The timestamp read: Just now.

At first, people thought it was a printing error. But then students started flipping back through older yearbooks—middle school, elementary, even kindergarten. In every single one, Zachary’s face was missing. Sometimes smudged. Sometimes replaced by a dark oval. Sometimes turned away from the camera, even though everyone remembered him looking forward.

The message delivered instantly. Three dots appeared. Then stopped. Then appeared again.

The camera roll was full of pictures—hundreds of them. All of Derek. Sleeping. In class. In the shower. In his car. And in every single photo, just behind Derek’s shoulder, stood Zachary. Same gray hoodie. Same empty expression.

The school said the negatives were corrupted. The yearbook advisor said she had no memory of taking his picture.

Until the yearbook came out.

In the last photo, taken at 3:13 AM that same night, Zachary was smiling. And he was holding Derek’s phone.

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