Chapter 2

As soon as the call ended, Emily's tears started streaming down her face.

Brian immediately leaned in to comfort her. "Don't cry. You're better off without a boyfriend like that anyway."

"Get lost," I said coldly to Brian. "This isn't your business."

Emily slapped me hard. "Alex, you've really let me down! I'm breaking up with you!"

Last time, when she said she wanted to break up, I totally freaked out and begged her over and over.

But now, I just looked at her calmly. "Whatever."

Emily suddenly grabbed my phone and slammed it down on the floor. "You bastard. I never want to see you again!"

With that, she spun around and bolted out of the compartment.

Last time, I chased after her like a total simp, only to catch them kissing in the restroom.

Two months later, she got pregnant, and her dad beat her until she miscarried, leaving her infertile for life.

In the end, she blamed everything on me.

This time, no way I'd let that mess happen again.

*****

No idea how long I lay there, but eventually I just passed out, half-awake, half-asleep.

Suddenly, someone yelled, "Wake up, wake up!"

I opened my eyes to see a train attendant's anxious face.

"You're Emily's boyfriend, right?" she said, her voice trembling. "Hurry, come with me. She's in the restroom. She tried to slit her wrist!"

The restroom was already packed with people. When I finally pushed my way in, I saw Emily slumped on the floor.

Her left wrist was wrapped in a towel the attendant had used for a quick bandage, stained with blood.

As soon as she saw me, her tear-filled eyes instantly blazed with fury.

She shouted, "This is that jerk!

"He's my boyfriend, and he knew there was some creepy old guy staring at me in my compartment, but he still refused to switch bunks with me!"

"Hey, don't get so worked up, or your wound will split open," a curly-haired lady said, gently supporting Emily. She shot me a glare. "Young man, you look decent enough, but how can you be so heartless?"

"Exactly! Kids these days have no sense of responsibility at all. Makes you wonder what their parents were thinking raising them," a guy in a polo shirt sighed, shaking his head.

I opened my mouth to explain, but before I could get a word out, Brian's sleazy voice shouted from the back of the crowd. "Move aside, move aside!"

He'd changed into another anime T-shirt. This one was emblazoned with the words "Cuteness is Justice" in big, bold letters.

"Emily, are you okay?" Brian asked, his voice dripping with fake concern.

Emily clung to Brian's sleeve like she was drowning and he was her only lifeline. "Brian, I'm so scared. That pervert tried to touch my foot."

What a good liar.

Last time, she used this same line to get me to switch bunks, and then she ended up messing around with Brian.

"That's outrageous!" Brian jumped up, putting on his righteous act. "Where's the attendant? This is exactly why we need to switch bunks!"

The curly-haired lady jumped in, "That's right. You have to switch, no excuses. Come on, young man. What's so hard about switching bunks with your girlfriend?"

The passengers all started talking at once, pointing fingers at me like I was some kind of villain.

I took a deep breath and looked at Emily. "Are you sure there's actually a creep in your compartment? Let me check it out myself first."

Brian cut in immediately, "No need for that. I'll switch with that creep. Emily can stay with me. I'm great at keeping people safe."

I clenched my fists. "Don't they both have to agree to switch bunks?"

The attendant nodded. "That's the rule."

"Then I'll go ask that 'creep' myself," I said, putting extra sarcasm on the word. With that, I turned and walked straight toward the compartment Emily was in.

Behind me, Brian said, putting on his fake concern, "Don't worry, Emily. I'll keep you safe."

I pushed open the compartment door and saw only a middle-aged woman inside, trying to calm a baby. There was no creep to begin with.

Then I noticed someone lying on the top bunk, facing away from me, dressed in a wrinkled suit.

"Who's that?" I asked.

"Oh, that's Leo," the woman replied. "He's a retired railroad worker. He's a good guy, just not much of a talker."

Leo slowly turned around, showing off a scruffy, unshaven face and those dull, lifeless eyes. Honestly, he did look kind of creepy.

"What do you want?" he croaked, his voice rough.

I pulled out 20 bucks. "If someone tries to switch bunks with you later, just say no, alright?"

Leo stared at the money for a few seconds, then took it and mumbled, "Alright."