Chapter 2

The air went still for a second.

Kyle looked up. “Why, though? We’ve had the group since high school, and you’re leaving out of nowhere?”

Clarice stared at me, annoyance flicking in her eyes. “Stop it, James.”

I said, “I didn’t quit on a whim.”

“Why did you leave then?”

I held my phone and showed her the screen with my flight confirmation for Lake Tahoe.

“I’m leaving on Sunday.”

Clarice was taken aback. “By yourself?”

“Yeah.”

Kyle said, “James, are you still upset? It’s not safe to travel alone. Besides, weren’t we supposed to take a trip to the beach next month?”

I met his gaze. “Will there just be tickets for two again?”

Color drained from Kyle’s face.

Clarice’s frown deepened. “What do you mean by two tickets?”

I chuckled. “Oh, you don’t know?”

She stopped talking.

Her silence was all too familiar.

Any time Kyle was at the center of an issue, Clarice would use her silence to shield him.

Kyle refuted, “We only managed to snag two tickets for the music festival. Clarice didn’t bring it up because she was afraid you’d be disappointed.”

“What about the camping trip?”

“It was true we didn’t have enough gear.”

“The photos of you two at the campsite were taken twenty minutes apart from each other.”

Kyle’s tears rolled down his cheeks. “James, have you been keeping tabs on me?”

Clarice scowled. “James, if there’s zero trust between friends, why even bother?”

I shifted my attention to her.

As it turned out, I had been pushed aside for six months, yet somehow, I was the one who needed to reflect on trust.

I locked my phone screen, got up, and went to my room.

Clarice’s voice came up from behind me. “Where are you going?”

I replied, “I’m packing my bags.”

She said curtly, “If you’re really going to walk away over something this small, don’t expect me to be the one who comes running after you.”

I halted my footsteps.

Kyle murmured, “James, just stop this. You’re making Clarice worry.”

I didn’t look back.

It struck me that getting a non-refundable, non-amendable ticket was a brilliant decision.

At least, no one could cancel my plans for me.

…

I had just popped open my suitcase when Clarice barged through the door.

Standing at the entrance, she glanced at my clothes that were spread out. “Are you for real?”

I folded my UV-protection jacket. “Yeah.”

“All over a text Kyle sent by mistake?”

My fingers stilled. “It’s not just that.”

Clarice approached and snatched the jacket right out of my hands. “James, we’ve been together for three years and known each other for ten. Are you seriously throwing all that away over some misunderstanding?”

I met her gaze. “Misunderstanding?”

“Isn’t it? She softened her tone. “Kyle’s just thoughtless sometimes. You know that. If you’re really going to hold every little thing against him, that’s on you.”

My eyes fell on the jacket in her hand.

That piece of apparel was something she picked up as an afterthought for my birthday last year.

The tag still had the note Kyle left when he helped her pick it out.

“This one works for James. It’s flattering on anyone.”

So it was generic.

Somehow, even the gift itself felt like something Clarice had grabbed out of convenience.

“Clarice.” I asked, “Have you ever put me first, even just once?”

She was stunned.

Kyle knocked on the door. “Clarice, please don’t fight with James. It’s all my fault.”

Clarice snapped her head around. “You don’t need to get involved.”

I chuckled.

She turned her attention to me, stung by my laughter. “What’s so funny?”

“Nothing.” I pulled the jacket out of her hand. “Just noticing how quick you are to defend him.”

She fell silent for a bit. “Do you have to be mean?”

Kyle opened the door and entered the room with a small paper bag in hand.

“James, I picked up this travel journal for you when I passed by a shop earlier. I know you love keeping journals. Take this as my peace offering, will you?”