The Chapstick Girl
Amber, known to many as the 'Chapstick Girl' for her peculiar collection, carries a silent grief. Behind her bright smiles and kind demeanor lies the memory of a profound loss that shaped her world. When a chance encounter brings her face-to-face with Damien Black, the school's 'kindest boy' and her long-standing secret crush, her carefully constructed world begins to shift. Can a girl who hides her pain behind a radiant facade find the courage to open her heart to someone who sees beyond the surface? Or will the fear of another heartbreak keep her forever admiring from afar?
The familiar scent of cherry chapstick hung in the air, a comforting, almost sacred aroma. I meticulously placed the final tube onto the towering display, a vibrant monument of my year-long obsession. "That took forever," I muttered to myself, stepping back to admire my masterpiece, a silent testament to a memory that shaped my very being.
My dad’s voice broke the quiet, three rhythmic knocks on my bedroom door before it creaked open. “Honey, are you heading to bed? I know you have school tomorrow…” He paused, his eyes instantly catching the colorful array, and a smile, soft and knowing, touched his lips. "Oh, you finally finished! I thought I'd be a grandpa before the time you finished."
