Old Friends Not Seen
Chapter 1
- 1.
After Mike kicked the bucket, he left
everything in his will to his freakin‘ soulmate.
That’s how I found out he had a kid, like,
eighteen years old.
And me? Well, I ended up with cancer ‘cause
he was using me as a guinea pig, testing out
his drugs for eighteen years. Couldn’t afford
treatment. Croaked in the streets.
I blinked, and suddenly I was back. Back when
he first agreed to marry me. That cold voice
of his crackled over the phone.
L
“Look, Stacy, I already told my parents I’d
marry you. The wedding’s in three days, so
are you happy now?”
Those memories of cancer pain, dying alone
in the street, they were so fresh. I blurted out,
“Forget it, Mike. Don’t marry me. Let’s call off
the engagement.”
There was a pause on the other end, then a
short laugh. “Seriously, Stacy? Playing hard to
get is getting old. Everyone knows your
biggest dream since you were a kid was to
marry me.”
I tried to explain, “I mean it this time…”
Mike cut me off, sounding really annoyed.
<
“Yeah, whatever. Just sell your parents‘ old
house already and wire me the money. I need
to test this new drug I’m working on.”
I opened my mouth to say something, but
he’d already hung up.
Eighteen years of heartache hit me all at
once. I clutched my chest, gasping for air.
I used to think Mike and I were like, totally in
love. Turns out, he was just with me for the
cash from my parents that he could use for
his little experiments.
Mike thought I was using the money to
blackmail him into marrying me, so even in
death he didn’t leave me a single penny.
If I got a do–over, then I sure wasn’t gonna
<
make the same mistake twice.
I drove straight to the Harrison’s house and
told his parents I wanted to break off the
engagement.
His mom practically raised me, she thought it
was a shame, “Stacy, did that knucklehead
Mike do something? I’ll set him straight for
you.”
I shook my head, “Mike’s got someone else in
his heart, and I’m not marrying him to waste
my life. You can give it to him as a surprise.”
Seeing that I was serious, his mom didn’t try
to change my mind. She grabbed my hand,
concerned, “Then you’re just like Mike’s
sister, living with us, I’ll take care of you.”
Г
“No, it’s okay, I have my own plans.”
Just now, I applied to join my Professor’s
drug research academy, if I have the
memories from my past life, and with
financial support, I am confident I can surpass
Mike.
After talking with his mom, just when I was
heading out, I got a text from Mike.
“Lakeside Grill, booth 303.”
That was our regular hangout spot for the
group.
I scrolled through my messages, and it was
always me sending a million texts, and him responding with a few words if I was lucky.
<
Knowing I was about to ditch this life, I didn’t
refuse. Figured I should say goodbye to my
“friends.”
I got to the booth, everyone was already
there, they all had a knowing expression,
leaving the seat next to Mike for me.
“Stacy, you’re super late, we had to wait
forever for you.”
Olivia whined, snuggling into Mike’s side.
They’d been doing this in front of me, his
fiancé, for years.
I looked at the leftover bones on her plate
and smiled, “I see you ate a lot.”
Olivia turned red, like I’d just punched her
puppy. Tears started welling up in her eyes.
Mike glared at me; annoyed. “Stacy, what’s
your problem? Olivia is just a kid, she was
hungry.”
“You’re just getting old and your attitude is
getting worse too.”
Olivia was only two years younger than me,
but in his eyes, she’s a kid.
I remembered when I first met her, Mike had
said the same thing.
