Chapter 1
On our graduation trip, Lucas Gray actually forgot me at a highway rest stop, all by myself.
I unlocked my phone and saw the class group chat blowing up with over 99+ messages.
[The sunrise at the summit is here! It's gorgeous!]
[Lucas even got motion sickness meds ready for Chloe.]
[The hottest guy and girl in school standing together, it's like a scene straight out of a teen movie.]
The chat was instantly filled with "Get together! Get together!" spam.
I scrolled up and saw Lucas had just posted a grid of nine photos.
He and Chloe were standing side by side at the overlook, holding the camera I'd waited in line to buy.
Someone tagged me in the group chat, with a message written: [Ella, aren't you the one who always snaps epic shots? Come take some photos!]
I felt a bit speechless but still replied with only three emphasizing question marks in the chat.
Lucas's private message popped up right away:
[Ella, stop your trick.]
[Finish your selfies and get up here. Chloe's blood sugar is crashing.]
I stared at the screen. Suddenly, I didn't feel like chasing after the bus anymore.
He hadn't even noticed I'd been gone since the last rest stop.
*****
The class group chat was still blowing up.
[That pic of Chloe leaning on Lucas's shoulder is everything.]
[Who else is losing it over Lucas putting his jacket on Chloe? I hope they're holding their marriage ceremony, right away and right here.]
[Where's Ella? She's got the best camera skills, why isn't she out here snapping pics?]
The phone screen dimmed, reflecting my pale face.
Half an hour ago, I'd been waiting in line to buy water for the whole class, grabbing some sour plums for the motion-sick classmates, and even picked up Lucas's usual iced Americano.
As the bus doors closed, the driver honked twice.
I ran out of the convenience store with two big bags, but the tour bus was already pulling away from the exit ramp.
Back then, I still thought they'd notice I was missing.
Lucas was sitting in the last row by the window, where I should've been.
He always said I was clingy whenever I got carsick, but he still let me have the window seat every time.
After last year's sports day, the bus home was packed like sardines. He kept me safe in the corner and said, "Ella, don't get lost again."
But that promise got lost in the chaos of the rest stop.
My phone buzzed again with WhatsApp messages.
Lucas: [If you don't reply, I'll have the class rep dock your participation points.]
Lucas: [Don't be mad. Everyone's waiting for you to take photos.]
'Waiting for me to take photos?'
I found myself a bit lost noticing they were waiting for the photos instead of me.
Ella's fingers hovered over the keyboard. She typed a few words, then erased them, not knowing what to say.
In the end, all she sent was a screenshot of her location.
Highway rest stop.
Three seconds later, my phone rang.
Lucas's voice was low, with laughter and wind in the background. Then Chloe's gentle voice chimed in, "Lucas, is that Ella? Don't be so hard on her, she might really be lost."
"Ella, what's your deal?" Lucas snapped.
He sounded pissed from the very first word.
I gripped the handles of the convenience store bags.
"I'm at the rest stop," I responded.
There was a brief silence on the other end.
Then Lucas let out a cold laugh. "If you're going to lie, at least make it convincing. We did a headcount before we got to the base of the mountain, everyone was there."
Chloe was the one doing the headcount.
She was sitting in the front row, reading names off the list.
When she got to my name, someone on the bus shouted, "Ella was just taking pictures out the window."
But at that moment, I was still at the convenience store, paying.
Maybe Chloe didn't hear, or maybe she just didn't feel like asking again.
"I didn't get on the bus," I said.
Lucas's voice got even colder. "You think just because we graduated, everything has to be about you?"
The rest stop loudspeaker blared, making me forget to breathe for a second.
On the other end, Chloe gave a little cough.
Lucas's tone softened right away. "Just sit tight for now. The meds are in the side pocket of my bag. Don't force it."
That softness wasn't meant for me.
Right before the SAT, my stomach hurt so bad I was sweating cold. I texted him, asking if he could come with me to the nurse's office.
He didn't reply for two hours. When he finally did, it was just some simple and cold words: [Keep yourself hydrated. Don't bother me while I'm studying.]
Later, I found out he'd spent those two hours helping Chloe with the toughest math questions.
My eyes burned, swelling with tears. I set the plastic bags down by my feet.
The iced Americano was covered in condensation, drops hitting the tile floor one after another.
"Lucas," I said.
"Can you tell Mr. Fisher I'm not on the bus?"
On the other end, I could hear classmates urging everyone to take a group photo.
Lucas let out a sigh, impatient.
"If you don't want to join the group, just say so. Don't joke around with that security issue. There's barely any signal up here, and I don't have time for this right now."
Right before the call ended, Chloe's gentle voice came through, "Ella, everyone's exhausted. Don't give Lucas a hard time."
The line then went dead.
The automatic doors at the convenience store kept sliding open and shut, blasting out cold air that was instantly swallowed by the scorching heat.
On my phone, Lucas's grid of photos had racked up dozens more likes.
The first photo was the sunrise.
The second was Chloe.
In the third, his hand rested on the railing behind her shoulder, like a hug he never quite gave.
The camera I'd bought was hanging around Chloe's neck, the bunny strap I'd tied on still looped around the lens cap.
Lucas gave me that bunny for his seventeenth birthday.
The words he promised to me drifted in my head, "From now on, you'll be the one capturing the world, and I'll be the one watching you."
I looked down, removed the bunny strap from my backup camera bag, and tossed it into the trash can by the rest stop entrance.