Chapter 4

When I got to the parking lot in the morning, I spotted the SUV at a glance.

I did not say anything when I noticed all their luggage had been loaded in.

Eleanor saw me and handed me her phone.

“I already bought you a three-hour bus ticket for 11 a.m. Copy the details in yours.”

I did not take it.

Edmund got out of the passenger seat and said, “I’ll take the bus today. Everett’s been stuck riding buses by himself the past couple of days.”

The moment he said that, Faye and Lily frowned.

“You’re just starting to feel better.

“That whole stretch is winding mountain roads. You’ll be throwing up again.”

Eleanor pulled him back, too.

“I don’t feel comfortable letting you take the bus.”

I stood there as I recalled the six-hour bus ride from before.

When Eleanor saw that I still had not accepted her phone, she said, “Just take it.”

I looked at her and said, “I don’t want to ride the bus today.”

Everyone froze.

Faye was the first to react.

“Then, what are we supposed to do?”

“We can’t make Edmund go instead.”

I said, “We can wait for the car to get fixed.”

“Are we supposed to just cancel today’s plans?”

“We could rent another car.”

Lily looked a little annoyed.

“It’s only three hours. Is it really that big of a deal?”

Eleanor’s expression darkened as well.

“Everett, don’t start acting out right now.”

I looked at her.

In the past, I would have explained myself and told her that I was not acting out.

This time, I did not want to give in, but I also felt that explaining everything was pointless.

I pushed the phone back to her and said, “You guys go ahead.”

Edmund got out of the car. “What are you going to do then?”

I pulled my suitcase upright and said, “I’ll figure it out myself.”

Faye laughed. “See? I told you he’d be fine.”

Lily waved at me and said, “See you tonight, then.”

Eleanor stared at me for a long while before saying, “I’ll still send the ticket to your phone.

“Call me when you get there.”

I nodded. “Okay.”

After they drove off, I stood there for a long time.

Half of my baseball cap was sticking out of the trunk.

I did not call out to them.

After I got back to the hotel, the first thing I did was cancel the rest of the hotel bookings and sightseeing reservations.

Then, I opened the work text from yesterday.

[Hi, is the position still open?]

Ryan replied promptly, [Yes, it is.]

I paused for a few seconds, then replied, [I would like to accept the offer.]

After I sent the message, I started packing my suitcase.

I did not take the cap.

No one even asked about the jacket I had left in the car.

At 11 p.m., I dragged my suitcase back to my apartment near campus.

My roommate, Ivan Winifred, was surprised to see me.

“Aren’t you supposed to be gone for a few more days?”

“I returned early.”

He looked at me and asked, “Did you and Eleanor get into a fight?”

I shook my head. “No.”

It was the truth. We had not really fought.

Her charger, earphones, and two jackets were still sitting on my desk where she had left them.

I found a cardboard box and packed them one by one.

I dug out the movie tickets I had never been able to throw away, our photos together, and the ticket stubs from our first date. After looking at them for a moment, I placed them in the box.

They did not even fill one cardboard box.

Finally, at midnight, someone texted in the group chat.

[Has Everett arrived yet?]

Faye replied, [He’s probably still sulking.]

Edmund chimed in, [Should we give him a call?]

After a few minutes, Eleanor texted, [Leave him alone. He’ll cool off on his own.]

I stared at the texts for a while.

For the first time, I did not feel that familiar heaviness in my chest. She was right.

I really was giving myself time to cool down, but this time, cooling down did not mean I would eventually go back to them.

It was about slowly getting used to no longer following them.

The next morning, I finished my last graduation procedure.

Only after the cab pulled out of the school gate did Eleanor send me a text.

[What do you want to eat when you get back tonight?]

[We really did put you in a tough spot yesterday. I’ll treat you to something nice.]

She was still the same as always. She thought one nice meal and a few sweet words would be enough to win me over and bring me back.

Just as they announced boarding, she called me.

I did not pick up.

Before I turned off my phone, I saw the four of them in the group chat still discussing where to go next.

They were still thinking of the trip as a five-person graduation trip.

But the person who had always accommodated them, no matter how many times they went on without him, had already dragged his luggage through the boarding gate.

This time, I was choosing to find a place where I really belonged.