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Off the Next Stop

Off the Next Stop

História curta · Romance
Por:  Hazel LakeCompleto
Idioma: English
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Sinopse

Tragic Love

Bias

Mistress

Winning Back the Wife

Awakening

Best Friend

On our graduation trip, my best friend, Maddie, hadn’t managed to snag a lower bunk in our Amtrak sleeper car. As she stared at the upper bunk with a troubled look, my boyfriend, Hal, teased her. “What’s wrong, Short Stuff? Can’t climb up there?” Maddie smacked his arm. “If you’re not going to help, shut up.” Instead of getting upset, Hal nudged me. “True, switch bunks with her. Knowing her, she’ll fall on her way up and land right on top of you.” I shifted my gaze to Hale, my mind wandering back to the journey throughout. He’d bought two breakfast sandwiches at the station, one of them being a vegan option. Hal had called Maddie out for always watching her weight. Still, he offered the vegan sandwich to her and handed me one with bacon, even though it wasn’t my choice of protein. When we arrived at the station, we had to haul our luggage down a flight of stairs. He’d grumbled about Maddie overpacking even when she couldn’t handle the luggage herself. Yet, Hal carried her suitcase down the stairs while leaving me to struggle with my own by myself. When we were deciding where to go, he’d scoffed at Maddie for not being able to handle a bit of spice, kicking up a fuss that she was ruining my chance to visit New Mexico and see the hot-air balloons. Then, without a second thought, he’d booked us tickets to Florida instead. He was supposed to be my boyfriend, but whenever Maddie was involved, he was always saying one thing and doing another. His priority was always her. So, I shook my head. “No, I’m not switching.”

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Capítulo 1

Chapter 1

Turning my back, I had just put down my backpack. The weight strained my shoulders.

Hal Plowman slapped me hard on the shoulder.

“Knock it off, True.”

I scowled in pain.

As if blind to my discomfort, Hal playfully tapped Maddie Burns on the shoulder.

“If you don’t trade bunks with her, she’s gonna be stuck sitting through her period cramps all night.”

I was stunned.

Before I could even process the fact that Maddie would share such intimate details with Hal, she playfully pushed him away.

“Oh, shut up.

“You just had to make me play ranked with you while we were booking tickets. Now I’m stuck with the top bunk!”

While talking, she doubled over, clutching her belly.

“I don’t have time for you. My stomach hurts. I’m heading to the restroom.

“Before I get back, you better have my bottom bunk sorted out.”

Her entitled tone made it sound as if she was Hal’s girlfriend.

Hal simply smiled in resignation.

“You heard her. Give up the lower bunk, or I’m gonna get it when she gets back.”

Hal handed me a pack of tissues.

“Here, the dummy forgot to bring some with her. Take these to her real quick, so she doesn’t get stuck in the bathroom and stink up the whole train.”

I met Hal’s gaze.

My heart sank.

Short Stuff. Dummy.

Hal had already come up with two playful nicknames for Maddie in mere minutes.

Meanwhile, he only addressed me by my name.

While I was deep in my thoughts, a phone ringtone broke the silence.

Hal took the call with a smile.

“No toilet paper with you? Sure thing. Just ask me nicely, and I’ll deliver some to you.”

Still poking fun at her on the phone, Hal snatched the tissues from me and strolled off to the restroom.

Not once did he look back at me.

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12 Capítulos
Chapter 1
Turning my back, I had just put down my backpack. The weight strained my shoulders. Hal Plowman slapped me hard on the shoulder. “Knock it off, True.” I scowled in pain. As if blind to my discomfort, Hal playfully tapped Maddie Burns on the shoulder. “If you don’t trade bunks with her, she’s gonna be stuck sitting through her period cramps all night.” I was stunned. Before I could even process the fact that Maddie would share such intimate details with Hal, she playfully pushed him away. “Oh, shut up.“You just had to make me play ranked with you while we were booking tickets. Now I’m stuck with the top bunk!”While talking, she doubled over, clutching her belly. “I don’t have time for you. My stomach hurts. I’m heading to the restroom. “Before I get back, you better have my bottom bunk sorted out.” Her entitled tone made it sound as if she was Hal’s girlfriend. Hal simply smiled in resignation. “You heard her. Give up the lower bunk, or I’m gonna get it whe
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Chapter 2
Hal and Maddie finally came back half an hour later, laughing and joking around. “Here you go, True. I got bored waiting for Shorty, so I got some fruit at the dining cart.” I dropped my gaze. It was a container of pre-cut watermelon. Maddie’s favorite. Watermelon never agreed with me. When I didn’t reach for the fruit, Hal practically shoved the container into my hands. “Come on. Dig in. Then get some sleep up top.” Hal nudged me toward the upper bunk. Maddie settled herself on the lower bunk belonging to me and beckoned Hal over. “Hurry up and log on. We’ll be going through a tunnel soon, and the signal’s going to drop. We won’t be able to play once we’re in there.” I watched the pair sit across from each other with their phones held up to their faces. Disappointment washed over me. “I said I’m not switching. “If you’re that concerned about Maddie getting to the top bunk, you can always trade yours with hers.” I didn’t raise my voice. However, the messa
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Chapter 3
Maddie went pale for a second and tugged at Hal’s sleeve pleadingly. She sounded hurt. “Hal…” Not looking at Maddie, Hal asked me with a scowl, “True, so you’re dead set on keeping the lower bunk, huh?” I didn’t give them the time of day. Setting my rear down on my bunk, I let my actions speak for themselves. Just then, the conductor ran the ticket on his handset. “True Radcliff, right? You’ve got lower bunk 7 in Car 6. This is your assigned seat, all right.” The conductor turned to Hal and Maddie. “Young man, I don’t care about the drama you have between you, but fighting over a seat is disrupting everyone in the car. If you don’t settle down, I’ll have to contact the authorities.” Hal apologized, his expression grim. Once the conductor took off, Hal turned his gaze back to me. “You’ve really disappointed me, True. “Since you insist on staying in the lower bunk, Maddie and I will just move to another car.” A hidden thrill darted across Maddie’s eyes. Stil
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Chapter 4
I replayed everything in my mind over and over again. From the moment we got on the train until the huge fight, had Hal come close to my bunk? Sadly, he had not. As I sat there in a daze, Hal walked back into view. He spotted the thing in my hand. After pausing for a few seconds, Hal made a beeline to the luggage rack. He pushed my suitcase aside to retrieve Maddie’s and his luggage. More than once, I parted my lips, desperate to break the silence. I wanted to ask him why he had given the bracelet to Maddie. However, the words died on my tongue, a sharp numbness choking my throat. I couldn’t squeeze out a single sound. All I could do was watch as Hal wheeled two suitcases away and disappeared from my sight. Through it all, he didn’t even speak to me once. It felt like a silent treatment. However, Hal had once told me that his parents had divorced because his father had shut his mother out emotionally. Hal had seen with his own eyes how much his mother ha
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Chapter 5
The piercing shrill of the train whistle shattered my train of thought, snapping me back to reality.Two burly men approached my section with heaps of luggage. I went on high alert right away. In my mind, I kept praying that they were just passing through. Too bad luck wasn’t on my side. The pair took the bunk above me, while the other was assigned to the bunk Hal had given up. They set down their luggage. The terror of being stalked took hold of me. Driven by panic, I typed out an SOS to Hal. “Hal, when are you coming back? Two new guys who just boarded are taking the bunk above mine. I’m scared.” Once the message was sent, I stared intently at my screen. One minute, two minutes… Then minutes passed. At last, Hal replied, “Oh, now you’re scared? “Apologize to Maddie now, and I’ll come back.” I read the text. Tears spilled over, hitting the screen and my trembling hand. “Oh, my. Why are you crying, little missy?” The two guys who had put away their lugg
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Chapter 6
Not even a minute after I stepped off, the rumbling sound of the train pulling away echoed behind me, cutting off any chance of regret. My grip on the suitcase tightened. I glanced at the time. It was 12:36 AM. Staring at the rushing passengers, unfamiliar station sign, and pitch-dark night sky beyond the platform, I felt lost. I didn’t know where to go from here. According to the original plan, Hal, Maddie, and I would arrive in Florida at seven that evening, after twenty-seven hours on the sleeper train. We’d take pictures at the station as soon as we got off. Then, we’d head to the restaurants and dessert shops Maddie had saved on her list. We would even stay at a hotel where her favorite celebrity had once been a guest. Finally, we’d spend the next seven days following the itinerary Maddie and Hal had put together. I barely glanced at their plans before I lost the motivation to read any further.Every destination was somewhere Maddie and Hal wanted to visit.F
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Chapter 7
Once at the hotel, I unzipped my luggage to unpack. That was when my phone rang. It was the ringtone I had set for Maddie. I took a couple of seconds to myself before taking the call. “Hello, Maddie…” “True, why didn’t you tell us that you swapped bunks?” Maddie’s whiny tone came through on the call. I was taken aback. Before I could tell her that I had gotten off the train, Maddie’s voice rang through again. “Hal and I lost a card game to passengers in our car. As a dare, I had to upload that photo. I was worried you might be upset by the photo, so Hal came with me to clear things up. Imagine our shock when we found a stranger sleeping in your bunk.” Her tone was laced with a hint of hurt. “It was dark in the carriage. I thought you were lying there and wanted to mess with you, but I got yelled at instead.” I remained silent as Maddie shoved her accusations down my throat. For the first time, I looked at Maddie without the blind trust that friendship had always p
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Chapter 8
During those seconds when the line went radio silent, a lot went through my head. I met Hal for the first time at a kindergarten around our neighborhood. My eyes were drawn right away to his neat, charming appearance. Shy as I was, I couldn’t bring myself to say hello to him. However, he brushed past all the other girls and made a beeline to me. He said, “Miss, I want to sit with her.” For thirteen years, Hal and I sat side by side. It was from preschool to elementary, and middle school to high school.We even applied for the same college on the same campus. My mind then went back to the day Hal told me how he felt. It happened at night. It had started as a joke. I'd sent him a silly meme teasing him about asking me out.Instead of playing along, he crossed half the city to buy me flowers and gifts, then showed up outside my house. According to him, it was only right to meet in person to confess his feelings. That was the only way to show respect for what we h
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Chapter 9
The younger sibling, Cassandra, was chatty. Before getting into the car, Cassandra asked whether I wanted to sit in the front or back. I chose the front. The siblings shared a conversation in the back, making it a point to include me every now and then. By the time the hour-long car ride was over, the awkwardness had mostly worn off. The three of us began exploring the festival together. When we reached the field where the hot-air balloons were gathered, I was so excited that I snapped several pictures in a row.I whipped out my phone and sent the photos to the chat where no reply would ever come. “Dad, I finally came to see the hot-air balloons you told me about. “They’re so much prettier than I imagined.” I stared at the smiling man in his profile picture until my vision grew blurry. Dad had spent part of his youth working in New Mexico. Whenever he called me, he’d talk about the beautiful balloons he’d seen there. He always promised that when he had some free time
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Chapter 10
By the time we left the hot-air balloon festival, it was already afternoon.Grateful for how kind Cassandra and Rowan were to me, I offered to take them out for lunch.When we got to a nearby restaurant, I learned that Cassandra couldn’t handle strong flavors. Without even thinking, I almost suggested we go somewhere else. However, Rowan stopped me. “Since the bold flavors don’t agree with her, she can always order something else. You can order whatever you want.” For a moment, my ears rang. Before, each time we went out to eat as a group, Maddie basically had a say in what we could order because she couldn’t handle a bit of heat. As it turned out, the same problem could have a different solution all along. During lunch, Cassandra and Rowan made sure I was part of every conversation. Even when they started discussing a video game I knew nothing about, they would try their best to give me the layman’s terms to keep me in the loop. It was nothing like dining with Hal
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