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Chapter 2

Author: Steal a Star Candy
The next morning, I still went to the travel agency.

I was not going to join the trip; I just wanted to pick up the photo album I had left there.

When I pushed open the glass door, the four of them were already sitting in the lounge.

Millie was cradling a cup of hot tea, discussing the accommodations with a staff member. “Only two cabins with mountain views left?”

The staff member nodded. “One has two beds, and the other has a king bed. If there are five of you, one person will have to sleep on the sofa bed in the living room.”

The moment she finished speaking, Marcus looked at me. “Hailey can fall asleep anywhere. She can take the sofa.”

Ryan furrowed his brows. “It gets cold at night in the mountains. There’s no floor heating in the living room.”

I looked at him, caught off guard.

Then he continued, “Hailey loves taking photos, right? She could stay at the hotel down the mountain and come up before sunrise to take photos for us. It’d actually be more convenient.”

The warmth that had just flickered to life inside me went cold in an instant.

He was not worried about me being cold. He simply thought I was not worth even the sofa bed.

Millie quickly reached for my hand. “No, we can’t do that. We’re all traveling together. How can we make Hailey stay down the mountain by herself?”

After a moment of hesitation, she offered, “What if Hailey and I share the king bed, and you three take the other room?”

Julian immediately shook his head. “You’re a light sleeper. You won’t get any rest sharing a bed with someone.”

Marcus nodded. “Hailey tosses and turns in her sleep. What if she accidentally kicks your leg?”

They remembered that Millie was a light sleeper, but they had forgotten that my old knee injury flared up whenever I got a cold. It was from the injury I got when I was stranded in the mountains at 16.

I slowly pulled my hand away. “No need to discuss it. I’m not going.”

The four of them fell silent at once.

Millie’s eyes turned red. “Is it because of the room? I can sleep on the sofa. Really.”

“No.” I waved my phone. “I signed up for driving school. The schedule conflicts.”

Marcus let out a mocking laugh. “I knew she wouldn’t get upset over something this small. You guys wasted all that time trying to comfort her.”

Ryan lowered his head and went back to checking the itinerary.

Julian was the only one who kept staring at me for a few seconds. “You really aren’t coming?”

“I’m not.”

“What about the graduation photos?”

“You can hire a local photographer.”

His brows drew together slightly, as though he was not used to hearing me say no.

Suddenly, Millie pressed a hand to her chest and took a couple of shallow breaths. All three of them immediately turned their attention to her.

Marcus rushed to find her medication, Ryan twisted open a bottle of water, and Julian crouched in front of her, quietly reminding her to breathe.

I walked over to the counter alone and picked up the thick photo album.

I had spent three years putting it together.

From freshman year to graduation, I had photographed every important moment the five of us shared. I originally planned to give it to them during our graduation trip.

Yet as I flipped through it now, I realized something.

There was hardly a single photo of me.

I was the person behind the camera, the one who preserved their memories and the one who was always easiest to leave out of the frame.

I walked out of the travel agency with the album in my arms, but a staff member hurried after me. “Ms. Shaw, you haven’t received your tour refund yet.”

“My what?”

She pulled out the contract and pointed to the payment records.

“Mr. Brooks said you canceled at the last minute, but the hotel and transportation have already been booked, so those fees will have to be deducted from your deposit.”

I stared at the name listed under 'Payment Made By', my fingers slowly tightening around the contract.

Two weeks ago, Julian told me he was preparing a graduation surprise and asked me for 20,000 dollars.

I thought he still remembered the promise he had made when we were 16, that he would take me to the snowy mountains someday.

It turned out that he had used that money to pay for a trip for the four of them.

I walked back into the lounge and placed the contract in front of Julian. “Explain.”

His expression flickered when he saw the payment record. “We originally booked for five, then Millie wanted one of the mountain-view cabins and we were a little over budget, so I used that money for now.”

“Why didn’t you ask me?”

“We’re friends. Do we really need to keep score? I’ll pay you back after the trip.”

My eyes fell on Millie’s hand.

A platinum ring rested on her ring finger, its inner band engraved with the initials of all four of their names.

“Was that ring bought with my money too?”

Millie’s face went pale, and she hurriedly slipped it off. “Hailey, I didn’t know it was your money. They just told me they wanted to get something to commemorate our friendship now that we’ve graduated.”

Marcus shot to his feet. “How much? I’ll transfer it to you right now. Don’t take it out on Millie.”

“Okay.” I pulled a price sheet from inside the photo album. “For three years of photography, editing, and album production, the total comes to 5,500 dollars.”

He stared at me. “What photography fee?”

“I’m not a friend who's traveling with you anymore, just the person you hired to take your photos. We’ll settle this at market rate.”

The lounge fell completely silent.

I tucked the contract away and picked up the photo album, the one that contained three years of their memories but barely any trace of me.

For the first time, Julian called me by my full name from behind me. “Hailey Shaw, do you really have to make everything so transactional?”

I did not turn around.

Of course. From now on, the only thing left between us was a bill to settle.

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