Chapter Eight: When Luck Wavers
683 Words
Julia didn’t expect the warmth to fade so suddenly.
It started the next morning when she stepped out of bed and immediately knocked her knee against the frame. The sharp sting made her hiss as she rubbed the spot, staring down at the floor like it had betrayed her. Small things happened after that. Her toast burned. Her pen leaked in her bag. Nothing disastrous, but enough to make her chest tighten
By the time she reached school, the charm in her pocket felt strangely cool
She tried to ignore it as she made her way through the hallway, but the familiar unease crept back in. She nearly bumped into someone rounding a corner and had to jump aside at the last second
“Watch it,” the girl snapped, brushing past her
Julia murmured an apology and kept walking, heart sinking. The halls felt louder today, sharper, like they used to
She spotted Liam near the lockers, laughing with a group of students. One girl stood close to him, her hand brushing his arm as she said something that made him grin. Julia slowed without meaning to, a strange heaviness settling in her chest
The charm stayed cold
She told herself it didn’t matter. Liam was allowed to laugh with other people. She had no claim over him. Still, her steps faltered, and when she turned away, she didn’t notice the edge of a loose mat until it was too late
She stumbled, books spilling across the floor
“Oh no,” she whispered, heat rushing to her face
Hands reached for her books, but they weren’t Liam’s. A few students helped silently before drifting away. By the time she looked up, the hallway felt emptier than before
The rest of the day followed the same pattern. Small mishaps. Near misses. That old familiar feeling of bracing for something worse. Julia caught herself clutching the charm more often, waiting for warmth that didn’t come
At lunch, she sat alone, pushing food around her tray. When Liam finally approached, her stomach twisted instead of fluttering
“Hey,” he said, sliding into the seat across from her. “You disappeared earlier. Everything okay?”
“Fine,” Julia replied quickly, too quickly
He studied her for a moment. “You sure?”
She shrugged. “Just tired”
The silence stretched. The charm lay heavy in her pocket, useless.
“I didn’t walk with you today,” he said gently. “I thought maybe you were busy”
“I saw you,” she said before she could stop herself
He frowned slightly. “Saw me?”
“With her,” Julia added quietly, eyes fixed on her tray
Understanding flickered across his face. “Oh. That’s Mia. She needed help with a project”
Julia nodded, though the tightness in her chest didn’t ease. “Right. Of course”
Liam leaned forward. “Julia, if this is about—”
“It’s not,” she interrupted, standing abruptly. Her chair scraped loudly against the floor. “I just… need some air”
She walked away before he could say anything else, heart pounding. Outside, the cold bit into her skin, sharper than usual. She pressed her back against the wall, blinking hard
The charm finally warmed then, faint and hesitant, like it was unsure
“Don’t do this,” she whispered to herself. “Don’t hope too much”
That evening, she replayed everything in her mind. The laughter. The stumble. The cold charm. Maybe the magic only worked when things were easy. Maybe it wasn’t real at all
Or maybe she was the problem
She lay in bed staring at the ceiling, phone buzzing with an unread message she was too afraid to open. The warmth from the charm came and went, inconsistent and confusing
For the first time since finding it, Julia wondered if believing in luck had only made falling harder
And as sleep finally crept in, one thought lingered quietly in her chest
Maybe magic didn’t disappear. Maybe it just waited to see if she would believe again.
- Writer
