Chapter 3

Nina's POV

Mom called, so I got up and found a quiet spot to answer. She asked, "What's wrong, Nina? You only just left today. Why are you already coming back?"

Her question brought tears to my eyes. For a long moment, I couldn't bring myself to speak.

Then I heard a sigh. "Nina, since you're on a trip, try to enjoy yourself. Stop getting upset over every little thing."

"Okay, I got it," I answered.

When I returned, Lindsay was sitting in my chair. The chair she had been using had been moved all the way to the far end.

Lucas casually explained, "Lindsay got a bug in her eye just now. I was helping her get it out."

She said, "I'll go back to my own seat."

She didn't stand up, but Lucas still stopped her. "Stay there. Nina isn't that petty."

Chad chimed in, "Exactly. What difference does it make where you sit?"

Knowing better than to argue, I went to the seat at the very end and sat down.

After dinner, we spent another three hours wandering around. The wounds on my feet kept reopening with every step. The pain gradually faded until I could no longer feel anything.

When we returned to the hotel, I went straight to the bathroom to shower. By the time I came out, my luggage was lying open on the floor.

Chad passed by me and said, "Lindsay took your masks and used them."

After a whole day under the sun, with a layer of face paint covering my skin, my face was already peeling and stinging. I asked, "She used both of them?"

"Shane thought one might not be enough, so he gave her two."

After everything I had been through, I had long since run out of patience. I couldn't help raising my voice. "What gives you the right to decide what to do with my belongings?"

The bedroom door opened, and Lucas walked out. "They're only two face masks. Why are you making such a big deal out of it?"

Shane frowned. "Nina has been getting more and more petty these days."

Lindsay could take my things whenever she wanted, as if it were only natural. However, when I questioned it, I was being petty and oversensitive.

Then she came out, wearing both face masks. "I'm sorry, Nina. I thought we were best friends, so I didn't think you'd mind."

The three of them quickly comforted her.

"It's okay. It's not like it was anything valuable."

"You've already used them. We can just buy Nina new ones tomorrow."

They would buy me new ones, they said, as if it were them against me. Suddenly, everything felt utterly pointless. I said nothing more and turned back to my room.

Just before bed, Lucas messaged me. "Lindsay gets scared easily, so she's sleeping in our room tonight."

I replied. "You're sleeping there, too?"

He replied. "What's the big deal? We all grew up together."

I wanted to ask if anyone would be willing to share a room with me. But all he cared about was finding excuses for their behavior.

I typed out my response, and my fingers hovered over the send button for a long time before I eventually deleted the message, one letter at a time.

I then opened the ticket-booking app. It showed that my ticket purchase had failed. I switched to a different train and tried again.

According to the itinerary, we were supposed to spend the second day at the beach. I put on the dress I had bought the week before and changed into a pair of sandals, not wanting my shoes to keep rubbing against the wounds on my feet. However, we passed the entrance to the beach, heading into the mountains.

I asked, "Weren't we supposed to go to the beach today?"

Lucas met my eyes in the rearview mirror, saying casually and dismissively, "We changed the plan. We're going hiking."

I asked, "When did you do that?"

Shane answered for Lucas, "We discussed it before bed last night. Lindsay wanted to go."

"And nobody thought to tell me?" I asked.

Chad didn't even look up as he said dismissively, "We're telling you now, aren't we?"

"But I'm wearing sandals," I said.

Lindsay turned around and said, "Why don't we switch? I'm not picky. I just need something to wear."

Lucas answered for me before I could speak, as if he feared I might actually accept her offer. "No need for that. Nina isn't that fragile."

"Go on without me. I'll take a cab," I suggested.

Lindsay's eyes turned red, and her voice turned so gentle and fragile. "Never mind, then. We won't go. We'll go back with you."

Lucas tightened his grip on the steering wheel. He chided, "Nina, stop making a fuss."

Chad glared up at me. "We finally get a chance to go on a trip. Can you stop ruining everyone's fun?"

Shane's expression also turned grim. "Do you have to make Lindsay cry before you're happy?"

As long as Lindsay wanted something, I was expected to comply. I didn't know who had made up this rule, but everyone still followed it. They still drove all the way to the foot of the mountain.

I stayed in the car. "You guys go ahead. I'll wait in the car."

Chad pulled me out of the car. "We'd be wasting the trip if you didn't join us."

"But my shoes are—"

Lindsay grabbed my hand and started pulling me up the mountain. "Come on, Nina! The view from the top is beautiful."

With every step, my feet slid back and forth inside my sandals. The four of them dragged me up the mountain, forcing me to walk uncomfortably.

When we reached the top, Lindsay pointed at the view below. "Nina, look! Isn't it lovely?"

I rubbed my sore, aching calves. I replied wearily, "Yeah, it's beautiful."

When Chad saw my lack of enthusiasm, his expression turned grim. "Nina, why can't you ever just fit in with everyone else?"

They thought I didn't want to fit in, but the problem was that this group had never once cared about my feelings.

I retorted, "I never want to fit in with this group ever again."