angel sister had managed to scramble up the tree in the blink of an eye.

Aaron, however, took it in stride. They'd had several large trees in their backyard when they were kids, and Marguerite loved climbing them. She'd sunbathe in the branches during the day and stargaze at night. He had wanted to join her, but he was too chubby for her to lift. One time, she had tried to hoist him up with a rope. He'd made it up the tree just before being strangled, but the branch she always sat on snapped under their combined weight. They both landed hard on their butts. His extra padding saved him, but Marguerite couldn't sit properly for days.

After that, she never let him climb trees with her again.

"Angel sister, why'd you climb the tree?" Yellow asked, puzzled.

Marguerite brushed leaves off her clothes and fabricated an answer. "I thought I saw a bird's nest, but I was mistaken."

What other reason could there be? She was hiding from Joshua. He was probably at the school to watch his brother's game, and she had no interest in a reunion. A pawn in her past life, a pawn in her new one-her only purpose would be to create more drama between the main characters. She had no intention of being a part of

their play.

The sun was bright, but a strong breeze had dried the sweat on Aaron's clothes. His bangs once again concealed his eyes. He glanced in the direction of the dispersing crowd, a serpentine glint in his eyes.

Joshua. It was definitely Joshua.

If he remembered correctly, Marguerite used to date him.

Marguerite stood at the entrance, her captivating eyes shining. "It's still here! Awesome."

Inside, she ordered a jasmine milk tea. The owner wasn't there; a young girl she didn't recognize was working the counter. Marguerite figured the owner had made enough money to hire help. Aaron and Yellow, two guys who rarely drank bubble tea, followed her lead and ordered the same.

"You wait for the drinks. Marguerite and I will find a table," Aaron told Yellow.

They sat down at a small table in the corner.

Aaron finally asked the question that had been burning in his mind. "Marguerite, where have you been all these years? Have you been okay?"

The table was small enough for Marguerite to reach across and ruffle Aaron's overgrown hair.

“That's the same question I wanted to ask you,” she said gently. “But to satisfy your curiosity, I'll tell you my story first."

Feeling the warmth of her hand on his head, Aaron was finally convinced she was real. He tilted his head up, his eyes fixed on her.

Marguerite decided not to hide anything. "I time-traveled here directly from the day of the car crash eleven years ago," she said honestly. "I know it sounds

unbelievable but it's the truth You Vable, butals

must have noticed—I haven't aged a

day."

"Technically, I'm only a year older than you now. I'm eighteen, and you're seventeen."

Aaron had been studying her face

the whole walk over and had indeed noticed. She looked exactly as he remembered. While the idea of time travel was hard to grasp he believed her Whatever the explanation, Marguerite was alive, and that was all that mattered.

"I've been back for about a week. I found Theobald first, and he told me

what happened to you. I've been looking for you ever since. I'm stiff

pretty amazing right actually

found you," she said, her eyes curving into a smile.

Her smile was dazzling, like sunlight pouring into the darkest corners of his heart.

But he lowered his head, his hands twisting together under the table.

His voice was quiet. "That's good."

He was glad she had found Theobald first. If she had found him, she would have discovered he could barely afford to feed himself.

“Now, it's your turn,” Marguerite said, her voice warm and melodic. “Tell me what you've been up to all these years.”

Aaron looked up, forcing a smile. "I've been doing pretty well."

His bangs hid his eyes, making his expression unreadable.