LOST HIM, FOUND YOU

THE ENVELOPE

CHAPTER 1: THE ENVELOPE

Zara walked home slowly.

Not because she was tired, but because every step felt heavier than the last. The afternoon sun burned against her skin, yet she still felt cold inside. Her fingers tightened around the white envelope in her hand like if she held it hard enough, everything written inside would disappear.

But it wouldn’t.

Her eyes burned again. She blinked quickly, forcing the tears back before they could fall.

She couldn’t cry.

Not yet.

Not when she still had to face her parents.

The moment she reached the house, she pushed the door open quietly and stepped inside.

Mrs. Collins had just returned from work and was loosening her heels in the living room when she looked up.

Immediately, she noticed something was wrong.

Zara was never this quiet.

Normally, she would complain about school, drop her bag carelessly, or head straight to the kitchen looking for food. But today, she said nothing.

Without meeting her mother’s eyes, Zara walked forward and placed a white envelope on the table with slightly shaking fingers.

Then she turned and headed toward her room.

“Zara?” her mother called softly.

But Zara didn’t stop.

The sound of her bedroom door closing echoed through the house.

Mrs. Collins frowned slightly before picking up the envelope. At first, she thought it was probably another school notice or exam report.

But the moment she opened it, her expression changed.

Confusion.

Shock.

Disbelief.

Her eyes quickly scanned the words again.

Expelled.

Her breath caught instantly.

“…almost caused serious harm to another student.”

For a few seconds, she simply stared at the paper in silence.

Her daughter?

Zara?

The same stubborn girl that argued over chores and rolled her eyes whenever she got scolded?

Mrs. Collins sank slowly into the couch, still holding the envelope tightly in her hand.

Nothing about this felt real.

About an hour later, the front door opened again.

“Mom?” Caleb called out as he stepped inside.

Almost immediately, he felt it.

The silence.

The house felt too still

No music from Zara’s room.

No television.

No noise at all.

His brows pulled together slightly.

“Hello?”

Still nothing.

Confused, he walked further inside until he spotted his mother sitting quietly in the living room.

She looked emotionally drained.

Without saying a word, she handed him the envelope.

Caleb took it carefully.

At first, he didn’t understand what he was reading.

Then he read it again

Slower.

His expression changed immediately.

“…Zara?” he whispered in disbelief.

He sat down heavily beside his mother, rubbing his hand over his face.

“No… this doesn’t make sense.”

But the paper was right there in his hands.

Real.

Cold.

Impossible to deny.

⸻

That night, Zara sat quietly in her parents’ room.

The atmosphere felt tense.

Too tense.

Her father stood near the window while her mother remained seated on the bed.

Neither of them shouted.

That somehow felt worse.

“You’re changing schools,” her father finally said.

Zara slowly lifted her head.

“You’ll be attending Caleb’s school from now on,” her mother added gently.

Silence followed.

Zara swallowed hard but said nothing.

“You’ll stay home for a few days first,” her father continued. “Until everything is arranged.”

Still, Zara stayed quiet.

She wasn’t sure what she felt anymore.

Relief?

Fear?

Embarrassment?

Maybe all three.

It felt less like a second chance and more like standing at the edge of something unknown.

And honestly,

That scared her.

⸻

The next five days passed strangely.

Zara changed.

Not completely, but enough for everyone to notice.

She stopped arguing.

Stopped slamming doors.

Stopped talking back.

Now, she mostly stayed in her room or moved silently around the house like she was trying not to disturb anything.

Even Caleb noticed it.

Some nights, he would wake up and see the light from her room still on long after midnight.

She barely slept anymore.

Sometimes she just sat there staring into space, lost in thoughts she never shared with anyone.

And somehow, that worried him more than her attitude ever did.

⸻

When the acceptance letter from Caleb’s school finally arrived, nobody celebrated.

Mrs. Collins smiled softly.

Their father nodded once.

But the relief inside the house felt fragile, like nobody wanted to say too much too soon.

That evening, Zara sat quietly at the dining table while Caleb scrolled through his phone across from her.

Several times, it looked like he wanted to say something.

But he never did.

Not because he was angry.

Because he cared.

And neither of them knew how to talk about what was happening anymore.

⸻

Monday morning arrived faster than Zara expected.

The drive to school was painfully quiet.

She sat beside the window, watching buildings and passing cars blur together while her fingers rested nervously on her lap.

Outwardly, she looked calm.

Inside, she felt anything but calm.

Her chest stayed tight the entire ride.

New school.

New people.

New beginning.

Or maybe…

another disaster waiting to happen.

⸻

The school was bigger than she expected.

Students filled the hallways, laughing loudly and rushing to classes while conversations echoed around her.

It made her uncomfortable immediately.

After registration was completed, Mrs. Collins gave her a few last-minute instructions before leaving.

And just like that…

Zara was alone.

She adjusted the strap of her bag and exhaled slowly.

A few seconds later, the school bell rang loudly through the building.

Her heart skipped.

Great.

Now she was late too.

She quickly turned a corner—

—and slammed directly into someone.

Her books slipped from her hands instantly.

Papers scattered across the floor.

“Oh my God—”

Zara froze.

For one awkward second, neither of them moved.

Then slowly, she looked up.

A boy stood in front of her.

Tall.

Calm.

Annoyingly calm.

Most people would react immediately after being bumped into.

But he simply stared at her quietly like he was studying her reaction instead.

“I’m sorry,” Zara said quickly as she crouched down to gather her papers.

Embarrassment burned through her chest.

Perfect.

First day and she was already making a scene.

She hurriedly reached for her documents, praying he would just leave.

But instead, he spoke.

“Seriously?” he said calmly. “First day and you’re already causing trouble.”

Zara paused instantly.

Her brows pulled together.

“I didn’t cause anything,” she muttered under her breath.

The boy bent down and picked up the last sheet of paper before handing it to her.

“You kinda did.”

That irritated her immediately.

Slowly, Zara stood up and faced him properly.

“Excuse me?”

A few nearby students had already started watching.

She noticed it right away.

The staring.

The whispering.

Her stomach tightened.

The boy didn’t seem bothered at all.

“You bumped into me,” he said simply. “Everything fell.”

“I said I was sorry.”

“And I heard you.”

His calmness somehow annoyed her more.

Zara tightened her grip on her bag.

“I didn’t do it on purpose.”

“Still happened.”

A small silence settled between them.

The hallway buzzed around them, but suddenly Zara only noticed him.

His expression barely changed.

Yet his eyes stayed fixed on her like he could somehow see through the frustration she was trying so hard to hide.

Zara looked away first.

“I don’t like you,” she said before thinking.

To her surprise, he nodded once.

“Good.”

That caught her off guard.

“Same.”

And somehow… that annoyed her even more.

Without another word, Zara walked away quickly before her embarrassment could get worse.

⸻

Class felt unbearable.

Not because anybody was mean to her.

Because everything felt heavy.

Too many faces.

Too many whispers.

Too many thoughts inside her head at once.

Zara sat quietly at her desk, staring at nothing while the teacher spoke in the background.

Then suddenly, her vision blurred.

Her chest tightened painfully.

Before she realized it, tears slipped down her cheeks.

Quickly, she lowered her head.

Please don’t let anyone notice.

Unfortunately, someone did.

“Zara?”

Mr. David’s voice softened immediately.

The classroom became silent.

She felt every eye on her again.

Her breathing became uneven.

Mr. David slowly walked closer.

“You okay?”

Zara couldn’t answer.

Honestly, she didn’t trust her voice.

After a few seconds, he spoke gently again.

“Come with me.”

No judgement.

No embarrassment.

Just concern.

And strangely…

that almost made her cry harder.

⸻

Inside his office, Zara barely spoke.

But somehow, Mr. David understood anyway.

He didn’t pressure her.

Didn’t ask unnecessary questions.

He simply listened whenever she managed to speak.

Little by little, her breathing steadied.

For the first time that day, she didn’t feel like people were staring at her waiting for her to mess up.

And that alone helped.

⸻

When she finally returned to class later, she felt lighter.

Not okay.

But better.

Like the pressure squeezing her chest had loosened slightly.

⸻

Later that afternoon, Zara walked through the hallway while checking her schedule when she spotted Caleb approaching with someone beside him.

At first, she barely paid attention.

Then she looked properly—

—and froze.

Him.

The same boy from earlier.

The calm eyes.

The unreadable expression.

Something tightened inside her chest immediately.

Caleb smiled the moment he saw her.

“Zara,” he called. “Come here.”

Slowly, she walked toward them.

Her heartbeat suddenly felt too loud.

“This is my friend Ethan,” Caleb said casually.

For one second, nobody spoke.

Ethan was already looking at her.

Not surprised.

Not awkward.

Just quietly aware.

Caleb laughed lightly, completely unaware of the tension between them.

“You two should get along,” he joked. “He’s actually a good guy.”

Zara forced out a small smile.

“…Nice to meet you.”

Ethan held her gaze for a brief second before nodding once.

“Yeah,” he said calmly.

Then after a short pause, he added:

“…we’ve met.”

Silence dropped instantly.

Caleb blinked in confusion.

“Huh?”

But Zara couldn’t answer.

Because her fingers had already tightened nervously around her bag.

And deep down, one terrifying thought settled heavily inside her chest.

He remembered everything.