Luna folded the paper in half, sticking it in her pocket for safekeeping until she could put it in her journal with the other notes she’d saved, and then, messaged Tasha.

Luna: HOME!!!!! OH AND

JEWEL’S BACK! AHHHH!!!

“Lasagna tonight,” she said, placing it in the oven.

“Amazing,” Alex said. “Your room or the couch?”

Luna sighed quietly, thinking of the “concerned” texts she’d gotten from his girlfriend, Melody. It was funny because Melody was nice, like, seriously on par with a Disney Princess. But something about Alex spending every afternoon at Luna’s house upset her.

Eventually, Melody decided it would just be best to meet “woman to woman.” At the end of their talk—which wasn’t so much a conversation as being forced to listen to Melody for twenty minutes—Luna had promised to abide by the “Girlfriend Boundary.”

She didn’t understand it. But she promised.

“Couch,” she said.

By the time she joined him, he’d already dumped all his homework on the coffee table for show. He never actually did any of it when he was with her, usually choosing to watch anime on his phone instead. She sat next to him, deciding to close the forums and open Golden Rule.

A sparkling golden background filled the screen. At the bottom, a progress bar began to fill from left to right while a thin black line drew a prismatic oval on a stand. Gold faded into white, and two options appeared: CREATE AN ACCOUNT or SIGN IN. Watching the app load calmed her like it always did. She’d found it and Jewel during the darkest moment of her life, and to this day, they both continued to soothe her anxious nerves just by existing.

Since she never spoke in her videos, Luna’s Golden Rule inbox had remained blissfully empty. Most users knew she’d never reply. Videos tagged #GoldenWeekendXChallenge clogged the front page—users were already shooting their shots by the thousands because Jewel still hadn’t followed the fourth user.

No one knew the specifics of what happened at Golden Weekend, but it was common knowledge that Jewel swooped in like a fairy godmother, granting every attendee one wish. When they left her estate, suddenly they all had enough money for college. Or they could quit their job to pursue their dream career. Or they started traveling around the world, posting pictures of their adventures.

In exchange, the attendees had been forbidden from publicly talking about their time with Jewel. Even more scandalous than that? They all had to leave Golden Rule by a specified date. No warning, no goodbye video—they just abandoned their accounts and platforms.

Luna always got goose bumps thinking about it. Golden Rule meant everything to her, but she’d give it up, her Goldspiracy Forums too, for a chance to meet Jewel and use her wish for Tasha. But that was never going to happen.

“How’s your brain?” Alex asked.