Chapter 2
Finally, Mr. Fisher picked up.
When he heard what happened on me, his voice changed. "Ella, don't move. Stay in the rest stop lobby. I'll contact the driver and the park right away."
He didn't ask if I was just being dramatic.
That one sentence almost made me cry.
Ten minutes later, the driver called me.
He sounded apologetic, explaining the bus was already winding up the mountain and couldn't turn around. The park staff was sending a car down to pick me up.
"Hey, your classmates said you were sleeping in the back, so I didn't do another headcount," he explained.
I watched as strange cars rolled away down the road.
"No worries, thanks for your help," I replied.
After I hung up, the class group chat suddenly went quiet.
When I refreshed the history page, the class rep posted a message.
The rep: [Just confirmed, Ella really is at the previous rest stop. Everyone, let's pause the chat for now.]
The chat went quiet for less than half a minute.
One of my classmates responded: [Wait, seriously?]
Someone else echoed: [Who was it that said she was on the bus?]
Chloe finally spoke up after a long silence.
Chloe: [Sorry, Ella. When I was calling roll, I heard someone in the back answer, so I thought you were there.]
Her apology was so perfect.
It was so perfect that no one could even be mad at her.
Then people started chiming in to back her up.
[It's not Chloe's fault. She was feeling so carsick but still helped with roll call.]
[Yeah, but Ella got off the bus herself and didn't even say anything to anyone.]
I stared at those words with my own eyes, "...just got off the bus herself..." and felt quite speechless.
The bus stopped at the rest area for twenty minutes, Mr. Fisher told everyone to get off, grab snacks, or hit the restroom.
Lucas finally spoke up in the group chat.
[She's fine, that's all that matters. Enough arguing.]
Just one casual line from him, and everyone kept their silence.
It was always like this.
Back in sophomore year, I pulled three all-nighters editing the class video for the New Year's party. When it was time to list the credits, Chloe said she'd helped me review the footage, so the class rep went ahead and put her name before mine.
When Lucas found out, he just said, "It's just a name. Do you have to make it such a big deal?"
That night, he bought me a bubble tea to make me feel better.
It was half-sweet, hot, with some tapioca pearls in it.
I forgave him that time.
Sitting on that rock-hard bench at the rest stop, I suddenly realized that he never once bothered to remember I was allergic to tapioca pearls.
That bubble tea made me break out in hives everywhere.
It took over an hour for the park's car to finally show up.
The driver, a local guy, kept chatting with me on the way. "You kids gotta watch out for each other when you're out having fun. These mountain roads are nothing like the city."
I nodded and thanked him.
My phone kept buzzing nonstop.
It was Lucas sending me a dozen messages.
Lucas: [How long are you going to keep this up?]
Lucas: [Mr. Fisher already knows. Happy now?]
Lucas: [Chloe's been crying her eyes out because she feels so guilty. Just come up here and tell her it's fine.]
Lucas: [Ella, don't make me think you're being petty.]
Trees zipped by outside the window.
That last text stung, making my chest go numb.
I didn't reply.
By the time I finally made it to the top, the sun had already risen completely.
Everyone was crowded together for group photos at the overlook. Chloe was right in the center, draped in Lucas's white shirt, her eyes so red it looked like she'd been crying all morning.
As soon as I got out of the car, she came running over.
"Ella, I'm so sorry. I swear I didn't mean to."
She reached out, trying to take my hand.
I took a step back.
The atmosphere turned awkward all of a sudden.
Chloe's hand hung in the air, and tears welled up and spilled over.
"Are you mad at me? I wouldn't blame you if you were, but I really was feeling dizzy at the time," she said.
Lucas walked over from the back of the crowd.
He was taller than most guys our age, with broad shoulders and long legs. That cool, aloof face of his, and even just standing there in a plain black tee, you couldn't miss him. He always caught your eye without even trying.
That was why I'd liked him for three years.
He was gorgeous, had that cocky vibe, and every once in a while, he'd drop a bit of softness that made you feel like you were his favorite.
He walked right up to me, dropping his voice so only I could hear.
"Ella, seriously, can you just let it go already?" Lucas said, sounding annoyed.
"Chloe's sick and she already apologized, what else do you want from her?"
I looked up at him.
"What do I want?" I asked.
My throat was so dry it hurt.
"Lucas, you left me at the highway rest stop. I waited for more than two hours. And the first thing you said wasn't 'Are you scared?' or 'Are you okay?', it was just accusing me of making a fuss."
He frowned.
"You're here, aren't you? So what's the big deal?" Lucas said, sounding impatient.
Chloe whispered, "Lucas, stop. It's all my fault."
Lucas quickly moved to block her, like he thought I was about to attack.
"See? She's already a mess," he said.
I watched him step in to protect Chloe, and a quiet laugh slipped out before I could stop myself.
It was barely a faint laugh.
So faint that I could see it made Luca's expression turned even colder.
"Give me my camera back," I said.
Lucas froze.
Chloe touched the camera hanging from her neck and quickly slipped it off.
"Sorry, I didn't know it was yours. Lucas said you're really good with a camera, so he told me I could use it for a bit," she said.
I took it from her.
The camera screen lit up, showing the latest photo. It was what Lucas had snapped a side profile of Chloe.
The composition was spot-on.
The light fell softly on her eyelashes, just like he used to capture mine.
Back when we went to the riverside, he crouched down, obsessing over the perfect angle, and people walking by teased him for being so intense.
He looked up and grinned, "My girlfriend deserves to look her best."
But now, someone else had taken my place in his frame.
I pressed the Delete icon without a second thought.
And then it was a notification popped up on the screen: "Are you sure to delete this photo?"
Lucas reached out and caught my wrist.
"Ella, don't be so childish," he said.
His palm was warm, and his grip on my wrist was strong.
I flinched, pain shooting through my wrist.
Chloe gasped suddenly the next second.
"Lucas, I feel a little unsteady," she said.
Lucas instantly let go of me and caught her before she could fall.
The camera slipped from my hand and hit the railing with a dull thud.
He turned back, looking at the lens first, then at me.
"Do you have to make a scene right now?" he snapped.
A gust of wind blew by.
I didn't bother explaining, and just bent down and picked up the broken lens cap.