The walk to Starlight Academy was exactly as I'd written it – and somehow even more ridiculous in real life.
Galaxy of Hearts Avenue was lined with cherry blossom trees that had pink leaves (eight-year-old me had thought regular white ones were "too boring"), and every storefront had a heart-shaped sign or glittery lettering. There was a café called "Purrfect Brew" (Bella's part-time job, of course), a bookstore named "Love's Pages," and a convenience store with a giant neon sign that flashed "SPARKLE AND SHINE!" every five seconds. I had to look away before I got a headache.
"See?" Bella bounced on her toes as we waited at the crosswalk, sending more glitter into the air. "Isn't it beautiful? The cherry blossoms always turn pink this time of year – it's like the whole street is blushing for love!"
I'd written that line verbatim. I could practically see eight-year-old me hunched over my notebook, tongue sticking out as I carefully spelled "blushing." I forced a smile and nodded. "Yeah, it's… very pink."
"Right?!" She linked her arm through mine, and I tried not to flinch at how much glitter was transferring onto my sleeve. "Oh! Look – there's Jay! I told you he got taller!"
I followed her gaze and nearly choked on my own spit.
Zhou Yuchen – Jay – was leaning against the school gate, talking to a group of freshmen who were looking up at him like he was a god. He was exactly as I'd described him: tall, sleek black hair, deep blue eyes that looked thoughtful even when he was just nodding along to whatever the freshmen were saying. He was wearing the Starlight Academy uniform, but his tie was loose and his sleeves were rolled up to his elbows – details I'd added to make him "cool but approachable."
And he was definitely taller. I'd written him as six feet tall in the draft, but he looked closer to six foot two now. Of course he did – eight-year-old me had thought "taller = more dreamy."
"Jay!" Bella waved enthusiastically, pulling me along with her. "Over here!"
Jay looked up, and his face broke into a smile that I'd described as "like sunshine breaking through clouds." I'd also written that his smile made "every girl within a ten-foot radius swoon" – and sure enough, the freshmen behind him let out tiny gasps and started whispering to each other.
"Bella," he said, his voice deep and warm – exactly how I'd imagined it. Then his eyes landed on me, and his smile softened slightly. "Mianhua. I heard you were sick. How are you feeling?"
I opened my mouth to answer, but all that came out was a strangled squeak. Because I'd just remembered – I'd written that Mianhua had a tiny crush on Jay, which was why she always avoided talking to him. Of course she did. Eight-year-old me had thought every character needed a crush, even the extras.
"I'm… fine," I managed to get out, shoving my hands in my pockets to keep them from shaking. "Thanks for asking."
"Good." He nodded, and I could see why I'd made him student body president. He had that calm, collected vibe that made people want to trust him. "I was going to stop by your house after school to drop off your homework, but Bella said you'd be back today. How are you holding up in math? Mrs. Li started teaching calculus early this year."
Calculus. Right. At forty-five, I'd forgotten more math than most high schoolers would ever learn, but I'd written Mianhua as "surprisingly good at numbers." I forced another smile. "I'm… managing. I have a few questions, but I'll probably ask Bella for help."
"Or you could ask me," Jay said, and I could see the freshmen behind him practically melting. "I'm tutoring after school on Mondays and Wednesdays. I don't mind helping – you always ask the most interesting questions."
Interesting questions. I'd written that Mianhua asked "deep, thoughtful questions that made Jay think" – which was code for "I didn't know what questions to write so I just had her ask about pi." I nodded quickly, trying to change the subject before I said something stupid like "What's your favorite number theory?"
"Speaking of help," Bella said, bouncing on her toes again. "Have you seen the new transfer student yet? Shadow? I heard he's joining the parkour club – maybe you could ask him to come to the basketball team's fundraiser next month!"
Jay's smile faltered just a little – exactly as I'd written it would. I'd made him jealous of Shadow because "love triangles are more interesting." He ran a hand through his hair, and I could see why I'd spent two paragraphs describing how "his fingers looked strong and capable even when he was just touching his hair."
"I've seen him around," Jay said casually. "He seems… focused. I'll ask him if I see him, but I don't know if he's into fundraisers."
"Of course he will be!" Bella beamed. "Everyone loves our fundraisers – we always have heart-shaped cookies and glittery decorations!"
I felt my eye twitch. Heart-shaped cookies. Glittery decorations. Of course they did.
Just then, the school bell rang, and students started pouring through the gates. Bella grabbed my arm again. "Come on! We don't want to be late for homeroom – Mr. Chen always gives detention to anyone who walks in after the bell!"
I followed her and Jay into the school, and my jaw nearly hit the floor. Starlight Academy was exactly as I'd described it: white marble halls lined with portraits of "famous alumni" (all of whom had sparkly hair or mysterious scars), lockers painted in pastel colors, and banners hanging from the ceiling that read "LOVE IS IN THE AIR!" and "SPARKLE YOUR WAY TO SUCCESS!"
We turned down a hallway lined with purple lockers – my draft had said "purple is the color of mystery and romance" – and that's when I saw him.
He was leaning against a locker at the end of the hall, his deep indigo-blue hair falling over his forehead as he looked down at his phone. He was wearing the school uniform, but the top three buttons were undone, his tie was nowhere to be seen, and his sleeves were ripped at the elbows. Even from across the hall, I could see his magenta eyes – exactly like I'd written them, glowing slightly in the fluorescent light.
Lu Zihang. Shadow. The mailman boy.
My heart did a weird little flip that I definitely did not write into Mianhua's character. I'd made her indifferent to the male lead – she was supposed to be too busy reading "boring old books" to notice him. But standing here, watching him run his fingers through his hair in exactly the way I'd described, I felt a strange flutter in my stomach that had nothing to do with being stuck in a novel.
"Look!" Bella whispered excitedly, pulling me closer. "It's him! Shadow! Oh my gosh, he's even more handsome than I imagined!"
I'd written that line too. Word for word. I forced myself to look away, but it was too late – he'd looked up, and his eyes had landed on us. On me.
His expression was exactly as I'd described it: "brooding and mysterious, like he was carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders." I'd written that because eight-year-old me thought "sad boys are hot." But now, looking at him, I could see something else in his eyes – a hint of confusion, maybe even loneliness.
He pushed off the locker and started walking toward us, and I could feel Bella practically vibrating next to me. Jay tensed slightly beside us – jealous, just like I'd written. I wanted to run, to hide in the library and read a book that wasn't filled with my own terrible writing, but my feet were frozen to the floor.
"Bella," Shadow said, his voice deep and rough – exactly like I'd imagined it would be. He nodded at her, then his eyes moved to Jay. "Zhou. Heard you're planning a fundraiser."
Jay nodded back, his jaw tight. "Yeah. Basketball team. We're raising money for new uniforms. You should come – we have good food."
"Maybe." Shadow's eyes moved to me, and I felt my face heat up. I'd written that Mianhua "blended into the background like a wallflower," but right now, it felt like he was looking right through me. "You must be Mianhua. Bella's friend."
I'd written that he'd know her name because "he notices everything." I forced myself to meet his eyes and nod. "Yeah. That's me."
He tilted his head slightly, and I could see the scar on his right hand – the one I'd meant to put on his left. The one that was supposed to be Bella's soulmate mark. I felt a wave of guilt wash over me. Eight-year-old me had been so careless with her characters, so focused on making everything "sparkly and romantic" that she'd mixed up one of the most important plot points.
"You look familiar," he said, and I could see the confusion in his eyes. "Have we met before?"
Only in my head, I wanted to say. I created you when I was eight years old, based on a mailman who gave me stickers. But instead, I just shook my head. "I don't think so. I was sick last week, so I missed the first few days of school."
"Right." He nodded, but his eyes were still fixed on mine. "Well… if you ever need help with anything – math, science, even parkour – let me know. Bella says you're smart."
Bella beamed. "She is! She knows all kinds of stuff – like why the sky is blue and how to make a fire with two sticks!"
I'd written that Mianhua was "surprisingly resourceful" – which was code for "I'd just watched a survival show and thought it was cool." Shadow smiled slightly, and I'd been right about one thing: his smile did make girls faint. Even at forty-five, I felt my knees go weak.
"I'll keep that in mind," he said, then looked at his phone. "I should get to class. See you guys later."
He walked away, and I let out a breath I didn't realize I'd been holding. Bella was practically bouncing with excitement. "Did you see that?! He talked to me! And he noticed you! This is exactly like in my favorite novels – the mysterious boy notices the quiet girl and the perfect boy gets jealous!"
I looked at Jay, who was watching Shadow walk away with a tight expression, then at Bella, who was already planning their first date in her head, then down at my hands – still small and smooth and not my own.
This was exactly like my novel. But at the same time, it was nothing like it. The characters were more real than I'd ever imagined – they had hopes and fears and quirks I'd never written down. And somehow, despite being an extra who was supposed to fade into the background, I was right in the middle of everything.
"Come on," Jay said, pulling me out of my thoughts. "We're going to be late. And Mrs. Li hates when I'm late to calculus – she says I set a bad example as student body president."
I followed him and Bella down the hall, my mind racing. I'd come here thinking I'd just have to lay low and avoid the ridiculous plot points I'd written. But now, standing in the hallway of Starlight Academy, talking to characters I'd created with crayons and glitter glue, I realized something:
This wasn't just my story anymore. And if I was stuck here, I was going to have to make sure everyone got the happy ending they deserved – even if it meant fixing my eight-year-old self's mistakes.
Starting with that scar.